VDSL Connection

[Bruno_A]

Hi all,

 

At home, I have a VDSL service from my ISP. To have an internet connection, I connect the "telephone" cable (RJ11 cable), coming from the DSL filter, and plug it to the router, which can be provided by the ISP, or third-party, in my case, and then, in the router settings I change the mode to VDSL and type in the email and password provided by the ISP, and I'll have an internet connection. I suspect my router it's on its way out, or maybe it just can't cope with my network, and I have purchased a new one. However, the new one, is not a VDSL router. It uses a WAN port for the internet connection, so, obviously, I will not be able to plug in the DSL cable to it and configure the ISP settings. How would I approach this? I could get a modem, which would output an ethernet connection for the new router, however, the modems I've seen on ebay, are these Huawei VDSL/Fibre modems that apparently only work in bridge mode, and don't have a web interface. Would it be possible to use these with my new router? And what exactly do they do, since there are no settings? Do they just convert a DSL cable to RJ45 Ethernet?

[Oshino Shinobu]

What you had originally is most likely a VDSL Modem and Router in one unit (among other devices). 

 

Either you need to get a modem or you need to get a modem/router combo unit.

 

You have options like the Huawei HG612 which is/was standard from BT. Not sure where you saw that they have no web interface or settings, because they do. I use a Huawei HG612 and can manage it from a web interface. That said, there's really not a whole lot to configure. Most connections will work out of the box, but if your ISP requires specific VLAN tags or similar, it can be setup through the Web interface. 

 

In terms of connecting, most of the time you'll have the modem just convert the signal and pass it through to the WAN port on the router. The router is then responsible for establishing the connection to the ISP. Seeing as you have a username and password from the ISP, you most likely are on a PPPoE connection, so you'd need to set the router up for that. 

[Bruno_A]

6 minutes ago, Oshino Shinobu said:

What you had originally is most likely a VDSL Modem and Router in one unit (among other devices). 

 

Either you need to get a modem or you need to get a modem/router combo unit.

 

You have options like the Huawei HG612 which is/was standard from BT. Not sure where you saw that they have no web interface or settings, because they do. I use a Huawei HG612 and can manage it from a web interface. That said, there's really not a whole lot to configure. Most connections will work out of the box, but if your ISP requires specific VLAN tags or similar, it can be setup through the Web interface. 

 

In terms of connecting, most of the time you'll have the modem just convert the signal and pass it through to the WAN port on the router. The router is then responsible for establishing the connection to the ISP. Seeing as you have a username and password from the ISP, you most likely are on a PPPoE connection, so you'd need to set the router up for that. 

I did not know for sure they didn't have a web interface. I asked a seller on eBay, and that's what he told me. I found it weird, but I could not find anything related to that on a Google research. This is exactly the answer I was looking for. So, the modem would "convert" the DSL connection to Ethernet, and I'd configure my router to use PPPoE with my ISP-provided email and password? Just to be clear, what exactly is the modem doing? Since it only grabs the DSL and gives me an Ethernet output, is it doing any more than just converting the type of cable? I'm sorry if this sounds dumb, but I'm really curious as to what's it doing. And how would it be if it were a fibre connection?

[Oshino Shinobu]

21 minutes ago, Bruno_A said:

I did not know for sure they didn't have a web interface. I asked a seller on eBay, and that's what he told me. I found it weird, but I could not find anything related to that on a Google research. This is exactly the answer I was looking for. So, the modem would "convert" the DSL connection to Ethernet, and I'd configure my router to use PPPoE with my ISP-provided email and password? Just to be clear, what exactly is the modem doing? Since it only grabs the DSL and gives me an Ethernet output, is it doing any more than just converting the type of cable? I'm sorry if this sounds dumb, but I'm really curious as to what's it doing. And how would it be if it were a fibre connection?

Yep. For the most part, you just need to plug the router in and set it up as a pass-through to the router. In my case, the modem works fine on factory settings and all the configuration for the connection is handled through the router. 

 

Modem stands for modulator-demodulator. It does more than just convert the cable. Ethernet networks transmit data in a digital format, while telephone lines, which are still used in VDSL connections, even in FTTC situations (where fibre cables run between the exchange and the cabinet, but then the older copper phone lines carry the signal to the property) use analogue wave formats. The modem performs the role of converting between the two. It's a pretty "dumb" device and in most situations, doesn't really do anything other than convert the signal and pass it on. 

 

Full fibre connections use fibre cables all the way to the premises, so the signal is digital the entire way. As such, there are no modems in a full fibre connection as the signal doesn't need to be converted. That said, often there is some form of media conversion (often in the forms of a GPON terminal) as it comes into the property, where it will change from fibre optic to the more typical copper forms of ethernet (there are fibre optic standards that support Ethernet such as the likes of SFP, but it's not your typical consumer setup). From the media converter, which is installed along with the fibre lines, it can go right into an Ethernet router. 

 

This is a pretty good video showcasing how FTTP connections come into the property and the equipment involved. Unfortunately, FTTP isn't available where I am, so I haven't been able to get any hands-on experience with it yet

 

 

[Bruno_A]

4 minutes ago, Oshino Shinobu said:

Yep. For the most part, you just need to plug the router in and set it up as a pass-through to the router. In my case, the modem works fine on factory settings and all the configuration for the connection is handled through the router. 

 

Modem stands for modulator-demodulator. It does more than just convert the cable. Ethernet networks transmit data in a digital format, while telephone lines, which are still used in VDSL connections, even in FTTC situations (where fibre cables run between the exchange and the cabinet, but then the older copper phone lines carry the signal to the property) use analogue wave formats. The modem performs the role of converting between the two. It's a pretty "dumb" device and in most situations, doesn't really do anything other than convert the signal and pass it on. 

 

Full fibre connections use fibre cables all the way to the premises, so the signal is digital the entire way. As such, there are no modems in a full fibre connection as the signal doesn't need to be converted. That said, often there is some form of media conversion (often in the forms of a GPON terminal) as it comes into the property, where it will change from fibre optic to the more typical copper forms of ethernet (there are fibre optic standards that support Ethernet such as the likes of SFP, but it's not your typical consumer setup). From the media converter, which is installed along with the fibre lines, it can go right into an Ethernet router. 

 

This is a pretty good video showcasing how FTTP connections come into the property and the equipment involved. Unfortunately, FTTP isn't available where I am, so I haven't been able to get any hands-on experience with it yet

 

Before I moved into a different country, where I currently am living, I had a FTTP connection, and I don't really know what happened in the "background" (will watch the video, which explains it), the fibre cable that came into the house, would go into a Huawei ONT Router and it required no configuration at all. Anyway, thanks for the answer. Certainly very detailed and I'm now less dumb.