Forum Discussion
WiFi router sugestions that can use different IP address for Home Internet 5G Gateway
I tried to use the Home Internet 5G Gateway/Router in my home network setup, but unfortunately, the router has it’s base IP address (i.e. 192.168.x.x) hard coded into it’s OS, and CANNOT be changed. ...
Yukon wrote:
I simply unplugged my existing router from the cable modem and plugged it into the TMobile Gateway. My router picked up a 192.168.12.X address and everything worked. I disabled all of the SSIDs on the Gateway so I wouldn't have that wifi network enabled. As long as your existing router is set for DHCP on the WAN interface it should work. Everything stayed the same on the home network behind the router.
This is the way to go problem solved.
piperpilotjim wrote:Those suggesting to simply plug their router into the LAN port of the T-Mobile gateway obviously don't any port forwarding to their home devices. Anybody do Remote Desktop to their home computer from outside? Anybody have a NAS at home they'd like to access from outside? Anybody run Pi-Hole ad blocking for their whole home network? Anybody do preassigned IP addresses for DHCP on their home LAN? Anybody VPN into their home? Anybody do SSH into their home machines? These functions are all supported by even the cheapest home routers. None are supported by the T-Mobile home internet gateway. I'm just about ready to return it, even though the speeds are great.
TMO's XLAT464/CGNAT topology breaks unsolicited inbound connections in the upper layers anyway... so all the concerns about double-nat on the private side, as well as whether you have access to configure forwarding/dmz on their modem router are moot at this point.
We have full functionality (except for a flat out bridge mode) on the older Askey LTE boxes. All of that "normal" functionality with traditional wired ISP's that give us a proper dual-stack service fails because of what they are doing upstream from their modem. Their topology simply doesn't give us a properly functioning public v4 presence for any of it to work.
Now... if they ever put in place the proper translation that preserves all the needed v4 features--or better yet, a 1:1 actual public v4 address, that will be a different story. We will likely all be on newer modems by then. They are already planning to start shipping out new 5g modems (a boxy looking thing by a different brand) sometime this quarter, but not a lot of details on it beyond a basic manual found online and some specs posted with the FCC.
About the only way people have managed to recover most of the typical v4 functionality is via 3rd party services... like a custom VPN that reserves IP and allows custom p2p configs. I looked at Windscribe's options a while back, as they support router installation and several levels of P2P functionality with their more premium subscriptions. TMO's $50/mo plus their best annual price options looked pretty close to the discounted rate of Spectrum Basic after you threaten to drop them. Came out to only like $5 less or something.
Basically... people need to evaluate the level of functionality vs aggravation between TMO and other local options. If all they need is simple internet, TMO may be hard to beat for the price. But for those that need more advanced functionality, it may not be worth it.
