Question

When can I JUST use TM internet modem as ONLY a modem, in BRIDGE mode, with NO NAT, NO firewall, and frankly NO Wifi.

  • 28 December 2021
  • 27 replies
  • 11397 views

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PLEASE let me know when can get a PLAIN modem from T-Mobile, or BUY my own modem, or SET their modem up to DUPLICATE the functionality of Spectrum.   I can’t and won’t change, until and unless I can get that kind of service.  Frankly, I am shocked that TM didn’t spec that into their design.  Instead, based on about a 20 minute search, that is IMPOSSIBLE today…  and here are just a few of the problems that will prevent me from even considering TM:

  • There’s NO bridge mode --- This means I CAN NEVER treat TM device like my Spectrum cable modem, and treat it JUST like a modem.
  • Since I can’t treat it as just another modem, I have to REDO and RETHINK, and REDESIGN my whole network, to adopt to their design -- This is NOT going to happen!
  • No Bridge means that I’m limited to whatever they designed into their modem, to provide services like DHCP, NAT, port forwarding, DNS, ETC.
  • Since their software UI is the only way I can provide services I depend on, then unless they perfected their software, their UI, and their firmware, and their firewall software that is better than all the other devices I have, some of which are extremely sophisticated and expensive, their device makes using these devices not only redundant, but also DISABLED services, without a lot of workarounds, assuming I both want to do the work, and I can actually achieve configs that work for me.  

I’m still using Spectrum, and it appears I won’t have a viable good option of changing everything over to T-Mobile, until they somehow figure out how to produce a service that is COMPLETE plug and play with a CABLE MODEM…. By modem, I do NOT mean a firewall, a router, a WiFi, or ANYTHING more than a stable MODEM with ONE IP address, DHCP in order to pass an IP to my firewall, and that’s it.  NO, I do NOT even need DNS services, either. 

I hope I just misunderstand the current TM design.  If this is how it works today, it reminds me of when I first put a DSL modem in my company in the early 1990’s.  The first thing they gave me was a contract that said I had to PAY EXTRA, for EACH device I connected, I’d have to notify them in advance, and EACH IP was extra cost.  After I rewrote their contract, and informed them I only wanted ONE device connected, and ONE IP, and bought my SonicWall “Internet gateway” “NAT Firewall”, and “DHCP server”.  Although that one device was about $300-400 at the time, we were able to use that to service over 50 computers at a time for the next 15 years.  I guess we were ahead of our time as a small company.  Most everyone else was paying 10-15 per user, and we never EVER paid for more than ONE user.  But then, we had 20 or more engineers working for us at the time as well.

C’mon T-Mobile --- Get a real great network designer involved so it only takes plugging my EXISTING 1,000-T WIRED internet cable and then everything works, out of the box.  Then, also provide the means to MANAGE and MONITOR that modem remotely.  That’s all I need or want, and suspect that is all most all users want today..

 

 

 


27 replies

I share these concerns.  One possible workaround is to use cloudflare tunnels to allow access to internal services from the internet.  It's free, not much more of a learning curve than vpn, but there is not as much ubiquitous documentation and support.  You have to learn some new subjects most likely.

I share the frustrations above; for what it's worth I at least used the test period with T-Mobile to get Spectrum to lower my bill. They went back to giving me the introductory rate when I mentioned the lower competing price, roughly matching the T-Mobile offer.

Given higher upload speeds I’d prefer to stick with T-Mobile, but the inability to remote into my own network makes that a no-go.

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