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Cubytus
join:2007-08-24

Cubytus

Member

Max number of concurrent connections on SmartRG 505 modem?

While exploring for remote working setups, I wanted to know how many concurrent TCP connections the expensive SmartRG 505 modem can support. I know the trusty Thomson ST516 can support 2048 of them.
phoneman
join:2014-07-13

phoneman

Member

I don't know for sure but it is much higher than 2048. 2048 is very small nowadays.

Most standalone routers now support hundreds of thousands of connections if not more (why some manufactures still cap at 4096 I don't know). So if you are just looking for a better router and not upgrading to VDSL just grab a recent ASUS or Netgear router and you will have no problems.
Cubytus
join:2007-08-24

Cubytus

Member

That's the point, I won't upgrade the router if the modem in front of it can't take it anyway. Except in P2P, what is the benefit of more concurrent connections on a limited 15/1 DSL line?

And upgrading to a SmartRG 505 AND a newer router is a $400 business. $120 for the router, $280 for a 802.11ac router.

HiVolt
Premium Member
join:2000-12-28
Toronto, ON

HiVolt

Premium Member

If the SmartRG is put in bridge mode, it doesn't handle any of the routing functions, all that would be handled by the router hooked up to it and it would handle the PPPoE connection and routing.
Cubytus
join:2007-08-24

Cubytus

Member

That's exactly what I expect to do if ever I upgrade. Hence my question about the max number of connections on the SmartRG 505.

HiVolt
Premium Member
join:2000-12-28
Toronto, ON

HiVolt

Premium Member

And once again, in Bridge mode the connections are not handled by the modem, but by the router. So as long as you get a good router, you're fine.
Cubytus
join:2007-08-24

Cubytus

Member

Not if the modem can't take so many connections. Surely not an infinite number. The Thomson ST516 takes 2048 at most.How many are supported by the SmartRG 505?

HiVolt
Premium Member
join:2000-12-28
Toronto, ON

HiVolt

Premium Member

You're not understanding the point. If the SmartRG modem is in routed mode, handling the PPPoE session, then it's subject to a connection limit, which I don't know.

However, when it's in bridge mode, it becomes a dumb modem only device, it doesn't handle any IP communications, it just passes everything to the router which handles PPPoE & all the IP communications and connections and it's subject to its own limits.
Cubytus
join:2007-08-24

Cubytus

Member

The Thomson ST516 reports 2048 supported connection with software ModemTool, even though it's in bridge mode. I assume the SmartRG would report the same information.

SimplePanda
BSD
Premium Member
join:2003-09-22
Montreal, QC

2 edits

SimplePanda

Premium Member

said by Cubytus:

The Thomson ST516 reports 2048 supported connection with software ModemTool, even though it's in bridge mode. I assume the SmartRG would report the same information.

It doesn't and it's not relevant.

PPPoE bridging = Ethernet frames containing PPPoE frames are read from the ethernet connection (from your router) and copied to the VDSL2 interface (and vice versa). This happens sequentially, one frame after another. The layer 4 (TCP) connectivity that happens inside these frames (and indeed, inside the layer 3 IP packets within those frames) is not the routers concern.

The SmartRG doesn't track, manage, or care about connection counts, packet contents, or indeed anything beyond layer 2 when it's in bridge mode.

The number is you're looking for is effectively "unlimited" or "infinite".
Cubytus
join:2007-08-24

Cubytus

Member

So the Thomson I am using now mistakenly reports this information as if it was connected in routing mode?

SimplePanda
BSD
Premium Member
join:2003-09-22
Montreal, QC

SimplePanda

Premium Member

It would, yes. Does that number ever go down when bridging?

Long story short, there is no reason to track connections when bridging. Parsing the contents of the packet are pointless beyond the computing an FCS, which doesn't require any understanding of the packet contents itself (including connections being SYN/ACK/RST'd).
Cubytus
join:2007-08-24

Cubytus

Member

I don't know. I never used this modem in router mode because I don't have an extra switch, and losing wifi would be a big constraint, even for short periods of time.

Now let me reiterate the question: what is the main benefit of having more concurrent connections when the "pipe" can't be extended?
InvalidError
join:2008-02-03

InvalidError

Member

said by Cubytus:

Now let me reiterate the question: what is the main benefit of having more concurrent connections when the "pipe" can't be extended?

The question does not seem to make much sense worded that way.

If this is yet another attempt at getting an answer to the connection limit of a BRIDGED modem, here is my wording of essentially the same answer as Panda's: in BRIDGE mode, the modem is not aware of IP (L3) connections; it merely passes PPPoE frames (L2) directly between the xDSL and your router without keeping track of anything. The connection limit is whatever your router can handle.

The modem's own connection limit is only relevant if you are using the modem's built-in routing capabilities.

nitzguy
Premium Member
join:2002-07-11
Sudbury, ON

1 recommendation

nitzguy to Cubytus

Premium Member

to Cubytus
aka you need to understand the OSI model and how it works to answer your question.

As others have said when its not performing any routing functions its unlimited...because the connection doesnt end at the modem when its bridged..
BoogaBooga
join:2004-06-12
Canada

BoogaBooga

Member

Think of it this way. In bridge mode, the modem is just sending random data from one port and out the other. There is no concept of 'connections'. It's just a stream of data.

It's the routers job to take connections from different computers or applications and turn them into a stream of data for the modem to send down the phone line. There is obviously a limit on the amount or sources/desitnations the router can keep track of while doing this (i.e. the connection limit)

If the smartRG is doing only the modem part, it's not concerned with the amount of connections occurring as it doesn't even see them.

But, if you use the smartRG as a router and a modem, the router capability of it does have some connection limit. Although I doubt if you can actually max this out unintentionally.
Cubytus
join:2007-08-24

Cubytus to InvalidError

Member

to InvalidError
It is not another attempt. I get the modem in bridge mode will not look at the connections but would pass on frames as fast as the line allows it. Just remaining is a general question about the benefit on increasing the connection number with a given line speed.
InvalidError
join:2008-02-03

InvalidError

Member

If your router has a connection tracking statistics page, look at how many active connections you have during typical use. On my router, I rarely break 1000 while downloading torrents. Under normal everyday use, I rarely have more than 100 open connections.

So, unless you are hosting LAN parties with multiple people leeching off your internet connection, there is not much use to increasing the connection limit - increasing it beyond the connection count you are actually using will not give you any additional speed.
Cubytus
join:2007-08-24

Cubytus

Member

That I expectred not to get higher speeds, of course the "pipe" size is fixed. I get similar results using torrents, but I grew up with aMule where very high number of concurrent connections resulted in increased line occupancy. But this was ten years ago, and I still don't know what is the main benefit of keeping more open connections.