Business Service with 13 Public IP Addresses
 

HI,

Signed up to Virgin Business 350/20 with 13 usable public IP addresses (after the router and network have taken theirs).

Sales lady mentioned something about modem mode and having to attach my own Wifi Router. Was a bit sceptical of this so I asked to be be connected to their tech support and spoke to someone who said he was a senior network engineer.
He assured me I just needed a Wifi router that was capable of using public IP addresses after I queried him about it.

So as I had recently bought a NetGear R8000 I have flashed dd-wrt onto it and am all set to go. Or so I thought!

I have been searching the net for advise on configuring it to to see if anyone was using the same setup and I am now very worried.
Reading all sorts of things about GRE Tunnels and the router in modem mode not supporting static public IP addresses? The way it was explained to me was modem mode was there so you could use all the public IPs.

Most of the info I have read has been at least a year old, so I am hoping it is no longer the case. Else why would they have sold me this product?

I am worrying for no reason or have I been sold a dud?

Re: Business Service with 13 Public IP Addresses
 

Does this discussion here help you in any way?

https://community.cisco.com/t5/routi...s/td-p/2533460

Re: Business Service with 13 Public IP Addresses
 

Not sure if it answers my questions here but is strangely related to a question I posted in another forum.

If you are saying I have to do 1:1 nat to fix this GRE, modem mode and public IP issue with virgin business, then yes it does :)

It looks like it will be the way I am setting up my router in any case.

What I need to know is if the issue is resolved, or whether I contact Virgin Media and have it out with them for intentionally selling me a product that does not work.
2-year contract or not if the connection is unreliable and not very close to the advertised speed I will stop paying them and end the contract.

Re: Business Service with 13 Public IP Addresses
 

I have sent a pm to ccarmock for you and hopefully he'll join us shortly, he has more experience with this stuff than anyone else.

Re: Business Service with 13 Public IP Addresses
 

Thank you very much, General Maximus

Re: Business Service with 13 Public IP Addresses
 

Firstly if you have multiple static IP addresses from VM Business don't put the Hitron into modem mode. In effect when configured with a multiple statics it is as close to modem mode as you will get anyway. In this mode the Hitron will not perform any NAT functions, so you do not suffer multiple NAT as you would without multiple static IP addressing.

Your setup should work fine with a Netgear sitting behind the Hitron. Firstly make a note of the IP address that the Hitron has (it will be your default gateway address when you connect a device to it via ethernet and can browse the internet).

Configure your netgear with a static WAN IP address and use the next IP address in sequence. So as an explample if your Hitron LAN address is 1.1.1.1 configure your Netgear's WAN address to be 1.1.1.2. The Netgear should have a WAN subnet mask of 255.255.255.240

The netgear will need either a static default route or on it's WAN interface configured with a next hop/gateway of the Hitron's LAN address 1.1.1.1 in my example. I am not familiar with it's config to know which will apply.

Once you have done that connect the Netgear WAN port to one of the Hitron LAN ports.

Then configure the rest of the Netgear as you would normally for WiFi, LAN DHCP etc etc. You can use a standard 192.168.xxx.xxx range for the LAN/WiFi on the Netgear.

I have much the same setup working well, except using a Draytek in place of the Netgear.

Once you have done all that and tested the config you need to configure the other remaining public IP addresses as secondary WAN addresses on the Netgear, and can then use them as you describe. Again I have the same config on the Draytek.

Re: Business Service with 13 Public IP Addresses
 

Many thanks. I was informed that I had to do this by the sales person and the *senior* tech I spoke to. They actually advised me that it would come configured in modem mode.
Maybe they did not actually mean it would be in modem mode, but like it, as you describe?

Guess I have to wait to see how it arrives.
Not sure when this will be but was told to expect a couple of weeks and still not a full week yet.

Thanks for the rest of the advice. I have the NetGear setup now with the Hub in modem mode so I guess it will just be a case of leaving, most as it is, setting it with the static IP, setting up the static route (on the Advanced routing tab). Not too sure what I will need to enter there. I have attached a screen shot of the static route box and the current routing table). Are you able to advise me from this what to enter into the boxes? Many thanks if you can. If not I will take a visit to the dd-wrt forum and see if anyone there can assist.
Also it is currently in Gateway Mode. Would I need to change this to Router mode (or anything else)?

Many thanks :)

Re: Business Service with 13 Public IP Addresses
 

It sounds liek they are confused - there is no way to put the device into Modem Mode when it is being used with a static IP address setup. As you say maybe they interpreted it as a type of modem mode. As I mentioned this is the closest to modem mode you will get, but works well and doesn't cause any issues.

Under the static IP WAN config is there any option for gateway or next hop?

Maybe if you could attach a screenshot of that config area as well, and we'll work out which is best for you to complete.

Re: Business Service with 13 Public IP Addresses
 

Thanks. i have attached the wan and network basic setup area but see nothing about next hop. Ah but now I look closer I do see a gateway entry there.

Re: Business Service with 13 Public IP Addresses
 

Ok I'd expect to see it in the WAN side - but you'll need to change the WAN option from Automatic DHCP to static - maybe that will show more options for it there.

Re: Business Service with 13 Public IP Addresses
 

OK, Set mine to static IP now. Looks pretty much the same?

Re: Business Service with 13 Public IP Addresses
 

Ok thats the one to use with the VMB service - In Wan IP address enter the first of your usable static IP addresses (ie one greater than the Hitron itself
Subnet mask 255.255.255.240 and gateway will be the static IP address ont he LAN side of the Hitron. That is likely all you need to do.... What I don't see in this firmware is where you would enter the other WAN addresses.

Look for WAN alias, or WAN secondary or simialr terms in the documentation.

Draytek routers can do this and use the term alias for the extra addresses. It isn't a very common home requirement, so you may not find it on the Netgear.

Re: Business Service with 13 Public IP Addresses
 

Thanks for that. Looks like I am good to go :)

Not in default Netgear firmware but there is a way in dd-wrt.

It is done differently though:

https://wiki.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/One-to-one_NAT

does not look too complicated but would prefer a GUI :)

Thanks again for your guidance on this.
Really appreciated.

Re: Business Service with 13 Public IP Addresses
 

No problem good luck with your setup.

Re: Business Service with 13 Public IP Addresses
 

Well Virgin Media were no-show. Despite them calling me 3 times and emailing me 4 times stating the importance of taking the engineers call today to arrange installation time, they don't bother to do so. They threatened me with a £120 charge if I did not keep today's appointment so I have just sent them an invoice for the same amount for their failings. Copied in their new CEO too. Just what exact do the account/order managers do? Not one of them replied to my emails today. Escalated it to their manager, who thankfully is now following it up. Guess I wait another 2 weeks for another installation date. What an absolutely useless shower of sh*t.

---------- Post added at 19:33 ---------- Previous post was at 18:44 ----------

After a very brief reflection I have decided the virgin media business offering is not fit for purpose. If they cannot even get the install date correct I cannot trust them with anything else important. I have emailed them and told them to cancel the order. I will outsource my priority services and use the residential service for those less important services. I will also get nearly double the upload for free on the 350Mbps residential service (35Mbps against 20Mbps). If they try to charge me a cancellation fee I will counter with my own charges for the no-show. Anyone thinking of trusting your online business services with virgin media, please have a rethink. Do NOT trust them.