Pepephone moves to MásMóvil: old routers no longer work
Pepephone's migration to MásMóvil requires VLAN 802.1q on the modem, users report: without it, no IP address. Anyone with an old router is left offline.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Pepephone's move to MásMóvil cuts off anyone without a VLAN-capable router
Pepephone's migration to the MásMóvil network has left several customers without a connection over a technical detail that, according to those affected, nobody warned them about: the new ADSL service requires 802.1q VLAN tagging on the modem. Without it, something most home devices don't support, there is no PPP session and no IP address, public or private. The advance notice talked about reconfiguring and about CG-NAT. Not about buying hardware.
The result is a familiar sight: professional modems from fruta brands, bought precisely to avoid depending on the operator's router, turned into paperweights. **Four devices in one household and none of them makes the cut.** Those who tried to do things properly find that doing them properly has cost them dearly.
What 802.1q VLAN tagging is and why it blocks the connection
802.1q VLAN tagging is a networking standard that marks traffic with a subnet identifier. In Pepephone's configuration under MásMóvil, the modem must join the **VLAN with ID 20** in order to establish the PPP session. If the device doesn't support it, no negotiation is possible.
The key point is that this is not an advanced option that can be worked around. According to information circulating in the discussion, a technician confirmed that the VLAN is **mandatory to establish PPP**: either you comply or you get no IP, whether public or private. That rules out the theory that disabling CG-NAT would solve the problem.
The affected fleet is large. Devices more than a year old, no longer receiving firmware support, lack the antiestéticature. And update attempts have failed: **none of the modems in the original case does VLAN tagging after the upgrade.**
The list of routers compatible with Pepephone and MásMóvil that almost nobody has
The official alternative is to buy the router the company sells. The **ASUS DSL-N14U** is offered at **€39 with VAT and shipping included**, versus a retail price of around €50 before shipping costs at best. The company maintains it makes no margin on the deal.
The problem isn't just the price. It's the wait: **5-7 days for delivery**, with no express option even if the customer pays for it. For someone left without a connection, that means days of isolation. And some have received the router with the migration already done and it doesn't work, with an open ticket and more waiting.
A list of compatible routers is circulating, and it's short. So short that anyone checking it finds that **almost everything in stock on Amazon won't work**. That's where second-hand solutions come from: a **Huawei HG556a** from Vodafone, findable on second-hand platforms for **€5-10**, works once configured with the correct parameters. The same goes for some Asus devices which, after a firmware update, show the 802.1q configuration tab.
CG-NAT: requesting a public IP and finding there are none
On top of the VLAN requirement comes **CG-NAT**, the address translation that shares one public IP among several customers. The company disables it on request, but some asked when they were migrated and are still waiting.
The explanation from customer support is that **MásMóvil has run out of public IP ranges**. That fits with another symptom: modems that take **20 minutes to connect**. Saving on addresses pays off if more than 90% of customers don't complain.
For users with specific needs — remote access, self-hosted services, downloads — CG-NAT is a wall. And the official answer never comes.
What to do if your router doesn't support VLAN 802.1q
The solutions that have worked, based on the cases shared so far, are three. First, update the device's firmware: some Asus models gain the VLAN tab after the upgrade. Second, get a second-hand **Huawei HG556a**, which syncs and works with the correct configuration. Third, buy the official router.
The configuration requires **VPI 8, VCI 32 and VLAN 20**. A minor detail that has tripped up more than a few: in the Wi-Fi password, avoid using the **&** character, because it prevents the connection.
The underlying issue remains. A migration that forces a hardware change without warning isn't a technical problem: it's a commercial decision dressed up as a reconfiguration. And the customer who switched to Pepephone precisely to avoid depending on the operator's router discovers they now depend on it. That's where the analysis gets stuck.
Pepephone's migration to the MásMóvil network has left several customers without a connection over a technical detail that, according to those affected, nobody warned them about: the new ADSL service requires 802.1q VLAN tagging on the modem. Without it, something most home devices don't support, there is no PPP session and no IP address, public or private. The advance notice talked about reconfiguring and about CG-NAT. Not about buying hardware.
The result is a familiar sight: professional modems from fruta brands, bought precisely to avoid depending on the operator's router, turned into paperweights. **Four devices in one household and none of them makes the cut.** Those who tried to do things properly find that doing them properly has cost them dearly.
What 802.1q VLAN tagging is and why it blocks the connection
802.1q VLAN tagging is a networking standard that marks traffic with a subnet identifier. In Pepephone's configuration under MásMóvil, the modem must join the **VLAN with ID 20** in order to establish the PPP session. If the device doesn't support it, no negotiation is possible.
The key point is that this is not an advanced option that can be worked around. According to information circulating in the discussion, a technician confirmed that the VLAN is **mandatory to establish PPP**: either you comply or you get no IP, whether public or private. That rules out the theory that disabling CG-NAT would solve the problem.
The affected fleet is large. Devices more than a year old, no longer receiving firmware support, lack the antiestéticature. And update attempts have failed: **none of the modems in the original case does VLAN tagging after the upgrade.**
The list of routers compatible with Pepephone and MásMóvil that almost nobody has
The official alternative is to buy the router the company sells. The **ASUS DSL-N14U** is offered at **€39 with VAT and shipping included**, versus a retail price of around €50 before shipping costs at best. The company maintains it makes no margin on the deal.
The problem isn't just the price. It's the wait: **5-7 days for delivery**, with no express option even if the customer pays for it. For someone left without a connection, that means days of isolation. And some have received the router with the migration already done and it doesn't work, with an open ticket and more waiting.
A list of compatible routers is circulating, and it's short. So short that anyone checking it finds that **almost everything in stock on Amazon won't work**. That's where second-hand solutions come from: a **Huawei HG556a** from Vodafone, findable on second-hand platforms for **€5-10**, works once configured with the correct parameters. The same goes for some Asus devices which, after a firmware update, show the 802.1q configuration tab.
CG-NAT: requesting a public IP and finding there are none
On top of the VLAN requirement comes **CG-NAT**, the address translation that shares one public IP among several customers. The company disables it on request, but some asked when they were migrated and are still waiting.
The explanation from customer support is that **MásMóvil has run out of public IP ranges**. That fits with another symptom: modems that take **20 minutes to connect**. Saving on addresses pays off if more than 90% of customers don't complain.
For users with specific needs — remote access, self-hosted services, downloads — CG-NAT is a wall. And the official answer never comes.
What to do if your router doesn't support VLAN 802.1q
The solutions that have worked, based on the cases shared so far, are three. First, update the device's firmware: some Asus models gain the VLAN tab after the upgrade. Second, get a second-hand **Huawei HG556a**, which syncs and works with the correct configuration. Third, buy the official router.
The configuration requires **VPI 8, VCI 32 and VLAN 20**. A minor detail that has tripped up more than a few: in the Wi-Fi password, avoid using the **&** character, because it prevents the connection.
The underlying issue remains. A migration that forces a hardware change without warning isn't a technical problem: it's a commercial decision dressed up as a reconfiguration. And the customer who switched to Pepephone precisely to avoid depending on the operator's router discovers they now depend on it. That's where the analysis gets stuck.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (68 replies).
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