@terziyski 

Thank you for your very quick reply.

I have tried to follow what you suggested - my screens are slightly different from the ones you illustrated, but I did my best. It did not work and the internet light on the AXE75 stayed resolutely red. In fact the VR600 cannot recognise the AXE75 much of the time, apart from a short period when I thought we were getting somewhere.

I'll have a further think, perhaps try again tomorrow, and then maybe ask for more help.

  Hi @terziyski 

I've tried again today, with notable lack of success. The VR600 bridge is shown to be on the LAN4 port, which is labelled LAN/WAN on the machine. I've connected that to the AXE75 WAN port and nothing. I've tried other out ports and in ports and still nothing. As far as I can tell, the VR600 can't see the AXE75; this is very frustrating, as yesterday there was a period when the VR600 was seeing it and listing it correctly.

I am getting to the point where I want to give this up and get a dedicated modem. At present, I'm on a FTTC service, which is rated 80/20, but it can't be too long before we get a full FTTP, with whatever speeds. In fact, Giganet is already here but my ISP, which I'm very happy with, uses BT and they're taking their time. My reason for getting the AXE75 was to improve wi-fi performance and also with the future in mind. Any thoughts from anyone about a suitable modem for me? I've seen plenty of advice to get a BT VDSL modem but I wonder how future-proof that would be, as against one of the more capable (and expensive) Draytek models.

  hI @terziyski 

Thank you for the further message. I really do appreciate your help and advice, but I have decided not to pursue this method any longer. If I cannot get it to work after spending hours on it and with the detailed advice of an expert like you, I do not believe that any solution would necessarily be satisfactory, robust or resilient to change. Also, the VR600 has been in constant use for almost 7 years and I wonder how much reliable service is left in it.

I have referred my problem to the online retailer who supplied the AXE75. I am hoping that they will come up with a proposal, perhaps to exchange the unit for an integrated modem router or alternatively they perhaps will make me an attractive offer for a stand-alone modem with future capacity (eg full fibre high speed).

Thank you again.

It is like you're facing a frustrating situation. Have you tried reaching out to TP-Link support for assistance? They might be able to provide specific guidance or  Apk troubleshooting steps for your Archer VR600 version 1.

  @mikeharing72 

Thank you for the suggestion, but no I haven't. In fact, the AXE75 has gone back to the supplier, who was OK but did not go the extra mile in this case. Apparently, they would have said 'if the router had also had a modem'. Huh, likely story. And they wouldn't offer any sort of deal on a Draytek modem, so the TP Link unit went back (at my cost). I really haven't got the time, patience or expertise to do all the things that might work.

Yes, version 1 of the Archer VR600 is capable of acting in bridge mode as a simple modem. Ensure you've correctly configured the VR600 for bridge mode by disabling DHCP and NAT functions. If you're still experiencing issues, contact TP-Link support for assistance or consider using a standalone modem.