Recently moved to a different state. Previously, I used a Surf Soho with Ethernet WAN coming directly from the FTTH ONT. The connection was PPOE. The new arrangement is also a FTTH and uses IPoE. The output of the ONT connects to the ISP’s gear labeled “Xyzel VDSL2 Bonding Gateway”. It looks just like any other router on the back with one WAN port and 4 LAN ports. What is a VDSL2 Bonding Gateway?? Can I ditch the Xyzel unit and use my Surf Soho?
On a related note, is it likely that this ISP’s IPoE may authenticate on the “router’s” MAC address, or perhaps on an assigned static WAN address entered in the admin settings?
Thank You!
Sparky5
I assume you have been sold a 200Mbps circuit? ISPs can use a VDSL bonding circuit to take two lots of standard VDSL (@70-100MBps) and present it as a single 200MBps WAN.
You’ll need to keep the Zyxel in place I would think. Look for bridge mode on it to see if you can just passthrough the public IP to the SOHO.
Thanks. My plan is rated “Up to 500 Mb”, which I get when wired direct to the “modem”. This Xyzel unit has a telephone jack on the back, but it isn’t used. When I hear DSL, I think of copper wire to the switch, DSLAMS, and relatively slow speeds. If we are using fiber, then the usual copper wire DSL connection does not apply. Perhaps this unit is a do-everything unit that can be used for either DSL or fiber. The WAN is an ethernet port connected to the ONT which is mounted at the entrance to the home. Some ISP’s require their equipment to be in place for authentication reasons. Then, it might be possible to bridge the ISP’s gear and use your own router downstream. But in this case, my ISP gives me a choice to use my own router. My main question is about the terminology “VDSL2 Bonding Gateway”. Since I don’t have 2 DSL lines to bond, then the usual term modem/router would apply. Those are my guesses. I’m sure this arrangement is widely used in other markets.
VDSL is used for fiber to the cabinet connections where you have copper from the house to the roadside cabinet then fiber from there.
VDSL2 is max 200MBps. Your bonding gateway can take a pair of them and aggregates the bandwidth to give to 400Mbps ish depending on distance from the cabinet.
If you have a single run of fiber coming to your house and presented on the ONT then I would think you are right and your ISP is just standardising on this model router.