INTERNET By Will Fastie I had two support encounters of note in the past 60 days, but the one with Verizon is worth noting. Second by second, it seems
[See the full post at: My encounter with Verizon]
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My encounter with Verizon
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AuthorViewing 38 reply threadsAuthor-
Thanks for this very informative article. It has undoubtedly saved me a lot of time, money, and aggravation. I was considering using Verizon home as a backup to my (much improved) Comcast setup. I, too, use only wired for computers and printers. I use WiFi only for ‘phones although I plan to test an Ethernet dongle soon. Apart from the much higher level of performance, we still don’t have enough reliable information about the dangers of radiation.
I didn’t know that WiFi performance could be enhanced at the expense of the wired connections! (clearly a WTF moment for me). I will not now consider using Verizon for my home network. To change my mind their system must actually be plug-and-play since there is now essentially no usable tech support (not just Verizon for this phenomenon, it’s just part the accelerating decline of the West).
You were extremely lucky to have been connected to Terri after only three attempts. Intelligent and capable people don’t normally stay very long with these outfits.
I have used my own modem and router for many years now. I would not do business with an ISP if using their equipment was mandatory.
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Then there is my experience with AT&T. I have digital fiber optical service for internet and telephone. The AT&T supplied router converts the digital signal to analog for my telephone. One day my telephone was dead. The internet was all okay.
AT&T “requires” that I contact them for service for telephone problems by telephone! Eventually I was able to get to another telephone and called support.
Of course the problem was my wiring, my telephone set, my router(?), etc. No, I said, the problem is yours. After almost 45 minutes and explaining the problem in turn to six different support persons, I finally got an answer. “Oh, we had you disconnected. We will reconnect you.” Why I was disconnected was never explained.
Why is it necessary to make support so difficult for the customer? And while I am asking, could AT&T please employ someone who speaks English clearly?
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Cybertooth,
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I suspect the thing that Terri changed that fixed your problem was turning off IPv6. I’ve had problems like yours in the past that were solved by turning off IPv6. Your switch could be at fault, but I’ve not dug into the low-level details of why these problems occur. It seems that outgoing packets get stuck waiting for a connection. I think it’s fundamentally a routing problem where not all of the players agree on the protocols.
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It is our practice to not to use our internet service provider’s modems / routers.
By purchasing our own we save on the “monthly rental charge” and can plug in a backup unit immediately if we run into a problem.
In the 800 Mbps modem category, in addition to their own equipment, our ISP has approved 46 modems manufactured by:
- Arris,
- ASUS,
- Hitron Technologies,
- HUMAX,
- Linksys,
- Motorola,
- Netgear,
- TP-Link, and
- Zoom Telephonics.
To protect privacy, all of our workstations, printers, and televisions are hard wired while we us WiFi for our internet radios.
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FiOS does not have cable modems. The FiOS technology is fundamentally incompatible with the Cable technology. No company makes third-party FiOS modems. That is why Verizon does not allow customers to have their own modems — there aren’t any available. There also are no “Cable Cards” for FiOS. So you can’t use your own recorder with this type of service.
We need to make sure when we are talking about routers that we use only this term. What is being discussed in this part of this thread are not modems, but routers.
You can use your own router with Verizon FiOS, but you must use their modem. Let’s please keep our terms straight here.
-- rc primak
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There also are no “Cable Cards” for FiOS. So you can’t use your own recorder with this type of service.
Not sure what you mean there. We have FiOS in our home, and we are running two CableCARD devices to view and record shows from the channel lineup offered by Verizon. The CableCARDS were sent to us by Verizon, and we phoned a special Verizon number to activate them.
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Terminology is getting in the way here.
A modem talks to your ISP and outputs an Ethernet port. Regardless of the type of Internet connection – cable, fibre, 5G or DSL – you will have a modem.
Any router can be connected to any modem.
The confusion comes from the fact that many ISPs give you a device that serves as a combination modem and router. Often this is called a gateway, but combination box works too.
Any router can be connected to a combination box without doing anything special (as long as their LANs use different subnets). Connect the WAN port of the router to a LAN port of the combo box.
If you connect a router to a combination box, you may want to disable Wifi in the combo box, but not necessary. You may also want to put the combo box into Bridge mode, but again, not technically needed. Modems can not be put in Bridge mode.
Get up to speed on router security at RouterSecurity.org and Defensive Computing at DefensiveComputingChecklist.com
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It is our practice to not to use our internet service provider’s modems / routers.
By purchasing our own we save on the “monthly rental charge” and can plug in a backup unit immediately if we run into a problem.
In the 800 Mbps modem category, in addition to their own equipment, our ISP has approved 46 modems manufactured by:
- Arris,
- ASUS,
- Hitron Technologies,
- HUMAX,
- Linksys,
- Motorola,
- Netgear,
- TP-Link, and
- Zoom Telephonics.
To protect privacy, all of our workstations, printers, and televisions are hard wired while we us WiFi for our internet radios.
I do the same. In fact, I tend to buy the dumbest device that will serve as only a modem (and support the throughput I need). I don’t trust my ISP to do my routing duties the same way I can nor to do wireless well, so I’d rather get a modem I can put into bridge mode, then hook up a router to do my wireless and wired things. So my modem is an Arris SB8200 which fits almost everyone’s compatibility lists. And because it has no wireless, xFinity can’t hand out my bandwidth as a wireless hotspot either.
If I was recommending to a regular user, I’d probably recommend a midlevel ASUS router that lists lifetime AiProtection as one of its features; this is like getting a poor-man’s firewall in that it will usually have gateway antivirus, reputational-defense, optional internet filtering, and basically the things a more expensive business-oriented UTM (Unified Threat Management) router-firewall does. They’ll also more likely have better wireless than any ISP’s router. And for an enthusiast, you can set up a VPN so you can connect back securely into your network from the outside, which is also a great way at having a protected connection if you’re connected to an insecure hotspot somewhere else (e.g., a coffee shop or airport) , as your traffic will be encrypted. You can also set the DNS servers to be secure ones from somewhere like CloudFlare or Quad9 so the ISP and others aren’t snooping your traffic, and some of these also offer a base level of malware protection by blocking known bad sites.
In my case, I have a Fortigate firewall and a Ubiquiti WiFi6 access point, but that’s also because I work in tech and often have access to expensive equipment for less or because I have certifications that put me in a special access program for them so I can keep educated on them. This is overkill in 90% of all cases or requires more configuration than most everyday people, (thus I don’t recommend it). But I’ll never be a fan of recommending people use only the modem the ISP gave them.
We are SysAdmins.
We walk in the wiring closets no others will enter.
We stand on the bridge, and no malware may pass.
We engage in support, we do not retreat.
We live for the LAN.
We die for the LAN.3 users thanked author for this post.
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Again, these are routers, not modems. Let’s keep our terms straight, please.
Yes, you can disable the router portion of the Verizon FiOS gateway (combination modem and router). The posts in this thread seem all to be about routers, not modems.
-- rc primak
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Yes, “gateway” is the common term for a combination modem and router.
Get up to speed on router security at RouterSecurity.org and Defensive Computing at DefensiveComputingChecklist.com
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I do the same. I use my own modem (Comcast approved) which I buy and have been using Cisco routers for years with no issues at all – well once, I was bottle necked by using a 1GB router, upgrading to a 2GB Cisco router solved that. Only when I first got broadband did I use a Comcast modem and that was a mistake, which I’ve never made again.
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Will, now you get the drift of why I get asked to contact vendors, cable and computer alike, on behalf of my clients, many of whom would needs years of language lessons to speak the same level of technobabble that we have learned so well.
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turning off IPv6
That was my guess, too, but I can’t prove it.
It is our practice to not to use our internet service provider’s modems / routers.
I’m aware of these options. However, the one thing I’m not sure about is whether they work in the home environment. A long time ago I discovered that some of the services provided by FIOS for TV came over the Internet connection, so the FIOS box needed to sit on the COAX side. When I deployed FIOS for business, that wasn’t the case.
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Your final few hundred feet may be a coax cable, but Verison FiOS is not Cable. It is fiber optic. And as such it does not have a “coax side” technically. It has a fiber optic side.
-- rc primak
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I will not now consider using Verizon for my home network.
I’ve been using FIOS for a long time. My ability to work at home jumped dramatically after I switched from DSL (I never used Comcast/Infinity because of its COAX heritage and the node organization in neighborhoods). The key to this boost was symmetrical performance – same speed up as down. Before the family was doing so much streaming, I used more upstream bandwidth than downstream.
So I don’t have any inherent problem with the tech and have no problems recommending it.
I feel your pain. I try to avoid phone support as much as possible, because of the very bottom-of-the-barrel approach most tech support assumes. Sometimes, like you, I’ll get lucky and the agent will actually listen to what I’ve already troubleshot, and adjust their playbook/scripted responses accordingly.
Most of the time, they’ll adamantly refuse to jump ahead in their troubleshooting, and demand we start with step 1. More and more I believe that most tech support operators have no idea what’s going on, and they can only follow a script. In fact, I’ll bet dollars to donuts many are in call centers that handle multiple vendors products. Depending on what phone number you dial, the pop up on their screen for your incoming call tells them they’ll be playing the part of Steven from Dell. Their next call, they’re Jake from State Farm.
I’ve finally given up… It’s gotten to the point I’ll just play along without doing anything they’re actually asking. you want me to reboot? Okay, I’m rebooting now (without actually doing anything; wait the time typically associated with rebooting), yep it’s rebooted. Nope, problem still exists… I’ll play this game with them while they progress through their scripted troubleshooting, all the while I’m working on another project altogether. Just keep playing and waiting until their script “catches up” to the point I’ve already troubleshot/arrived at.
Another part of the issue, I believe, is where over-automation has actually stripped away the tech’s actual ability to help you. Not too long ago, savvy tech’s could fix about anything through their employers system portals. Now, in an employer always knows best situation, it seems most techs are locked out of most, if not all, system change/control. Where they could previously override or change a flag to get something working. Now they can’t. Either their employer doesn’t want them to, or whomever engineered the system never took into consideration just how many one-off use cases there are, and that you can’t conceive every possible combination of if/then.
And you know, their versions of Sydney and Bard are in the works… I’m afraid it’s only going to get worse… At least there’s the off-chance Sydney will proclaim it’s love for you during the call.
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their versions of Sydney and Bard are in the works… I’m afraid it’s only going to get worse…
I’m sure that’s coming. But if it is, the companies are much more likely to use Terri as the exemplar. In other words, I’d expect properly provisioned AI to be extremely effective at coming up with solutions in specific problem sets. Even with computers doing the work, the same economic model applies – help as many people as possible at the lowest cost achievable.
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I chastised several people already in this thread for calling routers modems. FiOS has no third-party modems. It only uses the Verizon modems. But you don’t have to use their router. You can switch that off and use your own router. Not modem — router.
-- rc primak
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Verizon’s FIOS is supposed to be a Fiber Optic System
It is. Fiber arrives at an interface box, which has both COAX and Ethernet outputs. Both of those connect to the router. This is usually called fiber to the curb (FTTC).
Fiber has been deployed for decades, but FTTC arrived quite late on the scene. Cable TV had been around much longer, so a very large number of homes had COAX wiring. That’s because a run of COAX was required to each TV. Fiber is a bit more delicate, so it was simpler (and cheaper) for fiber to interface to that existing wiring. So it does.
In my household, we’ve “cut the cable.” We no longer have cable boxes with each TV. But when we did, they were connected via COAX. However, command, control, and guide services came over the Internet side, which meant the in-house router needed to have a COAX connection.
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I have FIOS and all I have from them is the Optical Network Terminal (ONT) located in my garage. From there I have an Ethernet cable running to my control box in the basement with Ethernet running to the rest of the house’s computers,, TV, certain cameras and the router. That works great since I have my router in the middle of the home and do not need extensions or MESH. My other home is on ATT and they insisted I use their router. Like many have said before, I turned off their WIFI and put the router into bypass mode to my MESH system. Works great as I have solar powered cameras outside the home and need the extra connectivity.
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So your use of the term “coax side” only refers to your in-house wiring, not to the Verizon FiOS interface wiring?
Yes, that’s right. Glass to the FIOS interface box, then copper from there to the router.
As I said, two outputs – RJ-45 for pure Internet and COAX for TV. But the COAX network must include a connection to the router, or TV service won’t work properly. That’s because boxes attached to the TV, which are connected via COAX, must have a way to get to the Internet. The router is extending a network over COAX so the TV boxes can get to the Internet.
There are two ways to look at systems like this. One is as “cable” TV with Internet, and the other is as Internet with “cable” TV. Consumers who think about getting cable TV tend to think in terms of the former because CATV has been around since the ’60s, while FTTC is much more recent. So consumers think “I’ll get cable TV” and then decide on their chosen vendor, which might be Verizon, Infinity/Comcast, or some other provider. They don’t think so much about the underlying technology.
I’m puzzled by the network topology diagram you gave in the article. If it’s correct, Verizon has complete access to your network and all devices on it since they have complete access to their router/modem. Normally one would place a firewall/router between Verizon’s box and their own network.
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Yes, you do need your own wireless access point. Absolutely. And your own router/firewall.
They control everything on their router. They can examine and capture all traffic – both outbound and your local traffic. They can open inbound ports on your router so that a service that you think is for local use only is now exposed to everyone on the internet – think RDP, HTTP, SMTP, SNMP, SMB for a few. Do you really want Verizon and possibly the rest of the world to have access to your local services and local traffic? What happens to your security if they even innocently misconfigure leaving a port open or leaving PnP turned on?
There’s also no way I’d let Verizon run a piece of software on my network but that’s just me. I guess that’s up to how much you trust a phone company.
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While I completely agree with the concept of using your own router, the problem for most people is what happens when things go wrong. If all the hardware is from the ISP, then they are on the hook to fix it. When you own your own router, the ISP can just blame any issue on your router.
Techies can simply connect a computer to the modem to see if the router really is the source of the problem. Or, we can learn to understand what the lights on the modem mean. But for non techies, having one place to call where they are on the hook for fixing any problem is obviously appealing.
Get up to speed on router security at RouterSecurity.org and Defensive Computing at DefensiveComputingChecklist.com
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I agree using their hardware does eliminate some problems – I use Charter/Spectrum’s modem/router instead of buying one for just that reason. More expensive, yes, but less grief when talking to support. I also put my own router/firewall behind it. I get around the finger pointing by tell them “you make your hardware work when I have my laptop plugged directly into to it and I’ll take it from there with the rest of the net”.
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Yes, that’s right. Glass to the FIOS interface box, then copper from there to the router. As I said, two outputs – RJ-45 for pure Internet and COAX for TV. But the COAX network must include a connection to the router, or TV service won’t work properly. That’s because boxes attached to the TV, which are connected via COAX, must have a way to get to the Internet. The router is extending a network over COAX so the TV boxes can get to the Internet.
I’ve been on Google Gigabit Fiber for the past 3 years and their fiber “wall jack” only includes an ethernet port.
Their TV service, which I didn’t purchase and they no longer provide, required a second box that used COAX to connect to the TV and an ethernet cable that connected back to a “specific” port on their gateway router that could only be used to for TV service.
Initially I had to use their gateway router but, about a year after I signed up for their service, they made a change to their system that allowed users to connect their own “in-house” gateway routers to their fiber wall jack via ethernet so my Linksys WRT1200AC router is now directly connected to the fiber wall jack using a short 2 foot long ethernet cable.
BTW, I still have the Google gateway router (in it’s original box with all its accessories) since they didn’t want it back.
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Yes, I suspect that if Will connected a Linksys router to the Ethernet port on his modem (“interface box” in his words) the router would work just fine.
Get up to speed on router security at RouterSecurity.org and Defensive Computing at DefensiveComputingChecklist.com
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Yes, if you supply your own router and keep the Wi-Fi enabled on the ISP router, then the ISP Wi-Fi is fine for Guests. IoT is a matter of opinion. However, there is a good chance that one or both routers does a miserable job of picking a Wi-Fi channel, so you should pick the channels manually in this case.
Get up to speed on router security at RouterSecurity.org and Defensive Computing at DefensiveComputingChecklist.com
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Good point on the channels. Two devices on the same channel isn’t the end of the world but it’s always better to spread them out.
Having IOT on an isolated network makes those devices no different than any other device out on the internet as far as interacting with your personal network. The only problem I see is that if one of them goes rogue, you’ll get blamed for the traffic it creates since it’ll be coming out of your modem.
Best thing to do with IOT hardware is to stick it behind its own router/firewall and rate-limit the communications from that net. At that point we’re getting into more complexity that most would want to mess with. Letting IOT only talk to your ISP’s hardware and keeping it off of your personal data network is a huge step in the right direction for security.
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Normally one would place a firewall/router between Verizon’s box and their own network.
That’s a very good point. But it also means that one would need their own wireless access point.
Verizon pushes people very hard to install their app on at least one PC. during the installation of my first Verizon deployment in my home, the installer put the app on my PC without asking me first. I was allowing him to use my PC to check the router, which could have been done with a browser. I rarely lose my cool, but I dressed the guy down (mostly for not asking permission) and filed a complaint with Verizon.
So yes, Verizon can see the traffic because it’s going through the router. But I don’t see evidence that the router is doing anything evil. I hope I’m right.
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It not so much that they can see the traffic going out of your LAN but that they can see all of the traffic on your LAN – all the traffic between your machines, all the trafffic to your NAS, and to your printer, and that’s usually not encrypted.
A hundred bucks spent on your own Wi-Fi router between your LAN and Verizon’s box will fix this gaping security hole.
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In the case of Will’s network, the Verizon box would, almost definitely, not see any Ethernet traffic at all. Ethernet frames between LAN side devices should stay within in his big Linksys switch.
In general, what you are saying is true. Will’s network is an exception.
Get up to speed on router security at RouterSecurity.org and Defensive Computing at DefensiveComputingChecklist.com
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There seems to be a lot of confusion in several of these posts and I’m only replying to this one because it is simplest and somewhat related to my answer. I just had Verizon FIOS installed a couple months ago to replace ever more expensive Comcast (I cut my bill more in half). The termination point for the fiber installed by Verizon is a small box called an ONT (Optical Network Terminator) which jacks into the wall plug where the fiber comes into the house. There was absolutely no pressure to install their router — I simply moved my Linksys router from the Comcast connection to the ONT connection, made one change in the router setup to account for the fact that I no longer had the Comcast fixed IP address and everything worked. I run 6 devices hardwired (computers, printers, Roku) through ethernet and maybe a dozen devices (laptops, phones) on WiFi and everything coexists with no problems.
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By the way I have Verizon consumer not business service.
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Effectively, the ONT is a modem.
Technically, it’s not. The only similarity is that both sit at the same position in the network hierarchy.
The significant difference is that modems convert analog RF signals to digital and vice versa. Optical systems are inherently digital, so an optical interface converts light pulses into electrical pulses, and vice versa.
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Is there any value in installing a VPN
I don’t know how to answer that question. Networking isn’t my specialty, so I don’t want to offer advice beyond my comfort zone.
I have deployed VPN a few times for clients, but it always involved special cases. For example, 17 years ago a client wanted to be able to log into his office from his home PC, effectively joining its domain. Routers with VPN were installed in both places. The use case was the comfort level of the client, who was concerned about the confidential nature of his customer’s data.
Today, we’re doing banking online and depending upon SSL. The data is encrypted between a browser and a Web site, so those encrypted packets flow through the router.
It’s a good question, though.
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Will,
A VPN is the best answer to your original issue, dealing with the IP address whitelist.
One option is a small mom and pop VPN provider that only has one server in a given city. Pick two cities and add the IP address of these two VPN servers to the allow list. Or, with a larger VPN company, pick just one specific server in a couple different cities. Most, but not all, large VPN providers will show you all their servers in a particular city. If you want recommendations for specific VPN providers, email me.
This is a more flexible solution than a static public IP address. If nothing else, it lets you be on the IP white list even when away from home.
Michael Horowitz
Get up to speed on router security at RouterSecurity.org and Defensive Computing at DefensiveComputingChecklist.com
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Speaking of Verizon FIOS – many years back a relative of mine converted from cable to FIOS. The router Verizon provided was doing WEP encryption for Wi-Fi, years and years and years after it had been shown to be insecure. The router was capable of WPA2, but was doing WEP by default. Security is not a concern for any ISP.
Get up to speed on router security at RouterSecurity.org and Defensive Computing at DefensiveComputingChecklist.com
Well to my understanding some questionable statements regarding FIOS in this thread.
Let me try to explain. The FIOS ‘signal’ comes to the premise (or, as in my case, into) on a Fiber Optic cable. This plugs into an Optical Network Terminal (ONT ). The ONT may supply a connection for a phone (RJ11 IIRC) , Ethernet RJ45 and an RJ6 MoCA connection for signal to Set Top Box (STB) and router (G3100 in my and Will’s case). This later can be for your internet and/or chat between G3100 and STB (on demand video and TV guide stuff)
I do not know if the protocols work between the ONT and one of the Best Buy ‘modems’. They do have the same connectors but I do not know just what the function would be if so.
As to using one’s own router as the primary, it is possible (or even only router if certain TV functions are forgone).
This is my configuration:
Background material for this:
https://www.dslreports.com/faq/15992
https://www.dslreports.com/faq/verizonfios
The black box in the middle labeled VZ router would be the G3100.
There are several ways to do this but IMHO this is the easiest but one needs to review the materials.
However %100 NOT Plug and Play
Maybe more like plug and pray.🍻
Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.3 users thanked author for this post.
big Linksys switch
That made me laugh. That switch is pretty tiny. The scale of my drawing might be off, though.
Will’s network is an exception.
What’s the exception?
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All Ethernet devices plugged into your own switch.
This should prevent Ethernet device -> Ethernet device traffic from ever hitting the Verizon router which is a good thing.
I used to copy a large file between two ethernet devices on my LAN and it went through my router, which showed a 99% cpu usage during the file copy.
Get up to speed on router security at RouterSecurity.org and Defensive Computing at DefensiveComputingChecklist.com
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Yes, I suspect that if Will connected a Linksys router to the Ethernet port on his modem (“interface box” in his words) the router would work just fine.
I absolutely know that to be true for Verizon Business FIOS because I’ve done exactly that. I don’t know it to be true for consumer FIOS.
As to using one’s own router as the primary it is possible
I’ve never tried that.
I don’t think I care if the G3100 sits at the top of the heap. I’m most interested in a secure wired network. If I develop further concerns, the advice here to add a firewall and wireless access point downstream of the G3100 seems on target.
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My “original” Google Fiber setup was ONT wall jack ⇒ Google Fiber box (GFRG100) ⇒ Personal router (Linksys WRT1200AC) ⇒ Internal network (both Wifi & Ethernet).
Then Google changed their service to allow “direct connection” of end user gateways/routers so…
My “existing” Google Fiber setup is now ONT wall jack ⇒ Personal router (Linksys WRT1200AC) ⇒ Internal network (both Wifi & Ethernet).
And making the change was dirt simple with absolutely no drama at all!
I unplugged the “existing” Google Fiber box from the ONT wall jack, plugged my Linksys router in it’s place, power cycled the ONT wall jack (it’s powered by a small “wall brick” style transformer) and, once everything synced up (the ONT LED turned solid blue) it all worked with no further steps needed.
BTW Will, according to various online sites, it is possible to use your own router with Verizon consumer FIOS service and, as long its standalone FIOS (i.e. not FIOS + TV), setting it up is just as simple as what I did with my Google Fiber.
Note: the above link also includes instructions on how to use your own router with Verizon’s FIOS + TV service but it’s a more complicated setup.
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is UPNP broadcast based?
I don’t know but disabling UPnP is a standard thing for anyone interested in security.
Get up to speed on router security at RouterSecurity.org and Defensive Computing at DefensiveComputingChecklist.com
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Correct me if I’m wrong, but connecting the WAN port of a second router to the LAN port of the Verizon modem/router/Wi-Fi box should not have anything to do with the Verizon box’s WAN DHCP services. It’s just another device on the Verizon LAN. One caveat, be sure the new router’s LAN IP range is different than the Verizon LAN IP range. I.E. if the Verizon uses 192.168.0.1-255, then don’t use that on the new router LAN.
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BTW Verizon support may not be great
I don’t mean to imply that Verizon support isn’t good. I think my second interaction was an aberration, because historically I’ve been extremely happy with support.
My gripe this time is that the G3100 came configured in a way that instantly destroyed performance. That wasn’t tech support’s fault, and Terri cleared that up. For all I know, she was acting outside Verizon’s desires, but she did solve the problem and she did it fast. I think she’s good at her job, but I also think she’d gone through it before because there was no hesitation in what she did.
So, no blanket condemnation of Verizon support was intended.
One caveat, be sure the new router’s LAN IP range is different than the Verizon LAN IP range.
That’s a good tip.
The G3100 came configured with 192.168.1.X. Admin is at 192.168.1.1.
And your own router/firewall.
Which router/firewall do you use?
I use a Ubiquiti UDM Pro with a Ubiquiti 24 port POE switch and six Ubiquiti Wireless Access Points. (It’s covering almost 9,000 sqft on three levels.) I like the Ubiquiti because of the software defined network that allows me four independent wireless and wired networks over one set of hardware, all manageable and updatable from a single administration point. This is all fed by the Comcast/Spectrum modem with T-Mobile as a backup connection. The firewall also supports “geofencing” to block a long list of countries – both in and out. Call me paranoid but I’ve been in this business a long, long time. You only need to get bitten once to become a believer.
Currently it’s defined as a personal network, a guest network, an “IOT” network, and a test network. It also supports a home surveilance system.
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I use Peplink which is, in my opinion, a step up from Ubiquiti. But, they do not offer geofencing. If the geofencing is based on IP addresses, be aware that it is far from perfect. Still, I have no doubt its helpful and every little bit helps.
Peplink can do generic DNS blocking, so I can configure it such that no device on the LAN can contact any .cn or .ru domain. Does Ubiquiti offer this?
As to your VLANs (that’s what your “networks” are), let me suggest two for IoT. One where the devices can not see each other and one where they can.
Get up to speed on router security at RouterSecurity.org and Defensive Computing at DefensiveComputingChecklist.com
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Correct me if I’m wrong, but connecting the WAN port of a second router to the LAN port of the Verizon modem/router/Wi-Fi box should not have anything to do with the Verizon box’s WAN DHCP services.
Correct
It’s just another device on the Verizon LAN.
Yes.
… be sure the new router’s LAN IP range is different than the Verizon LAN IP range. I.E. if the Verizon uses 192.168.0.1-255, then don’t use that on the new router LAN.
Agreed.
FYI: the official term for “LAN IP range” is subnet.
This page
https://routersecurity.org/ipaddresses.php
shows the default subnet used by many different router companies. The 192.168.1.x subnet is probably the most popular.Get up to speed on router security at RouterSecurity.org and Defensive Computing at DefensiveComputingChecklist.com
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Ubiquiti
Whew. Bit out of my budget.
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A VPN encrypts everything leaving and entering your computer bound for the Internet (not for your LAN). It also gives you a new public IP address which hides your physical location. Data is encrypted between your device and a VPN server run by a VPN company. That connection is called a tunnel. When data leaves the VPN server computer and goes to its ultimate destination, it is no longer encrypted by the VPN. If the data is a secure web page (HTTPS) that encryption is still in place. Big advantage is that an ISP can see nothing about what you are doing. A VPN does not “mask” anything other than your public IP address. It also changes the DNS configuration on your device while the VPN tunnel is active.
Get up to speed on router security at RouterSecurity.org and Defensive Computing at DefensiveComputingChecklist.com
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While on line, using a VPN, can a third party harvest a computer’s Microsoft Product Key, Name, Device ID, and/or Product ID?
Likewise, when not using a VPN is it possible for a third party harvest the same information?
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6 Things A VPN Hides and Protects And What it Doesn’t
https://www.cyberghostvpn.com/en_US/privacyhub/what-does-vpn-hide/Does a VPN change your MAC address?
No, it doesn’t. Your MAC address is assigned by the hardware manufacturer — and connecting to a VPN will not change it.
https://nordvpn.com/blog/mac-address/So no, you can’t hide your device ID from anyone by using a VPN. This is a more specific identifier than the Device Name.
I will not answer about Microsoft Product Keys due to possible legal/licensing issues involved.
-- rc primak
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MAC addresses are now, more and more, assigned randomly by either the OS running your device or by the router. Its a somewhat recent security feature to avoid tracking across multiple Wi-Fi networks. The same device will now typically have a different MAC address on each SSID.
Get up to speed on router security at RouterSecurity.org and Defensive Computing at DefensiveComputingChecklist.com
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Or the famous one where a women that miscarried got pampers ads. A little more than annoying IMHO.
🍻
Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.1 user thanked author for this post.
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I hope this comment is not too off-topic.
We’ve had 2 of 3 TP-Link 2.5GbE unmanaged switches fail during the recent past.
Out of frustration with Tech Support, I decided to tear down one of the failed switches.
I’ll attach a simple drawing, that attempts to show a section view of the heatsink:
That heatsink has 2 surfaces at two different elevations. The space directly above the red plane is filled in with a thermal interface material that hardens into a chalk-like substance.
That design is clearly vulnerable to over-heating, and that is exactly what happened to both failed switches.
We cured this problem by replacing all TP-Link switches with comparable QNAP switches, which operate much cooler.
Problem solved.
RSVP if anyone wishes to know the TP-Link model number.
Bottom line: I voided the warranty (obviously) on the switch I tore down, and the retailer did not want the defective parts shipped to them.
p.s. We had prior experience with defective heatsinks many years ago, when we isolated a problem caused by the defective “push-pins” on Intel’s stock CPU HSF. That experience is archived here:
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Many companies make switches. Just curious, why did you go with QNAP? I did not know they even made switches.
Get up to speed on router security at RouterSecurity.org and Defensive Computing at DefensiveComputingChecklist.com
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Verizon refuses to install FIOS in my area so I still have DSL with a modem at 1 Mbps. I watch movies at midnight when everyone is asleep.
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Verizon refuses to install FIOS in my area
Verizon seems to be on and off in this regard. About 10 years ago, the company said it would stop building out fiber in general, but certainly in my area. Then just a couple of years later, there was equipment all over my neighborhood and in it came.
I still have DSL with a modem at 1 Mbps.
Maybe you’re a candidate for Starlink.
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Using your own router with Verizon FIOS
There’s an interesting twist here.
My problem was clearly with the wired side of the Verizon router. The Wi-Fi site was unaffected and ran at speed. (Note: my performance problems may not have been fully eliminated.)
If I install my own router and wireless access point, everything in my home will end up on the wired side of the Verizon router.
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A bit late to the party here (health problems), but I had 1G FIOS installed in mid January. As part of the package, I received a Verizon CR1000A router and extender, both rent free. The CR1000A has 2-2.5gb ports and 1 10gb port. It has a MOCA adapter built-in (Ethernet over COAX for TV STB).
Initially, I was getting 900 Mbps in both directions (wired with a Realtek 2.5Gbps NIC). Verizon pushed a router firmware update and now I rarely hit 900 down and cannot break 500 on the up link. Like you, I suspect that there’s some hidden QOS setting that favors wireless to the detriment of wired. I’ve had Verizon managers and technicians at the house multiple times. They acknowledge the problem, but don’t know how to fix it. They claim that being oversubscribed/provisioned is not the problem. On-line support is useless – if the connection from the router to their server works, then the problem must be me even though it’s their hardware.
If I swap their router with my Netgear Nighthawk R8000, I can get 900 in both directions. Put their router back (which is a better router) and speeds suck. By the way, as of last year, it’s no longer required to have Verizon branded hardware for the TV channel guide or content – any MoCA 2.5 Network Adapter will suffice.
On a whim, I put my Netgear router out front and plugged the Verizon router into the Netgear. I expected double NATing, but to my surprise, the network configured itself. My Netgear router was assigned 10.0 private addressing and the Verizon equipment retained 192.168. I only did this for speed testing and didn’t check the topology or security. I’m not sure if Verizon can push firmware updates to their router and STB in this configuration.
I’ve tried Intel and Realtek NICs and still have the same problem with the Verizon router. My Ethernet cables are CAT 6/7. IPv6 enabled/disabled makes no difference. My desktop also has WiFi 6, but I have the radio turned off.
As a side note, people with Verizon FIOS using Intel NICs and Wifi need to be aware of this Intel technical bulletin:
Disabling TCP-IPv6 Checksum Offload Capability
Read the bulletin, then download and run the PS script. If this is too difficult/confusing, I wrote a step-by-step how to document and work-around should someone need it.
IPv6 is now enabled by default for Verizon hardware and it should work given that the IETF made a draft in 1998 and ratified it as an Internet Standard in 2017 (/snarky). There’s an unacceptable amount of TCP “resends” on the Verizon uplink (3-15%) that also impacts speed. Since I’m now retired, Verizon support won’t allow me to speak to level 2 tech to present my findings and proof that a problem exists upstream.
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