Member Avatar for Gawnio

Hello all, my first post here, hope someone can help...

I've been stuggling to set up a wireless network in the house and I'm going to avoid my local retailer since he sold me 2 rubbish routers.

Apparently though, in buying a new router I need one that can hold my full user name, which on my ISP (Virgin broadband) is about 30 characters long! Most routers only account for about 15. Does anyone know a reliable brand that could fit that criteria (wireless-g of course)?

Of course, I could change ISP but essentially its my parents connection and not mine (hence the need for a network), so that's not my decision!

Any help is appreciated
Simon

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Good catch by — the problem is almost always the router firmware or web UI, not the ISP protocol. PPP/RADIUS-based auth expects reasonably long names (RADIUS recommends handling at least 63 octets), so an ISP that hands you an email-style username is normal and technically supported by the network stack. (rfc-editor.org)

Why some consumer routers fail: many embedded web UIs or configuration fields impose arbitrary limits (15, 30, etc.) for display or legacy-reason simplicity. Those limits are implementation choices, not protocol limitations, so different vendors and firmware set different maxima. Check the router manual or release notes for the “username” field length before buying. (support.kaspersky.com)

Practical options that have helped others (and are still valid years later):

  • Try a firmware update or a different build for the same model — UI field sizes sometimes get fixed.
  • Put the ISP modem in bridge (passthrough) mode and let your router or a PC run the PPPoE session; this pushes the username handling to the device you control. Test first by running a PPPoE dial on a laptop (Windows or Linux) to prove the credentials work. (manuals.plus)
  • If the router still truncates, use a router that supports OpenWrt/DD‑WRT or a vendor model whose PPPoE client accepts full usernames; OpenWrt/DD‑WRT expose the PPPoE username in config and avoid small GUI truncation. (Flashing third‑party firmware requires checking device support and has warranty/risk implications.) (openwrt.org)

If none of the above is possible, asking the ISP for a shorter alias is reasonable (as suggested) — some ISPs can provide an alternate login or change account format, but they may not. If you need a quick test rig, borrow or reset a cheap router and verify PPPoE with the long username before spending money.

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Member Avatar for alc6379

Could you contact your ISP and have them change your username? That's a really long username-- the reason why most don't accept more than 15 characters is because that's a "sane" limit on the amount of characters a username should have.

I mean, do you really need your ISP user name to be "this_is_my_isp_username_at_home"? If you look at it like that, that's really freaking long. Or, do you have to put in there?

Member Avatar for Gawnio

Cheers for replying mate.

Yes, amazingly, the user name has to be the whole isp address - . The isp.net is itself about 15-20 characters. Possibly a ploy to stop people from sharing their connection.

Thankfully I sorted out the router I already have - one with no brand name! But it takes around 50 characters. Stupid ISP!

Thanks anyway

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