Nighthawk X8 D8500 how to connect to iinet with HFC connection

[Clarkegriz]

Hi we have recently connected to the NBN HFC with IInet. We have had a R8500 Nighthwawk X8 tri-Band AC5300 WiFi Router. I am now wanting to connect that Nighthawk to the new NBN service, I am not having any luck. I have spent approximately 5 to 6 hours on the phone to iinet suppport with no luck. 

Plugged into the connection in the wall we have a NBN Box ARRIS CM8200 then from that, a cable running to the Nighthawk. If i plug in the modem router IInet gave me internet works, but i want to use the Nighthawk.

Can anyone help please?

[Clarkegriz · Accepted solution]

Thank you very much for this but i contacted the ACCC after Netgear told me that their products where not compatable with Australian NBN and they told me to go to Harvey Norman and get a refund. I contacted Harvey Norman and they said no problem and gave me a full refund.

I now have a DLink and it works great.

Thanks 

[antinode]

> [...] We have had a R8500 Nighthwawk X8 tri-Band AC5300 WiFi Router.
> [...]

   Which was last used how?  As a DSL modem+router?  Or what?

> [...] ARRIS CM8200 [...]

   So, a cable-TV-type modem?  And "the connection in the wall" is a
coaxial connector?

> [...] then from that, a cable running to the Nighthawk.

   To _what_ on the R8500?  The yellow WAN/Internet port?  Or what?

> [...] I have spent approximately 5 to 6 hours on the phone to iinet
> suppport with no luck. [...]

   Knowing exactly nothing about what you might have done for all that
time, I'd suggest a settings reset.

   Are there LED indicators on these devices?  What do they indicate?
Can you talk to any of them usng a web browser on some computer/device?
What does that tell you?

   Visit http://netgear.com/support , put in your model number, and look
for Documentation.  Get the User Manual.  Read.  Look for "Factory
Settings" or "reset".  Then, for "Set Up the Modem Router for Cable
Service".  Then, for "Troubleshooting".  With a symptom description like
"not having any luck" or "no luck", it's tough to offer more specific
advice.

> [...] the modem router IInet gave me [...]

   Not a very detailed description of that device, either.

   If "the modem router IInet gave me" is actually a modem+router, then
whose idea was the "ARRIS CM8200", yours or the ISP's?

[schumaku]

As per General NBN HFC modem setup advice, Entering the settings, 6. ....

• Any Mode/Modulation/Interface setting should be set to Ethernet or WAN. 
• The WAN Type/Connection Type/Encapsulation setting should be set to PPPoE. You'll also need to enter your broadband username and password which can be found on the email we sent you when your service activated. Be sure to include the domain with your username, e.g. example@iinet.net.au.
• The VLAN or VLAN ID setting must be set to 2. In some modem settings, you may need to select the VLAN networking standard, 802.1q.

===

Not sure if the D8500 does allow this combination:

• Advanced -> Advanced Setup -> Vlan/Bridge Settings -> Enable VLAN/Bridge Group -> [x] By VLAN Tag Group ... Name: Internet. VLAN ID: 2, Priority: 0, all LAN and WLAN ports
• Basic -> Internet Setup -> My ISP requires authentication, ISP: PPPoE, Always on, ...

[Clarkegriz]

I have just had 2, 2 hour calls to Netgear, firstly Netgear would not talk to me until they had my credit card number so they could charge me for extended warranty if they got my nighthawk working, after 2 hours on the first call and not getting anywhere i was cut off then i rang back for another 2 hour call to be told i was using the wrong username and password and to contact my internet provider. After ring IInet again they now tell me that the D8500 Nighthawk x8 is not compatiable with HFC Nbn. I have waisted so much time and money on being told this is the best. I will never buy another netgear product.

[antinode]

> [...] PPPoE. [...]

   Are there any special characters in that PPP password?  Netgear
modem+router devices have a history of mishandling characters like (for
example):

      <  >  ;  &  |

[schumaku]

---

@Clarkegriz wrote:

After ring IInet again they now tell me that the D8500 Nighthawk x8 is not compatiable with HFC Nbn.

---

We [most active community people are not located in NBN land] can just guess why - probably because ths D8500 (in the first priority a DSL modem/router) does not allow configuring the mandatory 802.1q VLAN ID 2 required by NBN HFC for iinet on the alternate Gigabit-Ethernet WAN port?

---

@Clarkegriz wrote:

I have waisted so much time and money on being told this is the best. I will never buy another netgear product.

---

Well, a key problem here is the very customer unfriendly requirement of having to 802.1q tag the Internet traffic into some VLAN. That's a weakness of the NBN design. 

Is the D8500 offered in Australia as NBN compatible? Or probably specific for NBN FTTN and FTTB (with the last mile being some DSL on two wires)? Either case, Netgear should make the D8500 workable also for NBN HFC.

[Clarkegriz]

yes =

But on ringing back to talk to Iinet to check password and username they could not give me a password or username because not enough data has flowed.  I have no clue I am over it. The nighthawk is back in its box.

[Clarkegriz]

On the netgear website it says it is compatible with HFC

https://kb.netgear.com/30439/What-is-an-NBN-network-and-is-my-NETGEAR-DSL-modem-router-compatible

check out the link

[michaelkenward]

---

@Clarkegriz wrote:

But on ringing back to talk to Iinet to check password and username they could not give me a password or username because not enough data has flowed. 

---

That sounds like the sort of nonsense spouted by some techie at the Internet service provider who doesn't have a clue.

It is the ISP's job to set up the password and username that you need to access its network. It has nothing to do with anything you have attached to the network, and certainly does not depend on any data flow.

You are not alone in sorting out this stuff:

Search - NETGEAR Communities – NBN D8500

[RoyalCollective]

Hi I have just connected my R8500 to iinet. I had to disable the aggregated ports then change the VLAN to 2 priority to 0 the other thing I had to do was make sure the user name is correct and the password is not my password but iinets password for the network everyone will have the same password. It's a crazy mix of letters and numbers and a few == & / other things. The other issue was the mac address was one number higher than it should be. You can find that on the bottom of your router. After fixing all of these it worked.

[antinode]

> [...] make sure the user name is correct and the password is not my
> password but iinets password for the network [...]

   Which "the user name", and which "the password"?  Are you talking
about the PPP credentials?  Where, exactly, are you specifying them?

> [...] The other issue was the mac address was one number higher than
> it should be. You can find that on the bottom of your router. [...]

   Which "the mac address"?  Every interface on the router has one.
"should be"?  What, exactly, did you use, and where, exactly, did you
get it?  (Hint: "on the bottom of your router" is not detailed enough.)

   Knowing nothing, I'd expect the MAC address of the WAN/Internet
interface to be the only one of interest to your ISP.  That should be
displayed at ADVANCED > ADVANCED Home : Internet Port : MAC Address.
(On my D7000[v1], that's one greater than that of the LAN interface:
ADVANCED > ADVANCED Home : Router Information : LAN Port : MAC Address.)

[RoyalCollective]

I will upload a screen shot when I get home.That will show it all in more detail.

This is just in the basic internet screen.

provider is PPPOE

user name is your iinet email

password is the iinet password that they use for area to connect to the internet. That is how it was explained to me.

isp and dns is all automatic.

the MAC address was one number higher than what is written on the bottom of my router where the serial number is. I had to change that so it was exactly the same after that it worked.

[antinode]

> I will upload a screen shot when I get home. [...]

Probably not necessary, but, if a clear explanation is impossible,
...

> This is just in the basic internet screen.

   Try the ADVANCED > ADVANCED Home display.

> [...] the MAC address was one number higher than what is written on
> the bottom of my router where the serial number is. [...]

   The MAC address shown on the product label of my D7000[v1] is that of
its LAN interface.  Why anyone might want that datum is not immediately
obvious to me.

>    Knowing nothing, I'd expect the MAC address of the WAN/Internet
> interface to be the only one of interest to your ISP.  That should be
> displayed at ADVANCED > ADVANCED Home : Internet Port : MAC Address.
> (On my D7000[v1], that's one greater than that of the LAN interface:
> ADVANCED > ADVANCED Home : Router Information : LAN Port : MAC Address.)

   Still true.

> [...] I had to change that so it was exactly the same after that it
> worked.

   Huh?  What is "that"?  "exactly the same" as what?  Is that one
sentence or two?

[RoyalCollective]

antinode not sure why you are trying to pick apart my post? I thought it was quite simple to understand. Once the changes are made to the Vlan everything else is just done on the basic screen.

This is just in the basic internet screen. [most of what I had to change was on this screen.]

provider is PPPOE

user name is your iinet email

password is the iinet password that they use for the local area I am in to connect to the internet. That is how it was explained to me.

isp and dns is all automatic.

the MAC address on the basic internet screen was one number higher than what is written on the bottom of my router where the serial number is. [example my MAC address was showing as 2C:30:33:F6:C0:38 on the router is was 2C:30:33:F6:C0:37] I had to change that so it was exactly the same as it is written on my R8500 router, after that it worked. [I dont remember or particuly care what was in the advanced screen. After I changed the basic screen MAC address to match what was written on my R8500 I had access to the internet. That is all I care about as I'm sure would be the same to anyone else try to connect their R8500 to iinet.]

[Clarkegriz · Accepted solution]

Thank you very much for this but i contacted the ACCC after Netgear told me that their products where not compatable with Australian NBN and they told me to go to Harvey Norman and get a refund. I contacted Harvey Norman and they said no problem and gave me a full refund.

I now have a DLink and it works great.

Thanks 

[antinode]

> antinode not sure why you are trying to pick apart my post? I thought
> it was quite simple to understand. [...]

   It sure confused _me_.

> [...] I'm sure would be the same to anyone else [...]

   I was worried about the "anyone else" who might find this discussion.

> the MAC address on the basic internet screen was one number higher
> than what is written on the bottom of my router where the serial number
> is. [...]

   That's because the MAC address on the label is for the router's LAN
interface, and your ISP would want the MAC address for the router's
WAN/Internet interface.

   And not everyone is fluent in hexadecimal addition.

> This is just in the basic internet screen. [...]

   My point was that if the desired value is shown at ADVANCED >
ADVANCED Home : Internet Port : MAC Address, then why not use it?  That
way, no one would need to trust that the WAN/Internet MAC address is
always related to the LAN MAC address in any particular way, and no one
would need to do any hexadecimal arithmetic, or change any of the
router's MAC address settings.

> [...] [I dont remember or particuly care what was in the advanced
> screen. [...]

   I claim that you should care more about it.  Especially when it
provides useful information.

> [...] After I changed the basic screen MAC address to match what was
> written on my R8500 I had access to the internet.

   That was the other part which I didn't understand (and may still not
understand).

   As I read this, you told your ISP that your router's MAC address was
what was printed on the label.  (Which was the wrong (LAN) MAC address.)
Then, instead of getting the right (WAN/Internet) MAC address from the
router ( ADVANCED > ADVANCED Home : Internet Port : MAC Address), and
giving _that_ MAC address to your ISP, you changed the router's
WAN/Internet MAC Address to match what was on the label?

   That might work, but I would worry about what might happen if both
the LAN and WAN/Internet interfaces share a MAC address.

   To me, getting the right (WAN/Internet) MAC address from the router,
and giving that to the ISP, would be simple.  Much simpler than getting
the wrong (LAN) MAC address from the label, adding one (0x1), and
changing the router's WAN/Internet MAC address to match that value.

   If I _still_ don't understand what you did, then feel free to provide
another "quite simple to understand" explanation.

   Of course, I'm assuming that your ISP asked you for a MAC address.  I
don't see where anyone here actually said that, but I can't imagine why
else any MAC address would matter.  But I'm open to clarification on
that point, too.