CenturyLink → [Embarq] Installation of TP-Link 8816 or TD-8817 modem. Success or failure?

bones200 indicated that CenturyLink required him to replace his Embarq branded modem last fall because it was obsolete. The modem he was using did not provide IPv6 support. The replacement modem provided by CenturyLink did. I was looking for a wired only modem that provided IPv6 support in the event my modem, which does not provide IPv6 support must be replaced in the near future. I found the wired only TP-Link 8816 and 8817 which do provide IPv6 support. Has anyone reading this post had success installing either of these TP-Link modems. If not what problems did you incur?

The modems should work with little issue. The biggest problem comes from CenturyLink if you try to get support while using a modem that is not on their approved list. Some reps will try, others will stonewall until you connect a modem they officially support.

Currently the modem I am using is an Actiontec GT701D. I find this modem works best in bridge mode with a router.

Customer Support also can not fathom how a letter in the model number can actually mean it is a different model. In this case the GT701D is supported by Actiontec (or so Actiontec claims), but the GT701 is not.

In case someone know this.
If the modem is in bridge mode does, and the router does support ipv6 does it matter if the modem does not?

In Qwest's case in particular, they never dropped their logo on a GT701D and sold it themselves, so they don't support it. They do list the GT701 and GT701WG as being supported, however.

I haven't looked at the thread, but there's no reason bones200 should have been told his modem was too old unless his area was being upgraded from ADSL of some sort to VDSL.

At any rate, if all you're going to do is drop the modem into bridge mode, it's really the router that needs to have IPv6/6rd support.

Eventually when CL starts deploying more native IPv6, the modem itself may matter, but right now it's all just tunneling over your IPv4 connection.

When my Qwest modem died I bought a TP-8817 to replace it as I couldn't find any of the Centurylink recommended ones. The modem installed with no problem. I changed it over to bridge mode and it continues to work just fine.

Yes, but it does not matter if the modem is supported or not unless you are asking for help with wiring or problems on the part of the wiring your are responsible for.

It's not worth calling CenturyLink for anything unless it is something they need to supply. (username and password if you forget it)

After all CenturyLink thinks »www.planetside2.com/ is a browser game.

Sure, though I've had situations where I had to pester CenturyLink fairly persistently in order to get, say, problems with my line fixed.

Part of their troubleshooting process in that particular case was using a "supported" modem. One of the more interesting things to happen then was that they recommended I use a PK5001Z instead of the Q1000 I had on hand, so even when something's "supported" on CenturyLink's list, they may recommend a different device for whatever reason. Chipset compatibility, familiarity, and so on.

As such, I keep the PK5001Z around even though I ultimately went back to my own modem, which since we're really talking about "support" and not capability, could be the Q1000 or could have been, say, a Netgear device, or one of these TP-Link devices.

Anyway, it's just not very surprising that CL didn't know about the GT701D, because that's something they've never even claimed to "support."

That explains why when I had a trouble with DSL service in 2012, a CenturyLink technician asked me to replace the Netgear modem I had recently purchased with the CenturyLink branded ZyXEL modem I had not yet returned. He stated unless I reinstalled the CenturyLink branded modem I would have to wait until a CenturyLink technician made a service call, even though the Netgear modem was on the approved list. After I reinstalled the CenturyLink modem the technician immediately determined that the problem had nothing to do with the modem. CenturyLink technicians had to make some changes in their equipment to resolve the problem.

Here is the one of the major parts of Centurylink's problem in this area. They want people to lease a modem. Then at the same time if you agree to that it does not matter what speed to have you will be automatically dropped to 256k with no chance to move up in speed. To make matters worse there is no other option for internet in in this area.

Here we can chose from..
Decent speed, and Poor support with an "unsupported modem."
Internet so slow its not worth using, poor support, and about an $8 lease fee.

I recently returned the rented modem. I replaced it with the same model retail modem CenturyLink supplied. So far my speed has remained at 10 Mbps down 768K Up. My speed had always been rock solid since some problems were resolved in 2012. You might have a problem with the modem you used when your speed dropped to 256K.

In 2012 I tried a TP-Link but it would not train at speeds over 6 Mbps, so I returned it. I replaced it with the Netgear and had no problem with the modem. I replaced the Netgear with the ZyXEL because of troubleshooting issues.

My speed has not dropped, but if I allowed CenturyLink to provide a modem Centurylink would lower the speed to 256k just for allowing them to provide the modem.

I chose to use an "unsupported modem" and keep the 12mbps connection I have. It would be unacceptable to be dropped to 256k just to use a "supported modem."

PS
This only applies if you do what they want and use one of their modems, and it may not be this way in all areas. The reduction in speed is part of the agreement when get the supported modem. The local techs try not to supply modems to existing customers becasue of this stupidity.

That makes no sense whatsoever. Has this actually happened to anybody? Is there any documentation of this as a policy or a phenomenon anywhere else?

Nothing I know of. I hope they have stopped after they upgraded things here, but I'm not going to be the one to find out the hard way.

I quite like the TD-8816. I've installed a handful of them, and they've proven very reliable. There is a bug with some DSLAMs where the upload speed will not reach 768k with this modem, but I'm not sure how prevalent those DSLAMs are. I prefer start with the 8816, and if there are problems with the upload speed I will fall back to a couple other models that I otherwise don't like as much.

The TP-Link TD-8817 was the modem I was using for the last 6 months or so (before switching to Comcast earlier this month). It worked fine with CenturyLink.

I also have:
Actiontec GT701D
D-Link DSL-520B
Netopia 2241
Actiontec M1000 (Qwest)
Motorola 3347 (Qwest)

Only the last two are approved, but all work just fine with CenturyLink.