Peeps, I think I've bricked a new 2850Vn. I made a silly mistake and with WLAN disabled I closed off the LAN network by using a 32bit mask (I don't know why I did that) (sighs) - anyway - so I tried a hard reset (pin button on the front) and now it won't present a DHCP address at all, and just keeps rebooting.

It never really was very stable, and would reboot every five/ten minutes or so - but then I did kind of get it working - and managed to configure up ISP access to BT's VDSL service - but then I goofed whilst trying to configure it act as a bridge for my multi Apple AirPort based WLAN. I don't want to use this Vigor as Wireless LAN or as DHCP or even DNS - I just want to use it's VDSL dial-out, firewall and VPN features.

So, because it doesn't present a DHCP address on 192.168.1.x, and never stays up long enough to do anything - so I wouldn't be able to use TFTP from Windows bootcamp to re-flash it. And, is there actually a Router Tools for Intel based MacOSX?

I googled and searched - and there doesn't seem to be a way to re-flash from a USB stick? Is it possible to forge a USB stick with the firmware on it and boot in a recovery mode such that it re-flashes itself from USB ?

We don't need router tools on MacOSX - because it has a TFTP client

The 2850Vn was recovered using this procedure:

Sling a known good cable between LAN port 1 of the router and the Ethernet port on MBPro.

$ sudo su -
$ cd /Users
$ cd yourusername

$ cd Downloads/DrayTek Vigor 2850Vn/v2850_363_2471201

$ ls -als
total 25648
0 drwx

---

@ 5 user staff 170 29 Apr 22:15 .
0 drwxr-xr-x 7 user staff 238 9 May 21:33 ..
8 -rwxr-xr-x@ 1 user staff 3115 2 Jan 14:15 readme_v2850.txt
12816 -rwxr-xr-x@ 1 user staff 6558032 13 Dec 15:56 v2850_a9_363.all
12824 -rwxr-xr-x@ 1 user staff 6562708 13 Dec 15:56 v2850_a9_363.rst


$ ifconfig en0
$ ifconfig en0 inet 192.168.1.2 netmask 255.255.255.0
$ ifconfig en0


…now enter the first two lines - but do NOT yet press return on the third line…

$ tftp 192.168.1.1

tftp> binary

tftp> put v2850_a9_363.rst


…now open a second terminal window (does not need to be root), and get a ping going…

$ ping 192.168.1.1

PING 192.168.1.1 (192.168.1.1): 56 data bytes
…blah blah blah…


…now perform the hard reset using the physical pin hole dip switch…
…and as soon as the router starts to respond to pings…

64 bytes from 192.168.1.1: icmp_seq=0 ttl=255 time=0.309 ms


…then press return/enter on the TFTP session…

tftp> put v2850_a9_363.rst

Sent 6562708 bytes in 4.3 seconds

tftp> quit


…and now wait up to 10 minutes, for the firmware to be applied, and for the router to start pinging again.

Ok - I'm now looking for a procedure - that is the last word on how to configure the 2850Vn and "re-configure" a working Airport Extreme (AX) base station that is already an Apple WDS base station for various other Time Capsules (TC) and Airport Express (AE). At the moment the main base station is the PPPoE dialler to the stock BT Infinity VDSL box.

But I want to replace the BT Infinity VDSL box with the 2850Vn - BUT - on the 2850Vn...
- Not enable WDS
- Not enable WLAN
- Not enable DHCP
- But do form a VPN to another Vigor over the VDSL circuit

I don't mind whether the base AX or the 2850Vn perform the dial out - but what I do want is:
- The base AX to act as DHCP
- The base AX to act as the originator of the WLAN

Anyone have their setup configured this way?

I just need a little help - but, when I do get it working, I will document it much in the style of this - so that if I or others have to do this again, then it should be more straightforward...


N.B. This process is incomplete, and is quite specific to what I want to achieve...


- Browse to http//:192.168.1.1
admin / admin

- WAN / Internet Access
Details Page
…in the right hand panel - for VDSL…
User: home@btbroadband.com
Pass: << do NOT enter anything at all, not even a space, just leave it empty

- WAN / General Setup
WAN1 - Display Name: BT
VLAN Tag insertion (VDSL): Enable
Tag value: 101

- Online Status / Physical Connection
…should now show connected.

- System Maintenance / Administrator Password
…change as you wish
Logout

- System Maintenance / User Password
...ensure it is disabled

- WAN / General Setup
WAN2 - disable
WAN3 - disable

- System Maintenance / Login Page Greeting
Enable
Login Page Title: Unauthorized access prohibited.
Welcome Message:
</b></h1><p>
<br>
<br>
You must have written authorization before accessing this network and/or any equipment connected to it.
</li></ol>

- Autologout
On the front screen - click Auto Logout, and select 10 min

- Disable IPv6
On the front screen click the green IPv6 button

- System Maintenance / Time and Date
Use Internet Time Client
Server IP Address: time.apple.com
Time Zone: GMT
Enable Daylight Saving: <tick>

System Maintenance / Management
Router Name: hwlan-router

System Maintenance / SysLog Mail Alert
Syslog Access Setup: Enable
Server IP Address: 10.0.1.10
AlertLog Setup: Enable

Mail Alert Setup: Enable
SMTP Server: mail.btinternet.com
SMTP Port: 25
Mail To: someone@who.cares
Return-Path: << leave this empty
Authentication: <tick>
User Name: blah@btinternet.com
Password: **** << This is your BT broadband account and password - NOT your bt.com customer account

Wireless LAN / General Setup
Disable, and click OK.

Wireless LAN / WPS
Disable, and click OK.

...to be continued...

[end]

All setup and ok now. The Draytek is the DNS relay, and the DHCP host. The WLAN of the Draytek is in isolated mode and effectively provide just a guest network.
The Apple AirPort Extreme base station is in bridged mode, and provides a wireless network that is allowed to be extended by other time capsules and airport express. Noticed that ping latency times to a local site in London increased from 6 to 8 ms (on BT infinity box) to around 20+ms using Draytek - but overall throughput seems ok. Speed test has dropped a bit. But nothing to get too upset about. Anyway, seems like a nice router. I like it.