knowing what I know - you're TP link isn't actually in bridge mode. what's the WAN IP address showing on your Draytek?

It’s definitely in Bridge Mode. My Draytek WAN port has the public IP, I run my own published sites plus I can VPN to my Draytek directly.

strange you can access it. what operation mode does it say on the main page? Mine stiil said PPoE and the WAN address. I've now got proper admin rights to the TP Link if i need it so I can sort out any bridge issues myself (as you know HB lock advanced settings out). However not bridge mode is fully activated i cant access it anyway.

So I've just been to try this again. Connected to the Archer via Ethernet to LAN2 and I can get to the Router's WebUI on 192.168.10.1. I find this very strange as 100% the Router is operating in Bridge Mode as the public IP is on the WAN port on my Draytek and the Draytek is doing the PPPoE dial in......but I can still connect clients to the Archer and browse the web. Perhaps the Archer is routing its traffic back to my Draytek and back out again via itself (?????!!!!!).

....and just to preempt any questions, the Archer has no port forwarding, DMZ or similar settings configured. Its like the Archer is operating in Bridge Mode through its port 1 but is NATing any other clients through its other ports.

With 25 years in IT, I've never seen that before.

they havent commissioned it fully. Something similiar happened to me although it was in full DHCP mode!!! Call them.

In reply to a post by nofappingway:

Its like the Archer is operating in Bridge Mode through its port 1 but is NATing any other clients through its other ports.

Technically quite possible if the Archer was provided with multiple public IP addresses.

In reply to a post by jimmybond007:

they havent commissioned it fully. Something similiar happened to me although it was in full DHCP mode!!! Call them.

Your Asus router is connected back to which LAN port of the Archer 500V? Port 1?

Conversely if you connect a laptop/PC to any other LAN port (2,3 or 4) on the Archer do you get an IP address allocated by it and internet connectivity?

In reply to a post by jchamier:

In reply to a post by nofappingway:

Its like the Archer is operating in Bridge Mode through its port 1 but is NATing any other clients through its other ports.

Technically quite possible if the Archer was provided with multiple public IP addresses.

H!B could actually be running multiple VLANs on the WAN side and keep the default/native VLAN active. When a customer requests “bridge mode” they bring up another VLAN so that customer can run a separate PPPoE client on their own kit out via LAN port 1.

Which would make some sense otherwise how would H!B not lock themselves out of the “higher level” remote administration of the Archer (for example to set the box into or out of a “transparent” bridge mode) of the device.

Deeper GPON level OAM / optical network profiles and diagnostics would presumably be done by a different team and management tools.

I have a Draytek Vigor 130 VDSL modem. With that I can talk both PPPoE *and* native IP to its management address on the same ethernet port. It can also act as a DHCP server.

So maybe the OP's router is picking up an IP address via DHCP on the WAN side, *and* is running PPPoE at the same time - in that case it would have two WAN addresses.

In reply to a post by candlerb:

I have a Draytek Vigor 130 VDSL modem. With that I can talk both PPPoE *and* native IP to its management address on the same ethernet port. It can also act as a DHCP server.

The BT Openreach Huawei HG612 are much the same in that respect.