Question

Mesh Wi-Fi 6 System

  • 14 April 2021
  • 59 replies
  • 34112 views
D
Userlevel 2
Badge

On the new grey 5G home internet box, when you connect to its web page (typically http://192.168.12.1/), on the Overview screen, under the Devices panel, one of the items listed is “Mesh Wi-Fi 6 System”, just above “Wireless” and “Ethenet”. This implies a third way of networking devices (it currently says 0 connected). I have a Deco Wi-Fi 6 mesh router and was wondering if they could be interconnected by something other than an ethnet cable. Is this something that is currently implemented or is it just a planned feature for a future expansion?

On their product page (https://www.t-mobile.com/isp/gateway) where it lists device features, it also says “Mesh expandable    Yes”, but I haven’t found any details about this in the documentation.

59 replies

D

I have the Eero mesh devices, and also would like to know if can connect without an ethernet cable, making the TMo HI device the primary and my Eeros as secondary for the mesh.

M

Just an FYI anyone searching this. It’s coming. But it’s probably going through checks and getting ready. But a device wouldn’t have gone through the FCC if such a device doesn’t ext.
Mesh Beacon Passes FCC

B

There’s a guy on YouTube “Nater Tater” who has some reviews and other videos related to this. It seems double nat with your existing mesh network is the best solution for now, until a beacon comes out for the gateway. 

C
Userlevel 4
Badge +3

I have an Orbi router and two satellites.   Not certain it is a true mesh system.

I simply connected the Orbi router WAN/Internet port to a free ethernet port on the T-Mobile Gateway.    In the Orbi I changed it to Access Point mode.   No other changes.

 

1

NETGEAR - Orbi RBK753S AX4200 Wi-Fi 6 Mesh Router with Two Satellite Extenders, whats the easiest way to use the orbi router and 2 sattellites with the Tmobile wifi router???????????

 

Gary

MisterK
Userlevel 5
Badge +3

I watched all of Nate’s videos. They are very helpful. One thing I would suggest for anyone starting off with a new T-Mobile Gateway is to not change any settings until you understand what the settings do. I made a bunch of changes, but that just caused me more work since I didn’t know what I was doing in the beginning!

MisterK
Userlevel 5
Badge +3

The “Mesh Wi-Fi 6 System” is a mystery. I have called and asked T-Mobile what it is, and they don’t know. To me it implies that extenders can be wirelessly connected, and looking at Nokia’s mesh system (T-Mobile’s gateway is made by Nokia), there are beacons that can be added to extend. I really hope that soon there will be a wireless extender made for the T-Mobile gateway. For now, the only way I see to extend the gateway’s WiFi is with a router connected by ethernet.

magenta9856549
Badge

What does double NAT mean. Does it mean having two WIFI networks? Do they not make wireless nodes that will hookup to the gateway? I see Nokia has a WIFI Beacon 6 but it is not available yet.

So with networking, think of each router as a network (including the T-Mobile home gateway, because it’s also a router). If you link a router behind another router, you’re essentially putting a network behind another network. Each Network has their own address scheme and mapping (NAT), and each need settings on how they communicate between each other and the internet. This brings about different pros and cons.

I’m running a double NAT now, because i have an Asus Mesh (no other mesh is compatible, let alone T-mobile’s “iffy” mesh, not sure about bridge-moding the main router and how it could affect the other nodes). So far, i don’t have any loss of speed/performance, but sometimes my router connection does go down (over dhcp conflicts? my only big issue). IPv6 works fine once i set it through passthrough. In terms of port-forwarding, does the T-mo gateway NOT have a firewall? I get that most of the traffic they block is on their end, but so far nothing is blocked (i only need to forward on my Asus router, and everything goes through). Any tips or advice on settings/config to keep stability/security would be appreciated.

Is there a way to disable DHCP / routing on the mesh network and use the TMO HI device as the sole/only router ?

That way, the TMO HI would give out IP addresses from it’s internal router instead of creating an interference with 2 different IP ranges being broadcast (Double NAT).

I want a seamless, hand off network that switches automatically to the strongest signal.

So I just picked up a Black Friday deal from Best Buy - 3 unit mesh Eero Dual Band AX Wifi 6 w/ wired backhaul that would be perfect for my tri level house and all the Apple devices we use….

 

BillA
Badge

Sooo … I started with Tmobile internet using the Askey TM-RTL0102, upgraded to the 5G Nokia FG-21 over 1 year ago. Today I received this email:

 

“You’re eligible for a new home internet gateway with Wi‑Fi 6 technology! Connect more devices to faster speeds, all at the same time. 

Simply return your current device, and we’ll set you up with a new one at no extra cost. It’s that easy.”

 

With a quick 5 minute phone call to Tmobile Home Internet at 844-275-9310  ... I will be receiving the “brand new” Orbi WiFi 6e Gateway Device, No Cost, just return the Nokia with the included RMA.

How exciting, I searched the web and can find no information on this new gateway being offered directly from Tmobile.  I will report back when this mystery device shows up …

Hopefully it is not as locked down as the Nokia FG-21.

Stay tuned!

 

Dulce est desipere in loco.
J

NETGEAR - Orbi RBK753S AX4200 Wi-Fi 6 Mesh Router with Two Satellite Extenders, whats the easiest way to use the orbi router and 2 sattellites with the Tmobile wifi router???????????

 

Gary

I have the same question. Not sure if I did it the way I’m supposed to but I set up the Orbi router and satellites using the same ssid and password as my T-Mobile gateway then went into Orbi afterwords and turned it into access point. 
 

will this cause any issues?

0
Userlevel 5
Badge +5

Now back to some mesh stuff that I also posted yesterday but it was not posted since I had the link in it.

 

I really need a mesh system as no one unit regardless of brand is going to cover my whole home. Issue is home is large and long and I have smart bulbs outside too as well as cars that need Wifi. I have in the past tried so many Wifi extenders moving things and always something winds up being disconnected and not reconnecting. Finally a friend told me he bought a Google Wifi and it ended his issues so I decided I have tried so many others why not. Out of the gate like this TM gateway the Google is limited but at the least has port forwarding and some basic features. I can only state my results in my home almost 2 years since install and rock solid everything stays connected all the time no issues. It has been used threw the whole pandemic with everyone working from home and the kids taking classes from home no issue. Again your results may vary and the Google Wifi is quite limited in features but seems to work. It is connected to a Comcast modem in bridge mode.

 

Now my dilemma my neighborhood is contract locked to Comcast we cannot get anyone else. Whole neighborhood has fiber for Verizon but that was 15 years ago and still 10 more years to go till the exclusive contract is up. Can you believe that Verizon laid the fiber 25 years ahead of when they can offer the service. Anyways I don’t like Comcast for many reasons, coming data cap that they want you to pay for overage, bundles of services I don’t need, high rates as you have to have a bundle as individual services are way overpriced, inconsistent speed.

 

So with my contract with Comcast coming up I decided to go with my only other option T-M. Now when I decided to order I had no idea it was backordered till mid Sept as my Comcast contract expires in Aug.

 

I initially assumed I could use bridge mode so no issue with my current mesh but later I found out I was wrong. Now keep in mind I don’t even have my unit yet I am just doing research so when I get it I can get it working asap.

 

At this point seems I will be going with double NAT and see how it goes.

 

As for placement I have found out many things. First I downloaded an app to my 5g phone for testing. For sure the best signal is by a window with a huge BUT! Did you know that many window screens are made of metal? So that means if you have metal window screens you have a Faraday cage that blocks all signals. My screens are metal and removing them when testing signal almost doubles my signal by the windows. On the T-M site my home shows as Fair 5G and Good LTE this does not sound to encouraging does it. Using the app I could see the tower I am attached to so I would test on that side of the house. I tried all windows and found a second floor window that gave the best signal and speed. Further the top half of that window provides at the least double the download speed. Though I cannot see threw trees using the map I theorize that this window/spot has the best least obstructed line of site to the tower. Moving one window to the right or left drops things more than half. To prepare things I built a shelf on the window to hold the modem when it comes. I ran a cable from that area to where my Google Wifi is so I can patch that right in when it comes.

 

So lesson is if you want the best speed and connection it will take some time as not every spot is equal and moving just a foot can make a big difference. Windows do seem to be the best location with the screen caveat.

 

Imp don’t forget to check your screens if they are metal remove them as they are blocking your signal for sure. Just look up Faraday cage if you need to see why.

 

 

B

I have as ASUS AX wifi 6router with a compatible aimesh ASUS AC1900 as a node and it works great all wireless.

P

I have the Arcadian KVD21 Gateway and added Eeri 6 Pro Mesh. I called and confirmed disabling the T-mobile wifi and/or router still not an option. I did not change Eeri to bridge mode and everything seems to be working fine. When I check T-mobile router is shows only one device connected (Eeri router). I am leery of making a change to something that does not appear broken. Will this for sure cause double NAT problem?

 

C

What does double NAT mean. Does it mean having two WIFI networks? Do they not make wireless nodes that will hookup to the gateway? I see Nokia has a WIFI Beacon 6 but it is not available yet.

BillA
Badge

I ran a double NAT arrangement with a Ubiquiti DreamMachine SE (dual access points) plugged into the  Nokia gateway for over 1 year.  No issues.  I recently upgraded to the Arcadian gateway and simply plugged an ethernet cable between the DreamMachine & Arcadian.  No issues.  

Like the Nokia, I will never use the wifi router built into the Arcadian.  I wouldn't worry about double NAT, the main issue would be reprogramming my 77 wifi devices every time I upgraded to a new gateway.

Now thats a nightmare! 

Dulce est desipere in loco.
B

I wanted to update my post regarding double nat. I just got off of a very long tmo tech support call with a knowledgeable tech, who informed me that the 1.2003.03.0178 firmware resolved the double nat issue. 

Based upon this information I unpacked my Google mesh wifi and installed it. Thus far I’ve had no connection issues, testing out all my video subscriptions, Nest camera feeds, etc. 

The tmo trashcan is still at 192.168.12.1 and is reachable from my macbook connected to the Google mesh network with a 192.168.86.xx address, with router & DNS both at 86.1.

007BondMI6, can you check your firmware and also find out if you are still truly double nat?

R

Does the data broadcast through the Mesh Router count as shared data?

L
Badge

I live in a 100 year old brick building.  I have one of the 2,500 sq ft condos.  The walls consist of brick, wire lathing, and plaster. (This is a serious Faraday cage)  I currently have comcast as my ISP but want to change.  To get a Wi-Fi signal through the condo I currently have an Orbi router and 5 satellites.  Would the T-Mobile gateway connect to my Orbi router and have enough bandwidth to service my home?

R

I have the Eero mesh devices, and also would like to know if can connect without an ethernet cable, making the TMo HI device the primary and my Eeros as secondary for the mesh.

 

Were you able to setup your eero mesh system with no issues? 

 

Also wondering if anyone was able to get a mesh system set up successfully.

A

What does double NAT mean. Does it mean having two WIFI networks? Do they not make wireless nodes that will hookup to the gateway? I see Nokia has a WIFI Beacon 6 but it is not available yet.

So with networking, think of each router as a network (including the T-Mobile home gateway, because it’s also a router). If you link a router behind another router, you’re essentially putting a network behind another network. Each Network has their own address scheme and mapping (NAT), and each need settings on how they communicate between each other and the internet. This brings about different pros and cons.

I’m running a double NAT now, because i have an Asus Mesh (no other mesh is compatible, let alone T-mobile’s “iffy” mesh, not sure about bridge-moding the main router and how it could affect the other nodes). So far, i don’t have any loss of speed/performance, but sometimes my router connection does go down (over dhcp conflicts? my only big issue). IPv6 works fine once i set it through passthrough. In terms of port-forwarding, does the T-mo gateway NOT have a firewall? I get that most of the traffic they block is on their end, but so far nothing is blocked (i only need to forward on my Asus router, and everything goes through). Any tips or advice on settings/config to keep stability/security would be appreciated.

F

1.2003.03.0168

 

How do you update firmware on the T-Mobile gateway?

F

1.2003.03.0168

 

How do you update firmware on the T-Mobile gateway?

Checked my App. The current firmware version is 1-2003.03-0178. I guess it is auto updated to the latest version?

B

Bad news. First I was told a new firmware is rollingling out to fix the issues with 0178 but she says they cannot push it that I have to wait about a week for it to come.

She was nice and helped me actually find a good line of site to the tower that I am connected to.

So I of course had to unplug the unit to move it and now I am stuck in an endless boot. I see the T then dot dot dot then dot dot dot then reboot over and over. I have tried reseting it with the button holding it nothing works same issue. Removed the SIM reseated noting same issue.

Called support spent a while finally they tell me I need an exchange they cant help I have to be transferred then I got disconnected. Now again waiting for someone to call me so I can get a replacement unit setup.

I guess it’s a good thing I have not ditched Comcast yet or I would be totally stuck.

 

 

DId you ever gotten your issued fixed

B

To make an Amplifi HD mesh system and T-Mobile Home Internet Gateway play nice:  I set the main Amplifi HD on bridge mode.  Refer to this article for reference -https://help.amplifi.com/hc/en-us/articles/220979347-Enabling-Bridge-Mode.  

When I had first connected the T-Mobile Home Internet Gateway to the my Amplifi HD mesh system using the DHCP mode, the main Amplifi HD worked and the mesh nodes did not work. 

So I contacted Amplifi tech support (via email)  and they said when there are 2 routers to use bridge mode on one of them, since 2 routers cause double NAT which may affect some services.  When I called T-Mobile, they said that T-Mobile Home Internet Gateway does not have bridge mode.   Therefore, I had to set the Amplifi HD to bridge mode.  Now, it all works fine and I get the same speed throughout the house and on all the mesh nodes.   By the way, my speed is usually around 60-70 Mbps down (or less sometimes), 9 up, a ping of 50-60 ms, and two bars showing on the gateway.

You should disable your nat on one that's would help it play nice better 

0
Userlevel 5
Badge +5

Unreal replacement gateway showed up you just swap the SIM to the new unit. Booted up says Celular HW failure does not get any bars. I called tech they we did everything now they think it is a tower issue really how would that be. They don't want to ship me another unit they are asking me to wait for an engineer to check the tower. I think it’s obvious I have another bad gateway and need a replacement.

 

Reply


New badge winners

  • Curious George
    Oogwayhas earned the badge Curious George
  • Curious George
    Karen Mhas earned the badge Curious George
  • Curious George
    Yamanhas earned the badge Curious George
  • Curious George
    sgtcurranhas earned the badge Curious George
  • Curious George
    codyho147has earned the badge Curious George
Show all badges
Terms & Conditions