Fixing an ASUS Router on 2degrees Fibre: VLAN 10, DHCP, and DNS

Using your own ASUS router with 2degrees Fibre in New Zealand should be straightforward: select Automatic IP and tag the internet connection with VLAN 10. In my case, however, the router obtained a WAN IP address but connected devices still could not open websites.

The final working setup required two changes beyond the VLAN configuration:

1. Changing DHCP Query Frequency from Aggressive Mode to Normal Mode
2. Replacing the automatically assigned DNS servers with public DNS servers

This guide records the complete setup and the troubleshooting sequence that resolved the problem.

Quick Fix

Use these settings as a starting point:

WAN Connection Type: Automatic IP
Enable WAN: Yes
Enable NAT: Yes
DHCP Query Frequency: Normal Mode

ISP Profile: Manual Setting
Internet VID: 10
Internet PRIO: 0

Connect to DNS Server automatically: No
DNS Server 1: 8.8.8.8
DNS Server 2: 8.8.4.4

Connect the active Ethernet port on the fibre ONT to the blue WAN port on the ASUS router, apply the settings, and allow a few minutes for the WAN connection to renew.

The exact labels and menu locations can vary between ASUS models and firmware versions.

What 2degrees Fibre Requires

For a BYO router on a 2degrees Fibre connection, the official settings are:

Setting	Value
WAN connection type	DHCP, Automatic IP, Dynamic IP, or IP over Ethernet
802.1Q	Enabled
Internet VLAN ID	10
802.1P priority	0
IP version	IPv4 or IPv6
MTU	1492 or 1500
NAT	Enabled

These values come from the 2degrees BYO modem guide. Unlike some DSL connections, 2degrees Fibre does not require a PPPoE username and password.

The physical connection should be:

Active UNI-D/LAN port on the ONT
                ↓
        ASUS router WAN port

If the ONT has several UNI-D ports, only the port activated for the service will work.

The Symptoms

My setup consisted of:

• A 2degrees Fibre connection
• An optical network terminal, or ONT
• An ASUS router connected directly to the ONT
• Internet VLAN ID 10 with priority 0

The router eventually displayed a WAN address in the 100.78.x.x range. That was useful evidence: the router had received an address from the provider, so the VLAN and DHCP path were at least partly working.

Even so, phones and computers connected to the router could not open websites.

This is an important troubleshooting split:

• No WAN IP usually points to the cable, ONT port, VLAN, WAN type, service activation, or DHCP exchange.
• A WAN IP but no websites makes DNS a strong suspect, although routing or an upstream outage can produce similar symptoms.

Step 1: Configure VLAN 10 in the Correct Place

In the ASUS web interface, open:

LAN → IPTV

Set the ISP profile to:

Manual Setting

Then enter:

Internet VID: 10
Internet PRIO: 0

VLAN 10 must be entered under Internet VID, not under the IPTV or VoIP fields. ASUS also documents this workflow under LAN → IPTV → Manual Setting in its VLAN ID configuration guide.

In this case, VLAN 10 had already been configured correctly. It was necessary, but it was not the final fix.

Step 2: Use Automatic IP for the WAN

Open:

WAN → Internet Connection

Confirm the following:

WAN Connection Type: Automatic IP
Enable WAN: Yes
Enable NAT: Yes

Do not select PPPoE for this 2degrees Fibre setup, and do not enter a broadband username or password.

After applying the settings, wait for the router to renew its connection before drawing conclusions. Repeatedly changing options during a DHCP renewal makes it harder to identify which change helped.

Step 3: Change DHCP Query Frequency

On the same WAN → Internet Connection page, find:

DHCP Query Frequency

My router was set to:

Aggressive Mode

I changed it to:

Normal Mode

ASUS notes that Aggressive Mode can prevent some ISP equipment from returning an address correctly. The available alternatives depend on the model and firmware; ASUS also documents a Continuous Mode on supported firmware in its DHCP query frequency guidance.

For this connection, Normal Mode was the stable choice. This should be treated as a compatibility adjustment rather than a universal requirement for every 2degrees customer.

After applying the change, the router showed a WAN IP, but websites still did not load. That narrowed the remaining problem to DNS or upstream routing.

Step 4: Interpret the WAN IP

Check the WAN address under:

Network Map → Internet Status

or:

WAN → Internet Connection

If the WAN IP is 0.0.0.0

The router has not obtained an address. Check:

• The Ethernet cable is connected to the router's WAN port
• The cable uses the active UNI-D port on the ONT
• The WAN type is Automatic IP
• Internet VID is 10, not IPTV VID
• Internet priority is 0
• DHCP Query Frequency is not causing a compatibility problem
• The 2degrees service has been activated

If the WAN IP starts with 100

Check whether it falls within 100.64.0.0/10, which spans 100.64.0.0 through 100.127.255.255. This block is shared address space commonly used for carrier-grade NAT, as defined by RFC 6598.

A CGNAT address does not prevent normal browsing or video streaming. It can, however, complicate inbound connections such as port forwarding, remote access, hosting a server, or some peer-to-peer applications.

Most importantly, a valid-looking WAN address does not prove that DNS resolution is working.

Step 5: Replace the Automatically Assigned DNS Servers

Still under:

WAN → Internet Connection

Change:

Connect to DNS Server automatically: Yes

to:

Connect to DNS Server automatically: No

Then enter Google Public DNS:

DNS Server 1: 8.8.8.8
DNS Server 2: 8.8.4.4

Apply the settings and wait for the router to reconnect. After this change, websites loaded normally.

Google lists 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 as its official IPv4 resolver addresses in the Google Public DNS documentation.

Cloudflare DNS is another option:

DNS Server 1: 1.1.1.1
DNS Server 2: 1.0.0.1

Cloudflare provides router setup instructions in its 1.1.1.1 documentation.

DNS service	Primary	Secondary
Google Public DNS	8.8.8.8	8.8.4.4
Cloudflare DNS	1.1.1.1	1.0.0.1

Using a matched pair from one provider keeps the configuration easy to understand and test.

How to Confirm That DNS Is the Problem

If you have a WAN IP but websites do not load, compare direct IP connectivity with name resolution from a connected computer.

On macOS or Linux:

ping -c 4 1.1.1.1
nslookup example.com

On Windows:

ping 1.1.1.1
nslookup example.com

If the IP address responds but the domain lookup fails, DNS is the likely problem. If both fail, investigate the WAN connection, routing, or a provider outage rather than assuming that DNS alone is responsible.

Some networks block ICMP, so a failed ping is not conclusive by itself. It is one signal to consider alongside the router's WAN status and DNS lookup results.

Recommended Troubleshooting Order

When an ASUS router cannot reach the internet through 2degrees Fibre, check the connection in this order:

1. Connect the active ONT UNI-D port to the ASUS WAN port.
2. Set the WAN connection type to Automatic IP.
3. Enable 802.1Q and set Internet VID to 10.
4. Set Internet priority to 0.
5. Change DHCP Query Frequency from Aggressive Mode to Normal Mode if DHCP is unreliable.
6. Check whether the router has received a WAN IP.
7. If a WAN IP exists but domain names do not resolve, test manual DNS.
8. If neither direct IP connectivity nor DNS works, check service activation and contact 2degrees.

This order avoids changing unrelated settings before confirming which layer has failed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use my own ASUS router with 2degrees Fibre?

Yes. 2degrees allows BYO routers for Fibre as long as the device supports DHCP authentication and VLAN tagging. Provider support for a third-party router may be limited.

What is the VLAN ID for 2degrees Fibre?

Set the internet VLAN ID to 10 and the 802.1P priority to 0.

Does 2degrees Fibre use PPPoE?

The current 2degrees BYO Fibre instructions specify DHCP, also labelled Automatic IP, Dynamic IP, or IP over Ethernet. No PPPoE credentials are required for the configuration described here.

Why is there still no internet after setting VLAN 10?

VLAN tagging is only one part of the connection. Also check the WAN type, ONT port, WAN cable, DHCP Query Frequency, service activation, and DNS.

What should I do if the router has a WAN IP but websites do not open?

Test DNS resolution and, if necessary, temporarily configure Google Public DNS or Cloudflare DNS. A WAN lease confirms that DHCP succeeded; it does not confirm that the assigned DNS resolvers are reachable or responding correctly.

Is a 100.x.x.x WAN address normal?

Only part of the 100.x.x.x space is reserved for shared addressing. If the address is within 100.64.0.0/10, it is consistent with CGNAT. Normal outbound internet use should still work, although inbound port forwarding may not.

Final Working Configuration

The setup that resolved this case was:

WAN: Automatic IP
NAT: Enabled
Internet VLAN ID: 10
Internet priority: 0
DHCP Query Frequency: Normal Mode
Automatic DNS: Disabled
DNS: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4

The central lesson is simple: configuring VLAN 10 is necessary, but it does not validate the entire connection. Check the layers separately—physical link, VLAN, DHCP lease, routing, and DNS—and let the router's WAN status guide the next step.