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No need to be sorry, thats actually a good question. When in Bridge mode, the modem will provide two IPV4 addresses and an unlimited number of IPV6 addresses to connected connected devices, however, its never been tested in a configuration where there are more than two devices connected. If you had two routers for example, each router would have its own IPV4 and IPV6 address. Add a third device and in theory you would not see an IPV4 address on that device but you should see an IPV6 address. Same goes for additional devices. That might be useful if you wanted to force an Xbox to use IPV6 only.
The one thing to keep in mind is that the modem does not offer any firewall protection to devices when its operating in Bridge mode, so, each device will rely on its own firewall and intrusion protection capabilities.
Edit: The capability to assign two IPV4 address will be usable for some time as there is another Rogers product that requires/supplies two IPV4 addresses. When that product is taken out of service at some point, the ability of a CMTS to provide two IPV4 addresses might be lost at that point as well. Something to keep in mind if you decide to use two devices at the same time while the modem is in Bridge mode.
No need to be sorry, thats actually a good question. When in Bridge mode, the modem will provide two IPV4 addresses and an unlimited number of IPV6 addresses to connected connected devices, however, its never been tested in a configuration where there are more than two devices connected. If you had two routers for example, each router would have its own IPV4 and IPV6 address. Add a third device and in theory you would not see an IPV4 address on that device but you should see an IPV6 address. Same goes for additional devices. That might be useful if you wanted to force an Xbox to use IPV6 only.
The one thing to keep in mind is that the modem does not offer any firewall protection to devices when its operating in Bridge mode, so, each device will rely on its own firewall and intrusion protection capabilities.
Edit: The capability to assign two IPV4 address will be usable for some time as there is another Rogers product that requires/supplies two IPV4 addresses. When that product is taken out of service at some point, the ability of a CMTS to provide two IPV4 addresses might be lost at that point as well. Something to keep in mind if you decide to use two devices at the same time while the modem is in Bridge mode.
@Traveller2k kick the modem back into Gateway mode and check the Switch Control which is in the ADVANCED tab. To do this, log into the modem thru the router, using 192.168.100.1 to access the login page. Log into the modem and navigate to the BASIC .... GATEWAY FUNCTION tab. Enable the Residential Gateway Function and save the changes. The modem will reboot into Gateway mode with its previous Gateway settings intact.
After the reboot is complete, log back in using 192.168.0.1 thru the router or with a direct connection, navigate to the ADVANCED .... SWITCH CONTROL tab to check the settings for the ethernet port. Enable or ensure that the ports you want to use are enabled. The ports 1 to 4 in the list represent the ports which are top to bottom on the modem. Port 1 is the top port, port 4 is the bottom port.
*** NOTE *** Those settings are used by the modem, regardless of it running in Gateway mode or Bridge mode. So, if you disable a port in Gateway mode and flip the modem to Bridge mode, then that same port will remain disabled.
If you observe that all of the ports are enabled, run this quick check. Look at the back of the modem, specifically the connected port LED. The ethernet connector that runs to the router should have an amber flashing LED. Amber represents a 1 Gb/s connection rate with the connected device. Flashing green represents a 10/100 Mb/s connection rate with the connected device. Note these are modem to device signalling rates, not your internet plan data rates. In order to run anything over 100 Mb/s, that port LED has to be flashing amber.
Ok, so, check the currently connected port. It should be flashing amber. Then disconnect that port and move to an adjacent port. The port should go live and you should see another flashing amber LED. Do the same for all ports to confirm what you saw in the Switch Control tab, as in which ports are live and which are dead, and should be dead.
If you know for example that all switch ports are enabled and you have dead ports, or ports only running at 10/100 Mb/s where they should be running at 1 Gb/s, take a careful look at the port pins on the modem to determine if there is any visible damage to the pins. If so, its time to swap the modem. If the pins look ok, but, the ports are dead, its time to swap the modem. This will be a case of the ethernet ports are dead, or the port controller has some type of problem.
You could run a factory reset on the modem as a last resort to see if that has any effect. Unfortunately that means setting the modem up from scratch, but, who knows, it might save you from having to swap the modem. I believe thats done via mail or UPS/Fedex these days.
Note that in Bridge mode, the modem will support two independent networks, so if you plug two routers into the modem, they will each receive separate and independent IPV4 and IPV6 addresses. Any device plugged into the modem when the modem is running in Bridge mode requires its own firewall to protect itself. So, not sure exactly what you might have plugged into the modem, but, please keep the firewall requirement in mind. There is far too much probing taking place, directed by miscreants across the internet, looking for open ports to access anything connected to the internet, hence the requirement for a good firewall on connected devices.
If you are trying to run two routers with the modem in Bridge mode, pull the power from the modem, wait for about 15 seconds and plug it back in. While the modem is restarting, do the same with the routers. At the end of the reboot cycles you should have the independent networks running.
If that doesn't work for some reason, do this:
1. Disconnect one router from the modem and then restart the modem. Pull the power and reapply power. When the modem restart is complete, the connected router should have internet access. Check that to confirm that it has.
2. Assuming that the connected router has internet access, disconnect that router from the modem and connect the other router. Once again, restart the modem. Pull and power and reapply power. When the modem restart is complete, that second connected router should have internet access. Check to confirm that it has.
3. Assuming that you're successful with the second router, connect the first router and then pull the power from the modem. Reapply power to restart the modem.
4. When the modem restart is complete, you should have two routers connected to the internet with independent IPV4 and IPV6 addresses.
That routine of connecting routers one at a time usually isn't necessary, but, if the modem doesn't want to restart at the very front end of this so that you end up with each router with an assigned IPV4 and IPV6 address, then you have to do each one separately. After that routine, both routers should then be assigned their own IPV4 and IPV6 addresses.
Hope this helps.
@Traveller2k keep in mind, in Bridge mode, only two connected devices will be active, that is, in terms of having IPV4 and IPV6 addresses to the devices. Only two devices will receive IPV4 and IPV6 address even if you had all four ports connected to various devices. Which ports would receive their addresses and which wouldn't is a good question. I don't know if its simple port priority, from port 1 down to port 4 or if all of the devices race to determine which ones wins the race. Keep in mind, that two devices connected to the modem typically means connected to two ports. But, you could theoretically connect a switch to one modem port and then connect the same two devices to the switch. At the end of the day, the result should be that both of those devices are assigned independent IPV4 and IPV6 addresses. That would be an unusual configuration, but, it should work.
So, it sounds like you want one port to feed the router upstairs and a second port to feed a switch which is then connected to multiple devices. The switch is a problem. It won't matter how small or large the switch is, with more than one device connected to the switch, only one device will receive an IPV4 and IPV6 address. The question is, which one and how does the Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) determine that. The switch won't be considered to be a device. It will be invisible to the network, but the CMTS will see the devices beyond the switch, as will anyone else probing connected devices for open ports or misconfigured firewalls. If you have a switch connected to the modem (in bridge mode) with various devices connected to it, all without their own firewalls, then that switch should be disconnected immediately until you have a chance to read thru this and sort out what devices have firewalls running and are capable of protecting themselves.
With the modem in Bridge mode, the CMTS will determine the IPV4 and IPV6 addresses for the connected devices. Its not up to the modem at this point.
So, trying to crystal ball here, if you're attempting to run a second network downstairs, independent of the upstairs router, then you need a second router to run the downstairs network.
Alternatively, you might be able to do this. If you happen to have a cable port and ethernet port available at the same wallplate, then you can park the modem upstairs, connected via RG-6 cable to the cable system. The modem can go anywhere where there is a cable port available and connected to the incoming cable in the basement. You would need an available cable splitter port if you're running multiple cable connected devices. If you don't have a splitter installed to run multiple devices, then you would need an F-81 connector to connect the incoming cable with the cable run that terminates in the desired location upstairs. That F-81 connector looks like this:
https://www.homedepot.ca/product/ideal-3ghz-f-splice-adapter-10-pack-/1000751479
That is the same connector that is found in wallplates with a cable port or outlet installed. So, if you happen to have an unused cable port somewhere, you could scrounge that F-81 connector temporarily until you have a chance to replace it. Fwiw, if you have a home that is more than maybe 15 years old, all of the F-81 connectors in all of the wallplates should be replaced with the F-81 connector as shown as the newer connectors have higher frequency performance compared to their older counterparts.
Ok, so, if you can connect the cabling to a wallplate upstairs and move the modem upstairs, then you can run the modem in Bridge mode and connect your router to the modem. Then you can connect the router to the ethernet port in the wallplate and connect that ethernet cable to the switch in the basement, so that all of the network is controlled by the router and so that the various devices have access to any printers, NAS units and other networked appliances.
This essentially is our configuration in our home, 4582 modem parked upstairs in the office, connected to the cable system via house RG-6 cabling and also connected to the router via 10 foot Cat-6 cable. The output ports of the router are connected locally in the office and to the house ethernet cabling which runs downstairs to the structured wiring cabinet. At the cabinet, that cable is connected to a switch which in turn is connected to all of the ethernet cabling throughout the home.
Fwiw, I use the second port on the 4582 (in Bridge mode) for test purposes, connected to a second router.
Hi @ArshadN, those are all good questions to ask. Hopefully I can answer them in a form that makes sense.
1. Keep in mind that there are two types of modems, the first being a straight modem which only has one ethernet output port. That modem serves as an invisible bridge between the follow-on router and the Cable Modem Termination System, which is on the other side of the modem. Typically, that modem only allows one router to be connected to the modem. That configuration will result in the router being assigned an external WAN IPV4 address and IPV6 prefix, if the ISP is actually using IPV6. Its theoretically possible for an ISP to allow more devices when connected to a modem of this type by connecting to a switch and then to any follow-on routers. I've never seen or heard of this type of situation however. Looks like ISPs keep tight control over the number of devices they allow to connect to modems on their network.
Rogers uses Gateway modems which are an "all in one" type of modem that runs firewall, IP address server, WIFI services etc, etc when the modem is in Gateway mode. When the modem is set to run in Bridge mode it acts just like the modem described above, the major difference being the number of active ports on the Gateway modems.
In Gateway mode, all four ports of the Hitron modems are active and each connected device ends up with a LAN IPV4 and IPV6 address. That includes devices connected directly via ethernet or wifi, or through downstream ethernet switches and/or wifi access points.
In Bridge mode, two of the four ports are active, or, more correctly, any two ports of the four ports can be used to connect a device to the internet thru the modem, and those two devices will end up with an IPV4 address and IPV6 prefix, if they are set to run IPV6. The other two ports won't support a connected device. They will essentially appear to be dead. If you look at the connected port LED, you might see that the ports are live, but, there wouldn't be any internet access available for those devices. That is probably due to a restriction imposed by the upstream Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS). Two connected devices end up with complete IPV4 and IPV6 addresses and external access, any other devices will not end up with IPV4 and IPV6 addresses. If you had four devices connected to the modem when you flipped it into Bridge mode, I wouldn't be able to predict two devices are assigned IP address and which aren't. Note that the two devices will be connected directly to the internet, so they have to have a firewall capability in order to protect themselves. So, this is where Rogers differs from other ISPs, at least with the black Hitron CGN3xxxx modems and the white Hitron CODA-4582 U / U 2A modems, allowing users to run two devices connected to the modem (in Bridge mode) whereas the vast majority of ISPs only allow one device to be connected to a modem operating in a similar mode.
2. Ok, with your router connected to the modem, and with the modem running in Bridge mode, the CMTS is currently providing an IPV4 address and IPV6 prefix to the router. As the CMTS can provide two pair (IPV4 address and IPV6 prefix), you're only using one of the two pair at the present time. If the Deco M4 is capable of operating as a router, you can connect one of, or connect the main unit to the modem. It will receive an IPV4 address and IPV6 prefix.
If the router is connected to port 1 for example, you can use any of the other three ports to connect another router. The modem doesn't seem to care which ports are used.
3. You can't delete the modem. That’s a necessary component to bridge/convert the cable DOCSIS data into an ethernet form which the router or any other ethernet device can use. The XB6 modem which is used for the Ignite TV service appears to only allow one device (beyond the tv set top receivers), to be connected to the modem when its in Bridge mode, at least that is how it appears so far. So, to run two routers simultaneously, each with its own independent IPV4 address and independent IPV6 prefix, you need to run the Hitron modem. Note that Rogers doesn't allow customer to own their own modems. The modem rental cost is part of the internet plan. About five years ago or so, Rogers allowed customers to buy the first CGN3 modem that Hitron released. That policy changed shortly thereafter so that the modem was included in the internet plan. Given the speed at which modems have changed, if anyone is at all interested in keeping up with the advancements that occur, then owning the modem doesn't make sense. Yes, there is always the cost aspect, can't argue with that, so it comes down to technological improvements versus rental cost. That's a debate which will continue far into the future ......
Note that when the Hitron modems are in Bridge mode, with two devices connected and running, such as two routers, each router has its own independent IPV4 address and independent IPV6 prefix. That means that each router is running its own independent network, with the requirement that each router requires its own firewall.
If you have some device connected to network #1 such as a printer, or Network Attached Storage (NAS) or other device, you can't access that device from network #2. There is no cross over within the modem.
if you wanted to run a network for personal use, and a network for work use, this would be one way to do it.
Ok, hope this explains how to use the Hitron modem to run two independent networks. If I've thoroughly confused you please let me know and I'll attempt to explain this in other terms 🙂
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RogersMoin
@PCao if the modem is in its default Gateway mode, where all four ethernet ports are active, you have two choices on how to run the router:
1. in full router mode, where the router controls its own network. In this configuration, you have a double Network Address Translation (NAT) configuration, where the modem is translating the external incoming traffic to the required internal address and port, and the router is doing the same thing. That's not efficient but it does work. If you're a gamer, you don't want to use this configuration.
2. in Access Point mode, where the modem is control of the entire network and the router acts as an ethernet and wifi access point. The wifi performance of the router should be better than the router, go there's a net gain there. However, the router will give you much better control over your network and access to settings that you can't access in the modem, so, by allowing the modem to run the network, you won't have the degree of control over your network that the router will allow.
If you run the modem in Bridge mode, all four ethernet ports are also active, but, only two ports will run connected devices. Those devices will have their own independent IPV4 and IPV6 addresses and they will operate completely independent of each other. There won't be any conflict between the two connected devices. To use the modem in Bridge mode however, you should connect routers to any two of those ports, and then connect any other device to those routers. The routers will protect the connected downstream devices as the routers will have their own firewall. Any device that you connect to the modem, when the modem is running in Bridge mode, must be able to protect itself from the constant external probing that they will undergo. So, you have to have a great deal of confidence in the firewalls of those devices.
So, yes, you could connect a pc directly to the modem when its in Bridge mode, but, I do not recommend that configuration.
@wokhayhayhay no you can't. In Bridge mode, all four ethernet ports are active, meaning that you can connect a device to any of those ports. The caveat here is that you can only simultaneously use a maximum of two ports when the modem is running in Bridge mode. That is due to the limit of IPV4 addresses and IPV6 prefixes that will be assigned thru those ports. Rogers allows a maximum of two IPV4 addresses and two IPV6 prefixes per modem. Those two ports will be assigned their own IPV4 address and IPV6 prefix. They will be independent and separate from each other.
So, you can connect any device of your choice to those ports. Be aware however, that the modem in Bridge mode does not support any services such as the firewall, wifi, etc, etc. In Bridge mode, the modem is just a modem. Each connected device has to be able to protect itself from the constant probing that they will undergo from all of the miscreants across the internet.
If you connect two routers to the modem for example, each router will be running its own network, independent and separate from the other router. There is no cross-over of any type within the modem.
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