Forum Discussion
Home internet service IPv6 traffic is all filtered even when using a Netgear LTE router. No port forwarding. Plz fix!
My background is in IT / networking and I started using Tmo Home Internet for the past 2 weeks. The router being shipped today to customers is missing very important features for power users - it actually broke my ability to remotely access my home via direct-connection using public IPv6 and IPv4 that I used on comcast.
Contacting support for help is pretty much useless, although I have raised a few tickets regarding the major issues affecting me since switching ISPs, namely:
- Unable to ping my IPv6 WAN address given by T-mobile (to remotely monitor my internet connection)
- Unable to remotely access my home via my VPN server which listens to connections on the WAN IPv6 address (again, T-mobile is filtering ALL my incoming traffic - comcast, att fiber, other major players in the market don’t do this filtering to endpoints except for spam port 25)
- Connecting to a VPN server hosted on the internet is unreliable and unstable.
- T-mobile does not offer IPv6 Prefix Delegation (comcast has it, att fiber does también)
I've spent the majority of my time trying to figure out ways to make this work. Most folks out there are blaming the Nokia router firmware which is really locked down by T-mobile, so being the IT engineer I pretend to be I purchased a Netgear LAX20 which is T-mobile and AT&T certified - I swapped SIMs for my Home internet service and tested both.
Even with a router that I fully control, with firewall disabled and allowing WAN icmp/ping responses T-mobile seems to continue to filter traffic (even pings!) incoming towards my service equipment… to make a fair comparison I got an AT&T SIM card and repeated the tests. On AT&T I can ping and access my device remotely when it is on the AT&T LTE network on the same Netgear LAX20.
Decided to post here to vent and share some findings, as this is somewhat frustrating that other LTE carriers that do not offer 'home internet' service do allow you to control and manage your network as you see fit while the new "home internet" service does not give you any control at all. Those users who wish to be able to remotely manage their smart home should perhaps stay away for now until T-mobile decides to do the right thing which is for "home internet" service subscribers to have different security network rules than cellphones on the network.
T-mobile please fix your business model for this new service, starting with adding the ability to request zero network filtering for home internet subscribers and the ability to get IPv6 prefix delegated.
mobileman82 wrote:
You can still buy/rent IPV4 space. If Tmobile has that defeatist attitude this service wont sell well….
Maybe it won't. Maybe they are counting on there being enough customers who don't need inbound connectivity. Who knows. So far, they are on track with their home internet additions for the year. For me, I'm saving $720 a year with better speed. I don't care about having to use a VPN to fix the inbound connection issue especially since, even with the VPN, that traffic is faster than what it was before. I agree: Its not ideal. But its a better solution than what I had with Comcast.
IDK about that angle of them not having/not able to use IPV4.
A Basic dig on their ASN's shows they have a crap ton of IPV4 registered. Over 12 million on just ONE of their USA ID's (AS21928). Granted, some (like AS393494, that appears to be tied to TVision) only have 60-70k... but who is to say how much is actively in use, and how much could be repurposed?
But they DO in fact have and use IPv4. The question is why is it not implemented for home internet instead of the screwy XLAT464 crap.
I've read much on the IPv4 / IPv6 and the 464XLAT versus dual layer etc. What nobody has specifically stated is, why do the VPN's work when using the Franklin T9 LTE hotspot or the ASKEY LTE Gateway but NOT when using the Nokia 5G gateway. What is different about the implementation? Isn't the 464XLAT used on the network side regardless of the gateway?
It seems like the carrier made a decision to filter with this particular gateway to avoid people setting up servers etc. due to the "unlimited data" but this has also hampered work from home for some people and also crippled XBOX party chat. If it's a decision that will never change, fine but TMO needs to be up-front about it.
I am having these same issues and I dont think the service is well developed enough yet to cut the cord. They need to resolve these 464xlat issues and provide people with a real internet service not a watered down version. VPN stability and incoming ports are a necessity with work from home these days..
n8rbzu wrote:
This post I found seems related and comments have been disabled. (link below) I have had my gateway for three days now and just attempting the gateway settings and noticed port forwarding is missing. It looks like this has been an issue for some time and there are no plans to address it. So we were sold home internet, but got a wifi hotspot. I am sad that my only option now is to return the unit to T-Mobile and pay triple what T-Mobile was offering to get the same speeds with Cox. :-(
T-Mobile is an IPv6 network. Port forwarding is for ipv4 networks. So, its unlikely you will ever have port forwarding. For ipv6, right now T-Mobile blocks all unsolicited inbound traffic. This may be a global network configuration or it may be on the gateway. At any rate, there is no inbound traffic allowed at this time. If you need a work around, you can connect up your own router to the gateway and use a VPN service for about $5.00 a month.
mobileman82 wrote:
Well that's tough cookies cuz that is what it's like to be a home internet provider in 2021. I wish I had somone who would come up with excuses for me everytime I mad poor choices at work.
I'm not making excuses. I'm just stating the reality of running out of IPv4 addresses. I'm sorry you don't like reality. Being on an IPv6 network shouldn't be a problem. However, if your real concern is you cannot have inbound connections, that I understand. Its a brand new service. Hopefully, T-Mobile is listening and working on that. In the meantime, there are workarounds. If you don't want to use the workarounds until T-Mobile allows more flexibility, I would suggest you use another service until T-Mobile does.
EVERYONE is missing the point. Tmobile does NOT WANT END USERS TO HAVE THE CONTROL AT ALL. If they did, they'd have worked it in.
Is this issue only with the new (Nokia) gateway? I still have the original gateway and I'm able to access a local camera from the public internet.
SwimFree wrote:
Is this issue only with the new (Nokia) gateway? I still have the original gateway and I'm able to access a local camera from the public internet.
Beginning to wonder if it isn't market specific. Seeing a few posts where people got it working somewhat.
I am still on the the white box here inFlorence, SC and could not get ports forwarded even when wired directly to their device, much less on the Asus router behind it regardless how I tried. Even direct wired and DMZ'ed things didn't work. Oddly enough, the PS4 reports NAT2 when I was expecting NAT3-even when double-NAT'ed through the Asus.
Just plain weird.
They really need to get away from this 464XLAT they are using.
intel wrote:
Reblog wrote:
intel wrote:
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Would be really great if you post this over in the Reddit r/tmobileisp forum. Lots of people there working on the same issue, appears to be their use of CG-NAT. Agree?
Agree. I’m active there - posted here as I don’t think T-mobile suits care about reddit and I may get someone at actually T-mobile to help raise the awareness of these issues.Here are some of my discussions in r/tmobileisp in:re T-mobile home internet.
Netgear LAX20 with ATT SIM card = IPv6 can be pinged and ports forwarded. T-mobile should fix their home internet and remove filtering on IPv6
https://www.reddit.com/r/tmobileisp/comments/l2iipa/netgear_lax20_with_att_sim_card_ipv6_can_be/
Unstable or "hung" SSH sessions when using the Nokia?
Xbox One NAT / UPnP results for the Nokia modem for those that asked.
I also posted this issue in DSLreports for those oldtimers like me that remember that site. https://www.dslreports.com/forum/r33010714-Connectivity-Incoming-traffic-filtering-by-Tmo-Home-internet-no-IPv6-DN
Yes, I recognize you, I'm over there too, different ID. Keep fighting the good fight!
Question: I noticed that the APN on the Nokia gateway is fbb.home while the APN on the Franklin hotspot is fast-tmobile.com. The fbb.home appears to be blocking most things (VPN's, XBOX Party chat, etc) while the fast-mobile.com does not, i.e. corporate VPN works fine on the Franklin hotspot, the ASKEY gateway etc.
The APN is not selectable but is it possible that this APN is the source of all the issues and not the 464XLAT?
Nokia Gateway
Franklin T9
