Using the Ignite TV Modem/Gateway in Bridge Mode

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There have been many questions in the Rogers Community Forums lately from users who have switched to Ignite TV and now wish to enable Bridge Mode on the Ignite modem/gateway and use Ignite TV with their own routers and Wi-Fi access points.  The Ignite TV service is actually pretty flexible and works great with a wide range of 3rd-party networking equipment.  That said, Rogers cannot troubleshoot problems or provide any level of support for these configurations so I'm creating this thread so that we, as a community, can support each other.

I recently posted some configuration tips for setting up your own router for use with the Ignite TV service and (time permitting) will post a more comprehensive step-by-step guide.  However, I still don't recommend using Ignite TV in any unsupported configuration unless you have moderately-advanced networking skills and can troubleshoot problems on your own.  Also, if any technical issues should arise, you need to be able to put your Ignite TV components back into their originally-installed supportable configuration before contacting Rogers for technical support.

*** Edited Labels *** 

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@ColdGranite  Sure, Ignite TV should run fine when connected to a customer-owned router/Wi-Fi.  However, if any problems should ever arise, Rogers cannot (and will not) support Ignite TV that configuration.  You will need to be able to support it and troubleshoot it on your own, and you will need to be able to put things back into a standard Rogers-supported configuration in order to get support from Rogers.  That's why it's important to have that standard configuration working from the start; so that you can fall back to it when required.

[dougjp]

I don't have Ignite yet. I'm one of perhaps a very few that plan ahead - realize once the commitment is made to switch to Ignite, which is before the Rogers installer arrives, there is no turning back. I recognize my knowledge limitations, which is "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing", and wouldn't do the install myself. However I will be forced to change to Ignite in the relatively near future, and there are no viable alternative options where I live. So I like to delve into details now to avoid or minimize nasty surprises.

I trust that, in the professional installation, good wifi reception will be ensured around the house, that isn't the issue. I have three ethernet connected devices to my router. Also I consider there was a reason why I paid hundreds for a router, like millions of others did, that being an added level of security. The Rogers digital modem and Ignite modem both can provide wifi without a router supplying that function.

I hear you about those TV boxes being able to talk to the router wifi. In my router's Wireless Settings, the first line is "Wireless Network" with a box saying 'Enable' ticked. What if I just unticked that, and connected my powered on router with an ethernet cable to the Ignite modem, which is set in default gateway mode?  Too simple perhaps?

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@dougjp  Rogers will only support your Ignite TV configuration if your Rogers (XB6) modem is in gateway mode AND your Ignite TV set-top boxes are connected to the XB6 either by Ethernet or over a Rogers-supported WiFi network.

If you leave the XB6 in gateway mode and connect your own router/firewall behind it, you will be running IPv4 in a "double NAT" configuration, and you will likely also end up with an IPv6 configuration that is either barely-working, partially-broken, or non-functional.

You will still be in a semi-supported configuration if you leave your XB6 in gateway mode, disable WiFi on the XB6, and put your own router into "AP mode", then connect everything to your own WiFi.  However, there is no security benefit to doing that, although you would still retain full control over WiFi in your home.

[dougjp]

Not sure if paragraph 2 is an answer to my question about unticking the enable box in my router setup, or maybe its something else. I can't understand it.

I just thought, with my idea of disabling the router's wifi, that it would be desirable to have the TV boxes wirelessly connect to the XB6 only as they are meant to, have my router provide no wifi connectivity at all - ie; no conflicts re: settings, what wifi exists in the house, or what connects to what after a power outage for example. The router needs only to work for ethernet connections. Also as a side benefit, the installer can hopefully achieve better wifi connectivity throughout the house with pods if need be, as Rogers advertises.

I don't need my router's wifi to work at all if I'm forced not to have it. I just need my router's to work with 3 ethernet connected computers. It would be nice to have a different IP from the XB6 I suppose (security).

Millions of people paid hundreds of dollars for routers that they don't feel like throwing out. Surely Rogers realizes this and has a common solution that isn't having most people throw them away.

In your post # 167, turning the router off, are you only talking about the familiarity of devices recognizing and logging in to the XB6 via wifi only, by changing the SSID and passphrase? How does the router provide ethernet connections and protection for the computers if its turned off? And how would I know if I have " WiFi clients that are incompatible with band steering "? Everything wifi connected seems to work without problems now.

Sorry, just getting more and more frustrated.

[ab54]

Per post 157, if you connect your own router to the Ignite Gateway, my experience (running DD-WRT on a D-Link router, and also using an unmodified TP_Link router)  is that IPV6 must be turned on in your router in order to gain internet access.

Also left the Ignite Gateway IP network addresses as they come from Rogers.

No bridgeing.

Left my own router IP network addresses in the 192.168.xx.xx range.

So have double NAT with IPV6 and it is solid as a rock in my case................your mileage may vary.

[ColdGranite]

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@-G- wrote:

If you leave the XB6 in gateway mode and connect your own router/firewall behind it, you will be running IPv4 in a "double NAT" configuration, and you will likely also end up with an IPv6 configuration that is either barely-working, partially-broken, or non-functional.

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I would be interested in more explanation here. or a link.

I dont know exactly how to ask the question, but 

Cannot any router be used as a "bridge"? My router does not have a "bridge" setting like the gateway does, but if I connect another router's  "network" side into one of my input ports, it becomes a bridge.  Typically, wifi would be turned off on the "bridge" router, isnt that the only difference?   

Are you saying the wifi HAS to be turned off, or there will be a problem with functionality?

Admittedly, never tested this with wifi on in both routers.

[ColdGranite]

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@dougjp wroteproblems now.

Sorry, just getting more and more frustrated.

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Ok. Lets back up.

1.  You say that you "do not need wifi" for your own devices.   This is a little strange because you probably have a smart phone or tablet which could use wifi, but okay, lets leave it at that.

2.  You say that you only need 3 hard-wired ports.  

If your life is that simple, it is probably best for you to de-commission your own router. 

Let Rogers install their vanilla system so that works throughout the house.  Remember that Rogers will not support a bridged system... only a "vanilla" system with their gateway as the wifi router for the TV boxes and as the general router for you internet requirements.

The gateway has only two hardwire internet ports. 

If you need more that that, you will have to invest in a wifi adapter for the other computers.  Something like this  https://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=27_1048_1053&item_id=137600

Your TV boxes ... and the computer(s) with the adapter(s) ... will connect to the world through the Gateway's wifi.  Plus any other devices you may want to connect (smart phones, tablets... )

Somebody on kijiji may be interested in your router.

If you really, really, want to proceed with trying to run both routers with their wifi enabled, you can look at my previous post 168.

and take into account @dougjp post 171 which says it is not a good idea.  (I would have to do some more research and do some  tests before I agreed or disagreed with him.  He is probably right)

[dougjp]

When I said I don't need wifi for my own devices, I said my router's wifi. I don't care what wifi is available from where in my house, as long as it works.

Thanks for talking in straight language, and trying to help. I still can't believe I have to go to kijiji in Covid times with my several month old multi hundred dollar router to sell it used, and that the millions of people who bought routers have to dump them because Rogers has no simple cookie cutter working solution for a common setup. Its unbelievable.

I'll await further details, hopefully here, about why my router with its wifi disabled can't be ethernet connected to a gateway setup XB6, as my router's tech support said should be fine (and even with me proposing the router wifi be disabled). Why can I read here that any and all computers or devices be ethernet connected to the two XB6 ports and supposedly work fine without anyone having any reservations about that, when a router (even without wifi enabled) and under any modified settings to placate Rogers, fail in this regard?

If I go back to satellite TV and a Bell land line phone, which seems now to be the only viable route, will the Ignite internet work with any router?  

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@ColdGranite wrote:

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@-G- wrote:

If you leave the XB6 in gateway mode and connect your own router/firewall behind it, you will be running IPv4 in a "double NAT" configuration, and you will likely also end up with an IPv6 configuration that is either barely-working, partially-broken, or non-functional.

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I would be interested in more explanation here. or a link.

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Double-NAT is a network configuration where the network path, from an end system to the Internet, passes through two (or more) IPv4 firewalls that perform Network Address Translation.  Double-NAT is not (usually) a problem if you are just doing simple web browsing.  However, some applications have a hard-enough time going through even a single firewall.  Put two firewalls in the path and those applications will break.  I have posted about this before or you can search the Internet.  It is a well-known problem.

We don't have to worry about NAT in the IPv6 world because it is not used.  However, cascading multiple routers/firewalls on your internal LAN can still cause problems for IPv6.  The XB6 gateway will obtain an IPv6 Prefix Delegation; a generous chunk of IPv6 address space that it can assign to its internal LAN segment.  The problem is that your router will also try to request a generous chunk of IPv6 address space (usually a /64 PD) from the XB6 for use on its internal LAN segment... but the XB6 will only be able to give it a fraction of that amount... or perhaps only a single IPv6 address.  (The problem is that the XB6 cannot request a larger IPv6 Prefix delegation, nor does it have any control over how the assigned PD can be sub-delegated on its internal network.)  Even if you are able to get enough IPv6 address space for your router's internal LAN, you could still end up having to deal with various other IPv6 connectivity issues that could be tricky to troubleshoot.

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@dougjp wrote:

I just thought, with my idea of disabling the router's wifi, that it would be desirable to have the TV boxes wirelessly connect to the XB6 only as they are meant to, have my router provide no wifi connectivity at all - ie; no conflicts re: settings, what wifi exists in the house, or what connects to what after a power outage for example. The router needs only to work for ethernet connections. Also as a side benefit, the installer can hopefully achieve better wifi connectivity throughout the house with pods if need be, as Rogers advertises.

I don't need my router's wifi to work at all if I'm forced not to have it. I just need my router's to work with 3 ethernet connected computers. It would be nice to have a different IP from the XB6 I suppose (security).

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Sorry, I misunderstood what you were trying to do.

What you are describing will not impact the supportability of Ignite TV.  However, leaving the XB6 in gateway mode and putting your router/firewall behind it could potentially cause connectivity problems for the computers (and any other devices) that connect to your router, for the reasons described in my previous post.  If you are just doing simple web browsing on your computers over this configuration, things should work fine.

If you need to expand the number of LAN ports on the XB6 gateway, all that you need is a small LAN switch.  The Rogers install techs used to carry them in their trucks.  If you pay for a professional install, they will likely be able to provide you with one free of charge.

[dougjp]

- G - , Thank you for your explanations in both posts, which I can understand in general terms. I do a traceroute anywhere and see my signal goes through 15 +/- routers, presumably some of them in existence for added security. So in my simplistic mind I think of my router as just one more, how can it be such a problem, or what settings changes could be made to the router to help.

Why am I trying to get so much detail in advance. In comparison with my digital Rogers bundle, Ignite is to obsolete $ 1,000- worth of combined owned TV boxes ($ 100- rebate offered) and a 4 month old router. I lose my free personal webspace, lose TV and phone with an internet outage, phone with a power outage, and Ignite costs more. On a different kind of level, I have to admit a loss of autonomy is a factor. So I'm at a crossroads of staying with Rogers or going.

You mentioned simple web browsing likely wouldn't be a problem. On the other side of that coin, what kind of activities are likely to cause connectivity issues if my router stays? And regarding the LAN switch, I suppose an Ethernet Network Unmanaged Switch (as in your link) would allow multiple devices using the internet through it without obstruction, as efficiently as a router?  

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@dougjp wrote:

Why am I trying to get so much detail in advance. In comparison with my digital Rogers bundle, Ignite is to obsolete $ 1,000- worth of combined owned TV boxes ($ 100- rebate offered) and a 4 month old router. I lose my free personal webspace, lose TV and phone with an internet outage, phone with a power outage, and Ignite costs more. On a different kind of level, I have to admit a loss of autonomy is a factor. So I'm at a crossroads of staying with Rogers or going.  

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I don't know what I can say to put your mind at ease, regardless of what decision you end up making going forward.  Rogers provides a turnkey system, that has been tested end-to-end, to (hopefully) simplify life for their customers and provide a good user experience.

If you don't want that, and can support your own network environment, and choose to use your own equipment then go ahead.  Rogers also provides instructions on how to Turn Bridge Mode On or Off for your Ignite WiFi Gateway modem so that you can use your own router with the XB6 gateway.  However, they also make it clear that they cannot guarantee that Ignite TV will work with your own network equipment.  (I find that my own network gear works better for me than the equipment that Rogers provides.  I will also never be calling Rogers for any help configuring my network nor will I ever be complaining about Wi-Fi problems, so my current setup benefits them as well as me.  I also revert back to a Rogers-supported configuration before calling into Tech Support.)

If you are happy with your current services as is, then keep them for as long as you can.  Hopefully, you have been able to recoup your $1000 investment in Digital TV equipment with the rental fees that you saved over the years.  However, the rebate that Rogers offered you may or may not be there when you finally do decide to switch.

You mentioned simple web browsing likely wouldn't be a problem. On the other side of that coin, what kind of activities are likely to cause connectivity issues if my router stays?

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If you search the Internet for "double nat issues" you will see that this mostly affects online gamers, but it can also potentially affect any applications that have issues with NAT traversal to begin with.  If your current Rogers modem is in gateway mode and you are not experiencing any problems when using your own router, then things should continue to work after switching to Ignite.

And regarding the LAN switch, I suppose an Ethernet Network Unmanaged Switch (as in your link) would allow multiple devices using the internet through it without obstruction, as efficiently as a router?  

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Yes.

[Duece1970]

Hi
Is it possible to setup up a linksys router in a way to use Rogers ignite internet service and change the linsys settings to show I'm in the US and not change anything in the rogers ignite modem settings.
I want to be able to continue to use ignite wifi for other household devices and just use linysys router to show I'm not in Canada.
How would I do that, without paying a VPN company??
Thank you in advance.

[dougjp]

@-G-, that's great information and now I can understand it. Especially the details and links about what could go wrong. I used to do online racing some time ago and remember port forwarding etc., and with nothing to do these days I was thinking of doing a bit of online again. I can now understand how and why problems could occur.

And thanks also to @ColdGranite for all the very useful information and ideas.

The forced changeover in my area to Ignite is likely delayed by current circumstances, but its nice to know all services can be made to work here in at least one setup format, if not more, and also to understand it before making an irreversible commitment to Ignite. Yes its true that box ownership ($ 800-+, the rest was the router cost) has offset rentals over the years. Of course its sad to see perfect working equipment obsoleted. Its true that my options at this point forward don't involve much additional expense.  

[Gdkitty]

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@Duece1970 wrote:

Hi
Is it possible to setup up a linksys router in a way to use Rogers ignite internet service and change the linsys settings to show I'm in the US and not change anything in the rogers ignite modem settings.
I want to be able to continue to use ignite wifi for other household devices and just use linysys router to show I'm not in Canada.
How would I do that, without paying a VPN company??
Thank you in advance.

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Well yes and no.
Yes, you could run the ignite system, as your CORE wifi.
Then run another router, as a separate network.  It would have to have a full DHCP, etc enabled on it, to be able to fully push out whats required.

Now, doing that without paying for a VPN company? Not likely.
To appear in that country, you would need to have a router which had VPN capabilities and then be connected to the VPN service (which you would then likely have to pay for).  If you can find the right one, some only cost less than 40 for a year.
Only advantage of having that setup, is that then ANYTHING on that wifi is then auto VPN'd, rather than having to run the VPN software then on each individual device.

[sikhness]

Hey Guys,

I have a question about my setup and wanted to get your opinion on how it should be done correctly.

Currently I have my Rogers Wifi Hub modem running as per the default specs, with the only difference of having the Wifi turned off on both 2.5Ghz and 5Ghz bands.  I then have LAN 1 from the Wifi Hub going into my Linksys Velop router's WAN port.  I do not have Bridge Mode turned on for the Wifi Hub yet everything still works as expected.  I also have DMZ set on the Wifi Hub to my Linksys Velop router.  Is there any issues with this configuration even though there are 2 separate DHCP servers running on different addresses?  I even have devices connected through the wire to the other available ports on the Wifi Hub modem, is that recommended? Everything works as expected at the moment.

One more question I have is, if I were to turn on Bridge mode on the Wifi Hub modem, the hard-wired devices that I have now on the Wifi Hub, will those effectively have to travel 2 hops to get the same data as opposed to 1?  Meaning will the data have to go to the Linksys Velop first and it's DHCP server, then circle back out the same WAN connection back to Wifi Hub modem to then go through the other LAN port where the device is plugged?

Thanks a lot for your help!

[srees]

This is a fantastic post, and much appreciated!  Thanks @-G-  !

I'm working through trying to set up my Linksys router via the XB6 in bridge mode.  I don't have pods, btw. Unfortunately, I'm stuck at the point of setting the XB6 channels manually.  As has been mentioned elsewhere, the good folks at Rogers now prevent this, by greying out the option for manual control in the modem interface, plus not providing any way to do it via the app.  (I've tried the "factory reset + don't use the app" approach, to no avail - the manual setting option is still greyed out in the modem interface.  If I should be persisting with this - if this is a known good approach - someone please let me know.)

So, how bad would it be to not set manual channels on the XB6 before going into bridge mode?  I may just try it (since there appears to be not much alternative), but I'm a little wary.  I also wonder about instead maybe setting the channels on the router instead?  I'm not sure what contention I'm trying to avoid by setting the XB6 channels - and, as I said, can I approach this from the router side vs the modem side.

I'll update here if I learn anything new from my experiments.  Thanks in advance!

[-G-]

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@srees wrote:

This is a fantastic post, and much appreciated!  Thanks @-G-  !

Thanks!  Glad to hear that you have found this thread helpful.  Welcome to the Community!

I'm working through trying to set up my Linksys router via the XB6 in bridge mode.  I don't have pods, btw. Unfortunately, I'm stuck at the point of setting the XB6 channels manually.  As has been mentioned elsewhere, the good folks at Rogers now prevent this, by greying out the option for manual control in the modem interface, plus not providing any way to do it via the app.  (I've tried the "factory reset + don't use the app" approach, to no avail - the manual setting option is still greyed out in the modem interface.  If I should be persisting with this - if this is a known good approach - someone please let me know.)

I've tried the "factory reset + don't use the app" approach, to no avail - the manual setting option is still greyed out in the modem interface.  If I should be persisting with this - if this is a known good approach - someone please let me know.

@srees  You are seeing this because the Ignite WiFi Hub back-end is still active on your account.

@CommunityHelps  @RogersAndy -- FYI

Do you have any suggestions as to how @srees  can regain control of the XB6?

So, how bad would it be to not set manual channels on the XB6 before going into bridge mode?  I may just try it (since there appears to be not much alternative), but I'm a little wary.  I also wonder about instead maybe setting the channels on the router instead?  I'm not sure what contention I'm trying to avoid by setting the XB6 channels - and, as I said, can I approach this from the router side vs the modem side.

It's not a showstopper but the problem is that the XB6 will continue to have hidden WiFi networks active even when Bridge Mode is enabled.  There will be very little WiFi traffic on those channels... but the bigger problem is that the XB6 will be auto-selecting the best available WiFi channels but won't be doing anything useful with them AND this will prevent other nearby WiFi access points from auto-selecting those ideal channels for their own use because the XB6 is sending out beacon frames on those channels.

We REALLY need to have a way of disabling the Ignite WiFi Hub and we also REALLY need to have a way of disabling ALL of the radios on the XB6.

[sikhness]

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@sikhness wrote:

Hey Guys,

I have a question about my setup and wanted to get your opinion on how it should be done correctly.

Currently I have my Rogers Wifi Hub modem running as per the default specs, with the only difference of having the Wifi turned off on both 2.5Ghz and 5Ghz bands.  I then have LAN 1 from the Wifi Hub going into my Linksys Velop router's WAN port.  I do not have Bridge Mode turned on for the Wifi Hub yet everything still works as expected.  I also have DMZ set on the Wifi Hub to my Linksys Velop router.  Is there any issues with this configuration even though there are 2 separate DHCP servers running on different addresses?  I even have devices connected through the wire to the other available ports on the Wifi Hub modem, is that recommended? Everything works as expected at the moment.

One more question I have is, if I were to turn on Bridge mode on the Wifi Hub modem, the hard-wired devices that I have now on the Wifi Hub, will those effectively have to travel 2 hops to get the same data as opposed to 1?  Meaning will the data have to go to the Linksys Velop first and it's DHCP server, then circle back out the same WAN connection back to Wifi Hub modem to then go through the other LAN port where the device is plugged?

Thanks a lot for your help!

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Hey @-G- , thanks for such a great write up. 

Any advice on my setup?

[-G-]

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@sikhness wrote:

Hey @-G- , thanks for such a great write up. 

Any advice on my setup?

Currently I have my Rogers Wifi Hub modem running as per the default specs, with the only difference of having the Wifi turned off on both 2.5Ghz and 5Ghz bands.  I then have LAN 1 from the Wifi Hub going into my Linksys Velop router's WAN port.  I do not have Bridge Mode turned on for the Wifi Hub yet everything still works as expected.  I also have DMZ set on the Wifi Hub to my Linksys Velop router.  Is there any issues with this configuration even though there are 2 separate DHCP servers running on different addresses?  I even have devices connected through the wire to the other available ports on the Wifi Hub modem, is that recommended? Everything works as expected at the moment.

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I have never tested that particular configuration.  I have heard of some users using a similar configuration, but usually only in cases where they either cannot enable bridge mode on their ISP's modem/gateway or when they can but experience problems with their router when their ISP's modem/gateway is running in bridge mode.

A year ago, I was running a Velop mesh as well before I switched to business-grade Access Points.  I had everything (including Ignite TV) working with the following combinations:

• WiFi disabled on the XB6, and with the Velop mesh in Bridge Mode.  (This is an identical configuration to the one that Rogers used when they offered their Ignite TV customers an eero WiFi mesh solution.)
• XB6 in Bridge Mode, Velop in default configuration
• XB6 in Bridge Mode, OpenWrt router, Velop in Bridge Mode

With your setup, do the devices connected to your Velop mesh have any IPv6 connectivity?

One more question I have is, if I were to turn on Bridge mode on the Wifi Hub modem, the hard-wired devices that I have now on the Wifi Hub, will those effectively have to travel 2 hops to get the same data as opposed to 1?  Meaning will the data have to go to the Linksys Velop first and it's DHCP server, then circle back out the same WAN connection back to Wifi Hub modem to then go through the other LAN port where the device is plugged?

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If you have Bridge Mode enabled on your XB6, you won't be able to have any devices (other than an external router... which, in your case, would be your Velop) connected to the Ethernet ports on the XB6.  However, the Velop node does have two Ethernet connections... so you could connect one port on the parent/primary Velop node to the XB6 and connect an unmanaged LAN switch (less than $25 from Amazon) to the other, and use that for connecting your wired Ethernet devices.  (The Velop mesh should be able to detect which port is connected to your XB6 modem.  If it cannot, it will prompt you to designate one of the Ethernet ports on the parent node as a WAN port.)

If you are only using the Velop for WiFi connectivity and not using any of its other special features, then why not try undoing the DMZ setup and put the Velop mesh into bridge mode?  That would also allow seamless connectivity between your wired and wireless devices.

[sikhness]

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@-G- wrote:

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@sikhness wrote:

Hey @-G- , thanks for such a great write up. 

Any advice on my setup?

Currently I have my Rogers Wifi Hub modem running as per the default specs, with the only difference of having the Wifi turned off on both 2.5Ghz and 5Ghz bands.  I then have LAN 1 from the Wifi Hub going into my Linksys Velop router's WAN port.  I do not have Bridge Mode turned on for the Wifi Hub yet everything still works as expected.  I also have DMZ set on the Wifi Hub to my Linksys Velop router.  Is there any issues with this configuration even though there are 2 separate DHCP servers running on different addresses?  I even have devices connected through the wire to the other available ports on the Wifi Hub modem, is that recommended? Everything works as expected at the moment.

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I have never tested that particular configuration.  I have heard of some users using a similar configuration, but usually only in cases where they either cannot enable bridge mode on their ISP's modem/gateway or when they can but experience problems with their router when their ISP's modem/gateway is running in bridge mode.

A year ago, I was running a Velop mesh as well before I switched to business-grade Access Points.  I had everything (including Ignite TV) working with the following combinations:

• WiFi disabled on the XB6, and with the Velop mesh in Bridge Mode.  (This is an identical configuration to the one that Rogers used when they offered their Ignite TV customers an eero WiFi mesh solution.)
• XB6 in Bridge Mode, Velop in default configuration
• XB6 in Bridge Mode, OpenWrt router, Velop in Bridge Mode

With your setup, do the devices connected to your Velop mesh have any IPv6 connectivity?

One more question I have is, if I were to turn on Bridge mode on the Wifi Hub modem, the hard-wired devices that I have now on the Wifi Hub, will those effectively have to travel 2 hops to get the same data as opposed to 1?  Meaning will the data have to go to the Linksys Velop first and it's DHCP server, then circle back out the same WAN connection back to Wifi Hub modem to then go through the other LAN port where the device is plugged?

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If you have Bridge Mode enabled on your XB6, you won't be able to have any devices (other than an external router... which, in your case, would be your Velop) connected to the Ethernet ports on the XB6.  However, the Velop node does have two Ethernet connections... so you could connect one port on the parent/primary Velop node to the XB6 and connect an unmanaged LAN switch (less than $25 from Amazon) to the other, and use that for connecting your wired Ethernet devices.  (The Velop mesh should be able to detect which port is connected to your XB6 modem.  If it cannot, it will prompt you to designate one of the Ethernet ports on the parent node as a WAN port.)

If you are only using the Velop for WiFi connectivity and not using any of its other special features, then why not try undoing the DMZ setup and put the Velop mesh into bridge mode?  That would also allow seamless connectivity between your wired and wireless devices.

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Thanks for the tip.  Yes I'll definitely try putting the Velop into bridge mode since I only really use it for extending my wireless range and speed.

I just tried doing the IPV6 test on the machine that is wired to the XB6 directly and saw that is getting all green there.  However, any device connected wireless to the Linksys Velop only has IPV4 and not IPV6.  Is this because of my configuration?  Once I put the Velop in bridge mode, will IPV6 start working for all my devices like my phone?