Home Internet Static IP

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. :)

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 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..

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

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

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.

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.

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.  

ArthurZey and others:

I’m in a dilemma. I activated Small Business Internet in store earlier this week and was given the Sagemcom gateway. The service is great, speeds are beyond expectations and I am ready to cancel Spectrum internet—- if it only wasn’t for the ever-changing IP address. Thanks to your write-up I pretty much know how to go about it, except that no one seems to be able to get me the Inseego gateway. The store doesn’t carry it and insists that I need to return my current gateway first before they can order the Inseego as a replacement. Business Care has no way of ordering it and neither does T-Force (all of them are sending me to the store). I am hesitant to do this only to end up with the paid service but no gateway. Plus there is some (mis?)information out there that the Small Business Internet cannot get the static IP, it needs to be switched to Business Internet by virtue of canceling and re-ordering the service. I am at a loss with so much bad and conflicting information from people who should actually know what they’re talking about. 

My questions to you are: how did you swap out your internet gateway? Did you also have to return the old one first? Second, can you confirm that you in fact have the Small Business Internet service and have static IP activated on it?

Many thanks!!

There is a simple workaround to the static IP problem. First, configure the device that you want to have a static address to DHCP and then plug it into your network with the T-Mobile gateway active. After the device is up and running, find the IP address it was assigned. You can do that with the T-Mobile Internet app, iNet, or any of the utilities available for this purpose. You will probably even be able to see the assigned address directly on the device in the settings menu or screen.

Nest, write down the IP address and then reconfigure the device for a static IP. Enter the IP address you just wrote down and restart the device. It will be at the assigned address and should stay there.

Note that this isn't always a permanent solution since the gateway can always reuse that address for another device on the network, but in my experience, this workaround will suffice in most cases, especially for always-on devices like printers.

It is unfortunate that DHCP can't be configured, at least on my Arcadyan KVD21 5G Gateway, but this kludge will at least help. I don't know what the Time To Live (TTL) setting for DHCP is on T-Mobile gateways, but my guess is it's long enough that the above solution will work.

It’s been 2 years since I last tested the TM Home Internet 4G Gateway (speed was unreliable so I had to return it).  5G just became available in my area so I called them.  I’m confirming as of this date 11/29/22, that Home Internet users do not have a public facing IP, and (after a transfer to their Business team) I’d need a Tax ID in order to get a Static IP.  Ironically, this strict rule will be saving me from paying them another $600 per year.

I’ll stick with Spectrum for now as the dynamic IP I get from them is public facing.

You are right. In pass-through mode, the router is MOSTLY bridging the WAN to the LAN as a layer-2 network switch. This allows your personal (non-T-Mobile) router to broadcast THROUGH the Inseego, to T-Mobile, a request for an automatic (static or otherwise) IP, and to get that IP. 

But then, if your personal router has a public WAN IP (which is assigned a T-Mobile default gateway located in T-Mobile's network center to forward all packets to that are not destined for your home LAN... basically to "the cloud")... then you may wonder why the packets intended FOR your Inseego wouldn't slip through your Inseego, reaching T-Mobile's internet gateway, which in turn would drop the packets just because the destination IP is a private (non-internet-routable) IP?

Remember, I said it is... MOSTLY... a layer-2 switch? Well, it also doubles as a layer-3 IP device attached to (and listening on) that little switch.  And it intercepts packets with its own IP as the destination, during passthrough. So even though the packet was being sent to the internet gateway in T-Mobile's building, the router breaks the rule and "opens someone else's mail". It would be like if you were writing a letter to a friend (who happens to work for the post office as a mail carrier) but you put the wrong house address. Normally, it wouldn't make it to the correct recipient, if you put the wrong address on the envelope, but this mail carrier checks every mail piece for his name, and if the name is his, he opens the mail and reads it, instead of delivering it to the house address written on the envelope. This is why he always gets his mail, by virtue of being the delivery middle man, no matter what address you write on the envelope. The Inseego in pass through mode has a rule, "transparently pass all packets between the WAN and LAN ports... UNLESS the destination IP happens to be my IP zof 192.168.1.1 (or whatever it's set to).. I'm going to steal those packets and pluck those out of the stream and not forward those through to the cell tower."