Help putting a modem into bridging mode and configuring a router

[Cloud]

I have an RV325 cisco router that i'm trying to configure to work with a flow residential dsl internet connection and a usb 3G/4G modem as a failover in case I lose internet from the dsl connection. Based on my understanding I need to use the WAN ports on the router in order for that functionality. When I tried I wasn't getting any internet but if I plugged the modem into a LAN port it worked fine. I tried with a cable modem and it works fine using the WAN port. I found an online manual for it and under a troubleshooting tip it said

"If you have a DSL modem, ask your ISP to put the DSL modem into bridge mode"

so i'm now seeking help from the more advanced users. I should be able to get the modem into bridged mode but i'm not sure about the configurations on the router. Do I need a static IP address in order for it to work? Think I read somewhere as well that I have to switch the mode from router to gateway (or vice versa) on the router as well.
Here's the online manual I found http://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en/us/td/...v32x_ag_en.pdf
and here's an emulator for the router interface https://www.cisco.com/assets/sol/sb/...09/default.htm

[topanaris]

Its been a while since I did anything like this havent been in a server room in a while. But off the top of my head since a bridge is a layer 2 device you would need the layer 3 info the ip address to be passed through to a layer 3 device which in this case would be your router.

So being as though the bridge cannot do any routing on its own, with my experience you would need a static IP. Basically your ISP would take the MAC address of your WAN port and create a DHCP reservation on their end to ensure your edge device always gets the same IP address.

Again this might be totally wrong, hope the rest of the community will either confirm or refute.

[pezz]

I have an RV325 cisco router that i'm trying to configure to work with a flow residential dsl internet connection and a usb 3G/4G modem as a failover in case I lose internet from the dsl connection. Based on my understanding I need to use the WAN ports on the router in order for that functionality. When I tried I wasn't getting any internet but if I plugged the modem into a LAN port it worked fine. I tried with a cable modem and it works fine using the WAN port. I found an online manual for it and under a troubleshooting tip it said so i'm now seeking help from the more advanced users. I should be able to get the modem into bridged mode but i'm not sure about the configurations on the router. Do I need a static IP address in order for it to work? Think I read somewhere as well that I have to switch the mode from router to gateway (or vice versa) on the router as well.
Here's the online manual I found http://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en/us/td/...v32x_ag_en.pdf
and here's an emulator for the router interface https://www.cisco.com/assets/sol/sb/...09/default.htm

Does your router support USB modem? From what I know the router has to support it.

I like the failover setup. I might implement that. Is this for your business?

[Cloud]

Its been a while since I did anything like this havent been in a server room in a while. But off the top of my head since a bridge is a layer 2 device you would need the layer 3 info the ip address to be passed through to a layer 3 device which in this case would be your router.

So being as though the bridge cannot do any routing on its own, with my experience you would need a static IP. Basically your ISP would take the MAC address of your WAN port and create a DHCP reservation on their end to ensure your edge device always gets the same IP address.

Again this might be totally wrong, hope the rest of the community will either confirm or refute.

Ok, really hoping someone will refute you there but ye that's my fear.

Does your router support USB modem? From what I know the router has to support it.

I like the failover setup. I might implement that. Is this for your business?

Ye it actually has 2 usb ports that can be used for modem/ flash drive and yeah it's for a new business venture.

[pezz]

Ok, really hoping someone will refute you there but ye that's my fear.



Ye it actually has 2 usb ports that can be used for modem/ flash drive and yeah it's for a new business venture.

My previous routers had usb ports. However only my Asus router supports usb model.

It is just plug and play on my router.

Otherwise you can use an old laptop or machine, plug usb modem in, then share to lan port, then plug lan to router. However your router needs to have more than one wan port.

That is a work around.

[Cloud]

My previous routers had usb ports. However only my Asus router supports usb model.

It is just plug and play on my router.

Otherwise you can use an old laptop or machine, plug usb modem in, then share to lan port, then plug lan to router. However your router needs to have more than one wan port.

That is a work around.

Yes it has 2 wan ports but the problem is I cant get connected to the net from the wan port using the dsl and I think I need to use the wan port in order for the failover to work, dont have the usb modem yet to confirm that though.

[Rx]

I have an RV325 cisco router that i'm trying to configure to work with a flow residential dsl internet connection and a usb 3G/4G modem as a failover in case I lose internet from the dsl connection. Based on my understanding I need to use the WAN ports on the router in order for that functionality.

This is correct. Can you tell us what sort of adsl modem you have? Is it the gray/black ZHONE modem/router or is it the White SmartRG (with blue-face) one with two wifi antennae. It makes a difference trust me. Both can be routers (stock config) and also be setup as a PPPOE bridge! The problem is that the white wifi one is controlled by Flow and you can't reconfigure it without the password (which they won't give you). You have to disconnect it from the phone line and hard reset it which wipes it. The login becomes admin/admin and you can turn it into a bridge, BUT BEWARE you will NEED your adsl username and password as well as the VCI/VPI number (usually 0/35 or 8/35) as these will be wiped clean. The benefit of the bridge of course is that the Cisco's WAN port will have a public IP address that you can host stuff on etc. Most of Flow's cable customers are being transitioned to private IPs and all of Digicel is private IP based.

When I tried I wasn't getting any internet but if I plugged the modem into a LAN port it worked fine.

By doing this, you are bypassing the Cisco's routing ability and essentially turning it into a switch. So it will work. Obviously this is not what you want. Make sure DHCP is enabled on the Cisco's WAN port. It should get a 192.168.1.X IP address from the ADSL device. The problem I think you have here is that the Cisco's LAN DHCP range is also on the 192.168.1.X subnet by default, which will conflict with the ADSL device. Change the Cisco's DHCP scope to 192.168.2.X-Y and see if this helps. Or Better yet use 10.0.1.X which is another private IP range i like to use.

I tried with a cable modem and it works fine using the WAN port

Most likely you have one of the older Arris Flow cable modems that are pure bridges. These are the smaller skinny ones. So you are feeding a public Internet IP right into the Cisco's WAN port, so it will work.

[Cloud]

This is correct. Can you tell us what sort of adsl modem you have? Is it the gray/black ZHONE modem/router or is it the White SmartRG (with blue-face) one with two wifi antennae. It makes a difference trust me. Both can be routers (stock config) and also be setup as a PPPOE bridge! The problem is that the white wifi one is controlled by Flow and you can't reconfigure it without the password (which they won't give you). You have to disconnect it from the phone line and hard reset it which wipes it. The login becomes admin/admin and you can turn it into a bridge, BUT BEWARE you will NEED your adsl username and password as well as the VCI/VPI number (usually 0/35 or 8/35) as these will be wiped clean. The benefit of the bridge of course is that the Cisco's WAN port will have a public IP address that you can host stuff on etc. Most of Flow's cable customers are being transitioned to private IPs and all of Digicel is private IP based.

It's a white modem/router, I think somewhere around the name has some blue in it, dont totally recall what it looks like. I got into the interface using 192.168.1.1/admin. I was fooling around with the one at work but that one is lime and it's a black one I think and it uses 8/35 and that one uses PPPoA (it's a bit older). By hosting stuff on it do you mean hosting your own websites?

By doing this, you are bypassing the Cisco's routing ability and essentially turning it into a switch. So it will work. Obviously this is not what you want. Make sure DHCP is enabled on the Cisco's WAN port. It should get a 192.168.1.X IP address from the ADSL device. The problem I think you have here is that the Cisco's LAN DHCP range is also on the 192.168.1.X subnet by default, which will conflict with the ADSL device. Change the Cisco's DHCP scope to 192.168.2.X-Y and see if this helps. Or Better yet use 10.0.1.X which is another private IP range i like to use.

I'm a bit ashamed to mention this but yes the problem i'm having was an ip address conflict. I had figured that when I first encountered the problem but changing the ip didn't seem to work. I tried 192.168.1.9 but I guess because it was the same subnet it still had an issue? (In the past i'm certain i've just changed ip to like 192.168.1.2 or something like that on the regular home routers and that works) In addition it didn't switch the url to access the interface, when I tried manually entering 192.168.1.9 I saw the login page but couldn't log in and 192.168.1.1 still worked so I gave up on that part for a while but yesterday I tried again. Initially I tried 192.168.2 subnet but it has a vlan built in with that and the .3 subnet so I used the .4 subnet and that solved my problem. The thing is when I switched to the .4 subnet it took a long time to make the switch, I guess that adds to my attempts to change ip address failing, after well over a minute I was entering ipconfig on my computer and it was still showing the .1 subnet and I was unable to access the interface, in the past I would just factory reset and start over but this time I was determined then eventually it changed and everything was good. Now I know I just have to wait.

Most likely you have one of the older Arris Flow cable modems that are pure bridges. These are the smaller skinny ones. So you are feeding a public Internet IP right into the Cisco's WAN port, so it will work.

We have an older flow modem and yes we did set it to bridged mode and we're using a server with pfsense to manage our connection but the thing is that one uses a 192.168.32 subnet so I guess that's the cause. I didn't connect directly to the modem in this case, I used an endpoint that already gets an address from the pfsense.
At the business we're getting a static ip to replace the dynamic one, currently the router is set to obtain an IP automatically but it has settings for PPPoE, static Ip and some other stuff. I assume it will still work with obtain ip automatically but I still want to try the static IP way if we have that. What benefits are there to setting it the static way if the auto way works?

[Rx]

If you can get to login to the adsl router (unusual with the white SmartRG brand) then you can set the device into PPPOE bridge mode. There are several guides on the net.

Yes, hosting your own services, security cameras etc. I did that via a dynamic-dns service for years until FLOW replaced adsl & landlines in our area with some foolishness. No more adsl for me. If your FLOW cable modem gives you a public IP, you can do this with that service too.

I am not understanding how the pfsense comes in, you have now confused me. Why on earth also would one want to use that Cisco R325 when you have pfsemse already in production?! Check out youtube for several videos on dual-wan failover with pfsense.

[Cloud]

If you can get to login to the adsl router (unusual with the white SmartRG brand) then you can set the device into PPPOE bridge mode. There are several guides on the net.

Ye it's smart rg, just found some pics on my phone of its interface

Yes, hosting your own services, security cameras etc. I did that via a dynamic-dns service for years until FLOW replaced adsl & landlines in our area with some foolishness. No more adsl for me. If your FLOW cable modem gives you a public IP, you can do this with that service too.

Sick, we have some cams so that would come in handy.

I am not understanding how the pfsense comes in, you have now confused me. Why on earth also would one want to use that Cisco R325 when you have pfsemse already in production?! Check out youtube for several videos on dual-wan failover with pfsense.

The pfsense is at work, separate location from where i'm gonna be using the Cisco, I just took it with me at work in order to try to figure out what the problem was. At work we have a flow cable setup and a lime dsl setup.