In reply to a post by mattlitt:

I use a Network Orbi plugged directly to the CityFibre ONT and it connected straight out the box using DHCP no need to set up a VLAN.

OK

The engineers who did the install made sure the service was up and gave evidence of speed test in excess of 500mbps using my old Talktalk router before they left

The Kelly engineers that turned up seemed to be interested only in setting up the optical path and much less so in checking that the service actually worked. In particular if I didn't want to plug the eero in and install the phone app I was definitely on my own (fair enough, I suppose) - they claimed they'd actually been "told off" by their supervisor for spending too long with clients trying to get the service up and running.

It didn't help that the firmware on the D.Link DIR-882 that I was using was rubbish.

At the time I ordered FTTP, the Eero was only given to customers on Open Reach network and not CityFibre, not sure why, maybe a compatibility issue at the time.

Now *that's* interesting - there are lots of online references to VLAN 911, but I'm not clear that the eero supports VLANs. If you go to "manual setup" it offers just DHCP or static IP and the setup did not ask me who my ISP was so unless it is *very* clever and pulls it from my postcode it doesn't know that I'm on TalkTalk via CityFibre.

Powering it up unconfigured causes it to put out DHCP discover packets, untagged.

So I wonder if early on CF did use VLAN 911 and the eero wasn't compatible, but they've now sorted CF using untagged frames.

Service has been rock solid since, fingers crossed you get sorted soon.

Fingers crossed

No luck over the weekend, including trying the eero. Looks like I might be able to get home in time to call CS today, unless it has magically sprung into life while I have been at work.

Edited by mr_bean (Mon 17-Jan-22 13:57:12)

In reply to a post by jpm:

The tricky part is that from what I understand of Vodafone Cityfibre deployments, the VLAN can be different in each area. I second the suggestion to get the Eero box working first before trying anything else.

Multiple possible VLANs would be somewhat annoying.

The eero doesn't work either.

If you get desperate you can connect the Eero WAN to your PC and sniff the frames, it should be easy to see the VLAN tag that is in use.

It puts out untagged DHCP discover frames and IPV6 neighbour solicitations.

Just got off the phone to TT - they say that they have identified a problem with the provisioning which CF need to fix - apparently the request has been generated today (?duplicating work on Friday, assuming that was done).

While I think that the eero supports VLAN tagging the WAN interface - there's a support page on the eero site that discusses it, for instance - the only manual setting offered on the app is either DHCP (with no option to set a VLAN tag) or static IP (again, no VLAN in the settings).

The guy today would not confirm the WAN settings - positively impolite considering that TT officially support 3rd party modems and there are details on the website (that are probably wrong, but they are there).

One annoying thing is that they won't tell me my account number and have not sent me my account number on any documentation - so I can't register on the website or use the support forums.

Anyway the current claim is that it could take 48 hours to activate so I have to wait it out and see if it springs into life at some point - then bend thir ear again late Weds or Thurs if it does not go live by then.

Edited by mr_bean (Mon 17-Jan-22 17:11:22)

They are really slow at sorting accounts. Mine took 16 days from the date of activation before it was created.

Not directly related to OP, just want to have a rant.
Am with TalkTalk Business on openreach FTTP + copper line for phone.
Install was done by 'Kowboy Communications', they are a disgrace, enough said.
After several months the phone was 'cut off', at first TTB denied I ever had a contract for it! Took some time to get it back.
Every few weeks (once a month?) I get an email inviting me to 'upgrade' my service to 'superfast', as I'm already on 'ultrafast' I ignore them, last friday I got a sms from courier to say my new router was being delivered! On checking the last email I got I saw lower down that I was getting a 'free' upgrade to 'superfast'! All the online help was offline, I don't know why, eventually found a phone number, it took some time before the operative could understand that I had both copper and fibre, it was a quite surreal conversation with him telling me that as I was phoning on my copper line I didn't have FTTP, I think we got there in the end and my fingers are crossed that my 'upgrade from 'ultrafast ' to superfast' has been stopped.

OK, at least I know it's not just mine

Rant away

I was not impressed with the general support line which, judging from the over-compressed audio, latency and accent on the other end of the line was in India. Another annoyance was the use of Anglicised names - I don't know what the guy I spoke to was called but "Jason" seems so unlikely as to actually be irritating.

Most of the call was wasted just trying to get the basics across - such as multiple attempts to get him to understand how my surname was spelled despite the use of the phonetic alphabet.

Then it was clear he did not understand the product and kept asking for my TT phone number. At the very least the operators should know that the product exists, they can't deal with it and how to re-direct a customer. It wasn't his fault I didn't have my account number but operators should be trained to recognise that new customers might not have one and to explain this when people call in.

At least the Future Fibre team have been able to use the order number and have been polite, albeit not terribly forthcoming with what is actually going on or how to set up a 3rd party router.

I thought TTB only offered a data only service on Openreach FTTP? At least that was the case when I took out their Fibre 900 service in Oct 2020. No real issues with TTB, though for some strange reason my upload on TTB never goes above 100 Mbps whilst the equivalent service on BT Business gives me 119-120 Mbps upload. Nothing to get my knickers in a twist over though

(Sorry for going off topic OP)

In reply to a post by Skardu:

I thought TTB only offered a data only service on Openreach FTTP? At least that was the case when I took out their Fibre 900 service in Oct 2020. No real issues with TTB, though for some strange reason my upload on TTB never goes above 100 Mbps whilst the equivalent service on BT Business gives me 119-120 Mbps upload. Nothing to get my knickers in a twist over though

(Sorry for going off topic OP)

I have a hybrid cable coming from the pole, it has fibre and copper, it splits at the eaves, copper going to a 5C mk4 'Master Socket', and fibre to a Huawei ONT.

On Openreach, TTB supply you with their router, which you can use or keep in the box. Mine never made it out of the box. Straightforward PPPoE connection on Openreach for TTB. Resi TT on Openreach uses IPoE.

I don’t have a voice service with them, none was ever offered or indeed needed as we’ve run SIP connections for the office and for domestic for ages - makes it dead easy to change ISP and keep voice services running without interruption.

In reply to a post by Pheasant:

On Openreach, TTB supply you with their router, which you can use or keep in the box. Mine never made it out of the box. Straightforward PPPoE connection on Openreach for TTB. Resi TT on Openreach uses IPoE.

I don’t have a voice service with them, none was ever offered or indeed needed as we’ve run SIP connections for the office and for domestic for ages - makes it dead easy to change ISP and keep voice services running without interruption.

We where looking at change to FTTP at start of last years lockdown, there was no certainty of a timely switch over after porting number to SIP, which may have left us with no service for a unknown time. When present contract ends will most likely port number to a SIP service, as fibre is now in place and any loss of service will be minimal, if any at all. With at best a patchy mobile signal some form of landline is a lifeline.