Broadband passthrough router recommendations..

[Sly870]

Afternoon all

I am looking to get a new router as we moving house, going from fibre to the stone age and getting normal broadband!

I use my USG so would need a router that can do passthrough and let my Unifi control everything, any recommendations on which router would work? Really don't need anything fancy, would the below router work:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-DSL-N16-Wireless-Router-300Mbps/dp/B01LXYBLJS/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3O06ICCTSQHYB&keywords=DSL-AC51&qid=1646573915&sprefix=dsl-ac51%2Caps%2C45&sr=8-2

 

[fredbert]

I've only used cable broadband, but googling 'adsl modem ethernet' got a Draytek Vigor 130 which reads like the sort of thing you are asking about. Must be other brands out there that do it. Won't your ISP provided modem/router do bridge mode?

 

[Sly870]

I've only used cable broadband, but googling 'adsl modem ethernet' got a Draytek Vigor 130 which reads like the sort of thing you are asking about. Must be other brands out there that do it. Won't your ISP provided modem/router do bridge mode?

Apparently their Fritzbox 7530 doesn't enable/support this passthrough

 

[Sly870]

Hi @fredbert

Those Draytek are terribly expensive, I literally need something to plug a VDSL cable into one side, for the internet into the property, and a RJ45 into the other that goes into my USG to control my WAN, do you know of anything like that please bud?

 

[Acetone]

Would the one provided by your new ISP at the new home not do that ?

 

[Sly870]

Would the one provided by your new ISP at the new home not do that ?

Fritzbox 7530 - don't believe it does do it mate. Seems you cannot do Bridge mode for VDSL...

 

[fredbert]

I've no experience of them. All the previous 20+ years of NTL/Virgin Media cable modems/routers supported bridge mode.

 

[Sly870]

So I was wrong, seems the Fritzbox can do it with some tinkering...

 

[one-eyed-king]

Apparently their Fritzbox 7530 doesn't enable/support this passthrough

Indeed a Fritzbox is not desinged to be run in bridge mode as modem. Their devices are prosumer grade devices. They are not comparable to the nasty home brand isp modems/routers that usualy come for free. I have a Vodafone Cable Line and I actualy run the Vodafone Station they provided in bridge-mode, as the router-mode lacks features I painfully miss: no dns-rebind exception, no nat-loopback, no DOT, no way to setup routes in other networks, no wlan mesh support, no meaningful diagnostics tools or logs at all... Even when you consider that it commes for free, it still feels like a crime ^^

You can use the entire Fritzbox LAN as DMZ and forward all WAN traffic to your own router as "Exposed Host". As a result all incomming WAN traffic would be forwarded to your own router. Effectivly this means you run a double-nat without the nastly impact a double-nat normaly has.

Also Delegating ipv6-Prefix to your own router works like a charme. I treat my Fritzbox network as a DMZ. All consumer devices (tvs, tablets, whatever the kids use, ...) are attached to that network. Everything else is sitting behind an OPNsense in their own subnets.

 

[Rusty]

Even when you consider that it commes for free, it still feels like a crime ^^

 

[Sly870]

Indeed a Fritzbox is not desinged to be run in bridge mode as modem. Their devices are prosumer grade devices. They are not comparable to the nasty home brand isp modems/routers that usualy come for free. I have a Vodafone Cable Line and I actualy run the Vodafone Station they provided in bridge-mode, as the router-mode lacks features I painfully miss: no dns-rebind exception, no nat-loopback, no DOT, no way to setup routes in other networks, no wlan mesh support, no meaningful diagnostics tools or logs at all... Even when you consider that it commes for free, it still feels like a crime ^^

You can use the entire Fritzbox LAN as DMZ and forward all WAN traffic to your own router as "Exposed Host". As a result all incomming WAN traffic would be forwarded to your own router. Effectivly this means you run a double-nat without the nastly impact a double-nat normaly has.

Also Delegating ipv6-Prefix to your own router works like a charme. I treat my Fritzbox network as a DMZ. All consumer devices (tvs, tablets, whatever the kids use, ...) are attached to that network. Everything else is sitting behind an OPNsense in their own subnets.

So, it seems the Fritzbox does work as a bridge. Got it setup with my little USG 3P handling all WAN traffic Just couldn't stomach that Draytek 130 cost..

 

[EAZ1964]

I do have a Zyxel VMG4005, works fine (Bonded VDSL)

 

[jeyare]

be careful what kind of line you have:
- VDSL or VDSL2 or VDSL2V+
- what product (max. bandwidth) do you have or expect in near 3y
- vectoring compliant device, when the line vectoring is active (or expected in the near period)
then you need to consider these variables in your research

 

[jimborae]

Assuming you're in the UK just get an old BT branded Huawei EchoLife HG612 off ebay, that will do what you need. Worked well with my Ubiquiti Dream Machine.

 

[Sly870]

Assuming you're in the UK just get an old BT branded Huawei EchoLife HG612 off ebay, that will do what you need. Worked well with my Ubiquiti Dream Machine.

Something like this mate?

Huawei EchoLife VDSL Fibre Modem - White (HG612) for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Huawei EchoLife VDSL Fibre Modem - White (HG612) at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[fredbert]

Something like this mate?

Huawei EchoLife VDSL Fibre Modem - White (HG612) for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Huawei EchoLife VDSL Fibre Modem - White (HG612) at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!

www.ebay.co.uk

Does that 10/100 MbE LAN connection matter?

 

[jimborae]

Something like this mate?

Huawei EchoLife VDSL Fibre Modem - White (HG612) for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Huawei EchoLife VDSL Fibre Modem - White (HG612) at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!

www.ebay.co.uk

Yep that'll be the one

The one thing you haven't said is who your ISP is going to be, this could be significant as some don't like you using 3rd party modem/ equipment to connect. Just something to be aware of. Successfully used it with BT, Vodafone & PlusNet with no issues.

-- post merged: 13. Apr 2022 --

Does that 10/100 MbE LAN connection matter?

Not unless Sly's crappy broadband somehow magically goes over 100Mb/sec

 

[fredbert]

Not unless Sly's crappy broadband somehow magically goes over 100Mb/sec

Fair point.

I’m on VirginMedia’s cable broadband and their lowest level is now 100Mbps. I’m on the next lowest at 200Mbps, and get it.

Last time I looked at the alternatives and it was ‘up to 78Mbps’ so that knocked it on the head.

 

[jimborae]

Fair point.

I’m on VirginMedia’s cable broadband and their lowest level is now 100Mbps. I’m on the next lowest at 200Mbps, and get it.

Last time I looked at the alternatives and it was ‘up to 78Mbps’ so that knocked it on the head.

Yeah I used to have Virgin cable at my old flat & to be fair it was solid but I know many others in other areas have issues.

At my current house I’ve just switched back to BT as they’re cabling up my road for FTTP so will hopefully be able to switch to that in couple of months. Downside is that I’ve had to retire my Echolife modem setup & use their new Smart Hub 2 as they’ve switched my phone service over to DECT phones. However with a bit of help I’ve been able to configure that so that my Ubiquity Dream Machine handles all the routing.

 

[one-eyed-king]

Indeed a Fritzbox is not desinged to be run in bridge mode as modem.

I stand to be corrected: I stumbled accross this blog post that explains how to apply PPPoe Passtrough in Fritz!Box routers:: How do I configure my FRITZ!Box in bridge mode

There is also a way more detailed description, if the one above doesn't help: Fritz!Box als reines Modem verwenden. The google translate link should do a fair decent job to get an understanding of what needs to be done - except of course for the embedded screenshots.

So it seems it's neither required to buy your own modem, nor is it required to "hack" something in Fritz!OS.