Question

Home Internet Static IP


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Is it possible to get a static IP with the 5G Home Internet service?  Normally I wouldn’t need it but since my connection dies at least once a week I get a new IP every time my modem reboots.  I work from home and whenever my IP changes I have to update some of my clients’ firewalls.


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So, I was going in the opposite direction. I took the hotspot account with an Inseego on a hotspot plan and at the time I had not expected nor calculated the usage we would have. Well, it was clear to me our usage would lead to much more each month with the hotspot than I wanted to have. Then I became aware of the home internet BETA program and found it was available in this area. They allowed me to cancel the hotspot account and join the home internet program so the gateway arrived in a couple of days and I sent the Inseego back just before the 30 day window which was allowed. They did not even charge me for the initial use on the Inseego account and so it is not the same situation at all. 

I only have the home internet via 5G here. No small business account nor static IP. I don’t really require either and this does all we really need. The Inseego unit I had was a portable hotspot. They have a different Inseego unit I believe which would be used with the business account. It is a “fixed” location unit like the 5G gateway I believe. I have seen pictures of them but not had one. I really can’t say about the process currently. When I got the home internet gateway there was NO way to get one in the T-Mobile store and the employees in the store had no idea what I was talking about as they had no interaction with that part of the business unit. Again I jumped in on the BETA program and online was the only way to join at that time IF the service was available in the area. It was fortunate for us that I discovered the solution when I did as I recommended it to a couple of other people and before much time there were no more spots available on the tower without waiting in a queue for a vacant subscription on the cell. 

In my last post I was referring to setting a static IP on the local network NOT the public IP. There is a big distinction there. For a small business account paying for the static IP is part of the solution. The last post was in response to bocaboy not your references. Sorry, it happens that conversations wander a little bit at times. 

I can understand the hesitation as yes at times it is very difficult to obtain clarity especially when making account changes. The conversations with T-Mobile support need to be with a second level support engineer or a manager it seems. The level 1 support engineers don’t seem to have access nor training to handle more complicated situations. Out of 6 or so calls I think I had 1-2 that were much more successful and with clarity. Sometimes I had to do 2-3 calls to get where I could get the right answers. 

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Static IP is available as a service add-on for Business Internet.  If you have a small business, you can convert your home Internet to Business Internet and swap out your modem /router for the Inseego Waveform FX2000.  The FX2000 supports IP Passthrough (Bridge mode) as well as all the typical stuff that the AT&T and Xfinity router support (LAN Static IP, Routing, Port Forwarding, etc)

You can also request a static WAN IP ($3 /month service).  They will send u a new router with a new sim (specific for Static IPs).  You can request a static IP for Chicago, Philadelphia or Seattle.

All the other Tmobile Home Internet Modem /Routers are neutered and do not allow for Static IP on the LAN or WAN side or access to any of the typical router functionality.  

I have Hulu Live and have to chat with them almost every day to reset my IP. They suggested I call T-MOBILE and request a static IP. T-Mobile said can’t be done and suggested I get a Netgear router that would solve the problem? Gonna try tomorrow

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I have Hulu Live and have to chat with them almost every day to reset my IP. They suggested I call T-MOBILE and request a static IP. T-Mobile said can’t be done and suggested I get a Netgear router that would solve the problem? Gonna try tomorrow

I doubt thats going to fix the problem, as you still are going to require the gateway INFRONT of the Netgear router. Unless you have a business account with the static IP addon, there is nothing you can do. This is a result of Hulu having an overly restrictive licensing system. They’re trying to make sure you don’t share your account by tracking what IPs you connect from, and if you connect from too many different IPs it locks you out. This is Hulu demanding to be a square peg in a round hole world, and T-mobile refusing to take a file to its edge.

I need way around the wandering IP address. I don’t understand all the tech talk. Do I just need a router? I want to be able to watch Local live sports. I have the t-mobile home internet. HELP!!!!!

Userlevel 2
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No consumer grade internet service offers static IP for free. Some of ISPs offer static IP service for a fee, but not TMO Home Internet.

Your options are:

  1. Change to TMO Business Interet. Get approval for static IP service as it is not available universally. You *may* need to purchase a compatible 5G gateway yourself.
  2. Change back to DSL or cable based internet. They don’t change IP as frequenly as TMO Home Intenet. You may get by without paying the static IP service.
  3. Get a VPN that offers the static IP option. For example, Ivacy offers 60-month VPN service at $1 a month, plus $2 a month for a static IP.

For those willing to keep their slow DSL ISP with a public IP and overlay T-Mobile for increased speed there is a solution.  Purchase a dual wan router such as the ASUS RT-AX58U or RT-AX3000.  Make you old DSL ISP primary and T-Mobile secondary but set the load sharing ratio to favor T-mobile 1:5 or so.  It works but is not ideal.  If T-mobile would allow the gateway to be placed in the bridge mode and serve a public IP I would be happy.  I can then to what I want with DDNS for remote access to my home network.

I need way around the wandering IP address. I don’t understand all the tech talk. Do I just need a router? I want to be able to watch Local live sports. I have the t-mobile home internet. HELP!!!!!

This is my problem too.  We keep on having trouble with the dynamic IPs and our smartTV.  I would like to cut the cord, but this is a problem.  

What about if I hook my old router (Netgear) via hardwire to the T-Mobile router (I have to use a hardwire from the T-mobile router to my laptop already because my work laptop is not able to connect to 6GHz yet).    Would I then be able to have the router (which formerly was Xfinity run) have a static IP.  I may go ahead and try this.  Sounds like a brilliant idea to me.  LOL

 

 

  • If you have your own router, it might be tempting to set the Inseego FX2000 to “IP Passthrough” mode (under Settings → Advanced → LAN), so that your own router gets the public IP address (and you avoid being double-NATted), doing so will prevent you from being able to access the Inseego FX2000 configuration website (since it won’t have its own IP address to access via your browser), and you’ll lose access to some useful diagnostic information.
    So I recommend against IP Passthrough, instead opting for putting your own router in the Inseego FX2000’s DMZ (under Settings → Advanced → Firewall), and to do so, you’ll probably want to configure your own router to use a static IP address on the Inseego FX200’s LAN subnet.
    From a performance perspective, I have it on good authority that the biggest introduction of latency is the mere fact of there being a physical device, rather than the double-NATting itself. Putting your own router in the DMZ should address any of the functional downsides of double-NATting.

 

This is incorrect. You can safely put the FX2000 into the “IP Passthrough” mode and be able to acces the Inseego FX2000 configuration website. the FX2000 doesn’t “lose” the IP address assigned to its LAN interface when it’s set to the “IP Passthrough” mode. What it “loses” is the DHCP server and the ability to route traffic from its LAN interface to its WAN interface and vice versa). Therefore, if you plug a computer into the FX2000 Ethernet port when the FX2000 is already in the “IP Passthrough” mode, the computer won’t get a DHCP lease from the FX2000. However, if you assign a computer a static IP address from the same iP subnet that the FX2000 LAN interface is on, you can HTTP into the LAN IP address that you set on the FX2000 (or the one it came with by default) from the connected computer and administer it the same way you would administer it when it’s in the “router” mode rather than the “modem”  mode (with “IP Passthrough” enabled). 

 

Additionally, if you plug a router in the FX2000’s Ethernet port after the FX2000 is set to the “IP Passthrough” mode (which is effectively a “modem” mode or “bridge” mode), you can get to the IP assigned to the LAN interface of the FX2000 as long as your router is set to forward private IP ranges out of its WAN interface. So, you would just HTTP from any computer that’s connected to your router (via Wi-Fi or cable) to the IP address assigned to the LAN interface of the FX2000, and you will see the same administrative web portal. When you log in, you can navigate through the administrative web portal of the FX2000 and you can change it back to the router mode (if you so desire).. 

One more thing. The FX2000 is a very underpowered device from all perspectives. It has a weak Wi-Fi cheap, it has no external antennas for Wi-Fi or even for 5G/4G (on T-Mobile bands its external antennas don’t work, so it’s shipped by T-Mobile without external antennas). But, even its CPU is very weak. So, when the FX2000 is in the router mode, it throttles the throughput if the throughput is above 500 Mbps.

 

On my T-Mobile Small Business Internet, I’m getting about 710 Mbps download (RSRP -83 dBm) to about 770 (RSRP -77 dBM). 

 

With RSRP being -83 dBM, I can only get about 490 Mbps download when the FX2000 is set to the router mode, but I can get up to 710 Mbps download when I switch the FX2000 to the “modem” mode (aka “bridge” mode, aka “IP Passthrough”) with the same RSSR of -83 dBM. So, I believe the throttling point is just under 500 Mbps.

 

By switching the FX2000 to the “modem” (aka “bridge” aka “IP Passthrough”) mode, you can also reduce the latency of your connection by a few milliseconds, reduce the jitter (the variations in latency, which is what kills video conferencing and even VoIP calls), and you may also be able to reduce the error rate because the FX2000 would be functioning as a pure modem rather than also using its weak CPU for routing packets. And, of course, you will eliminate the “double NAT” issue if you switch the FX2000 to the “IP Passthrough” (aka “modem” aka “bridge”) mode. 

I've had to change my ip address 4 times today and still missed all my live shows on hulu something better change soon or I'm just going to be done with it

Same issue. We need static ip for home internet, even if it’s a paid service with a fair amount. It’s unreasonable to not have this option and I may consider to change service provider for that feature only.

I have been on the phone with t mobile and hulu for months.  T-mobile blames hulu hulu blames t-mobile.  I understand both positions but if T-Mobile can offer a business account for the same money and offer a static. I p address why can't I as a home network user get a static IP address..

What is the status of the static IP addresses? second time today to contact Hulu...just about ready to ditch the TMHI 😡

Userlevel 1

You may as well ditch them lol.

I am calling them again today to check on the static public IP option.

I see some are a bit confused about what's going on in the backend with this TMHI tech. 

So let me offer some light in the matter.

Traditional ISPs give you a public/external IP (attached to your ISP provided device usually a gateway router modem/Wireless Access Point).

You don't need an external IP to have a network, but you need it for internet access.

This Public IP then passes through the interconnectivity to your local network IP, providing internet access to all your local network devices.

The local network is the one at your home/office, Created by your own wifi router/sometimes ISP provided device. Even if you have a single device provided by your ISP you will have a public and a local/private IP.

The public IP is used to communicate with the world outside of your physical network, like Google, Netflix, social media, or anything internet connected. Most of the time this is a dynamic IP, meaning it changes every so often, but your devices have direct access to that IP dynamic or static.

The local IPs are used for your devices to talk to each other locally on your network not requiring external Internet access like say network printer, local shares and stuff.

The issue (double NAT) is due to they way TMHI devices access the internet *before* passing it onto our home TMHI device. They do not assign an IP to each modem/router directly, instead it shares it by some to complex to describe network wizardry for the purpose of this post. Just know that is shared amongst other TMHI devices then translated/routed to your TMHI device as needed then finally passed on to your home. So you may be in Colorado physically but using an Arizona IP and 10minutes from then you may be using a Nevada IP, then Utah in the next 10m after that. Which confuses the heck out of some network services, like Hulu, netflix, Online gaming, some remote access solutions, cloud services.

Because the translation happen before the connection gets to your home/TMHI device it happens behind/in the TM network, it is not something that getting a better router, or hooking it up differently is going to fix. It will only create an additional translation later between your TMHI device and your own (double NAT), which will probably give you more aches in the end and end up right where you started.

You have 2 options maybe 3 if they start offering static IPs for home users, which I doubt given the world at large is running out of IPs, and the US is reluctant/slow in migrating to IPv6 (but that's a story for another time).

 

1. Get a different or even second ISP for critical devices needing traditional IP setups.

2. Use a VPN on your own personal router if it supports it. This will make all your devices route traffic through that VPN network instead bypassing TMOs CGNAT. You will take a performance hit with any VPN but your issues will be gone.

3. Try to get a static/traditional IP config from TMO, good luck with that tho.

 

I have had TMHI for over a year now, when I signed up it was an issue, still is today. I am in the same boat as others, tired of giving traditional ISPs money for sub par/capped/overpriced service.

However my options have changed, hopefully you guys have some too.

Cox has revised their prices to be a bit (just a tad bit) more reasonable, still holding on to that data cap tho (the one reason I stayed with TMHI).

However. Because of Coxs price adjustment it's *now* cheaper to get Cox w/ their STUPID data cap (as a 2nd ISP) for my more critical devices needing traditional public IP access.

While still keeping TMHI for general use devices consuming tons of data. (Still more affordable than going full on Cox+unlimited+a plan with similar performance as TMHI). It's just cheaper to keep them both in my situation at this point.

I am going to check w/TM again (about them offering direct public IP) before making that decision.

I know they offer it w/their business hotspot plans

*But they required a legit business license before they could give me those services (the rep may have been the special kind tho, so I'll have to check on that again too cause he did not seem very competent or confident for that matter).

I did not have a business license but I did work f I'm home, so... Anyways, moving on.

TMobile has a great value offer, but crap delivery.

The performance (speed/connectivity) has been stellar, much more stable and faster than coxs traditional services, also no data cap, it's great value offer.

However this CGNAT BS has to be addressed or they risk loosing current customers and also preventing larger adoption. At the very least they should offer trading IP/static IPs as an add on for those who need it.

 

 

I have been on T-Mobile home internet for almost a year.  Other than the IP address changing, it works great.  But when it changes it does it multiple times in a short period of time and then might not do it for a month.  I have Hulu and have learned to use the online chat.  I had them put notes in my account about this being HOME INTERNET THROUGH T-MOBILE 5G and now the change is done more quickly, but it is still a pain to have my wife come to my home office and say “The TV  is broken again”.  Not sure why they can’t use the MAC address from their Routers to keep an IP address.   I have a firewall router after the T-Mobile router so I can make sure all my home devices keep working even if the IP address changes.  

I had a T-Mobile router fail and I could not tell because of the random IP address changes prior to that.  Blamed Hulu and then realized it wasn’t their problem.  The changing IP address masks other problems that you may be dealing with.

Is it possible to get a static IP with the 5G Home Internet service?  Normally I wouldn’t need it but since my connection dies at least once a week I get a new IP every time my modem reboots.  I work from home and whenever my IP changes I have to update some of my clients’ firewalls.

From what I can tell you could just sign up for T-Mobile Internet for Business. You would be issued slightly different equipment that would allow for a static IP address. I think the charge is 15 per month additional on top of the 55 per month for the service. They also have equipment options that provide “bridged” or passthrough options so you can use your very own router/firewall without the dreaded double nat! Talk with a T-Mobile business rep and just say you are a freelancer/entreprenure if they ask about you being a business or not. :)

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Me too.  I have 5 fixed IP’s on my current internet service.  I would not switch to T-Mobile unless I could get 2.  I realise they cost money and I pay for mine now.

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