Bell Canada → Is my 25/10+Fibe TV wired correctly

I just had the Fibe 25/10+Fibe TV install done (FTTN+Sagemcom+VIP2262 PVR+2 VIP 2502+VAP2500).

I have an existing home network built around a set of unmanaged GigE switches. Original Router (Tomato WRT54GL) plugged into one of the GigE switches.

With Fibe, I have remove the Tomato router and have ethernet from port 1 of Sagemcom directly feeding the GigE switch. PVR and VAP2500 are connected to GigE switch.

Question: I keep reading that sagemcom uses tagged VLAN's for separating Internet from TV. However, in my setup, since only port 1 of segemcom is connecting to my unmanaged switch, I do not see how that VLAN separation can be happening. Everything seems to be working, I am just concerned if TV traffic is likely to flood the rest of the network. Should I be replacing the unmanaged switch with a managed switch?

Thanks,

binone.

**bump**

I will re-phrase the question.

Is it a *must* to connect PVR directly to sagemcom (i.e. no switches in between) OR it does not matter? Is it better to add a managed switch that separates the vlan's?

Thanks,

Binone

I also got my Bell Fibe 25/10 bundle connection recently and have similar question. Although I would like to have my Linksys E4200 between the Sagemcom & Fibe PVR.
Thanks!

VLAN are tagged only from the CO to the Sagemcom. For the LAN side, everything is on the same network and same VLAN but TV is sent on multicast.

If you have a Layer2 only switch and have tv connected to it, you're network will be flooded(but 30-40mbps is not problematic on wired) from the tv streams.

Thank you Zoid. Ok, so that now makes perfect sense - i.e. that VLAN's are only tagged on the Sagemcom WAN side (also explains why my Wireshark scan did not pick up any VLAN tags on the LAN side

It does therefore also imply that since the sagemcom is (presumably) layer 2 only on the LAN side, running a dedicated cat 5 from one of the sagmcom ports to the PVR will make no difference vs. running traffic through a secondary layer 2 switch as in my case.

Binone