Netgear FVS318 vs Mi424WR DHCP Server choice ?

[nousndthem]

Greetings,

I'm a new FIOS (Internet / TV / Phone) user in PA and was a long time DSL user (Westel Wirespeed) until 2 days ago.
The FIOS Modem / Router is the ActiontecMi424WR and Coax is providing the internet connection from the ONT box.

I've had a Netgear FVS318 in place for more than 5 yrs. and my network needs are very specific for 6 PCs running WinXP.

My LAN is 192.168.9.1 with reserved IPs for all PCs because I use a program called MidiOverLan which is a virtual midi cable that allows the computers to transmit and receive midi data for a music production studio.

If I use the WAN port of the FVS318 to connect to the Mi424WR then I get a conneciton to the internet but my bandwidth is about 5.x up and down.

If I by pass the FVS318 I get 30.x up and down.

If I disable DHCP in the FVS318, shutdown the PC, move the cable going to the Mi424WR from the WAN port to a LAN port in the FVS318, wait a few minutes for the dist to settle, then the FVS318 begins to act like a switch, and my Internet bandwidth is then 30x up and down,

BUT...

... I loose the functionality of my LAN for a music studio. Things like WOLCMD ( Wake On Lan CMD Line) and pcAnywhere no longer work, and I also can no longer login to the FVS318.

Disabling DHCP in the FVS318 is not the issue, since all PCs have reserved IPs inside of the FVS318. I've tried it, leaving the WAN port being the connection to the Mi424WR and things are fie on the LAN but Internet bandwidth is 5.x as opposed to 30.x.

I think I need to make the Mi424WR be as **bleep** as the Westel Wirespeed was but need some guidance as to how to dumb it down. I'll never need PayPerview or Widgets but of course I don't want to loose the TV Guide.

If you can point me into the Actiontec by Go Here > Go Here > Go Here > change this > change that > etc. etc. etc. I'd be very happy to try anytihng you suggest.

Thanks for your patience on this long post.  I hope you'll have a way to get me up to speed. 🙂

[Hubrisnxs]

below are some ways for you to do what you would like to do. just keep in mind that those are advanced set ups and not supported over the phone or by technician at verizon, so you can do them at your own risk type of thing, and the only support you'll really have is from online users.  If your a DIY (Do it yourself) kinda guy, then these should work, 

 there are a lot of different configurations, so do some leg work and see which one seems best for you.

http://www.dslreports.com/faq/verizonfios/3.0_Networking

[nousndthem]

Thanks!

I'll check them out and report back if I get a good setup.

[viafax999]

If I use the WAN port of the FVS318 to connect to the Mi424WR then I get a conneciton to the internet but my bandwidth is about 5.x up and down.

It would appear that for some reason the WAN port on your netgear device is possibly connecting at 10mb.  You just need to work out why it is doing that as there is no need to do anything to the Actiontec router to make it work.  The way you have it connected is the way it should be connected.
Did you configure the netgear device to have a static address on the 192.168.1 subnet? and make sure that address is excluded from the dhcp allocation range on the Actiontec? Also make sure you have correct dns and gateway settings on the netgear device, though they shouldn't affect speed.

Did you try running the optimizer on one of the pc's attached to the netgear device?  that can make a significant difference. 

[nousndthem]

I've tried everthing you mentioned other than

"and make sure that address is excluded from the dhcp allocation range on the Actiontec"

Can you be more specific with a "how to" on that procedure, or possibly a general example so I get how to do it?

I suspect just expanding on the thought should make it understandable to me.

Thanks!

Steve

[lasagna]

Are you using any FiOS services other than Internet?   If not, we could walk you thru changing the local network subnet on the ActionTec to be 192.168.9.x and setup new DHCP reservations on the ActionTEC to eliminate the Netgear altogether.

Another option, if you can get your hands on one, would be to get a different brand of router (say a Linksys or a newer model Netgear) to use instead of the Netgear and see if it yields the same results in terms of speed.    Some older models of routers were grossly underpowered and some even had 10mb interfaces on the WAN side (although Netgear's specs say that model should be 10/100) and artificially limited the thruput.   When broadband speeds of more than 5mb were unheard of (and that was as short as 5 years ago), that thruput limitation wasn't usually an issue.

[nousndthem]

Yes. I've got FIOS TV ... but even so the AT isn't up to the task. Not enough ports.

I'm looking into putting the AT in bridged mode according to:

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r17679150-Howto-make-ActionTec-MI424WR-a-network-bridge

and will probably get into it early morning tomorrow and will report back.

The WAN port is noted to be 10/100 in the specs but it is showing as 10mb only in the "Status"

I'll also probably be looking into a gigabit router / switch real soon, trying to find one that will configure the same way that my current one does.

[lasagna]

You can't use that ... as you have FiOS TV, you need the ActionTEC to be in "router" mode to provide a service path for the STB's to the internet (as well as to maintain the security around the network segment that is servicing the STB's -- which the proposed bridging method breaks).

The key here is the 10mb connection which is being established by the Netgear to the ActionTEC.  Replace the Netgear would resolve that and leave the rest of your network intact.

Since you have FiOS TV, you can't change the local subnet on the ActionTec to be 192.168.9.x because Verizon expects that segment to be 192.168.1.x in order for some of their remote management to work properly.  We could change your network to be all 192.168.1.x and give your devices reservations (and if you need extra ports, just get a small switch -- less than $20 at most online retailers for a 5 port switch) the extend the network ports.

If you're set on keeping the 192.168.9.x network, your best bet is going to be to get another router to replace the Netgear so that we can get the WAN side of that up to 100mb.

[nousndthem]

I'm still going to try it.
If the WAN speed improves to 30.x then there's the proof that the issue is with what the AT is doing,
and I still have the TV guide then I'd call it done.

I don't need Widgets or payperview and the security of the tv alone isn't a conscern.

My router would have all ports closed to the internet as it always does, and I would double check it at "Probe My Ports" just to be sure.

[nousndthem]

On a side note ... I just checked TV with the router physically disconnected at the coax, and TV is fine with the router disconnected.

The guide is there!