[Liam.maiL]

Hi!

I'm using a Linksys WRT1200AC router. I assume it's v1 because it doesn't specify v1 or v2. According to the wiki Linksys is "now a division of Belkin, formerly Cisco."

I hope this isn't a stupid question, I'm really new to this. I just wanted a router that I could install a VPN on, the VPN provider said it had to be flashed. I looked into it and quickly decided I didn't want to risk bricking a router, so I found a 2nd-hand one that someone else had already flashed.

ISPs in my area tell me the available plans require VDSL compatibility. I didn't know that when I bought the 1200AC (which apparently can't do it). I was about to give up and look for something else that could do it when I stumbled across something saying that flashing makes it possible to enable VDSL. I spent hours today trying to work out how to do it.

The wiki page here says you just have to "Enable the VDSL checkbox in PPPoE." I can find a few tabs & table entries with PPPoE on them, and none of them have that checkbox. Can someone please tell me where in the control panel to find it, or at least confirm that it's not actually there?

Also, as I've spent today learning a long, humbling lesson about how much there is about DD-WRT flashing that I don't know, I'd be grateful if anyone could share some basic tutorials on what I should know for other basic features & what can be done with it, especially relating to security & privacy. The less assumed knowledge in a tutorial, the better.

Thanks kindly.

[Zyxx]

As for your main question:

No, the WRT1200/1900/3xxx series does not support VDSL at all, simply due to the lack of VDSL hardware in it

Also I'm not aware of any device or case of supported VDSL hardware in dd-wrt.
The recommended setup is:

ISP provided MODEM - DD-WRT DEVICE - NETWORK of yours
Currently many (yours also included) devices support the usage of VPN (Setup --> Tunnels -->).

But -my knowledge ends here since I opted for wireguard instead of OpenVPN- OpenVPN is missing in the appropriate dropdown, maybe you'll have to use entware or another hardware for it.

Those wiki entries might come in handy:
https://wiki.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/VPN_(the_easy_way)_v24+
I'd search for a solution here (written by egc):
https://forum.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=318795

[kernel-panic69]

I think there's some confusion. Did you set WAN type to PPPoE?

https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1653326

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80TILc7qrLg

This would likely be setup via a DSL modem connected to the WAN, Zyxx....

[Zyxx]

Oh, ok,

often PPPoE is used for A/VDSL.

ISP provided Modem does its magic, changing ATM/PTM to Ethernet, which needs to be connected to WAN Port of your WRT device as kernel-panic69 stated:

Setup --> Basic Setup --> Connection Type --> PPPoE

Ask your provider if PPPoE is used, or another solution is favoured. Everything should appear in Connection Type - Dropdown.

Some ISP insist in using VLAN tagged WAN traffic, don't know about your provider, ask them to be sure. (Fortunately mine does not.)

[Liam.maiL]

Ok, thanks guys! I'm learning so much.

Is it sufficient to get a modem to link the DD-WRT router to, or does the device connecting to the internet also need to be a modem & router in one? Would the ISP's router act as a bottleneck and slow down connection speeds?

[Zyxx]

Is it sufficient to get one modem to link the DD-WRT router of yours to
Typically a modem is no bottleneck.

All other devices either wired or wireless will connect to your DD-WRT device.

If you decide to use a device that is modem and router in one, you can also connect a DD-WRT router behind it, but will run in trouble for portforwarding, VPN usage and such (behind the dd-wrt device).
This is due to a mechanism called NAT - network address tranlation.
NAT "translates" internal networking requests with internal private IP/Port communication to external ones.

Modem does no NAT
Router does NAT
"ISP device with wireless and LAN access" will do NAT

Usually you want only one device to do NAT, double NAT isn't advisable.
https://kb.netgear.com/30186/What-is-Double-NAT

[Liam.maiL]

Thanks for the heads-up. My VPN provider said I could set it up that way, but maybe they were just going to tell me to set it up in bridge mode. It seems like the easiest solution.