| How To: MI424-WR Network Bridge + working FIOS TV This is intended to be a simple (sort-of), distilled guide to setting up your ActionTec router as a moca/ethernet bridge, while still enabling your FIOS TV features, like VOD and tv guide listings. Pretty much all this information is regurgitated from previous posts, but I think there's value in starting a new topic because that important info is so hard to find buried in a 17 page discussion.
First off, credits to the people who actually figured this out: DaDragon (bridging), SidneySM (bridging with VLAN's, enabling fios tv), and ceyko (distilled instructions that I ended up following). Most of the information I'm presenting in this post is either re-stated or copied verbatim from one of their posts. Pages 1, 11, and 12 here: »How-to: make ActionTec MI424-WR a network bridge . SidneySM's video walk-through here: »external.sidneysm.com/mocabridgedemo.mp4
What do I get if I follow these instructions?:
You'll have the ability to bypass the ActionTec router and use your own router. The main (only?) reason one would want to do this is to get around the problems associated with its puny NAT table (i.e. when using bittorrent).
Pro's:
• Ability to use your own router/firewall. I.e. in my case I'm using dd-wrt on a Linksys WRT54G, which has a ton of features
• Reliable connection - no more NAT problems.
Con's:
• VOD will not work well if used while downloading - the actiontec will no longer provide the QOS and speed boost for VOD
• the Broadband Ethernet Connection on the actiontec will be disabled after a power outage, (used for VOD and TV Guide) which is a PITA
• Your router probably doesn't have enough throughput to sustain the speeds that some plans provide. i.e. if you have the 30/5 plan, this probably isn't for you unless you have a serious firewall/router (or a dedicated bsd/linux box doing the routing)
Why I did it:
People seem to be having a lot of problems with the actiontec firmware, myself included. I switched to FIOS about a month ago, and have been getting intermittent connection problems. I haven't seen the NAT errors that some users were getting, but I would have times where I couldn't even ping anything in my local network. It sucks having a super-fast internet connection that only works reliably 20% of the time. I think the ActionTec is a fine piece of hardware, (its wireless works great for me too), and the firmware has pretty much any feature you could want. The NAT issues just kill it, however. When they come out with a firmware fix for this, I'll be the first to switch back.
How to do it:
It was convenient for me to have two computers for this process- that way, i could have one plugged into the actiontec (not port 1), and one plugged into my personal router at all times. First, you'll want to check your firmware revision - my install tech put on the latest and greatest (4.0.16.1.55.0.10.4.3), and I spent hours trying to figure out why i couldn't get these instructions to work (when trying to assign a vlan and a ingress tagging policy to a ethernet port, I was getting an error like "port already assigned to VLAN"). You'll need to revert back to an older firmware revision before starting, I simply used the Firmware Restore feature, available at Advanced -> Firmware Restore. I used version 4.0.16.1.45.160.27 to get this working. If you don't have a good backup, you can download here: »www.fiosfaq.com/index.php?action···atnum=12
• 1st- via "My Network" then "Network Connections" and then "Ethernet" ...scroll down and change "hide" to "show" for the 4 port switch on the AT (Actiontec). Click port 1 (can be any port, but you can change that later if needed). Click "Add" and put in VLAN 2, and change Ingress policy to tagging and enter the PVID as 2. Do it in that order or else it'll cause a minor error. Apply.
• 2nd - create the VLAN via "My Network" then "Network Connections." Click "Add." Select "VLAN Interface" then next, select "Ethernet" from the drop down, and enter 2 for the VLAN. Apply.
• 3rd - go into My Network, Network Connections, broadband/coax, settings, click release, then immediately select "No IP Address" under Internet Protocol and hit apply. This releases your DHCP lease so your new router can properly grab your IP.
• 4th - I went "My Network", "Network Connections" and then "Network (Home/Office)", "settings". I also emulated exactly what was in the video which was "Broadband Connection (Coax)" and "Ethernet 2" both being checked in the left hand box AND STP boxes. Also select "No IP Address" from the "Internet Protocol" drop down. Apply.
• 5th - At this point plug your ethernet cable into port 2,3 or 4 and do an "ipconfig /release" then do an "ipconfig /renew" and you should get a 192.168.2.x address and be able to admin the box via 192.168.2.1.
• 6th - Once I was back in I saw "Broadband Connection (Ethernet)" was disabled, so I enabled it.
• 7th - Now comes the part I had some confusion with terminology on. Here is what you do with cable.
a. Plug a cable in from switchport 1 on the AT and plug it into the WAN/Internet side of your router/firewall.
-What Sidney did was bridge the VLAN/Switchport 1 and the WAN connection together.
b. Then from the non-switching ethernet port which is directly next to the "Reset" button...plug that into a LAN port. Meaning any port on your LAN side of your router/firewall.
c. Make sure your router/firewall pulled an address from Verizon and then proceed to make sure you can get on the Internet. (from a computer connected behind your personal router/firewall)
• 8th - At this point I went and reset a STB (set top box). One mistake I had been making earlier is expecting immediate results. This is not the case. You can try a widget those seem to work right away, then about 5 minutes later the VOD will work and about 10 minutes later the regular guide should work.
• 9th - I then went to advanced - remote administration and allowed remote https connections so I can remotely admin the AT via the web interface. (this needs to be done from a computer plugged into the ActionTec port 2-4
• Post-config - You'll want to disable wireless on the ActionTec, disable the Firewall, and change the default password for admin.
To connect to the actiontec from now on, you either need to plug in to one of its spare switch ports (you should get an addr via dhcp and be able to hit it at 192.168.2.1), or find the IP it got from your router. I.e. I have my router/firewall's dhcp server set to give out 192.168.100.x, so the actiontec picked up 192.168.100.37, and I hit its admin interface at »192.168.100.37
FAQ -
• I'm getting an error like "VLAN already assigned to interface" when trying to set the ingress tagging in step 1:
You need to revert back to an earlier firmware revision
• I'd like to use my existing coax cable to expand my wired network:
Pick up a motorola NIM-100 on ebay, plug in, and enjoy. If you need to get to a device on the MoCa network from you regular router/firewall network, you'll need to add a static route through the actiontec. The device plugged into the NIM-100 should get a 192.168.2.x address
• I screwed something up, how to I get the ActionTec back to default settings?
Get a paperclip and hold down the Reset button on the AT for 10s
• What's the default password for the ActionTec?
default login is "admin", and default password is "password" or "password1"
• I reset my ActionTec router, but its not getting an IP on the coax port, what to do?
I had this happen when I was trying to figure things out - I bridged the connection, and hooked up my router/firewall, and internet access was working (before I figured out the TV stuff). When I reset the actiontec, it wouldn't pick up an IP from verizon. I had to re-setup bridging, go into my router/firewall and Release the dhcp address, and reset the ActionTec once again. I've heard support can break your dhcp lease as well if all else fails |
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 Dnepr
join:2001-11-28
Tarpon Springs, FL | All this work... when you can just ASK Verizon to enable CAT5E on the ONT... |
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| said by Dnepr:All this work... when you can just ASK Verizon to enable CAT5E on the ONT... That would require a new, ugly cable run for me, with most of the same downsides. And this is temporary (hopefully) until Verizon/ActionTec fix their firmware or come out with a better product. |
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Dnepr
join:2001-11-28
Tarpon Springs, FL | said by stevier5000:said by Dnepr:All this work... when you can just ASK Verizon to enable CAT5E on the ONT... That would require a new, ugly cable run for me, with most of the same downsides. And this is temporary (hopefully) until Verizon/ActionTec fix their firmware or come out with a better product. Besides running the cable there are no of same downsides.
All you have to do is change IP on your main router and plug Actiontec into it using Actiontecs WAN to routers LAN port.
Everything will work from that point on. |
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| reply to stevier5000
Dnepr,
can you be more specific about your suggestion?
what do you mean by change IP on main router?
I would like to use a different router so that may XBOX will connect. doesn't seem to work with Actiontec router.
thx,
Todd |
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nk9b
join:2005-11-29
Fort Wayne, IN | reply to stevier5000
Hey Stevier5000,
Good post! I'm not sure about the point from previous posts re: VOD not working well or the power outage issue. I've not experienced that...
Perhaps I ought to post my configuration so we can compare notes. Maybe newer firmware makes some of those older points moot? At any rate, this post was timely given my flame of the Actiontec router!
Thanks again! |
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| reply to stevier5000
Some dd-wrt users wrote up a good walkthrough as well(a little bit more clear to me)
»www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Ve···y_router |
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| reply to stevier5000
Do you not get the VOD "speed boost" if you're connecting to the ONT via an ethernet cable and 3rd party router as well or is this issue specific to the way we're using the AT as a bridge?
I use VOD frequently and also use BitTorrent frequently. I would love the hand over routing duties to my DD-WRT'd LinkSys but it seems this is a show stopper for me.
If the "speed boost" works fine when directly connecting to the ONT with an Ethernet cable, I may just try and go that route instead... |
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| reply to stevier5000
I've tried this guide step by step and it doesn't quite have all the information that I need although it does bring some things to light. First and foremost, it would be useful to describe how the STBs communicate back with Verizon so that it's easier to understand what the guide is trying to accomplish. Secondly, a virtual diagram depicting how the new VLAN is supposed to work would be great. Last but not least, the method of disabling the network interface with 192.168.1.1 leaves the router unreachable and you have to reset to factory defaults and start all over. |
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2 edits | reply to stevier5000
I can see the effort you went to document futzing with the Actiontec. Agree at the very least it'll get others to thinking about their configuration, esp if folks didn't insist on VZ setting them up with ethernet in the beginning, as is the case with so many, hindsight being 20/20 and all. And as for the small NAT table thing, everyone has been hoping for that firmware fix to finally appear and with luck it's not some hardware limititation.
Edit: Has anyone actually asked VZ about this?
Also, the link you provided to the prior Actiontec firmwares is bound to be useful to other posters wanting to revert back for whatever reason. Of course not backing up firmware and configuration settings in the first place means that person isn't being vigilant.  |
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planetb
join:2002-01-29
Glen Burnie, MD | reply to stevier5000
Might need to start a new topic on this.
I have 2 Actiontec MI424WR units. I have Business Fios internet for work and Fios TV/phone/Internet on 2 different Fibers runs to the house. I dont use the MI424WR on the Business side as I use a Linux server as my gateway/firewall plugged right into the ethernet cable from the fios fiber box (static ip on that link)
Does anyone know if I take the unused MI424WR and use it in place of buying a Motorla NIM100? I have a Replaytv standalone (replaytv is a Tivo type unit) unit that needs a ethernet or phone connection to download its info. |
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BennyM
join:2006-02-15
Collegeville, PA | reply to stevier5000
I have both the ethernet and coax connection to my router, and I know that the ethernet worked for internet before the coax was hooked up. Can I just use my wireless-N router as my acess point if I hook it up and disable the wireless on the AT? |
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 More FiberPremium,MVM
join:2005-09-26
West Chester, PA
kudos:18 | reply to planetb
Exactly what are you trying to accomplish?
Why not simply plug an ethernet cable from the RJ45 jack on the Replaytv box into either the Actiontec home router network, or the Linux firewall/router?
If I read between the lines in your post, it would seem that you want to split the coax currently going to the replaytv box an then run one output to the replaytv box and the other output into the spare Actiontec (instead of a NIM) for the ethernet connection. Yes, you can use the Actiontec as a big-ass NIM to get ethernet to the replaytv box assuming it is not convenient to use a direct ethernet connection.
I see a couple of problems with this scenario. You don't mention if the replaytv box is connected to a STB. Without a STB, you will only get channels 1-49 and VZ may require an STB in the future even for those channels. Also no VOD or VZ guide data to the TV.
I am also assuming we are only talking about SD and not HD. I don't believe that replaytv has an HD box yet. The HD STB does not support coax out (to the replaytv) although you could use component cables. |
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More FiberPremium,MVM
join:2005-09-26
West Chester, PA
kudos:18 | reply to BennyM
Yes. Just make sure you disable DHCP on the wireless access point. |
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