Question AT&T Modem with new router

[sdmarquart]

Hello. I currently have AT&T Fiber with a BGW210 gateway. I have a bunch of things connected (hard wired Ethernet) to that modem. Things like Computer, NAS, Sonic Transporter, 3 AV network receivers and many other things using switchboxes. It all works great. Except I sometimes get a random reboot on my Sonic Transporter with my Roon software. I was told a new router could help connecting to my BGW210 in pass through mode. Here’s the question. Will all of my IP addresses change? Like for mapping purposes. Will I basically need to start over with everything? That would take me forever - or is there a way to maintain all of my current IP addresses with this new router? It’s a big deal as I really don’t want to start over with everything. Thanks!

 

[sdmarquart]

Here’s the router I’m purchasing. https://store.amplifi.com/products/amplifi-alien

 

[bill001g]

I really doubt there is going to be any difference between routers when it comes to your software. That is not really a network type of problem.

That att router is considered a good router, it is wifi6 and uses the same chips as many of the best routers.

Passthough mode is messy on att I would avoid it unless you actually need port forwarding. Otherwise just run router behind router the att router is still doing nat since you can't actually make att devices run in bridge/modem mode.

It is going to be messy to keep the same addresses. You need to change the lan address on the ATT box to something else and then change the lan setting on your new router to match the range the att router currently uses.

I have never seen that brand of router before but it likely will be ok since it too likely uses the same wifi6 chipset as most other similar routers. Do not get snowed by big number it is highly likely your end devices do not support 4x4 mimo at 160mhz.

 

[sdmarquart]

Thanks. I’m really thinking it’s not worth it as everything runs flawlessly in my home. I appreciate the input.

 

[sdmarquart]

Okay. This is long and explains my setup that I wrote to my networking guy. Read at your own risk.. Like it says, everything works great!


AT&T Box (fiber) coming into basement. Line into BGW210. 4 Ethernet Lines out of BGW. One line going upstairs. (Tech ran that line with wall output upstairs for Ethernet connectivity). One Ethernet out of BGW connected to my desktop computer in basement music room. One Ethernet from BGW going to Phillips Hue hub for all my lights. One Ethernet line into trendnet switch box in basement. Out of trendnet, one line going to Sonic Transporter i9. One line going out to Asustor NAS. One line going out to another netgear switchbox #2 in basement. Out of that switchbox one line going to Onkyo TX-NR6100 network AV receiver. One line going to Apple TV box. One line going to Panasonic smart TV.
Back to the trendnet switch. One line going out to other room in basement to linksys switchbox for another smartv. Currently not being used but setup if necessary.
On to upstairs. Ethernet line coming out of BGW up the wall to upstairs wall outlet in living room for main stereo. That Ethernet line is connected to a netgear switch box. Out of that box, one line feeds my 4K Apple TV. One line feeds the optical module with optical out of that into UltraRendu. Another line out of trendnet feeding Yamaha RX-A1080 network receiver. Another line out of trendnet going to my office room. In my office, that line runs through a netgear switchbox. Out of my office switch box, one line to work computer, one line to Ultra Rendu, one line to personal laptop computer, one line to 4K Apple TV, and one line to network AV receiver Onkyo TX-8050.
Those are all of my Ethernet hardwire devices. Amazingly they all work flawlessly. Here are Speedtests on my three computers. (Can’t attach photos)

As you can see, these are all Ethernet wired with great speeds all near 1000 download and upload. I also have many wifi devices (2 iPhones - personal and work). 2 Nest cameras, 1 ring camera, 2 google nest smart speakers, a bond hub which I use to control ceiling fans, a Sonos 1 in kitchen and 2 Rokus. That’s pretty much everything. Here are my findings. Everything works great! Seriously. The three network AV receivers are all hardwired and can be controlled by my iphone. Along with 2 hard wired Apple TV’s. In my house it’s all about connectivity. I’ve only lived in my new house since August 2021, and I’ve tinkered enough to get it all to work. Trust me, I’d say if I have issues but everything just works. And quite well. I never have dropouts, or NAS disconnects, or anything like that. Maybe cause a lot of it is hardwired. Nothing appears to be bogged down. I can say “hey google, turn on the lights” in the morning and it turns on 17 hue lights at once. Without a glitch. So honestly, I know it’s in an insane amount of stuff which makes sense to get a better router. But I don’t think I need to rewire anything. It just works. The only occasional dropout I get is from my Roon Core. And that’s fixed in 5 minutes for up to several days. When I moved from my old house everything connected instantly with my old AT&T modem. I’ve just added a bunch to that. But it all just works. Here’s a few more pics of my setup.

I tried to save several pics of my overall setup, but file sizes too big. I can send if needed.

This is a lot right. But it’s everything I need. And it all works flawlessly. It’s a sickness, right? But everything sounds so good and works.

 

[sdmarquart]

My end result is I don’t want to blow up everything, so I think I’ll return the new router.

 

[palladin9479]

Hello. I currently have AT&T Fiber with a BGW210 gateway. I have a bunch of things connected (hard wired Ethernet) to that modem. Things like Computer, NAS, Sonic Transporter, 3 AV network receivers and many other things using switchboxes. It all works great. Except I sometimes get a random reboot on my Sonic Transporter with my Roon software. I was told a new router could help connecting to my BGW210 in pass through mode. Here’s the question. Will all of my IP addresses change? Like for mapping purposes. Will I basically need to start over with everything? That would take me forever - or is there a way to maintain all of my current IP addresses with this new router? It’s a big deal as I really don’t want to start over with everything. Thanks!

Ok just looked, it's not a modem but a normal SOHO router that the AT&T folks configured for you, and likely any of their technicians has remote access to your network whenever they want. The ONT is what does the conversion from fiber optic to ethernet and can be connected into any network device you want it to be that services your home. There is no need to buy another router if the one you have is working just fine. If another device is acting weird, that device likely has a power or connection issue. Also number of devices doesn't really matter, not unless your going over 200, it's the number of packets that matters and while that might be an issue with multiple people streaming simultaneously, it wouldn't cause devices to randomly reboot.

 

[sdmarquart]

Yeah. It’s all working good. I appreciate your reply and will leave it as is. It would be different if I had networking issue. But I don’t and the guy said I needed the new router anyway. I’m gonna stay put. Thanks again for your thoughts.

 

[bill001g]

The ISP routers have gotten much better over time. This att box even runs wifi6 and has a 5gbit port so it is a quite powerful box.

Having ethernet cables to almost all devices also give you a very stable installation. The only downside is that the att box is in the basement. Not the optimum location for wifi but if it works for you then there is no need to change it. In the future if you have wifi coverage issues you can use a cheap router as a AP and connect it to one of your ethernet cables to get better coverage.

 

[sdmarquart]

Thanks guys!!