Using PPPoE and DMZ / Advanced DMZ for 'Bridge Mode' use of 3rd Party router on the HH4000 & Giga Hub

[navderek]

It would be great if Bell could confirm if they are going to update the FW on the HH4000 to enable a true bridge mode setup...also to stop the Wifi from automatically re-enabling itself anytime the HH4000 reboots itself. These are two MAJOR issues right now with the HH4000 and posted about on many forums (not just here).

It would be great if someone from Bell could chime in and let the community know if it is actually going to address these issues or not? If not, please explain why and please do not point to advanced DMZ as a solution because that doesn't actually work very well and severely impacts the performance on the Google Mesh (or any other pre-existing mesh setup). This is also discussed on many forums both on this one and externally by your customers.

We do realize the HH4000 is relatively new so there can be some improvements. We, as a community, just want to know if Bell plans to make those improvements or not.

Thanks,

-Derek

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❗AI Summary: 

When attempting to use a third-party router, customers frequently encounter networking challenges due to the absence of a true 'bridge mode'. This limitation has led to a variety of solutions involving PPPoE and the Advanced DMZ feature to avoid issues like double NAT; where two devices on the network are performing Network Address Translation (NAT). Double NAT can lead to problems with online gaming, port forwarding, and other applications that require a direct connection to the internet.

Some complications you may experience:

• Wi-Fi auto re-enabling: Even when disabled, the Bell Home Hub's Wi-Fi can turn back on after a reboot.
• Advanced DMZ limitations: Advanced DMZ can be unreliable, especially with third party mesh systems. PPPoE is preferred by users in this scenario.
• IP lease and connectivity drops: Devices lose connection when the public IP changes, requiring manual reconfiguration.
• Performance degradation: Speeds, especially download speeds can drop over time. A reboot or modem reset will be needed to restore.
• No static IPs: IP changes cause disruptions. Using DDNS can be considered.

In response, Bell Community users have detailed two primary methods to approximate a bridge mode: PPPoE passthrough and the use of the Advanced DMZ feature.

User-Shared Solutions:

PPPoE Passthrough: Often described as more stable and straightforward; it involves configuring the third-party router to establish the PPPoE connection directly with Bell. This effectively bypasses the Bell Home Hub 4000, Giga Hub and Giga Hub 2.0's routing functions, providing the third-party router with its own public IP address. To do this, users typically need to obtain their "b1" username and password from Bell. While stable, a significant drawback of this method is a potential reduction in internet speeds, particularly on plans faster than 500 Mbps, as many consumer routers struggle with the overhead of PPPoE.

Advanced DMZ: This method involves placing the third-party router in the modem's "Advanced Demilitarized Zone." This exposes the third-party router directly to the internet, which can result in higher performance. However, this solution is often reported to be less stable. For instance, rebooting your router might necessitate a subsequent reboot of your Giga Hub/Giga Hub 2.0 to restore the internet connection. Some have also reported experiencing lag spikes with this configuration. When using Advanced DMZ, it is advised to leave the login information on the third-party router blank, as entering PPPoE credentials can cause the connection to fail.

Configuration Tips from the Bell Community:

• When setting up either method, it's recommended to disable the Wi-Fi on the Bell Giga Hub/Giga Hub 2.0 to prevent interference.
• For PPPoE passthrough, connecting the WAN port of the third-party router to any LAN port on the Bell hub and configuring the router with your b1 credentials is the general procedure.
• For Advanced DMZ, users need to enable the feature in the Giga Hub/Giga Hub 2.0's settings and assign their third-party router to it. It's also highly recommended to not plug other devices directly into the Bell hub for security reasons when using Advanced DMZ.

Ultimately, the choice between PPPoE passthrough and Advanced DMZ depends on the user's priorities. If stability and ease of setup are paramount, PPPoE passthrough is often the recommended choice. For those who prioritize performance and are willing to troubleshoot potential instabilities, Advanced DMZ may be the preferred option.

[WelshTerrier]

Good Day & Welcome to the Bell Community.

Bridge-mode for Bell modems: true bridge-mode is not available. Bell does not post details such as this on the community forum. Your suggestion will be reviewed & considered by the back-office development team.

Thank you for posting your question.

Take care.

[Retiredandbored]

* not poor connection. Ppoe connection. Smart phone predictive text in action with a person with a slight visual acuity challenge, clumsy fingers who learned to type on a manual typewriter with a correcto tape to correct errors. 79 wpm 100% accuracy got me my first job. 200 characters per minute and higher teletype and key punch entry on data paper ribbons and punch cards. No monitors just paper printouts. 

I make more errors and it interferes with communication and thought processes. Thanks a lot predictive text. 

Just adding humour to a 68 year olds life with challenges to accommodate this modern technology. I am tactile writer and a touch screen does not have the tactile markers on the h and f to place your fingers on the home row. 

😉😯

Bruce

[Angelo]

i would like to know how to make this into a modem solely. i have my own router. i tried all sorts of things online .

for the company i work for they requested this

[WelshTerrier]

Good Day & Welcome to the Bell Community Forum.

This is a peer-to-peer website. As such, we would like to assist you, but we are limited on what we can do based on the lack of information provided.

The Bell modem is a gateway modem. You cannot change or replace it with your own router. You cannot make it into a router solely. You cannot completely replace a Bell modem with your own router. The Bell modem combines modem and router functions. It is programmed to recognize Fibe TV, Internet, Home phone, etc. and will only work when connected to the Bell network.

However, you can connect your own router to the Bell to the Giga Hub & use it on your home network. You can change your Wi-Fi network name. Please refer to the following links that I have provided.

Please give us more information & if we can, we will do our best to assist you.

Manage your modem’s settings in the interface of the Home Hub 3000 and 4000, and the Giga Hub

Take care.

[dks]

The most simple answer to your question is that you can not. There are ways you can pass through the Giga Hub to your router, as @WelshTerrier suggested. If your employer is asking you to do something Bell can’t provide, they are obligated to adapt their system to work properly with Bell’s Internet or provide you with the technical system to make it work. 

[DanielDD1]

Thanks this helps, but to clarify, the bell password to use, is it the one I use to connect to the Bell Hub? Or the one I use to connect the te bell.ca website?

[WelshTerrier]

Good Day & Welcome to the Bell Community.

Bridge-mode for Bell modems: true bridge-mode is not available. Bell does not post details such as this on the community forum.

The Bell modem is a gateway modem. You cannot change or replace it with your own router. You cannot make it into a router solely. You cannot completely replace a Bell modem with your own router. The Bell modem combines modem and router functions. It is programmed to recognize Fibe TV, Internet, Home phone, etc. and will only work when connected to the Bell network.

However, you can connect your own router to the Bell to the Giga Hub & use it on your home network. You can change your Wi-Fi network name. Please refer to the following links that I have provided.

Please give us more information & if we can, we will do our best to assist you.

Manage your modem’s settings in the interface of the Home Hub 3000 and 4000, and the Giga Hub

Take care.

[JeffWScott]

That response is WILD for a five year old topic.

[Carl Gustav]

Good morning, time now, 03:30 hours.

Recently switched to bell to take advantage of recent fiber installation in my neighborhood, on the first day the speed was north of 800 Mb/s , when connected directly via ethernet port to giga hub using a cat6 and even a cat 5e to my laptop, I use/used fast.com for testing. Note: not much difference between cat 6 and 5e, from my observation.

I have disabled wi-fi on the hub as i have my own router to provide that function, rest of my devices are hardwired to router via switches, upgrading later today, in preparation of  getting close to the speed of which I am paying for.

Now my speed using same connection method as above, speed is  roughly 100mbs up and down and port light is flashing amber. I have done numerous reboot, virtual repair, different ports, ethernet cable and speed test via the hub and website in which I can access my routers settings., those speed tests indicate 1.7 gbs, all is good according to screen on hub, website and app.

At least  bell is cheaper than my last provider, 1 year and 358 day to end of contract with bell @ 100mbs, the old Army guy in me finding it hard not to curse.

Have a most excellent Day

Old Fart, out.

[dks]

Thank you for your question. The definitive speed test is not using an external site but using the speed test within the modem. If you are measuring speed through your external router, there will be a loss of speed for various reasons. What does the modem internal speed test say? 

[Carl Gustav]

Hi, @dks 

I'm not using my router or thru my network to measure speed, I'm using a 3 foot  cat 6 patch cable directly connected to yellow port on back of giga hub to my laptop, nothing connected to any other port. I lift off hub from wall, look at back of it and the amber light is flashing instead of the green one, I do test via screen on giga hub and its 1.7 gbps down and 1.08 gbps up, I do a test by going to 192.168.2.1 on browser to access giga hub and get same numbers as above, then I try fast.com on my laptop and it shows speed of around 100mbps. I have then used a different patch cable and different port with a  result. The very first day of installation I got 800+ gbps, whilst connect directly to hub. I might be awhile responding to your reply, bit unwell this morning. 

[Vanadiel]

Check the link speed on your laptop. Going by what you describe it sounds like you are linked at 100/100 instead of 1Gbps/1Gbps.

[dks]

If you are seeing 1.7 down and 1.08 up you are on the modem speed test, you are on the 1 Gb profile. If you are connecting to the yellow port, that is the 1 Gb port. Those are results which I would expect to see. The silver or metal port is the 10 Gb port and the blue port on the Giga Hub 2.0 is for the 2.5 Gb speed. Either can be used for the 3 Gb and 8 Gb profile. You can confirm your profile by going to the MyBell web page under Internet. 

Your speed will also depend on the speed of your network card on your laptop. Unless it is exceptionally new or high end, most laptops can only reach 1 Gb speeds (actually 940/940).