Die Vodafone Station lässt sich nach Freischaltung im Kundencenter auf der homepage als simples modem betreiben hinter Ipfire. Läuft hier so seit Jahren bei mir.
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Hallo @groundation
Welcome to the IPFire community.
Please note that the language used in this forum is English as mentioned in the forum FAQ.
https://community.ipfire.org/faq
Please re-post your question in English.
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Danke! Klingt gut.
Okay, gladly.
Hello everyone,
I would like to use the broadband cable connection in my new apartment. Vodafone displays the following note regarding my own router:
”
Note on using your own router: If you want to use your own router for the Vodafone Cable Internet connection, it must be suitable for cable connections. You can use your own router if it is one of the following models:
AVM FRITZ!Box: 6660, 6591, 6490, 6690, 6360, 6340, 6320 V2, 6360 KBW
Cisco: EPC3925, EPC3212
Commscope: Vodafone Station (WiFi 5) TG3442DE, Vodafone Station (WiFi 6) TG6442VF
Compal: CH7465VF, CH7466CE, CH6640E
Hitron: CVE-30360, MTA-CGNV4
Sagemcom: FAST5460
Technicolor: Vodafone Station (WiFi 6) CGA6444VF, Vodafone Station (WiFi 5) CGA4233DE, TC7200.U, TC7200K
Ubee: EVW322.6
"
Does anyone happen to have experience with one of the routers mentioned?
Could I use any of them by default only as a modem or via bridge mode?
Has anyone recently taken out a contract with Vodafone and is up to date on whether the connection can be easily set up with regard to “DualStack and BridgeMode activation”?
I would appreciate any tips!
Best regards
Groundation
Detailed user manuals for all that devices are far, far better source than any forum.
Does your broadband connection include IPTV and phone calls?
If the answer is yes the task of replacing the CPE would be more challenging (however kinda possible).
Last but not least: may I assume that ISP is Vodafone DE?
Thanks to everyone for their support!
“Detailed user manuals for all that devices are far, far better source than any forum.”
→ Yes, certainly. But I was wondering if anyone has any experience with the connection and one of these devices. Reading detailed user manuals takes a lot of time, which unfortunately I don’t have at the moment.
“Does your broadband connection include IPTV and phone calls?”
→ IPTV No. Phone calls if necessary, but not essential.
“Last but not least: may I assume that ISP is Vodafone DE?”
→ Yes, Vodafone DE
I am not sure how much of a difference there is between Germany and The Netherlands, where I am.
Certainly one difference is that the ISP’s have to tell you what functions any router/firewall you want to use has to have. They can’t just give you a list and that is it.
I used to have a cable connection here in the past with Ziggo. I had to have their cable modem in place as that converts the cable DOCSIS signal into an Ethernet signal. In principle I could also have changed that but the available choice is very limited.
I set the Ziggo cable modem to bridged mode and then connected my IPFire directly to the cable modem. Everything worked fine without any need of an intermediate router.
I would expect that you will need to use the cable modem that Vodafone are providing but you should be able to login to that unit and change it from cable router mode to bridged mode. Then I would expect that you can connect you IPFire system direct to the Ethernet port on the Vodafone provided cable modem.
However it would be good for someone who is using / has used vodafone cable modem connection to provide their input.
I just found this link to Vodafone.de about setting the vodafone cable modem into bridged mode to be able to connect your own router/firewall to the service. So it looks like it should be able to work as I suggested.
https://www.vodafone.de/featured/service-hilfe/vodafone-bridge-mode-aktivieren/#/
EDIT:
Your only problem would be if they provide a HomeBox FRITZ! system for the cable modem as these cannot be put into bridged mode.
Also it seems that in at least two states in Germany you are not allowed to be able to put your systems into bridged mode!!!
Just did a quick search and all the FRITZ! box numbers they gave you are cable modem systems and as they are FRITZ! boxes they cannot be put into bridged mode. So avoid those if at all possible.
Vodafone should be able to tell you which system they would provide you with for making the cable connection and you could then look up the manual for that system and find out if it can be put into bridged mode.
It seems to me, from what you have said, that vodafone are saying that if you want to use your own router, you also have to buy your own cable modem, which seems like they are trying to make it as difficult as possible for you.
Hopefully someone else on the forum has or is using Vodafone de and can provide some more input on the actual situation.
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Many thanks for the detailed answer!
Thanks for the link, everything is explained in detail there.
Some Fritz! boxes can perhaps still be switched to bridge mode in this way.
Is there anyone here who lives in North Rhine-Westphalia and has managed to use the bridge mode with a cable connection?
Or do I only have the option of ordering a DSL connection?
It is unbelievable how extremely they want to restrict our freedom!
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I am using a cable internet connection from Vodafone.
I use their box ( Compal CH7465VF, if I remember right ). This box is switchable to bridge mode. At restart the wireless interface is switched on for a short time, until the startup realises the mode ‘off’, I suppose.
The reason to use a Vodafone device is simply, because in this config the ISP is responsible to supply the data rate booked at the ethernet interface. Defects are to be handled by Vodafone. This includes also possible ‘incompatiblities’.
Maybe you must insist on your ‘modem only’ solution.
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Thank you for the information.
Do you live in Germany and North Rhine-Westphalia?
Because according to the Vodafone site, the “simple” way to activate the bridge mode does not work.
“In the federal states of Baden-Württemberg, North Rhine-Westphalia and Hesse, the function can also not be set in the following way.”
Does anyone from North Rhine-Westphalia, Baden-Württemberg or Hesse have a cable Internet connection and found a solution to use the bridge mode?
I live in Baden-Württemberg and I can activate the bridge mode. I use a Connect Box (Compal CH7465VF), owned by Vodafone.
Some time ago, they sent me another access device, which could not switched to bridged mode, to replace the old Arris modem. After some communication with Vodafone, they replaced it with the Connect Box. It is not capable to run the newest DOCSIS protocol, but supports the data rate booked.
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Thanks for the info. With some communication it will probably work.
It’s a shame that Vodafone has a virtual monopoly on the cable network in Germany. O2 is still there as a provider, but uses Vodafone’s infrastructure.
My thoughts are slowly turning towards a DSL connection with 250 Mbit/s.
Then I’ll have fewer problems and at least I’ll be able to choose between seven providers.
May I ask you why you want to put the device in Bridge Mode in the first place?
I can understand the urge to use an own cable modem but if that does not work, why not just getting a FritzBox oder using the provided one from vodafone?
You will be able to use you own IPFire with every security features behind it anyway.
A cable device, own or from provider, in front of IPFire is IMO best a modem.
The tasks are clearly disposed:
- conversion from transport medium to network medium → modem
- conversion from WAN to LAN → IPFire
If it is not possible to use a real modem, a combined device must be switched to bridge mode. In router mode, second NAT level is introduced into the transmission.
I prefere to use a modem owned by the ISP and an internet gateway owned by me.
The owner of a device is responsible for the functioning of it, and for the configuration.
The modem/router combinations usually supplied by the ISPs contain the network access functionality also, including a minimal firewall. Because the property is at the ISP, the client can’t configure the WAN access.
Since, according to the following link, I am one of the special cases, as I live in North Rhine-Westphalia, there is a certain amount of ignorance.
There it says:
”
But ATTENTION: …In the federal states of Baden-Württemberg, North Rhine-Westphalia and Hesse, the function cannot be set in the following way either.
”
It sounds as if it also has to do with legal requirements.
I have to say please please to the provider and hope that they will comply with my request.
If it works like @Bernhard Bitsch, then everything would be ok. Then it wouldn’t matter to me whether there is only a modem in front of IPFire or a router that takes care of the forwarding with a second NAT level.
I have read the article cited.
Yes, it seems not possible for former Unitymedia customers just to set bridge mode in the settings of the Vodafone page.
But, for me, the process mentioned in the second part of the article works: Set the mode in the ConnectBox directly (IP 192.168.100.1 !). If you can’t access the settings page, just switch off/on the box.. My experience is, that after some time the firmware ‘forgets’ the web interface. 
The standard password is printed onto the Connect Box and should be changed.
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