Hi espin,

This is getting tricky.

…discovered from DHCP set by the IP)

When you say “set by IP”, do you mean the ISP (Internet Service Provider)?

The task of connecting the laptop to the ONT was purely to see if your laptop would get an IP (via DHCP) and go online. When you did that, did it manage to go online; when it was given the 172.*.*.* address?

In one of your earlier posts, you mentioned that your ISP had given you a static IP:

They recently supplied static external IP. Anyway…

Do you have those details to-hand, and normally, when a service provider assigns you a static public IP (or range of IPs) you must set up at least one of these before you can go online through their network. Which begs the question how you’re able to get online if you have been assigned a static public address but you aren’t using it.

IP address x.x 204.243
Subnet mask 255.255.255.252
Default gateway: x.x.204.241

This doesn’t seem correct to me no, are you sure you have entered these details correctly or posted them here correctly?

If your network address is x.x.204.240/30, then x.x.204.243 would be the Broadcast address and that will not work as your laptop’s IP address in this scenario, it would need to be x.x.204.242 (if the default gateway is x.x.204.241) if I am understanding the information you’re providing.

Either way, you shouldn't need to bother yourself with this in-depth test. If the ISP states that you can connect your own router directly to their ONT device, then it should work, whether that involves you setting up credentials in your Draytek router is down to the ISP informing you of this - which would definitely be the case if they’re supplying you a static public IP address (or range of IP addresses).

I tried to investigate the ISP but them being Spanish (which isn’t my native tongue, unfortunately), and a small provider, the info I could find was slim to none.

If your third-party TP-Link router is able to have the ONT connect directly to its WAN port and obtain an IP automatically from the ISP, then your Draytek router should be able to do that too. Some providers will require you to enter a VLAN insertion number to join their network, but you would know about this if your TP-Link had needed it too.

The WAN settings in the Draytek routers are quite comprehensive, they need to be, to cater to many different networks and ISPs. Have you investigated all options/methods for connecting to the ONT unit from your Draytek, in the WAN setup page(s)?

Hi HodgesanDY,

The Internet worked fine when I got the 172.x.x.x range on the laptop. I am unsure why the laptop picked a different range, but before the static IP, the range was 192.x.x.x.
Yes, the IPs are correctly written down (both routers pick the same IP addresses from ONT DHCP set by ISP).
I contacted the ISP weeks ago about this mistake. However, it worked fine with TP-Link, so I stopped pursuit.
I will send this conversation link to the ISP so they can see what is wrong.
Thank you.

Hi espin,

Well, if your laptop was given the 172.x.x.x address, I say given, as the laptop does not choose this address when it is in DHCP mode, the ISP’s ONT device or their network will have given that IP address to your laptop.

So with the Draytek router connected to the ONT unit in the same way, via WAN2 port, and the WAN2 >> Internet Access settings set to ‘Static or Dynamic IP’ enabled, and the ‘IP Network Settings’ of that page set to ‘Obtain an IP address automatically’.

You should get a similar 172.x.x.x address and be live and online.

Is it possible that it requires a PPPoE connection? I seem to recall that many years back I tried the "Static or Dynamic" page settings with my Zen VDSL connection and that didn't work (although I do have a range of 8 static IP's)

Do ONT's provide an IP address in a "private" range to connected equipment, which is my understanding of what is said above regarding 172.xx.xx.xx and 192.xx.xx.xx being provided to the laptop?

Unlike my vdsl modem which provides a public WAN address to my router, for example?

disclaimer - I know nothing about ONT's as, despite living in a suburb of a capital city, Openreach currently "have no plans" to provide FTTP in our Cul-de-sac, whilst being surrounded on all sides by fibre-equipped poles