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Using the Ignite TV Modem/Gateway in Bridge Mode

-G-
Resident Expert
Resident Expert

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.

 

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280 REPLIES 280

Re: Using the Ignite TV Modem/Gateway in Bridge Mode

abba77
I plan to stick around

@-G- wrote:

...

To be honest, I was cringing when I read this.  Regardless of what anybody else might tell you, I do not think that this is a good idea.  I doubt that the Comcast developers have even tried to harden their set-top box code enough for this connectivity scenario.

...

I have also been running Ignite TV on my own network gear (with the XB6 in Bridge Mode) for almost a year and have never run into any problems with my set-top boxes losing connectivity.  Did you say that this only started happening last week?  Do you know if this coincided with a firmware update on the set-top box?


The disconnects happened twice after I got a replacement modem for the speed issue. It was really strange that restarting all devices wouldnt let it reconnect again.

I did have the concern of connecting it directly and leaving the Xi6 unprotected, but also wondered if that would make the rest of my house vulnerable. If it was attacked, could they get into the modem, and then into the rest of my network.

Now that speed issue is solved, I can wire it back into my router and enable IPv6. Will need to read into it a little more as I have no knowledge of IPv6 setup. I wish I could get into the wifi settings of it though. Tried the 9434 many times, but only gave matching programming.

Re: Using the Ignite TV Modem/Gateway in Bridge Mode

abba77
I plan to stick around

For IPv6, I can setup the WAN DHCPv6 side with 64 delegation, but not sure what to use for the LAN side. Here is the settings window:

https://i.imgur.com/aSXn00W.jpg 

 

From the other samples posted in Step 1, seem I just need check the Enable IPv6 Router Advertisement, leave the rest alone?

 

Re: Using the Ignite TV Modem/Gateway in Bridge Mode

-G-
Resident Expert
Resident Expert

@abba77 wrote:

Thanks. I dont think its the UI routers necessarily  since I had restarted the modem taken out of bridge mode and direct connecting a desktop, and still had slow speeds. I had not power cycled.

 

Will keep an eye on speed. Last time it lasted 4 days then I power cycled, ruining the speed. I have the 12 hourly auto tests so will keep an eye on the graphs. It's been good since yesterday at least.


The XB6 definitely has numerous quirks but so far, I have only seen users with Ubiquiti routers reporting this issue.

 

I just had a look at the UDM Data Sheet and noticed that is has a feature that they call "Automatic QoS".  Is it possible that this could be kicking in and applying a QoS traffic policy that rate-limits connections to a specific device or traffic flows for a particular application?

Re: Using the Ignite TV Modem/Gateway in Bridge Mode

-G-
Resident Expert
Resident Expert

@abba77 wrote:

The disconnects happened twice after I got a replacement modem for the speed issue. It was really strange that restarting all devices wouldnt let it reconnect again.

I did have the concern of connecting it directly and leaving the Xi6 unprotected, but also wondered if that would make the rest of my house vulnerable. If it was attacked, could they get into the modem, and then into the rest of my network.


I don't think that this could be an attack vector into your internal network but I also don't know what private information is stored in the Xi6 either.  I would also be worried about hackers finding some way to use the Xi6 as a proxy for launching attacks on others, making it look like their connections were coming from you.

 

Now that speed issue is solved, I can wire it back into my router and enable IPv6. Will need to read into it a little more as I have no knowledge of IPv6 setup. I wish I could get into the wifi settings of it though. Tried the 9434 many times, but only gave matching programming.


Are you pressing and holding the "Exit" button on the remote for 3 seconds, then keying in "Down Down 9-4-3-4"?

 

If the UDM supports WPS, you can also connect the Xi6 to Wi-Fi that way as well.  Press the button on the bottom of set-top box; there's a small depression on the bottom/front, under the status LED.

 

I don't know why the disconnects would be occurring unless a firmware update changed something, such as adding additional security checks to prevent the Xi6 from being used in another location.  I read somewhere that Rogers has a firewall rule on their XB6 gateway that allows inbound connections on port 56982 so that their back-end tools can communicate with the Xi6 using TR-069 / CWMP.  However, I'm not aware of anything breaking if that rule is not in place and that connection gets blocked.

Re: Using the Ignite TV Modem/Gateway in Bridge Mode

-G-
Resident Expert
Resident Expert

@abba77 wrote:

For IPv6, I can setup the WAN DHCPv6 side with 64 delegation, but not sure what to use for the LAN side. Here is the settings window:

https://i.imgur.com/aSXn00W.jpg 

 

From the other samples posted in Step 1, seem I just need check the Enable IPv6 Router Advertisement, leave the rest alone?


Yes, you will need to enable "IPv6 Router Advertisement" on the UDM so that IPv6 devices will use it as their gateway.

 

I don't have a Ubiquiti router so I don't know what the configuration options are on the LAN side.  Presumably, it will have sensible defaults for the case where you have a single subnet on your internal network.  If you have multiple internal subnets, you will need to configure how your delegated IPv6 address space gets allocated across those subnets.

Re: Using the Ignite TV Modem/Gateway in Bridge Mode

abba77
I plan to stick around

Thanks for the replies. Will group mine all in this post:

 

The Automatic QoS is only enabled by default if connection speeds are under 300Mbps. I set mine up as 999Mbps/30Mbps. I specifially checked the option was disabled as well. Speed tests were done with 2 separate wired desktops and the router itself. I seem to be good here now.

 

I will connect the Xi6 to the router after enabling IPv6 and see how it goes. I agree, I would rather not leave any IoT unprotected. I was going to isolate these to their own VLANS, but im not quite there yet.

 

Yes, holding EXIT for 3 seconds (seen 5 online as well), down, down, 9-4-3-4 gets me nowhere. As I said, hitting 2 or 3 gets me to the information page. 4 gets me to diagnostics, but i can never get to Wifi settings page. Not sure if the UDM has WPS, but will check. I would prefer wired anyway since I have a spare port for now, but would be nice to do it via WiFi should I need that last port for something else.

 

I wondered if any ports needed to be forwarded to the Xi6, but you stating 56982 is the first I have heard off.

 

Single subnet on my network makes it easier. Will enable advertisement and go from there. Seems simple enough here: https://help.ui.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005868927-UniFi-USG-UDM-Addressing-How-to-Implement-IPv6-wi...

 

Thanks again for your time helping us.

Re: Using the Ignite TV Modem/Gateway in Bridge Mode

-G-
Resident Expert
Resident Expert

@abba77 wrote:

Thanks for the replies. Will group mine all in this post:


My pleasure!

 

I will connect the Xi6 to the router after enabling IPv6 and see how it goes. I agree, I would rather not leave any IoT unprotected. I was going to isolate these to their own VLANS, but im not quite there yet.


I think the risk from having the STB on the same subnet as your other devices is fairly low, and my config also allows me to isolate them as well.  That said, I think that it is best to duplicate the Rogers-supported configuration first and make sure that everything is working correctly with 3rd-party gear before switching to a fancier/more secure configuration.

 

Yes, holding EXIT for 3 seconds (seen 5 online as well), down, down, 9-4-3-4 gets me nowhere. As I said, hitting 2 or 3 gets me to the information page. 4 gets me to diagnostics, but i can never get to Wifi settings page. Not sure if the UDM has WPS, but will check. I would prefer wired anyway since I have a spare port for now, but would be nice to do it via WiFi should I need that last port for something else.


Here's another tip:  I also use enterprise-grade Wi-Fi APs so I was able to configure a separate "tv" SSID, which I use only for the set-top boxes.  I duplicate the same SSID/passphrase in the XB6.

 

If I ever should need tech support from Rogers, this setup also allows me revert back to a supported configuration very quickly.  I disable (or rename) the "tv" SSID on my APs then put the XB6 back into gateway mode.  When I reboot the STBs, they connect to the XB6.  This config also allows me to connect an STB through WPS on the XB6. and it allows a new out-of-the-box replacement STB to autoconnect to Wi-Fi.  When I am done, I re-enable bridge mode on the XB6, re-enable the "tv" SSID on my APs, reboot the STBs, and I'm back into my usual configuration.

 

My APs also allow me to assign the "tv" SSID to a separate VLAN.

 

I don't know why long-press-Exit, Down, Down, 9-4-3-4 does not work for you.  I have miskeyed it countless times myself and now key in 9434 more deliberately as "WIFI"

 

I wondered if any ports needed to be forwarded to the Xi6, but you stating 56982 is the first I have heard off.


It's not absolutely necessary.  I don't have that rule in place.   Ignite TV works perfectly fine with a very basic configuration.  That is one of the things that I really like about it.

 

If I ever need tech support from Rogers, I revert back to a supported configuration and that allows them to run whatever tests that they need to run.

 

If my STBs should ever start going offline as well, I'll troubleshoot and report back here.

 

Single subnet on my network makes it easier. Will enable advertisement and go from there. Seems simple enough here: https://help.ui.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005868927-UniFi-USG-UDM-Addressing-How-to-Implement-IPv6-wi...

Looks like you have everything that you need to get this working, all in one nice package.  For completeness, you would also probably want to implement additional firewall rules to block access to your home networks from less-trusted segments.

 

Thanks again for your time helping us.


No problem!  Sounds like you are well on you way to getting things into a good configuration.  Good luck!

Re: Using the Ignite TV Modem/Gateway in Bridge Mode

jsorhaug
I plan to stick around

I've been using the Ignite Modem in Bridge mode since I had it installed about a year ago.  I have it connected to my Ubiquity Unifi Router, Managed Switch and Wifi Access Points.  Works well.  My three Xi6 TV boxes are all connected through Ethernet.  In the past couple of months, I've had issues with the TV feed (freezing of picture and/or sound intermittently).  When speaking to a Rogers tech, they attempted to update the firmware on the Xi6 TV box, however, I told them they wouldn't see it given my bridge mode setup.  Is there a way (or reason) to update that firmware, and if so, how would you go about doing this (other than to revert to Gateway mode and have Rogers do it remotely)?  I see that the software on the Ignite modem gets updated as Rogers rolls out the new software, but I don't know how to access the Xi6 boxes. 

 

Separately, I just had a Rogers tech come to the house.  He saw that the signal coming into the house was above 10db, and had me install a stronger filter to reduce the signal to below 10 (he suggested that may have been the reason for the TV issues).

 

Thanks very much!

 

Jan

Re: Using the Ignite TV Modem/Gateway in Bridge Mode

-G-
Resident Expert
Resident Expert

@jsorhaug  The Ignite set-top boxes are able to update themselves, even when connected through your own router and with your XB6 in bridge mode.  It is also true that Rogers cannot run their tests because your router's internal firewall does not have the necessary rules in place to allow their systems to connect to the Xi6 set-top boxes and check their status.  There is also no way for you to be able log into the set-top box to check their status.  There are a few diagnostic screens that users can access but nothing that will allow you fully troubleshoot this problem on your own.

 

Rogers can help you to get these issues resolved but you will need to put your network back into a supportable configuration, with your XB6 in gateway mode and with your set-top boxes directly connected to the XB6.

 

As for why this is happening, Ignite TV's network streams get sent in bursts, and should be able to ride out minor network glitches, but video freezes and audio drop-outs can occur if segments in the media stream get delayed, if there is insufficient bandwidth, or due to other issues where the set-top gets busy/overloaded (for whatever reason) and cannot process the network stream in a timely manner.  It could be caused by extreme latency or packet loss in the Rogers network, WiFi problems, or a defective set-top box.  It could also be caused by an improper network configuration on your part.  For example, enabling QoS on your network gear could be causing (or could exacerbate) the problems that you are seeing.

Re: Using the Ignite TV Modem/Gateway in Bridge Mode

jsorhaug
I plan to stick around

@-G-Thanks very much for your detailed response. You and many of the others on this forum are providing such great help!  Quite amazing. 

 

Agree that there can be many reasons why I experience the TV issue, and some of it may reside in my equipment, however, I do find it a bit frustrating that Rogers is not able to provide same level of service for customers that use their own router/wifi/etc.  There are obviously many reasons why some customers want their own router/wifi/etc. and Rogers should (in my view) as the service provider be able to work with a customer to get their service working and not have the customer be forced to adapt to the Rogers "one size fits all" technology solution?  Anyway, I realize we are where we are!  🙂

 

I guess a potential solution would be to modify the setup to have the Rogers modem operate as a Gateway and connect to the Xi6 boxes in parallel with my own router/switch/wifi servicing all the other Internet needs inside my home, thereby allowing Rogers full access to its equipment and allow me to run the rest off of my own equipment?  But I have never explored how to setup a dual-router configuration that way.  Will it cause more headaches then it is worth?

 

Again, thanks for your help!

Jan

Re: Using the Ignite TV Modem/Gateway in Bridge Mode

Bplayer
I'm a trusted contributor
@jsorhaug "I do find it a bit frustrating that Rogers is not able to provide same level of service for customers that use their own router/wifi/etc. There are obviously many reasons why some customers want their own router/wifi/etc. and Rogers should (in my view) as the service provider be able to work with a customer to get their service working and not have the customer be forced to adapt to the Rogers "one size fits all" technology solution?"
You have chosen to protect you network and that means that an outside "agent" is blocked form entering or seeing your devices and configuration. To provide access you would have to give them specific authority to your system. Do you know how to do that? Would the procedure be the same for each different type of router that a customer may have installed, and should Rogers be knowledgeable about them all? Likely not, and the percentage of customers with their own routers and switches will be small. It just does not seem to make business sense to support this small population.

Re: Using the Ignite TV Modem/Gateway in Bridge Mode

-G-
Resident Expert
Resident Expert

@jsorhaug wrote:

@-G-Thanks very much for your detailed response. You and many of the others on this forum are providing such great help!  Quite amazing. 

 

Agree that there can be many reasons why I experience the TV issue, and some of it may reside in my equipment, however, I do find it a bit frustrating that Rogers is not able to provide same level of service for customers that use their own router/wifi/etc.  There are obviously many reasons why some customers want their own router/wifi/etc. and Rogers should (in my view) as the service provider be able to work with a customer to get their service working and not have the customer be forced to adapt to the Rogers "one size fits all" technology solution?  Anyway, I realize we are where we are!  🙂

My pleasure!

 

Keep in mind that Comcast designed all of the components as an integrated solution that can be supported, end-to-end, by the service provider.  It simply isn't feasible for a Rogers or a Comcast-sized company to support any configuration that they cannot test, certify, support or troubleshoot themselves.  We should consider ourselves fortunate that we even can run Ignite TV on our own networking gear, but I don't expect Rogers to support any configurations involving network components that they don't know anything about.

 

I guess a potential solution would be to modify the setup to have the Rogers modem operate as a Gateway and connect to the Xi6 boxes in parallel with my own router/switch/wifi servicing all the other Internet needs inside my home, thereby allowing Rogers full access to its equipment and allow me to run the rest off of my own equipment?  But I have never explored how to setup a dual-router configuration that way.  Will it cause more headaches then it is worth?


I also use business-class WiFi gear.  I create a separate SSID on my AP just for the Ignite TV set-top boxes and I duplicate that SSID/passphrase in the XB6.  (That SSID is disabled on the XB6 when it is in Bridge Mode.)  When I need to fall back to a supported configuration, I power-off the set-top boxes, disable (or rename) the "Ignite" SSID in my AP, put the XB6 into gateway mode and reset the IPv4 and IPv6 WAN interfaces on my router, then power up the set-top boxes.  The STBs should now be connected to my XB6 via WiFi.

 

I will then re-test in this configuration to verify that the problem replicates, and will call Rogers if I need them to troubleshoot and investigate further.

 

When we have finished troubleshooting, I reverse the above steps to revert back to running on my own equipment.

 

But I have never explored how to setup a dual-router configuration that way.  Will it cause more headaches then it is worth?


I only go into a "supportable" configuration when I need support.  If you look at the set-up tips that I wrote up earlier in this thread, the IP address allocations were done in such a way that my equipment would work with the XB6 in either bridge mode or gateway mode, and also considered situations where you might need to factory-reset individual pieces of equipment without breaking things too much.

 

 

Back to your original problem, are you still getting audio and video dropouts from time to time?  If so, is it only happening on one set-top box or do you see the same problem on all of them?

Re: Using the Ignite TV Modem/Gateway in Bridge Mode

jsorhaug
I plan to stick around

@-G-  Again, thanks so much for your detailed responses on this! 

 

As to you last question regarding my TV signal, I will monitor it to see if the signal strength reduction which the tech did yesterday will make the situation better.  Since the TV signal issue (freezing picture and/or sound) was intermittent, it's something I need to now monitor closely going fwd.  Other family members have also mentioned poor internet signal over the past few months, but yet again another intermittent issue.  I originally "blamed" it on our and other's increased use of home services due to Covid-19, however, decided to check it out with Rogers, so hopefully the signal issue was the cause of the issue and now rectified. 

 

Again, thanks for all of your awesome suggestions.  I will have to review them and see if I want to pursue some of those. 

 

Have a great day!

Best,

Jan

Re: Using the Ignite TV Modem/Gateway in Bridge Mode

rookie8155
I plan to stick around

I tried to put  XB6 gateway back into Gateway mode and setup my Orbi router and Satellite and AP mode. 

What I did on XB6 Gateway was enabled DHCP with 192.168.50.11 - 192.168.50.100. By doing that XB6 internet IP got changed to 192.168.50.1. 

Now everything seemed to have connected back to internet as it was before. I have lots (around 40) of smart devices connected. Next morning I checked my Nest thermostat in my phone app, it was showing offline. I checked few other devices which were showing offline. When I checked Nest thermostat physically, it was connected to wifi but was showing offline. There were few other devices in the same mode e.g Nest Protects etc.

Then ran to basement and changed XB6 back to Bridge mode and made Orbi as router and connected everything back and everything is running normally now. So I have no idea where was the problem that devices were connected to wifi but still showing offline.

Now I cannot connected to XB6 using 10.0.0.1 anymore. So IP it got switched to now? 

Is it possible to reset it to factory default settings so that it goes back to 10.0.0.1?

I will appreciate your help.

Re: Using the Ignite TV Modem/Gateway in Bridge Mode

Hello @rookie8155,

 

I am glad to know that the devices that were showing offline despite being connected to the WiFi are working now 😊!

 

I would recommend a factory reset if you are unable to connect to your router settings through your browser. 

 

Please let us know if that helps.

 

 

Regards

 

RogersNiki

Re: Using the Ignite TV Modem/Gateway in Bridge Mode

rookie8155
I plan to stick around
Thanks for your reply. Will factory reset change IP address within the router change to default 10.0.0.1 range.

Re: Using the Ignite TV Modem/Gateway in Bridge Mode

-G-
Resident Expert
Resident Expert

@rookie8155 wrote:
Thanks for your reply. Will factory reset change IP address within the router change to default 10.0.0.1 range.

Yes, the factory reset will reset all settings to their defaults, including WiFi settings and the addressing for the internal LAN.

 

I'm still a bit surprised that you cannot connect to your XB6 at http://10.0.0.1/

 

Did you also try accessing it at http://192.168.50.1 , even while it was in bridge mode?  If that conflicts with what you are using on your Orbi's internal LAN, try unplugging the Orbi from the XB6, reboot the XB6, wait 10 minutes, then connect directly with an Ethernet-connected computer... if you should want to try to regain access without the factory reset.

Re: Using the Ignite TV Modem/Gateway in Bridge Mode

Hi @rookie8155

 

You are most welcome! 

 

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you 😊!

 

Cheers 

RogersNiki

Re: Using the Ignite TV Modem/Gateway in Bridge Mode

rookie8155
I plan to stick around
Thanks. If reset does not do the job then there is no option left. Unless Rogers Support knows to connect to it from their side?

Re: Using the Ignite TV Modem/Gateway in Bridge Mode

-G-
Resident Expert
Resident Expert

@rookie8155  I have every confidence that you will be able to regain access to the XB6 by performing a factory reset using the Paper Clip Method.

 

There's no need to disconnect your Orbi but you will need to release/renew the DHCP lease on your Orbi's WAN interface after the reset is complete.  When you see a 10.0.0.x IP address on the Orbi's WAN interface, you should then be able to log into the XB6 again at http://10.0.0.1 using the default login/password of "admin/password".

Re: Using the Ignite TV Modem/Gateway in Bridge Mode

rookie8155
I plan to stick around
Thanks for your advice. I will give it a try.