Virtually all the big operators from Spain they have a own router. Some, like Movistar, have Smart WiFi for all their fiber connections, while Orange has Liveboxes, including the most recent Livebox 6 with WiFi 6 that they offer in all new installations. However, with ADSL it was possible to use routers from a previous operator with your new operator, but it is no longer possible. Why?
With ADSL, change router It was something very simple, since you could use the one you wanted and improve features, including using a better WiFi standard. With fiber optics, that is no longer the case, where Operators force you to use your own router if you want to use your connection in most cases.
The routers are covered, and they have to be returned
There are several reasons why we cannot use a fiber router from one company with another. The first and most obvious is the fact that, when we leave an operator, they all demand return the router. If we do not return it, they charge us a penalty that usually exceeds 100 euros. For that price, we found better high-end routers than the operators.
Second, there is technical incompatibilities that prevent the reuse of the router between one operator and another. The main problem is that in the carrier routers it is not possible to change the pauthentication parameters on the OLT. This makes it impossible for us to enter the identification data of a new operator, so a password cannot be established. we can’t either change the WAN settings of the router, since the firmware comes normally casted by the operator.
This is why many users prefer that the ONT be installed separately at home. Thanks to this, the ONT registers the data of the operator and communicate with the OLT (the device that is on the street or in the communications room with the logo of an operator), and we can connect any router that we want to the ONT.
Yes you can use it as a repeater or access point
Some operators like Orange allow you to use your router as if it were an ONT, which is quite convenient for the user because you can choose if you want to use the operator’s entire router, or failing that only as an ONT and then connect another neutral router that want to put
In those cases, it is also possible configure a router from another operator What access point or repeater. In those cases, we can have an access point that integrates with the main router for both Ethernet and WiFi, which can be a good way to give a second life to an operator router that we forgot to return or that we we have found.
This is a pretty good reason to get an operator router on the second-hand market. For example, it is quite easy to find a Movistar Smart WiFi on second-hand websites for about 15 euros. For that price, you can have a very powerful WiFi repeater in your home. Of course, it requires a bit of prior configuration, with key steps such as changing the internal IP of that router to 192.168.1.2, or disabling DHCP.