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Possible to use T-Mobile 5G Home Internet Gateway with Dual Wan setup?

  • 22 September 2021
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Hello,

I am researching T-Mobile 5G Home Internet service before committing. Currently I am using a WiFi router that supports Dual Wan setup: i.e. Cable modem  + some other internet connection (i.e. DSL or Fiber or T-Mobile 5G Home Internet) with fail over to second internet connection if one of two connections is down.

Can T-Mobile 5G Home Internet Gateway be used as second internet connection with Dual Wan capable Wi-Fi router? If so, how? Can T-Mobile 5G Home Internet Gateway act as i.e. Motorola cable modem plugged into Wi-Fi router Wan port?

Thank you

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Best answer by #8c9491 10 December 2021, 18:16

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Any dual WAN I have used in the past would be fine with the TM Gateway.

How well you plug the dual WAN into the ethernet port of the gateway just like you would any other there would be no difference. This seems like to simple of a question maybe you were asking something else.

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Thank you. I am researching TM 5G gateway dual wan support with dual wan routers before even ordering it.

D

I think he is asking if both of the Ethernet ports on the T-Mobile gateway can be active and used at the same time.  Separate IP addresses, some cable modems (arris surfboard 8200, netgear cm1000 & up) can do this if you can get an additional IP address from your ISP, Comcast used to (still?) offer an additional IP on your account for about $7 a month.  A dual wan router will use both lines for added bandwidth and load balancing giving you an effective doubling of your connection speed while presenting one IP address to the outside world.  Neat trick, if you have the equipment to do it.  I do and I’m wondering if this little guy can do it too.

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Thank you all for input. I am already using T-Mobile 5G gateway in Dual WAN mode with ASUS router with Xfinity being a failover connection.. 5G Gateway WiFi access point is disabled.

D

Auto fail-over is another reason to do this if you have an internet connection you need to always be on such as for a home security system, dual-wan can use an ip address on cable, dsl, or cell as the second “backup” connection in that mode.  Any should work. 

 

L

#8c9491,

     So if I understand you, you have now gotten your T-Mobile 5G gateway, shut off its wi-fi (double NAT), and successfully setup your Asus router for dual-wan with T-Mobile primary and Xfinity secondary.  If so, have you tested the function by disconnecting T-Mobile, detecting failover to Xfinity, and then reconnecting T-Mobile to confirm fallback to T-Mobile?  Are there any “tricks” to this setup?  Thanks.

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#8c9491,

     So if I understand you, you have now gotten your T-Mobile 5G gateway, shut off its wi-fi (double NAT), and successfully setup your Asus router for dual-wan with T-Mobile primary and Xfinity secondary.  If so, have you tested the function by disconnecting T-Mobile, detecting failover to Xfinity, and then reconnecting T-Mobile to confirm fallback to T-Mobile?  Are there any “tricks” to this setup?  Thanks.

Yes, that’s correct. WiFi is turned off on T-Mobile Gateway + it’s connected to Asus RT-AX86U 2.5G port, Motorola cable modem for XFinity is connected to ASUS router Wan port. In Dual WAN setup T-Mobile is selected as main Wan, Xfinity as fail-over + fallback checkbox selected (using 5sec ping to google as connection check). When I disconnect T-Mobile Gateway form Asus router XFinity cable kicks in within 10sec, connecting T-Mobile Gateway back makes Asus to fallback to T-Mobile within 10sec. 

L

#8c9491,

          Thanks.  I setup the Dual WAN option on my Asus router (RT-AX88U) yesterday--T-Mobile primary and AT&T DSL (3 Mbps down/0.8 Mbps up) secondary.  It worked without issue!  Now I have to decide whether a 3D/0.8U backup is worth $85/mo.  :thinking:

R

#8c9491,

     So if I understand you, you have now gotten your T-Mobile 5G gateway, shut off its wi-fi (double NAT), and successfully setup your Asus router for dual-wan with T-Mobile primary and Xfinity secondary.  If so, have you tested the function by disconnecting T-Mobile, detecting failover to Xfinity, and then reconnecting T-Mobile to confirm fallback to T-Mobile?  Are there any “tricks” to this setup?  Thanks.

Yes, that’s correct. WiFi is turned off on T-Mobile Gateway + it’s connected to Asus RT-AX86U 2.5G port, Motorola cable modem for XFinity is connected to ASUS router Wan port. In Dual WAN setup T-Mobile is selected as main Wan, Xfinity as fail-over + fallback checkbox selected (using 5sec ping to google as connection check). When I disconnect T-Mobile Gateway form Asus router XFinity cable kicks in within 10sec, connecting T-Mobile Gateway back makes Asus to fallback to T-Mobile within 10sec. 

Please do share the details. I have contacted TMo tech support and they told me bridge mode is not supported by the TMo router, I can’t disable the WiFi and I can’t connect it simply as a modem to my existing load balanced dual WAN router + mesh network without the double NAT issue. 
 

it would really make my year if I could solve this 😀

 

Thanks

R

This question-thread is as close to my situation as I have found.

I use an “AiMesh” network with main router an ASUS RT-AX88U and two ASUS RT-AC88s (U and W) nodes. My Primary WAN is gigabit fiber with a static IP address (that I pay $5 a month for). I have had a CenturyLink 10MBs DSL line as my Secondary WAN connected via LAN port #1 on the main router using DHCP.

I’ve been trying to use the Arcadyan KVD21 T-Mobile Gateway to replace the DCL modem for the Secondary WAN connection. Simply jacking the KVD21 to the ASUS using Ethernet DOES NOT WORK as the ASUS Router complains that the router/ISP doesn’t correctly support DHCP. I noticed that the Secondary WAN connection advertises the IP address 192.168.12.195. I reconfigured the Secondary WAN connection from DHCP to Static IP using the “195” IP and this does work. 

HOWEVER, it seems that the “195” address is transient / dynamic. I’ve simulated failover by physically disconnecting the primary WAN a number of times and (since I have been using the Static IP for the secondary WAN connection) it’s worked OK. Last night however the Primary WAN ISP had a DNS issue so the Primary WAN connection failed and the Secondary WAN failover DID NOT WORK. 

I’ve spoken with t-mobile support and they tell me that “third party routers are not supported” which is pure nonsense (they shouldn’t even offer a service if users can’t connect decent network infrastructure. My network currently has over a dozen WIRED connections and three dozen wireless clients. Some of these devices ABSOLUTELY REQUIRE various kinds of special routing configurations. A prime example is an older HP laser printer with internal JetDirect interface. ANYWAY … there HAS TO BE a way to connect the t-mobile gateway to the ASUS mesh system. 

Can anyone say whether they have something truly similar to my situation working?  

By the way … I’ve tried all my experiments with the wi-fi on the gateway enabled AND disabled. In disabled mode I can get to the user interface via a browser and 192-168-12-1 HOWEVER the browser UI has nearly no capabilities (the App (requires wi-fi @&#$&#@) has “more” (but still pathetically little).

 

M

This question-thread is as close to my situation as I have found.

I use an “AiMesh” network with main router an ASUS RT-AX88U and two ASUS RT-AC88s (U and W) nodes. My Primary WAN is gigabit fiber with a static IP address (that I pay $5 a month for). I have had a CenturyLink 10MBs DSL line as my Secondary WAN connected via LAN port #1 on the main router using DHCP.

I’ve been trying to use the Arcadyan KVD21 T-Mobile Gateway to replace the DCL modem for the Secondary WAN connection. Simply jacking the KVD21 to the ASUS using Ethernet DOES NOT WORK as the ASUS Router complains that the router/ISP doesn’t correctly support DHCP. I noticed that the Secondary WAN connection advertises the IP address 192.168.12.195. I reconfigured the Secondary WAN connection from DHCP to Static IP using the “195” IP and this does work. 

HOWEVER, it seems that the “195” address is transient / dynamic. I’ve simulated failover by physically disconnecting the primary WAN a number of times and (since I have been using the Static IP for the secondary WAN connection) it’s worked OK. Last night however the Primary WAN ISP had a DNS issue so the Primary WAN connection failed and the Secondary WAN failover DID NOT WORK. 

I’ve spoken with t-mobile support and they tell me that “third party routers are not supported” which is pure nonsense (they shouldn’t even offer a service if users can’t connect decent network infrastructure. My network currently has over a dozen WIRED connections and three dozen wireless clients. Some of these devices ABSOLUTELY REQUIRE various kinds of special routing configurations. A prime example is an older HP laser printer with internal JetDirect interface. ANYWAY … there HAS TO BE a way to connect the t-mobile gateway to the ASUS mesh system. 

Can anyone say whether they have something truly similar to my situation working?  

By the way … I’ve tried all my experiments with the wi-fi on the gateway enabled AND disabled. In disabled mode I can get to the user interface via a browser and 192-168-12-1 HOWEVER the browser UI has nearly no capabilities (the App (requires wi-fi @&#$&#@) has “more” (but still pathetically little).

 

Yes, I have a similar setup, and unfortunately, I was told Bridge and passthrough mode does not work.  Something to do with IPv6 to IPv4 translation.  My feedback was provided to engineering, but it is starting to sound like that feedback has gone on def ears.  TMO home internet works great at our second property, but for home use I want to use the service but have a complex network setup that won’t allow this to work.  When I asked about this, one agent told me “Just put your router in wifi mode”.  My response “I know my router has way more capabilities and offers more security then the device you provide, how about you just add passthrough / bridge mode?”  There response “That wouldn’t be our recommendation, you should just put your device in wifi mode”.  I laughed then called back several other times and got different stories.

 

When I tested the device as a standalone device the service was awesome, far exceeded what spectrum could provide.  I want the service, just refuse to spend more money on network equipment to make it work when I already have the equipment and several other providers this setup works.  I was also told that VPN and Xbox gaming may not work on their device as well.  Not sure of the truth there.

iTinkeralot
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T-Mobile does run 464XLAT so they translate IPv4 to IPv6 and back to IPv4. In effect the 5G broadband solution runs across the cellular network which is IPV6. If you check the IP address on your phone with IP.ME you will see it report its IPv6 address for data communication. Some streaming services and P2P services do not work across the T-Mobile 464XLAT solution. They don’t do the traditional port forwarding was with an IPv4 networks and NAT. Some VPNs do work across the T-Mobile solution but others do not work as well. It has to be a VPN type that can recover. Some VPNs types cannot handle the changes to the shared IPv4 addressing that takes place. Not all VPN types are as good as others so you have to do your homework on this one. For general information as a start for VPN information.

A good place to start: https://www.netmotionsoftware.com/blog/connectivity/vpn-protocols

I am not a VPN expert I have just done a bit of research. It is pretty clear some are better than others and the stronger VPN with more capabilities will cost more. The IKEv2 type using shared keys can recover from disruptions to some degree. So, VPNs can work but some may not meet your demands.

What I have seen with the DHCP scope, on the Nokia gateway at least, is that they tend to have the DHCP scope from 101-254 so if you plan to use static addresses on the private network 192.168.12.0/24 use IP addresses below 100 but of course the gateway address is excluded so you can’t step on that either. If you duplicate the IP with another well that will cause problems. Don’t do it.

T-Mobile does have some FAQs regarding the hardware and different topics so those are good to check out. 

https://www.t-mobile.com/home-internet/faq?INTNAV=tNav%3AContactAndSupport%3AHomeInternetFAQ

The “Device Details” section part the way down the page has relevant FAQs. Also the “3rd party and equipment services” section also contains information to clarify things.

Oh yes, if you have not done so check out Nater Tater’s YouTube videos on the gateways. Very helpful information shared there.

Hope this helps someone on the thread.

 

Z

So I recently began using the Home Internet in conjunction with Spectrum Cable Internet. My Setup is as follows: I have both internet connections connected to a TP-Link ER605 Multi-WAN router. I have the settings set up with Load Balancing and Failover, with Spectrum as the Primary. This then runs to a TP-Link XE75 Pro Deco mesh router running in Access Point mode. I have no issues.

I live in a “Good” (according to the T-Mobile Modem) signal area. I usually get about 50mbps on my iPhone 13 ProMax when on the T-Mobile Cellular Network. I also have Spectrum Ultra which is 500/20, of which I usually max out at about 460 on downstream.

Here are how it is working for me: Regularly I get in the mid 600’s downstream and about 26 upstream. I regularly get spikes in the 700’s, but my peak speedtest was 1.2gbps with it bonded. 

So far it is working good. I have even thought about, and I’m not sure if possible to add a second T-Mobile Home Internet to my account. I am interested because Spectrum Gig, while available runs slower for me than Spectrum Ultra (Only get 300mbps when I’ve went to Gig with them and they can’t figure out why and I do have a DOCSIS 3.1 Arris modem), and would like to increase my speed a bit. The other option is just wait a little bit for The Red carrier to open up their home internet at my house (they are doing it street by street in my area) and bond the 3 connections together and have a fallback and never be offline.

G

Thank goodness I have been able to get it done today 

S

So I recently began using the Home Internet in conjunction with Spectrum Cable Internet. My Setup is as follows: I have both internet connections connected to a TP-Link ER605 Multi-WAN router. I have the settings set up with Load Balancing and Failover, with Spectrum as the Primary. This then runs to a TP-Link XE75 Pro Deco mesh router running in Access Point mode. I have no issues.

I live in a “Good” (according to the T-Mobile Modem) signal area. I usually get about 50mbps on my iPhone 13 ProMax when on the T-Mobile Cellular Network. I also have Spectrum Ultra which is 500/20, of which I usually max out at about 460 on downstream.

Here are how it is working for me: Regularly I get in the mid 600’s downstream and about 26 upstream. I regularly get spikes in the 700’s, but my peak speedtest was 1.2gbps with it bonded. 

So far it is working good. I have even thought about, and I’m not sure if possible to add a second T-Mobile Home Internet to my account. I am interested because Spectrum Gig, while available runs slower for me than Spectrum Ultra (Only get 300mbps when I’ve went to Gig with them and they can’t figure out why and I do have a DOCSIS 3.1 Arris modem), and would like to increase my speed a bit. The other option is just wait a little bit for The Red carrier to open up their home internet at my house (they are doing it street by street in my area) and bond the 3 connections together and have a fallback and never be offline.

@ZeroOveride - do you have anything on your network that requires port forwarding, security cameras, servers/software that you need to connect when you are outside of your home? I am looking at a similar setup using tp-link er7206 router with load balance and failover, curious if you are running into connection issues because of the double NAT created on the t-mobile portion of the connection. 
 

if anyone else has any feedback on the setup please share. 
 

it wasn’t until after I signed up when I started to think back to when I had an xfinity gateway a long time ago that they gave trouble enabling various “simple” features. My fix to that was order a cable modem and run theirs back. Remembering that I began to research the t-mobile and realized I was running into the same situation again and doesn’t sound like any fixes.

 

thanks

S

For anyone attempting to access self-hosted services while outside your home network, I’d strongly recommend using Cloudflare Tunnels.  The service is free and doesn’t require any port forwarding or having to punch holes in firewalls.  You run the cloud tunnel service on your local network adjacent to the services you’re trying to reach remotely and it creates a secure tunnel to their cloud platform where you can create host names and setup extra verification steps to add a layer of security so that only you can reach your services remotely.  There a number of good YouTube tutorials for doing this.  Here’s one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvIdFs3M5ic

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