ASUS DSL-N17U as xDSL Modem (Bridge Mode)?

[charlie2alpha]

Bad news. Makes me wonder. I can't imagine the DSL module in the DSL-N to be much different from DSL modules in other ASUS routers...

Looks like I should rather buy a device with a reputation instead.

Well I bought it because I needed a VDSL capable modem that doesn't cost a fortune. I got it for 65€ here in Greece, found it in a offer. By the way, the latest beta version 1.1.1.2 is now released officially as a final version in ASUS' website.

For me it works just fine now, but then again I do not need to play with VLANs etc as I do not have such service. Also, I blamed the AC56U because there were reports when I tested it that it indeed has issues itself with PPPoE and VLANs. I haven't actually tested it with more recent firmware.

 

[A.D.]

I needed a VDSL capable modem that doesn't cost a fortune

The exact reason why I'm considering it.

the latest beta version 1.1.1.2 is now released officially as a final version in ASUS' website. For me it works just fine now, but then again I do not need to play with VLANs etc as I do not have such service. Also, I blamed the AC56U because there were reports when I tested it that it indeed has issues itself with PPPoE and VLANs. I haven't actually tested it with more recent firmware.

Thanks for the clarification. I thought the RTs aren't able to insert a VLAN ID on the WAN side with the ASUS stock firmware at all (except with command lione magic) and that only asuswrt-merlin adds that on the GUI.

So maybe it's worth considering it still but I definitely need full VLAN ID transparency since providers change their infrastructure frequently and as mentioned, there are cases where two VLAN IDs (broadcast vs unicast) need to be used on the WAN side. I'm still irritated by the "IPTV" naming in the GUI because it sounds so use case specific and ASUS might feel like changing the underlying magic at any time if customers complain that their IPTV scenarios don't work in router mode... then again, if the software has any reasonable functionality at all then it should be possible to set this up cleanly on command line -- after all, VLAN ID transparency just means "leave the data packets as they are instead of processinf each packet"...

I'll first wait for ASUS sales to respond.

 

[charlie2alpha]

Yeah, there is a way to configure VLAN for internet on the RT models, you can find it in... you guessed it, the IPTV related settings of those models!

 

[A.D.]

Yeah, there is a way to configure VLAN for internet on the RT models, you can find it in... you guessed it, the IPTV related settings of those models!

I guess that means one could say that TP-LINK specialise in supporting WAN under all possible conditions worldwide and ASUS specialises in data throughput for certain scenarios. (TP-LINK devices have quite a lot of WAN options. Of course, one can always use a non-ASUS based firmware but that comes at the cost of lower speed. And of course, TP-LINK devices are not exactly first choice.)

Consumer grade devices... you never know what you'll get... I'm glad I bought my RT-AC66U as an access point only...

 

[charlie2alpha]

This the setting on my RT-AC56U

You fill in the VLAN and the router does the rest. Or that is how it is supposed to work.

 

[charlie2alpha]

LOL

Just for the hell of it, I unchecked the "Remove VLAN TAG from WAN" for the N17U and filled in the appropriate value on the RT-AC56U. And it worked! It seems it is all fixed!

 

[A.D.]

This the setting on my RT-AC56U [...three VLAN IDs and priorities can be assigned to three different LAN ports, IGMP proxy can be enabled...]

Admittedly, that's looking nice. Something one can work with, at least in many / most cases.

I unchecked the "Remove VLAN TAG from WAN" for the N17U and filled in the appropriate value on the RT-AC56U. And it worked! It seems it is all fixed!

Thanks for giving it a try. Maybe the DSL-N is not such a bad choice.

For the sake of completeness, since you reported unstable connections, which kind of VDSL connection do you have? VDSL1, VDSL2? Vectoring?

 

[charlie2alpha]

I have a VDSL2 line, had some issues with the stability but that was last year, it's been rock solid for many months now. They also updated the DSL driver several times already, seems to me they are actively trying to correct the software issues.

 

[A.D.]

I have a VDSL2 line, had some issues with the stability but that was last year, it's been rock solid for many months now. They also updated the DSL driver several times already, seems to me they are actively trying to correct the software issues.

Thanks for sharing the details.

After two weeks, ASUS sales replied to my request to suggest a device to be used as a transparent DSL modem / bridge, and whether the DSL-N17U can do the job.

They say that ASUS modem routers do not support this functionality.

Oops. Not yet sure what to make of this. Still: Lucky you!

 

[charlie2alpha]

Thanks for sharing the details.

After two weeks, ASUS sales replied to my request to suggest a device to be used as a transparent DSL modem / bridge, and whether the DSL-N17U can do the job.

They say that ASUS modem routers do not support this functionality.

Oops. Not yet sure what to make of this. Still: Lucky you!

Luck is irrelevant, just like marketing people are useless! I knew what I was buying because I consulted with a guy in another forum who is a router tester!

 

[A.D.]

Luck is irrelevant, just like marketing people are useless! I knew what I was buying because I consulted with a guy in another forum who is a router tester!

I think it depends on one's point of view to some extent. Neither the manual nor sales explicitly guarantee this functionality. Sales is not marketing and they answered after two weeks. So if one decides to rely on some firmware version allowing for this functionality, one may get stuck later upon an upgrade, and ASUS may rightfully say that it's not officially supported.

I'll have to make a final decision in a few weeks and get back to this forum. Until then, thank you for sharing your knowledge, and may your DSL be stable at all times!

 

[Riaan Burger]

Well, I finally put the old mostly wired LAN to rest last weekend and moved over to the new more wireless one (NAS is still wired to the router through a switch for a bit of home-NOC wired bits). NICs are Asus PCE-AC86, Router is Asus RT-AC53000 with Merlin and if I log in to it I set it to use the modem (ISP credentials filled in to the router's Merlin) which is the Asus DSL-N17U.

I also have an Asus 4G-N12 $G/LTE modem that I'll maybe integrate for backup if the ADSL goes down, but I want to write a few scripts to detect that and stop torrenting in such a case first ;-)

The biggest problem I seem to have is with the Broadcom drivers for the NICs and I can only hope we get some updates for them or OSS drivers some time (Linux everywhere here). Otherwise I may hammer them to bits for a YouTube video and get some other brand's NICs (this time, checking HCLs before I buy).