Modem-only mode

Hello everyone, I'm new here but enjoying absorbing everything this community has to offer. I come with a question that I'm hoping someone can help with - apologies if this is in the wrong forum section.

My current ISP is Virgin Media and our household has generally been satisfied with the quality of service received - we don't seem to experience a lot of the issues that others mention when it comes to VM and rarely have a need to reach out to their customer service team. VM was for many years the only viable option, but very recently Openreach have installed FTTP in our area and this has opened up the possibility of exploring other providers to help with cost increases.

At home we've gradually integrated the home network into the fabric of the house with two Asus GT-AX11000 along with some unmanaged switches. Our VM-supplied hardware is set to modem-only mode to facilitate this setup, which leads to my question.

I know that not all hardware is supplied equally by the ISPs and I'm wondering if anyone knows that the hardware supplied by other ISPs can also be used in modem-only mode, and specifically which ISPs. I am open to exploring other providers but I have no real appetite when it comes to changing the rest of the networking hardware.

Thanks in advance.

Does the GT-AX11000 interface directly to the VM modem? If so, can you find out if it is possible to set yp a PPPoE connection on the WAN port. If so, you should be able to link that direct to a BT/OR ONT.

Yes, all the ASUS routers support PPPoE on WAN port. The GT-AX11000 is a high end version with a lot of WiFi bandwidth and a single 2.5 GigE port.

Under WAN on the spec page it states PPPoE:
https://rog.asus.com/uk/networking/rog-rapture-gt-ax...

jchamier

That looks one hell of a box! (Bit out of my price range!).

In reply to a post by kitcat:

That looks one hell of a box! (Bit out of my price range!).

Agreed, I have a much simpler/cheaper model, RT-AX88U which is WiFi 6 but only 2 radios, and no 2.5 GbE and a lot less antenna!

That should be the OPs solution then. Direct PPPoE to the ONT.

Your Asus beast will work with most Openreach based FTTP services, provided the CP will give you the PPPoE login information. In case you are not aware of the terminology the previously mentioned ONT (Optical Network Terminal) supplied by Openreach when they install FTTP is effectively the equivalent of a modem on an FTTC service.

Just connect the router ethernet WAN port to the ONT and set up a PPPoE connection. Job done.

I believe TalkTalk residential and SKY use different methods so you may need to check if your router is compatible with DHCP Option 61 or DHCP/IPoE connection protocols

In reply to a post by MHC:

That should be the OPs solution then. Direct PPPoE to the ONT.

As many of us used to use on VDSL with an Openreach modem

Another point is the BT Telephone will not work unless you use the supplied BT Smart Hub. Just thought I would mention this

In reply to a post by kitcat:

jchamier

That looks one hell of a box! (Bit out of my price range!).

just done a search for it and yes I agree with you