DM200 modem connectivity issue and firmware upgrade issue

[Quirky007]

okay chaps, this is driving me mad.

I have a DM200 modem and a Nighthawk router, all worked fine when i was with Sky. Moved house in February. Didnt have VDSL until this week. Broadband is supplied by John Lewis (which piggy backs of Plusnet)

i have version 52 of the firmware.

I attempt to select UK other, goes through the motions, never asks for password but just drops back into the opening page.

If i select plusnet it carries on enter the john lewis login details, it prompts later that the details are incorrect, found out that john lewis has its own authentication service (suffice to say it wont log you in on plusnet) 

John lewis support say that one of the issues with there broadband is the login string :  username@john-lewis.com the "-" seems to through a lot out of kilter..... spent the best part of 3 days trying to get this to work in all different manners. (takes almost 5 minutes just to "click" something)

reset to factory defaults - tried again from scratch still same....

so thinking lets upgrade firmware, as i am on 52 latest is 61, get to the firmware page *still not connected to internet* as it keeps reminding me. Well it gets to 78% and then bombs out, the clock stops and "connection resets"...

Suffice to say i am stuck with this zyxell thing which is okay in comparison with plusnets default router but i have a nighthawk sitting doing nothing. I dont want to plug a router into another router, defeats the purpose. 

Anyone got any ideas how to upgrade the firmware without it resettting before it completes?

And anyone else got problems with this device and John lewis VDSL?

[michaelkenward]

 

---

@Quirky007 wrote:

reset to factory defaults - tried again from scratch still same....

Remember, when you do that the DM200 reverts to modem/router mode. The router isn't that powerful, but it will mess up your unnamed Nighthawk router.

The first move is to disconnect the router and connect your PC to the modem. If you download the firmware before you go any further, you can upgrade the firmware before you even go near the internet.

When it comes to upgrading the firmware, the manual approach is best. Check the release notes for the latest version:

DM200 Firmware Version 1.0.0.61 | Answer | NETGEAR Support

Then follow this:

How do I manually upgrade firmware to my NETGEAR router? | Answer | NETGEAR Support

While you are at it, put the DM200 into modem only mode before you even think about connecting the router.

Check that you can connect to the Internet still and then go through the usual startup process. It is important to get this right:

Be sure to restart your network in this sequence:

• Turn off and unplug modem.
• Turn off router and computers.
• Plug in and turn on modem. Wait 2 minutes for it to connect.
• Turn on the router and wait 2 minutes for it connect.
• Turn on computers and rest of network.

As to the login process, Plusnet is a subset of BT. Sounds like it has the same login procedure.  username but no password.

It may even be that the username doesn't really matter.

There may be some other settings that you need to tweak, but you should be able to get these from Plusnet/BT/John Lewis.