Forum Discussion
When can I JUST use TM internet modem as ONLY a modem, in BRIDGE mode, with NO NAT, NO firewall, and frankly NO Wifi.
PLEASE let me know when can get a PLAIN modem from T-Mobile, or BUY my own modem, or SET their modem up to DUPLICATE the functionality of Spectrum. I can't and won't change, until and unless I can ...
Sometimes I'm sorry I brought up a specific point or question. "NAT" as I knew and defined it is obviously implemented simply, but only in simple implementations. I searched for the terms, "XLAT/CGNAT" that you used, and learned I didn't have a clue what's going on in designing carrier level internet services.
First, I found an “old” 2016 Cisco article that clued me in on how little I knew:
It turns out, TMO, starting from scratch is solving several problems that now face all providers. One of them is the dearth and cost of carrier IP ranges. According to this article, everyone eventually will be using these types of technology. So, NAT as I knew it will no longer exist. Similarly, although I love my hard drive based DVR since the days of Replay TV, it is a dead technology that will quickly be eliminated. [At least I resisted long enough that skipping commercials while streaming became a real issue that had to be solved, or endured, rather than ignored.
The issue I guess I need to resolve is not the specific implementation TMO has today. The criteria for how great will be determined simply by how committed TMO is to winning this market, and do they have the technical excellence to solve whatever issues arise while they get there. Sure, it will have rough patches, but if they are committed, they will win. If not, someone else will.
Picking the right company and technology is not a trivial exercise, and the stakes for a consumer are sometimes huge. Legere's office himself saved my butt years ago before he was at TMO. He was around when ATT came up with the brilliant idea of merging landline divisions with a cell company. The result?? My first bill went from $60 to $1,200 in one month, and they only saw I hadn't paid. No proof that I didn't owe, and had paid any bills could convince them to keep my cell phone on. Why?? the merger forbid one company from accessing ANY of the billing records from the other. So, when some moron merged the databases, some companies that owed millions, only had to pay my $60 bill. IOW, it was so screwed up, no one could sort it out. Legere's office saw it all, and at least would overrule the turn off orders immediately. After a year, I got a full refund for the year. I suspect experiences of stupidity like that is why and how he shook up not just TMO, but the whole cell industry. In short, I bet big on him and his management about 15 years ago, and I'm happy to say it was the best decision I could have made. I will be interested to see if TMO can fix and control everyone from Sprint, or horrible practices of Sprint will win, and ruin both companies.
Thanks for your detailed analysis, and it sounds to me like ALL next gen modems, including from the cable companies, must have the type of control built into them to build out a carrier based internet provider. IOW, these design decisions are not accidentally created problems. They are simply artifacts of the newer technology that we must all adapt to in the future, and eventually, it will work extremely well.
Isn't TMO the only company that implemented using all the existing Wifi bandwidth for phone service?? THAT was revolutionary, and innovative solution that had huge benefits from both a technical and a business perspective. Other companies either didn't follow, or did so slowly.
