• Hi all and welcome to TheWoodHaven2 brought into the 21st Century, kicking and screaming! We all have Alasdair to thank for the vast bulk of the heavy lifting to get us here, no more so than me because he's taken away a huge burden of responsibility from my shoulders and brought us to this new shiny home, with all your previous content (hopefully) still intact! Please peruse and feed back. There is still plenty to do, like changing the colour scheme, adding the banner graphic, tweaking the odd setting here and there so I have added a new thread in the 'Technical Issues, Bugs and Feature Requests' forum for you to add any issues you find, any missing settings or just anything you'd like to see added/removed from the feature set that Xenforo offers. We will get to everything over the coming weeks so please be patient, but add anything at all to the thread I mention above and we promise to get to them over the next few days/weeks/months. In the meantime, please enjoy!

Zen Router

Woodbloke

Woodbloke

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After having been with Zen for a couple of years (recommended by RogS) I've just replaced our router for the fourth time, now having installed a brand new bit of kit instead of the refurbished routers which are normally supplied. In conversation with a very pleasant techie type person in Rochdale on Tuesday, she confirmed that routers sent out to customers are refurbished, which may explain why so many have failed. Zen themselves have been great to deal with but SWIMBO declared last night that if this one goes TU we'll be looking for another t'interweb supplier.
If you're thinking of changing to Zen (and they're very good) I'd insist on a brand spanking new router! - Rob
 
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You dont  have to use the providers supplied router
We were on Talktalk full fibre (who took over from Octopus who took over from Shell who took over from Post Office) and using a TP Link router from Argos
It was only a price hike that instigated the switch to the current provider and I haven't yet had the need to swap theirs out.
The providers support line are still able to fiddle with your own router but its just up to you to update the firmware if your chosen model cannot do it automatically.Thats why they sometimes advise against the practice.
 
Rob...if you want to switch to another router manufacturer I'd be happy to help you set one up.

Curious to know what happen when your router goes TU ? Just stop working? Burst into flames ?
 
All ISP provided routers suck huge b*lls, fact!

I've either replaced or bypassed every one for the past 20 years as they have either minimal functionality or are sub-optimally configured. Then again, I am a network nerd by nature and profession, so if it works for you then fine, but if you want something MUCH better then I can advise, as Roger has offered too.
 
Right. Please advise. I would be super happy. We have two Asus Zen mesh units, and I simply can't get them to work with our Vodafone router. I'm happy to buy a new router, but I don't know what to get that will actually work with the Asus units. I tore my hair out and then gave up. (A few weeks ago).
 
RogerS said:
Rob...if you want to switch to another router manufacturer I'd be happy to help you set one up.

Curious to know what happen when your router goes TU ? Just stop working? Burst into flames ?
Click to expand...
The Power/DSL light simply starts to blink rather than stay a solid green and the thing stops working >>> no internet. All I've done is to ring Zen, who go through the checks/factory reset etc etc, decide it's fubar'd and send out another in post via DPD which arrives the next day. Takes literally 3mins to install the replacement and 5 for it to 'spool up' once the power goes on. The longest faff of the whole process is inputing the 20 digit (!!) numerical password onto each of our devices, inc the new Epson printer with a magnificent 3cm square screen.

Being a computer klutz, it's much easier for me to use the one supplied as there's always backup at the end of a 'phone, whereas it's zip if I were to supply my own router independently.

AJB Temple said:
Right. Please advise. I would be super happy. We have two Asus Zen mesh units, and I simply can't get them to work with our Vodafone router. I'm happy to buy a new router, but I don't know what to get that will actually work with the Asus units. I tore my hair out and then gave up. (A few weeks ago).
Click to expand...
Adrian, if you're using Zen kit already, ring Zen in Rochdale and speak to somebody who may be able to help. I suspect though, that they'd much prefer you to use one of their Fritz! box routers to ensure compatibility (routers made in Germany :ROFLMAO:) - Rob

Edit - if you do get a Fritz! router, make sure to get a brand new, boxed, one!
 
I think it is two different Zens. The mesh boxes are Asus Zen.
 
TrimTheKing said:
All ISP provided routers suck huge b*lls, fact!

I've either replaced or bypassed every one for the past 20 years as they have either minimal functionality or are sub-optimally configured. Then again, I am a network nerd by nature and profession, so if it works for you then fine, but if you want something MUCH better then I can advise, as Roger has offered too.
Click to expand...
Trim, have you used the AVM Fritz! Box router? It has very high functionality and works extremely well…apart from Zen/AVM screwing up an upgrade about a year ago.
 
AJB Temple said:
Right. Please advise. I would be super happy. We have two Asus Zen mesh units, and I simply can't get them to work with our Vodafone router. I'm happy to buy a new router, but I don't know what to get that will actually work with the Asus units. I tore my hair out and then gave up. (A few weeks ago).
Click to expand...
That’s very cheeky of ASU’s calling it Zen. I call that ‘Passing off’
 
The potential issue with a non-ISP router from my limited research is support for Digital Voice, if that's important to you, at least that's the case with Vodafone, who we're with. Apparently it can be done but requires a friendly CSR sharing internal information it seems. For us though the router is in an awkward location so we ditched the land line.

We have a Draytek router with Ubiquiti mesh components and it works very well.
 
TrimTheKing said:
All ISP provided routers suck huge b*lls, fact!

I've either replaced or bypassed every one for the past 20 years as they have either minimal functionality or are sub-optimally configured. Then again, I am a network nerd by nature and profession, so if it works for you then fine, but if you want something MUCH better then I can advise, as Roger has offered too.
Click to expand...
It's interesting to hear that. It had never really occurred to me to get a non-ISP provided router, but then I've never really had a problem with them. We've currently got the Virgin one (as they started providing fibre up our street and no-one else does) but we had Vodafone before fibre-to-premises was possible. I can't remember who the one before that was but again it seemed okay.

I'm probably not working them as hard as you are though :)

I configure them to forward port 443 and port 22 (or port 24 if 22 isn't available - looking at you Vodafone...) but that's about the only setting I play with. Oh, and I disable wifi: I've got a Netgear Orbi mesh network, so the router is only really providing the network connection, authentication and first stage of port forwarding.
 
I cleared out my rental earlier in the year, the tenant had left behind a still boxed bt router.
I tried to send it back to bt as I don’t like waste. It turned out to be too much hassle so I still have it if anyone wants it.
Or are isp provided ones somehow locked.
 
AJB Temple said:
Right. Please advise. I would be super happy. We have two Asus Zen mesh units, and I simply can't get them to work with our Vodafone router. I'm happy to buy a new router, but I don't know what to get that will actually work with the Asus units. I tore my hair out and then gave up. (A few weeks ago).
Click to expand...
Are you able to send the Asus back? If so I can suggest what I use but it would mean buying a new router and AP's. If not then we'll have to try getting them to work together but that's probably a harder challenge. Not insurmountable, just harder.
 
Dr.Al said:
I configure them to forward port 443 and port 22 (or port 24 if 22 isn't available - looking at you Vodafone...) but that's about the only setting I play with. Oh, and I disable wifi: I've got a Netgear Orbi mesh network, so the router is only really providing the network connection, authentication and first stage of port forwarding.
Click to expand...
To me, that's complete and utter gobbledegook and if I tried to understand even part of it I'd need to up the BP meds🤣 As it is, I think I'll go for an extra degree on two on me honed bevels...might even try a rounded bevel:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO: - Rob (jesting mode!)
 
TrimTheKing said:
Are you able to send the Asus back? If so I can suggest what I use but it would mean buying a new router and AP's. If not then we'll have to try getting them to work together but that's probably a harder challenge. Not insurmountable, just harder.
Click to expand...
No. I can only sell them on eBay. I suspect I need to but a new router, or start from scratch with everything.
 
"Router" on a woodworker's forum. I got half way through the second post before I cottoned on..... :D
 
May I please report that, it may not be your personal, in-your-domicile, little box of electronic wizardry what's bandjaxed?
I was on the fourth one in three weeks, wiv no signal/hinternet/ouija board, when I managed to locate Trim's twin on the alleged "helpline" and we discovered it was an "unchecked box on the software menus at the distribution node". Some dozy Herbert of a programmer had not entered my deets at the distribution 'exchange' 20 miles away. One were unknown to the system, one were.
I reflected colourfully on this individual's heritage, genetic code and lack of cerebral development.
Trim's clone had me surfing my long lost Nigerian relative in postal district 419 some minutes later....
 
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