Bridged mode stops working. Suggestions?

[PJO]

I've been using a Netgear R7000 behind a Netgear DG834G in bridge mode for a couple of years without any problem. I've also been using a rasbperry pi for DNS, using pi-hole. Recently I had to disable the pihole in order to set up another (a gift; you can't use one behind another). Somewhere along the line in reverting things I ended up being unable to get back online with the original set up. The R7000 just kept "renewing" the link.

The DG834G works ok in router mode, as does my ISP's router (a Huawei H685G) -- though I have been having dropouts for several minutes at a time now and then. So... I'm wondering if the WAN port on the R7000 is kaput or what else could be wrong. I got a replacement Huawei router from my ISP which didn't resolved matters. I also tried a replacement DG834 without result.

To enable bridge mode on the DSL connected device here's what I did

1. Give it an IP address in a different subnet (192.168.0.1; R7000 is 192.168.1.1)
   
   
2. Turn off wireless
   
   
3. Disable DHCP
   
   
4. Enable bridge mode (hidden menu on the DG834 NETGEAR Router; changed connection type to PPoE_Bridged on the Huawei).

I don't have a spare router with a WAN port at the moment. The R7000 is working fine apart from not working with the modem in bridge mode.

Suggestions?

 

[PJO]

Seems the DG384 was defective, as was the first replacement. Got another replacement that worked. Pihole change was just a coincidence. My modems get zapped every so often, despite surge protection on both the phone line and power. Strange to have one work ok as a router but stop working in bridge mode.