Crlsn Posted June 8, 2020 Share Posted June 8, 2020 I have recently purchased an XR500 Nighthawk gaming router, however I am having tremendous difficulty with setting the internet up. I do not have a modem (like it keeps mentioning) and plugging the provided black Ethernet (LAN) cable into the back of the yellow Internet socket isn’t doing me any justice. I am starting to believe that I need a modem for this? I am currently with Vodafone Broadband (UK) and I have been told that I can use this router with my broadband. I guess my overall query is, how do I get my current broadband to be on this router WITHOUT a modem, surely this is possible? Or perhaps even if I have to still use my Vodafone router with my XR500, I don’t really care. I have a BT Openreach master socket by the way (if that’s even worth mentioning) Any and preferably all possibilities would be greatly appreciated (as long as they don’t consist of a modem) Even if I have to go as far as purchasing a special cable, because my Openreach master socket has to have a micro filter and that requires RJ-11,which goes into the micro filter, and the micro filter into the master socket. I have seen the XR500 only allows RJ-45, so I was wondering if getting a RJ-11 to RJ-45 (RJ-11 on one end of the cable and RJ-45 on the other end) and obviously the RJ-45 will go into the XR500 and the RJ-11 into my micro filter, which is going into my master socket. I have attached a photo of what my master socket (or even my general phone line sockets look like around the rest of my premises, along with how it is plugged into the router) just so that anyone who has a solution can have a better understanding of what I’m dealing with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newfie Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 Your Vodafone router will be an all in one modem and router. I’ve never used one but yo need to go into its settings and see if you have a modem only setting. Then you connect XR500. Connect to the XR500 WAN port. Setup and off you go. Without a modem it will not work so you do need one. Crlsn 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crlsn Posted June 9, 2020 Author Share Posted June 9, 2020 42 minutes ago, Newfie said: Your Vodafone router will be an all in one modem and router. I’ve never used one but yo need to go into its settings and see if you have a modem only setting. Then you connect XR500. Connect to the XR500 WAN port. Setup and off you go. Without a modem it will not work so you do need one. I appreciate your response immensely, however I am still confused. Are you saying I’ll have to use my Vodafone router as the modem, or do I need my Vodafone router, XR500 AND a modem? Because why else would it mention that if my internet doesn’t require a router, I must put with provided Ethernet cable into the internet port on the XR500 and plug it into a power source? It says this in the instruction manual. Also, regarding settings, what type of settings will I have to put it? I have seen a discussion regarding Vodafone broadband and this router and some people said you have to enter some settings on the actual Vodafone broadband router but I wouldn’t know where to start or what settings to put. Would I also have to put some Vodafone settings on the XR500? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newfie Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 Are you fibre? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newfie Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 https://www.vodafone.co.uk/cs/groups/public/documents/webcontent/vfcon098518.pdf that may help. If you are not fibre on to premises the above is what you need to enter your router. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Netduma Alex Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 Your existing Vodafone router is a Modem and Router combo. The XR500 is not a modem, so you will need to do one of the following: Configure the Vodafone router into Bridge Mode so that it is essentially a modem Buy a separate modem (I use a Draytek Vigor personally) Use the XR500 underneath the Vodafone router, putting XR500 into DMZ Newfie 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crlsn Posted June 9, 2020 Author Share Posted June 9, 2020 29 minutes ago, Newfie said: Are you fibre? I have the Superfast 2 broadband, so to be completely honest, I’ll have no idea what that’ll fall under, haha. My apologies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crlsn Posted June 9, 2020 Author Share Posted June 9, 2020 23 minutes ago, Netduma Alex said: Your existing Vodafone router is a Modem and Router combo. The XR500 is not a modem, so you will need to do one of the following: Configure the Vodafone router into Bridge Mode so that it is essentially a modem Buy a separate modem (I use a Draytek Vigor personally) Use the XR500 underneath the Vodafone router, putting XR500 into DMZ Ok, so just to ask, out of these options (apart from purchasing a modem) which one is the best? Also, if I log into my Vodafone router settings, what setting would all of this fall under? As in, what category would bridge mode be in and what would DMZ be in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Killhippie Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 You are on stock VDSL 2 your Vodafone router was a modem router so the modem was built into the router, now you have a router only (no modem) you need to buy a modem and connect it to the XR500 Go on ebay and buy a unlocked HG612 3B openreach modem for about £20 or a Vigor 130 on Amazon for £80 (depending if you have a Huawei cab or a ECI cab) Huawei needs broadcom based modem, ECI generally prefers Lantiq. Sadly Your Vodafone router cannot be used as a modem in bridge mode. Also be aware if you need to have line tests done you will need to put your Vodafone router back in as they wont check for faults without it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crlsn Posted June 9, 2020 Author Share Posted June 9, 2020 38 minutes ago, Killhippie said: You are on stock VDSL 2 your Vodafone router was a modem router so the modem was built into the router, now you have a router only (no modem) you need to buy a modem and connect it to the XR500 Go on ebay and buy a unlocked HG612 3B openreach modem for about £20 or a Vigor 130 on Amazon for £80 (depending if you have a Huawei cab or a ECI cab) Huawei needs broadcom based modem, ECI generally prefers Lantiq. Sadly Your Vodafone router cannot be used as a modem in bridge mode. Also be aware if you need to have line tests done you will need to put your Vodafone router back in as they wont check for faults without it. I’m so confused now, 2 people prior to you have told me to try some things and now you’re saying it won’t work. Are you telling me it’s literally impossible for it to work? I haven’t even tried any of the options that have been suggested yet. I just don’t understand why it would say in the XR500’s instruction manual “Note: If your Internet connection does not require a modem, connect your main Ethernet cable to the yellow Internet port on the router.” I have also spoken to a Netgear agent and they told me that a modem isn’t necessary, so now I really have no clue what to believe and what not to believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iMoD1998 Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 Simply put, you need a modem. Newfie 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Killhippie Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 31 minutes ago, iMoD1998 said: Simply put, you need a modem. Exactly what iMoD1998 said. You need a modem. If you cant get past the modem stage or understand why you need one, maybe this isn't the best router for you. Please note I mean no offence its just you may struggle with the XR500's settings. Just to help clarify you have modem routers which are routers with a built in modem, like your Vodafone unit. Then you have routers like the XR500 and they need a separate modem because they don't have one built in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crlsn Posted June 9, 2020 Author Share Posted June 9, 2020 35 minutes ago, Killhippie said: Exactly what iMoD1998 said. You need a modem. If you cant get past the modem stage or understand why you need one, maybe this isn't the best router for you. Please note I mean no offence its just you may struggle with the XR500's settings. Just to help clarify you have modem routers which are routers with a built in modem, like your Vodafone unit. Then you have routers like the XR500 and they need a separate modem because they don't have one built in. I wasn’t at all under the impression that you were intending to be or unintentionally being offensive. Could you perhaps provide me with a guaranteed modem solution that would absolutely work with my master socket and how I would have to set it up, then I can at least try this. I’m looking for something around £20-£30, no more. I can see you have given me two options already, but I’m not sure if that will work, unless you are almost certain that it would. I obviously have little to no knowledge about modems and I’m going to want to use the XR500 as I’ve spent over £200 on it. Can I send you the model of my Vodafone router? Would this help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iMoD1998 Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 2 hours ago, Killhippie said: You are on stock VDSL 2 your Vodafone router was a modem router so the modem was built into the router, now you have a router only (no modem) you need to buy a modem and connect it to the XR500 Go on ebay and buy a unlocked HG612 3B openreach modem for about £20 or a Vigor 130 on Amazon for £80 (depending if you have a Huawei cab or a ECI cab) Huawei needs broadcom based modem, ECI generally prefers Lantiq. Sadly Your Vodafone router cannot be used as a modem in bridge mode. Also be aware if you need to have line tests done you will need to put your Vodafone router back in as they wont check for faults without it. HG612 3B or ECI-B. Best if you can match the same brand to your cabinet but either will work and can be found all over ebay from £20-£30. Crlsn 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Killhippie Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 33 minutes ago, Crlsn said: I wasn’t at all under the impression that you were intending to be or unintentionally being offensive. Could you perhaps provide me with a guaranteed modem solution that would absolutely work with my master socket and how I would have to set it up, then I can at least try this. I’m looking for something around £20-£30, no more. I can see you have given me two options already, but I’m not sure if that will work, unless you are almost certain that it would. I obviously have little to no knowledge about modems and I’m going to want to use the XR500 as I’ve spent over £200 on it. Can I send you the model of my Vodafone router? Would this help? Unlocked HG612 would give you stats and have latest firmware, here is a link. Good luck buy now units cost more cash. https://www.ebay.co.uk/c/1452457135 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crlsn Posted June 9, 2020 Author Share Posted June 9, 2020 28 minutes ago, Killhippie said: Unlocked HG612 would give you stats and have latest firmware, here is a link. Good luck buy now units cost more cash. https://www.ebay.co.uk/c/1452457135 I appreciate the response and my apologies for asking, but what does “unlocked” mean? I am sorry, I’m just very new to modems, I’ve never used one. Would it be possible for me to purchase a new one? I’m a bit funny about used things, if I can’t that’s obviously fine. Also, if I were to purchase a new one, how would I go about unlocking it? Is it a relatively simple process, or would you rather just recommend that I purchase from the link you have provided? All in all, I genuinely don’t mind spending more than £20-£30, not even £80, I literally just want to get this router working. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Killhippie Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 Just now, Crlsn said: I appreciate the response and my apologies for asking, but what does “unlocked” mean? I am sorry, I’m just very new to modems, I’ve never used one. Would it be possible for me to purchase a new one? I’m a bit funny about used things, if I can’t that’s obviously fine. Also, if I were to purchase a new one, how would I go about unlocking it? Is it a relatively simple process, or would you rather just recommend that I purchase from the link you have provided? All in all, I genuinely don’t mind spending more than £20-£30, not even £80, I literally just want to get this router working. Unlocked means its had the latest firmware (theses modems dont get auto updated any more by BT) so it needs to have had its firmware updated by being unlocked and you can see your line stats with one that's unlocked as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crlsn Posted June 9, 2020 Author Share Posted June 9, 2020 57 minutes ago, Killhippie said: Unlocked means its had the latest firmware (theses modems dont get auto updated any more by BT) so it needs to have had its firmware updated by being unlocked and you can see your line stats with one that's unlocked as well. I really do appreciate your patience and assistance, it’s helping me a lot more to have a better understanding. I’ve just been told I have an ADSL line? So must I buy a different modem to the ones you’ve suggested? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Killhippie Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 9 minutes ago, Crlsn said: I really do appreciate your patience and assistance, it’s helping me a lot more to have a better understanding. I’ve just been told I have an ADSL line? So must I buy a different modem to the ones you’ve suggested? Yes you can as seen here https://support.aa.net.uk/Router_-_EchoLife_HG612 (info courteously of Newfie because he is moaning on FaceTime I got in first) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newfie Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 1 minute ago, Killhippie said: Yes you can as seen here https://support.aa.net.uk/Router_-_EchoLife_HG612 (info courteously of Newfie because he is moaning on FaceTime I got in first) Bloody cheek! Crlsn 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crlsn Posted June 9, 2020 Author Share Posted June 9, 2020 2 hours ago, Killhippie said: Yes you can as seen here https://support.aa.net.uk/Router_-_EchoLife_HG612 (info courteously of Newfie because he is moaning on FaceTime I got in first) So just to clarify, I have to connect the XR500 to the modem, then put the modem into the master socket and apply my PPPoE settings from Vodafone to the XR500 via DumaOS and the internet will go onto that? But obviously before setting it all up, I just simply apply the PPPoE settings via my laptop on DumaOS first, then I set it all up? Or would I have to also put the XR500 settings on my VodafoneConnect? In case you don’t know, VodafoneConnect is where I can login to my router settings and obviously change them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crlsn Posted June 9, 2020 Author Share Posted June 9, 2020 2 hours ago, Killhippie said: Yes you can as seen here https://support.aa.net.uk/Router_-_EchoLife_HG612 (info courteously of Newfie because he is moaning on FaceTime I got in first) Also, I’ve had a look at the HG612. Is switching VDSL to ADSL going to be difficult or is this relatively easy? How is it done? I’m going to need ADSL for my internet. Again, I do apologise for all the questions, but I do appreciate all the effort you guys have gone through to try and assist me with this. Please forgive me for my persistence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Netduma Fraser Posted June 9, 2020 Administrators Share Posted June 9, 2020 Could you let us know the model of the Vodafone router you're using at the moment please? Until then we can't really accurately determine exactly if you need to buy something else or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crlsn Posted June 9, 2020 Author Share Posted June 9, 2020 29 minutes ago, Netduma Fraser said: Could you let us know the model of the Vodafone router you're using at the moment please? Until then we can't really accurately determine exactly if you need to buy something else or not. My Vodafone router model is HHG2500, however is this really necessary now? People have already told me that I absolutely need a modem, but I’m still open for any other suggestions, needless to say I don’t think it’ll be necessary now though, but please, go ahead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Netduma Fraser Posted June 9, 2020 Administrators Share Posted June 9, 2020 47 minutes ago, Crlsn said: My Vodafone router model is HHG2500, however is this really necessary now? People have already told me that I absolutely need a modem, but I’m still open for any other suggestions, needless to say I don’t think it’ll be necessary now though, but please, go ahead. I wouldn't want you to purchase something else if it is unnecessary. The Vodafone router connects to the socket in the wall to provide you with internet is that right? Could you let us know what the issues you're having connecting the XR to the Vodafone router are? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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