Dummy ISP to test network setup

[DDE12]

I have been having annoying internet issues for several weeks that I think is due to the cable company's modem (Spectrum) but they do not see any problems on their end. Is there a way to setup another PC as a "dummy" ISP that will provide an "external" IP address? My thinking is that if the dummy setup works, then there is an issue with Spectrum modem or service in general. Thanks for taking a look at this.

 

[coxhaus]

It is possible it could be Spectrum but more than likely it is your problem. Spectrum has so many users setup the same way.
You don't mention your equipment nor your problem. Have you tried a different router?

Unless you own an external IP address you cannot play ISP. The cost would be a lot more than you can imagine.

 

[DDE12]

I have tried numerous setups and would like to make a fake public IP on a PC so that when I plug the WAN port of a router into it that router will get a WAN IPv4 Address, WAN Gateway (and maybe a WAN domain name). That way I will know that my setup is capable of getting "out". I'm not looking for help with the various setups, just a way to test them without the cable modem involved, and therefore not owning an external IP address, just emulating one in my house.

 

[ColinTaylor]

I guess it would depend on what kind of internet connection you're trying to emulate, dhcp, static, pppoe, pptp, l2tp, etc.

If it's just a regular Ethernet connection with DHCP you could use any old router. There's really no difference between the upstream router's DHCP server giving out a private address or a public address. Depending on the specific router you use it may not even complain if you try and set its "LAN" IP range to something that's in the public address space.

 

[coxhaus]

I don't see a second router telling you much of anything other than trying a different router.

Why don't you ask for help with your problem? There are a lot of experienced people on these forums.

 

[DDE12]

Thanks ColinTaylor. Duh! I really should have though of that myself. It does appear though that if you are working w/ VLANs the router supplying the WAN needs to be VLAN capable. I tried using an old Belkin (10+ years old) as the dummy WAN and did not work but did when I put it at the "end of the line" and a VLAN capable Buffalo as the dummy WAN.

As I am trying to learn how to setup managed switches, VLANs, OpenWrt x86, subnetworks; this will give me a WAN to ping test without having to connect to my ISP and shutdown the internet for the rest of the house. So yes, coxhaus, I have been seeking advice on specifics.

I know this setup won't guarantee that I can browse the internet without issue (as coxhaus is probably thinking) but I did come across WANEM. This would probably be capable of creating a dummy internet to test just about everything, but then I would have to learn how to use WANEM, and that is more than I want to get into.

Thanks a lot to everyone for taking a look at this. The family is much less annoyed w/ me now.

 

[follower]

I have been having annoying internet issues for several weeks that I think is due to the cable company's modem (Spectrum) but they do not see any problems on their end. Is there a way to setup another PC as a "dummy" ISP that will provide an "external" IP address? My thinking is that if the dummy setup works, then there is an issue with Spectrum modem or service in general. Thanks for taking a look at this.

1. What is your internet issue?
2. What do you exactly want to do?
3. What is your real purpose?
4. Wanna bypass some software authorizations?
5. Do you want physical or virtual testing environment?

 

[coxhaus]

I know this setup won't guarantee that I can browse the internet without issue (as coxhaus is probably thinking) but I did come across WANEM. This would probably be capable of creating a dummy internet to test just about everything, but then I would have to learn how to use WANEM, and that is more than I want to get into.

If you need real internet registered IP addresses that will work on the internet then it is not going to happen for anything you can afford. If you are building a simulated fake ISP with private IP addresses then you can do it.