Double Nat

[DennisRF]

Good Day,
I have an Arris tg2472g combination router/modem supplied by my isp. This unit runs moca for my tivo.
I also have an Asus rt-a66u which I am trying to set up for the more robust features i.e. vpn, aicloud and such however, I am running into a double nat problem that I can't figure out how to get around or if it is even possible with this type of setup. I have searched google on the matter and I am not having much luck finding something that I can use or maybe understand to get it sorted.
Any help is always appreciated.

Dennis

 

[sfx2000]

Why are you wasting time with the RT-AC66U - the TG2472G pretty much outclasses it in every way possible...

Just use it and be happy... You can donate or eWaste the RT-AC66U, and you'll be better off...

Specs on the Arris box here

https://www.arris.com/globalassets/resources/data-sheets/tg2492s3.pdf

 

[DennisRF]

Why are you wasting time with the RT-AC66U - the TG2472G pretty much outclasses it in every way possible...

Just use it and be happy... You can donate or eWaste the RT-AC66U, and you'll be better off...

Specs on the Arris box here

https://www.arris.com/globalassets/resources/data-sheets/tg2492s3.pdf

I am wasting my time because the arris while it's specs are impressive doesn't allow me to do what I want to do. Thanks for your reply

 

[sfx2000]

I am wasting my time because the arris while it's specs are impressive doesn't allow me to do what I want to do. Thanks for your reply

What do you want to do?

 

[RMerlin]

OpenVPN is fairly easy to handle in a double NAT setup - just one single port to forward on your fronting Arris.

AiCloud should be easy as well, port 443/tcp should be forwarded.

You will have to run your DDNS on a computer however, unless the Arris supports any DDNS service.

Still not ideal however if you have other LAN applications that rely on port forwards/UPnP to work properly.

 

[DennisRF]

What do you want to do?

As I explained in my initial post. With the inferior Asus I can enable a vpn server as well as Aicloud which is my personal cloud storage accessible from anywhere. These are things I can't do with the Arris. The only reason I have the Arris is my isp says I need it for the Tivo.

 

[CaptainSTX]

As I explained in my initial post. With the inferior Asus I can enable a vpn server as well as Aicloud which is my personal cloud storage accessible from anywhere. These are things I can't do with the Arris. The only reason I have the Arris is my isp says I need it for the Tivo.

Tivo's can be connected using either MOCA or Ethernet. Any possibility for using Ethernet to interconnect your Tivo boxes instead of MOCA?

 

[DennisRF]

Tivo's can be connected using either MOCA or Ethernet. Any possibility for using Ethernet to interconnect your Tivo boxes instead of MOCA?

My isp insists on using MOCA otherwise I get no support from them if an issue arises

 

[DennisRF]

OpenVPN is fairly easy to handle in a double NAT setup - just one single port to forward on your fronting Arris.

AiCloud should be easy as well, port 443/tcp should be forwarded.

You will have to run your DDNS on a computer however, unless the Arris supports any DDNS service.

Still not ideal however if you have other LAN applications that rely on port forwards/UPnP to work properly.

Looking through the utility page of the Arris it appears to support DynDNS as well as a few others

 

[RMerlin]

Looking through the utility page of the Arris it appears to support DynDNS as well as a few others

Note that DynDNS no longer offer their free service however, but have a look at the others.

 

[DennisRF]

Note that DynDNS no longer offer their free service however, but have a look at the others.

yes I also see Noip as well. they do offer a free service as well as upgrades. I don't mind paying a fee if I can get this working the way I want.

 

[CaptainSTX]

My isp insists on using MOCA otherwise I get no support from them if an issue arises

Strange. As I have used Tivos with two cable companies and two ISPs and have always connected my four Tivo boxes using Ethernet. In over two years I have never had a networking issue. The diffrence in your situation could be that I own my equipment and don't rent it from the cable company.

 

[DennisRF]

Strange. As I have used Tivos with two cable companies and two ISPs and have always connected my four Tivo boxes using Ethernet. In over two years I have never had a networking issue. The diffrence in your situation could be that I own my equipment and don't rent it from the cable company.

I understand. I am using their combined cable/router with telephone so that could be why.

 

[SoCalReviews]

I understand. I am using their combined cable/router with telephone so that could be why.

I wouldn't worry about running double NAT from a performance standpoint. The current router hardware is good enough to negate the performance losses. I set double NAT up on Verizon FIOS for a relative. They needed the Verizon Quantum modem/router to be connected for phone, TV, etc. but they like the performance and features of the 68P Asus router.

I didn't have to make any changes to the Verizon Quantum modem/router. I just plugged in into the FIOS modem LAN port and it works great. I tested on speedtest.net a consistently higher internet throughput using the Asus (double NATed) wireless as opposed to the FIOS wireless which is also AC.... go figure. It probably has something to do with it going through the FIOS modem/router's Ethernet port versus it's wireless radio.

Btw... With my own home setup I did see a nice performance boost going from an RT-N66U to the RT-AC68P and then another small jump to the 1900P. If double NAT works for you then you could consider upgrading your Asus router. The Asus N/AC66 series routers with their single core CPU have become quite outdated.

 

[sfx2000]

As I explained in my initial post. With the inferior Asus I can enable a vpn server as well as Aicloud which is my personal cloud storage accessible from anywhere. These are things I can't do with the Arris. The only reason I have the Arris is my isp says I need it for the Tivo.

Have you considered a "starter" NAS box from Synology or QNAP?

Pretty much does the same thing - but better, and you don't need to worry about double-NAT then...

 

[SoCalReviews]

Have you considered a "starter" NAS box from Synology or QNAP?

Pretty much does the same thing - but better, and you don't need to worry about double-NAT then...

Then you have to consider whether the throughput limitations of your router and your NAS device are better or worse than simply using double NAT with two routers. I've read that the throughput restrictions for a NAS device can be a major issue that can only be solved by using a better and more expensive NAS device (dual Ethernet, more RAM, faster CPU, etc.) and a better and much more expensive router that can handle the throughput. You have to decide what the best, simplest and most cost effective solution is.

 

[Cake]

I prefer to be double nat'd. Wasn't sure before, but after some thinking about it, being that I don't own the first one (edge) I cant trust it. Especially when you do not get the passwords to configure it. I heard about some ISPs logging in and opening up another AP on their equipment. I am sure it is vlan'd or whatever, but best to play it safe.
Dennis if you run a openvpn server instead of the client on your ac66u, you will have to remember to manually edit the ovpn file the router generates, (it generated 192.*.*.*)