[s4ch]

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

Is it possible to run a cable between main router and satellite ? In most cases, electrician should be able to pull the cable through existing telecom conduits (such as intercom / old telephone line / cable TV).

Yes that would be possible as a last resort. I would prefer wireless if possible but can do the cabling if that doesn’t work.

Any thoughts on the TP Link X20?

[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by s4ch

Any thoughts on the TP Link X20?

Not good. Two issues :

1. Only two bands. Radio traffic on wireless backhaul will compete with client devices
2. Only 2 antennas. 4x4 setup would be preferable.

I am testing Deco X60 (single unit connected via cable to main router). Its okay.. can't really do 600 mbps sustained.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Yay! Upgrade to fibre done to today

The youngsters that did it, though, reminded me of the old cable-tv folk, skipping from house to house and running mishmash crochet cables in the air! If it gets from A to B, I guess it is ok (until it isn't, when it will be Airtel's job to come and fix it), but it doesn't look professional.

They were running the cable crossing over the next-door temple. I didn't raise an objection, but my wife said, they can't do that: the pujari is not known for tolerance of anything that interferes!

Much discussion then went on as to the alternatives. In the end, Senior was called, and told to do something I'd suggested at the beginning.

As to integrating the new fibre modem into my Airtel Mesh, they only wanted to tell me that I didn't need my router any longer. Years ago, Airtel used to employ actual network engineers.

I was concerned that I would not get the password. I needn't have been: it was left at the out-of-box default. I was able to configure the LAN to my needs. And change the password.

Guys: IMPORTANT: if you have a modem from Airtel, please check that you can't log in to it with "admin"/"password"!

At first, the telephone didn't work, and the speed was slightly slower than the old copper! That's been put to rights, and I now have 243mb/s both download and upload.

They said it would take an hour. It took four hours.

Wow. The last time I had a fibre connection was about 20 years ago. Still in work, we got a leased-line internet connection. One mb/s. Over 1,000 GBP (about a lakh ruppes) a month. For forty people.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

IMPORTANT: if you have a modem from Airtel, please check that you can't log in to it with "admin"/"password"!

Another thing. The router is preconfigured, and the wifi SSIDs contain my phone number. This is probably another thing one does not want to shout to the world (which is what a wifi router is doing with its ssid), like Hi, I'm nearby and here's my phone number. The wifi password is pretty weak too.

This Airtel Xstream fiber router looks like cheap rubbish. But it works. And it boots in less than a minute, which is great after my previous box-on-copper, which took about five minutes.

[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Another thing. The router is preconfigured, and the wifi SSIDs contain my phone number...

You can change SSID and related config from router. Some of these config can be changed from Airtel's app as well (there is a common router protocol that ISPs can use to manage config centrally).

I recommend that you disable WiFi on Airtel's "modem" and use your own router for WiFi.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

You can change SSID and related config from router.

First thing I did. Changed admin password. Turned off wifi and dhcp, changed LAN IP. connected to my Asus.

Some of these config can be changed from Airtel's app as well (there is a common router protocol that ISPs can use to manage config centrally).

I guess I could lock them out. But the remote diagnostic thing on the app seems to work, and I guess they use it

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

You can change SSID and related config from router.

First thing I did. Changed admin password. Turned off wifi and dhcp, changed LAN IP. connected to my Asus.

Some of these config can be changed from Airtel's app as well (there is a common router protocol that ISPs can use to manage config centrally).

I guess I could lock them out. But the remote diagnostic thing on the app seems to work, and I guess they use it.

Just because I haven't done it that way, I was thinking of putting the Airtel router in bridge mode and doing the pppoe from the Asus router. The necessary password is in the router config backup, in plain text, so I should be able to do it without even calling them.

But should I? Any comment?

[binand]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Just because I haven't done it that way, I was thinking of putting the Airtel router in bridge mode and doing the pppoe from the Asus router.

I used to do it that way when Airtel provisioned separate router and ONT devices and the included landline took connection from the latter. I wasn’t so sure if the new combined box they installed (after the upgrade to 300 Mbps) will play along nicely if I were to do that.

I am very keen on doing this because the PPPoE was done from my home Linux box, which allowed me a lot of extra control.

[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

But the remote diagnostic thing on the app seems to work, and I guess they use it.

Yes, leave it on so that their system can tweak things as needed.

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

.....Airtel router in bridge mode and doing the pppoe from the Asus router. ...I should be able to do it without even calling them. But should I?

It is more work. Reason is, landline will still be connected to Airtel's router. Landline requires its own internet connection.

To enable Bridge mode, Airtel has to enable settings on backend to provide different IP (internal NAT) to Landline and public IP to pppoe connection.

This can be done, don't see the need of it unless you want to host some kind of server. Expect some run-around since bridge mode is not something average support person would know and your ticket will need to reach someone who does know.

[bejoy]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Just because I haven't done it that way, I was thinking of putting the Airtel router in bridge mode and doing the pppoe from the Asus router. The necessary password is in the router config backup, in plain text, so I should be able to do it without even calling them.

But should I? Any comment?

Been over a month on the Airtel Xstream (uptime is 100%). Here is my post on same:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shift...ml#post5135019 (How much do you pay for your broadband?)

The ISP provided routers/modems were all crap in the past so I had my Asus router for a long time, so this time also I have put my Asus as the main router and the Airtel device(Model: Nokia G2425G-A ) in bridge mode.

Was not straight forward, so here is how it went:
1. In the Nokia, enabled bridge mode for LAN1
2. Enabled PPOE in WAN section in ASUS (username 080xxxxxxxx_kk@airtelbroadband.in, password -relationship/account no)
3. Added VLAN ID as 100 and Priority as 1 (This was not straight forward in ASUS (older model RT-N66U). It is under LAN-> IPTV, ISP -> Manual)

That's it. I get a public IP in ASUS.

I could not find the VLAN setting initially in ASUS and without this setting, it would not work.

The Nokia still had another public IP for an interface (apart from the VOIP interface) that could not be disabled. May be for remote management (TR-069).

The Nokia is surprisingly a good device - no complaints at all. Haven't been using its router function though.

[binand]

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

This can be done, don't see the need of it unless you want to host some kind of server.

Even to run a server, most regular situations can be managed via port forwarding (in the Nokia, Application > Port Forwarding). I allow SSH and VPN servers this way and it works just fine.

The thing I totally miss is the ability to finely control outbound traffic through iptables. DNS denylists go only part of the way.

[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by binand

Even to run a server, most regular situations can be managed via port forwarding

Yes, should work for most situations. Airtel blocks incoming traffic on ports like http / smtp.

Originally Posted by binand

The thing I totally miss is the ability to finely control outbound traffic through iptables. DNS denylists go only part of the way.

OpenWRT / PFSense / Linux-DIY should be able to do that if all traffic goes through them.

Like : Home Network--> WiFi AP --> PFSense --> ISP Router

Will this work ?

[Thad E Ginathom]

It's not Nokia any longer: it's some unheard of thing that Airtel must have picked up a few thousand of in a Chinese bazar and printed their name on the front. Wait...

Dragon Path Technologies.

Thanks for responses on bridge mode. If it is not something that will just work with an hour or so of reading/work, and without struggling with poor call-centre folk who are only equipped with level-1 scripts, I probably don't want to go there. Mind you, just occasionally i like a challenge

[shipnil]

Originally Posted by bejoy

That's it. I get a public IP in ASUS.

Does this impact your landline IP allocation? How did you configure it?

[bejoy]

Originally Posted by shipnil

Does this impact your landline IP allocation? How did you configure it?

No, there is no impact. In the Nokia WAN connection list, there are two - one for TR-69 and one for VOIP (PSTN). These cannot be removed, or it will come back if the router is rebooted. So these are remotely administered. And these two IPs are from different subnets. The VOIP is from 10.157.xxx.xxx and the TR-69 is 122.179.xxx.xxx. The ASUS has a third IP from 122.167.xxx.xxx

I haven't tried IPV6. It seems Airtel is issuing IPv6 also in Bangalore.