Help with getting rid of Truespeed FTTP router

Hi all. I'm in the unfortunate position of using Truespeed as my ISP (see this story on ISP review ). To cut a long story short their router is completely locked down (NO access to the web interface at all), in order to change the password of your wifi you have to send them a new password in plain text by email and they'll do it remotely. I don't like this, it's a security nightmare, and I want to manage my own network.

I was under the impression it would not be possible to get rid of the supplied router because it handles connecting to the ONT. However someone in the comments suggested it is possible:

In Truespeed’s case you can connect your own router to the ONT, though there is no DHCP on the internet VLAN. Their routers grab their configuration on boot from the untagged VLAN on the ONT’s Ethernet port. You can configure the network statically and not worry about this, provided you set the correct tagged VLAN and addressing details for your connection. Obviously this kind of configuration would be beyond the average consumer, and in any case difficult if you were to use their phone service (SIP not on the internet VLAN).

and someone else said

As for the VLAN, should be able to find that out easily enough if you have either a managed switch or an unmanaged switch that does not strip tags or drop. Then run wireshark and see what VLAN the internet traffic is on. TBH, probably not worth the bother for most folks and might annoy TS. Also, if you are on dynamic IP then I think the IP is part of the TR-69 config (or whatever else they use). Unless you can read this and dynamically update your wan ip they might get a bit grumpy. Not my area of expertise but does not sound worth the pain.

I'd really like to give this a go. Does anyone have any more information about this? Do you think it will be possible and easy? A lot of other posts on the internet suggest I might need PPPoE username and password but I'm not sure this is the case here. Any help appreciated!

Just to outline the current setup is Fibre => ONT (DKT Comega 79734uk) => Zyxel VMG8825-T50 running I assume a custom firmware or otherwise locked down

Well their "policy" sounds frankly idiotic and nonsensical!

DIY route will be a world of pain for a newbie, with no guarantees of success and a high probability that they will get [censored] if they think you're sniffing or hacking their network without permission. I know that sounds extreme, but these days its not worth the bother. Truly.

If you want to remain with them, I'd be pressing their senior support to help you do this on "official" terms and add your own router (like practically every other rational ISP).

Edited by Pheasant (Fri 04-Jun-21 22:07:19)

@jimmcwibb,

I've done my research into Truespeed and I, personally, think they look like a two-bit operator. This is because their Customer Services (Pre-Sales) department is only open during the week and not weekends. If I was someone that worked in, say, the City and didn't get home till after 19:00 during the week, then I wouldn't be able to contact them at all. IMHO, I would steer absolutely clear of this business especially if what you say is true about their router and needing to send them a password in an open email. This is something I WOULD NEVER EVER do. Open emails can be intercepted and then that would leave your network open to being hijacked by anyone. Not a good business model IMHO. If I was you then I would contact the CEO and complain to them about their choice of router and business practises. I would also mention that if something is not done to rectify their business model then you could always go to the press and make a big splash about them. This could loose them a lot of business, which they wouldn't want.

You should be able to leave them easily and transfer to a much better ISP. From what you say and my research I think ANYONE would be better than Truespeed.

HTH,

Without knowing router web interface user/password you not going to be able to change anything anyway.
They could also of dissabled router web interface on LAN side.

But being me I would love to be able to find router web interface. Yep it pointless if don't have user/password in use but it just need to knowing thing.

I take try you have already tryed you network gateway address in browser as both http://192.168.1.1/ and https://192.168.1.1/ .

Some times it using diffrent port number ie 192.168.1.1:8000 192.168.1.1:8080

Now some ISP also use another IP to grant access to router web interface then just gateway address like 192.168.1.1 and that 192.168.100.1 (Virgin Media)

Anyway why are there being so, obtuse about this? Not tell your customers this dosn't make it any more secure, or is there something they are not tell us?

If they don't want to give access to router web interface.
You could just keep on getting them to change WiFi password. Apply and remove verious port forwarding requirements, etc.

Yeah I lost my [censored] when I found out they wanted me to send them a new password by email. The crazy thing about this is the email doesn't even need to be intercepted. Human beings at the company automatically know the password because they have to read it and change it. What's worse is they must keep some kind of database of customers and their wifi passwords somewhere - a data breach of that kind would be unthinkable.

Their solution to this problem by the way is for customers to buy their own routers and then they will create a dmz through their router, so you can actually turn off "their" wifi networks and run your own. But they can be turned on again at their end, any time they like. I doubt many of their customers bother to do this so it's best to regard all of their wifi networks as unsecured.

I still have my Sky internet at the moment because I only just switched to Truespeed. I told Truespeed to cancel my service within the 14 day cooling off period but, get this, the customer support person said that I couldn't cancel because I had been installed. This despite the 14 day cooling off period being legally mandated AND it's written into their own terms and conditions. They then stopped responding to my emails! I guess they think I will just go away but they might have a shock when they try to invoice me and I remind them I cancelled after 1 day.

Anyway I'm in a situation where I can tinker on my end without any hassle.

If you’ve cancelled the service, what are you possibly hoping to achieve here?

(Just chalk it up as a bad experience and move on)

First I am NO expert at the law. What I say could and has been know to be wrong.

If you send to e-mail accounts that an human desinated e-mail for cooling off,I would also send it with CC or BCC to another e-mail address just to be able to prove that it was send and should been recived. Send it an non human account might be argued it didn't count.
Phone also is good idea, take name (ref) for who talked to, date, start time of call/end time of call.
Sending by post I would send it by royal mail 1st class recorded delivery.

Here few respectiable links about there cooling off Law's in UK.

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/phone-int...

https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/what-...

https://www.gov.uk/online-and-distance-selling-for-b...

No worries here - I had several replies from them AND a phone conversation with customer service so there's no doubt my request was received. In total I requested cancellation about four times - three in email, one on the phone. The phone conversation is recorded, the email conversation is obviously on record. They refused to cancel because "I was happy with the install" - but that doesn't overide my rights to cancel within the cooling off period, and their terms and conditions even allow for this excact eventuality:

9.3 How long do I have to change my mind? Where you have purchased Services, you have 14 days
after the day we will write to you to confirm we accept your order. If you cancel after we have
started providing the Services (including any installation Services), you must pay us for the Services
provided up until the time you tell us that you have changed your mind.

It's clear that having the installation and the service activated does not waive my rights to cancel during the cooling off period. They simply don't want to accept this, but they can take me to court if they like.

Either way I'm still connected at this time and so tinkering with the connection on my end is still possible.