- last edited on by
RogersMoin
Creating this thread so we can separate any discussion about alternate methods of connectivity
(if at all possible still, etc)
- Bridge Mode - is it capable of connecting the boxes to your own modem
- Wired connection
- How to connect these boxes in those methods.
*Edited Labels*
@JWCalvert wrote:
Hi G,
Thanks for the very informative and straight forward answer. This covered many of my concerns. Other issues:
1) You mentioned that the Arris actually has a better telephony implementation; what features does it have that make it so. My current VOIP phone is from Primus and it has a terrific web-based call log. Do any of Rogers VOIPs have that?
Rogers (and Comcast) considers the Arris and Technicolor XB6 gateways to be functionally equivalent. The Rogers Ignite phone service back-end is the same for both (and you might be disappointed by the simplicity of the service) but the Arris XB6-A and Technicolor XB6-T hardware implementations are different in subtle ways.
For example, the XB6-A has a few ways that it can signal a phone to turn on its message waiting indicator lamp; the Arris plays a stuttered dial tone but the Technicolor does not, so, if you have the XB6-T, your phone may or may not display the MWI, or the MWI may light and then get turned off following another call... again because the XB6-T does not keep track of the MWI state properly and cannot use the stuttered dial tone to signal that state to the phone either.
2) Will the Rogers private Wifi signal (for TV) carry sufficiently from the XB6 up one floor from the basement in a typical house to the Xi6s or will I have to use CAT6 ethernet for those TVs.
It should... but it also depends where the XB6 is located. Things like overhead ducts, etc. may block the signal. I have a 2nd-floor bedroom that gets a better signal from the XB6 in my basement than my main-floor family room.
Rogers can also provide you with Ignite Pods to extend Wi-Fi coverage in your home.
3) If I connect one Xi6 with CAT6 or Wifi, do I have to use that method for all Xi6s in the house?
4) Somewhere I read that the Xi6s will use whatever signal source ( Wifi or ethernet ) that suits them. Can I control that?
You can mix and match. The Xi6 will always maintain a Wi-Fi connection but when connected by Ethernet, it will only used the wired connection.
5) Does the Xi6 have a password & if so, can I log into it and change the password and also the Wifi CHANNEL it is running on?
The Xi6 is just another Wi-Fi client. There is no "password" to log into the set-top box but if you have multiple Wi-Fi networks in your home, you can configure the Xi6 to connect to a specific SSID.
The Wi-Fi channel is configured on Wi-Fi access point. Some have reported that once you start managing the XB6 through the Wi-Fi hub, you lose access to some settings on the XB6, including the ability to set specific Wi-Fi channels.
6) Somewhere I read that the default IP address of the XB6 is 10.0.0.1, is that easily changed if I log into it; also its CHANNEL? My Hitron uses 198.168.0.1 which plays nicely with all my other devices.
Yes, you can change this although I have not personally tried to do this on my XB6. However, I can confirm that the Xi6 set-top boxes will work fine with an IPv4 address space other than 10.0.0.0/24.
@vernonco wrote:
Hi, would appreciate some help.
I have Rogers 1Gb Ignite and a Velop mesh system. I have 3000 sq ft house over three levels. Rogers had originally provided pods to enhance wifi but the signal strength sucks with 4 pods. I have had techs try to improve signal strength to no avail. If I connect to the Rogers Ignite modem with a cable signal strength is great, approx 800Mbs. What I would like to do is run everything off my Mesh network.
Welcome to the Community!
I successfully ran Ignite TV over a Linksys Velop mesh for several months without issue.
1) What do I need to do to the Rogers Ignite router ?
Not very much. Basically, all that you need to do is to disable WiFi on the XB6 gateway, unplug your Pods, connect your Velop mesh system to the Ignite gateway, then put your Velop mesh into bridge mode.
2) How do I connect Ignite TV boxes to the mesh network ? I have already moved all my other devices (laptops, consoles, etc ) to the Mesh network.
Are you using the same WiFi SSID/passphrase on your Velop mesh and Rogers equipment? If so, all that you will need to do is reboot your set-top boxes and they should connect to the Velop mesh.
If you are using a different SSID/passphrase on your Velop, you can connect your set-top boxes to the Velop WiFi network as follows:
Press and hold the Exit button on the Rogers remote for three seconds, then key in the following sequence: "Down Down 9 4 3 4" (FYI, 9434 spells "WIFI")
Select "Connect using WiFi Protected Setup (WPS)"
On your Linksys app, go to Connect a Device With WPS and tap Connect.
Running both wifi networks is causing poor signals and other issues/conflicts.
Thanks.
Here are a few things that you should be aware of:
You might find that after rebooting your Velop mesh or after running the Channel Finder, some of your Ignite set-top boxes might report a weak WiFi signal. This happened because while your Velop mesh was resetting itself, the set-top box connected to the first available node, the Parent node in the mesh, and the signal was strong enough that the set-top box did not try to connect to a closer Velop node after the other nodes came back online. To fix this, simply power-cycle the set-top box and it should reconnect to an optimal node.
The other thing that could be a problem is that you cannot completely disable WiFi on the XB6 gateway. It will continue to broadcast hidden WiFi networks that are associated with other internal functions. (These hidden networks are still active even when the XB6 is in bridge mode.) Even worse, the XB6 will likely take the best WiFi channels in your area for itself and force your Velop to auto-select less optimal channels. The best that you can do (aside from surrounding your XB6 with a Faraday cage) is to manually assign 2.4 and 5 GHz WiFi channels, save them, then disable WiFi on the XB6. (On the XB6, assign a 2.4 GHz channel that is neither strong nor weak. Assign a 5 GHz channel that is in the DFS range (above channel 48 and below channel 149) since your Velop mesh only works on non-DFS channels.)
One other problem that you might run into is that once you start using the Ignite WiFi Hub app and install Ignite Pods, you may lose access to some critical WiFi configuration settings on the XB6's web management UI. If this is the case, the only way to regain full control over your XB6 gateway is to perform a factory reset and reconfigure it from scratch using the web UI.
@toolcubed wrote:
With the XB6 (in gateway mode, WiFi turned off) and EX7000, I would keep the XB6 in the basement and EX7000 in my family room which is dead centre of my house.
I realize I can do the same thing with my Asus (i.e. put it in AP mode) but this whole IPv6 issue has me disliking Asus at the moment. Plus I’ve heard good things about Netgear. My house is only 1700sqft so I don’t need a mesh system.
Does anyone have any thoughts with this proposed setup? Would I still be able to log into the EX7000 and control WiFi settings such as bands, channels, etc?
If you want REALLY good WiFi, your best option is to purchase a business-grade access point. A single TP-Link EAP245 will provide very good coverage and is surprisingly inexpensive. If you do not have any WiFi coverage issues due to your home's construction, a single AP will suffice and that AP can be managed through an internal web UI, and will give you more control over WiFi than any consumer router or mesh system. If you do have coverage issues, you can add additional access points, although that would be a more complicated setup.
If you should decide to go this route, then install the Ignite XB6 gateway in your basement and place the WiFi AP upstairs. For bonus points, install a UPS to provide backup power. The EAP245 gets power over Ethernet, so you can also plug the power injector into the UPS as well. Leave the XB6 in gateway mode, disable WiFi, and whatever you do, DO NOT use the Ignite WiFi mobile app or use the Ignite WiFi hub web portal.
@jj59 wrote:
Although I can’t answer tour specific question, have you tried the XB6 on its own? I have several friends who used to bridge and recently got the XB6 and there was no need to do so, they were getting whole home coverage out of box (unless you want to run a special setup or guest network).
I would also recommend that people first try using the XB6 on its own as well. It's fully supported by Rogers and works seamlessly with Ignite TV.
If you should run into problems with the standard Rogers-supported configuration, you may have no choice but to use 3rd-party components... but you will then also have to be prepared to deal with any support issues that crop up on your own as well.
@toolcubed wrote:
Thanks @-G-
I might've asked this before, but is there any hard/documented confirmation that Ignite TV absolutely requires IPv6? I'm reading mixed opinions - some say yes while others say they haven't had any issues with their Ignite TV boxes connected to just IPv4. The reason I'm asking is because if I decide to bridge the XB6 and use my own router (in router/gateway mode), I would want to keep IPv6 disabled (regardless of router brand...from what I've recently experienced on my Asus, I just don't trust IPv6 thru a 3rd party router on the Rogers network).
Unfortunately, nothing about Ignite TV's inner workings or technical requirements are formally documented anywhere, at least not publicly.
I know that Ignite TV uses IPv6 by default. If IPv6 connectivity is partially broken, the Ignite TV set-top boxes will fall back to IPv4 but you will experience some issues with the service. Apparently, the set-top boxes work fine in an IPv4-only setup as well... but I have not tested this configuration.
The only Ignite TV configuration that Rogers supports is one where you use the network equipment that they provide, with the XB6 in gateway mode and with their WiFi gear.
To those who are not happy with the Ignite Pods: FYI, last week, Comcast released new (upgraded tri-band) Pods that will improve performance significantly over the old design. Looks like the new xFi Pods use the same hardware as a Plume SuperPod. Hopefully Rogers will adopt these at some point as well, and the sooner the better.
@toolcubed wrote:
I haven’t tried the XB6 in my home because I don’t have Ignite TV...yet. I did install it for a few family members and friends and did notice its WiFi coverage to be quite good in smaller homes (e.g. 1000sqft town homes) but not so good in larger homes (e.g. 3000sqft). My house is approx 1700sqft and pretty much open concept. With my Asus router (located on my main floor on my tv stand - dead centre of the house), I get full WiFi coverage everywhere including all over my backyard, all over my front porch, and even a portion of my driveway...and that’s exclusively on the 5GHz band. I’m not confident that the XB6 would give me the same coverage on its own but I don’t know for sure because I haven’t tried it. I don’t need guest access or any special configurations - port forwarding, QOS, etc are useless to me.
If you can get good-enough coverage with your Asus router from that location then the XB6 should also be able to provide ample coverage from there as well.
(If set up properly, the XB6's WiFi performance should be similar to that of a 3rd-party WiFi router. Keep in mind that government standards impose limitations on transmit power levels. Some 5 GHz channels can operate at higher power levels than others. However, even if your AP is using a channel with a higher transmit power, it's only useful for boosting range if the radio on the WiFi client can match that, otherwise you will just end up degrading WiFi performance if you have too many devices on your network that can barely maintain a stable link.)
@-G- Don’t I need to use the WiFi Hub app for initial setup of Ignite? Or can I go directly into the web UI as soon as I get the hardware from the technician and configure it all manually like I currently do with my own router?
You will need the mobile app if you will be installing Ignite Pods. Otherwise, connect a computer via Ethernet (or via WiFi using the default credentials printed on the XB6's bottom label) and point your web browser to http://10.0.0.1
If I were to use the XB6 in gateway mode and then just add a WiFi extender or two (not an access point but an actual extender such as the TP-Link RE450), would using the WiFi Hub app cause problems with the extenders?
I'm not a fan of WiFi extenders at all and I refuse to use them. In my opinion, you will be much better off using Ignite Pods.
@toolcubed wrote:
Thanks again for the quick and detailed response. As for extenders, I asked because I have a friend who is using the TP-Link RE450 extender on the main floor of his 3100sqft bungaloft (with Ignite gateway in his basement) and his WiFi performance on the main floor and upper loft area is stellar. Apparently Rogers supplied him with that extender when he had Ignite installed a couple of years ago when it first launched. It won several awards and seems to be a fan favourite.
https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/tp-link-ac1750-wi-fi-range-extender-re450
Ignite TV will work with them. Before the Ignite Pods became available, the Rogers installation techs did carry range extenders in their truck and offered them to customers that needed to extend their WiFi coverage but did not want to pay a monthly rental fee for an eero WiFi mesh.
I'm still not a fan of range extenders and generally try to avoid using them because there are now better (although more expensive) solutions available. A good mesh network or other multi-AP solution will perform better and also supports standards such as 802.11k /v /r (for more info, go here and here) that enable seamless roaming across mesh nodes/APs.
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