Putting Chorus Type 300 ONT into Bridge Mode?

Forums › New Zealand Broadband › Putting Chorus Type 300 ONT into Bridge Mode?

SmurfHk

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#306063 25-Jun-2023 11:24

Hi

Hopefully I’m posting in the right forum here otherwise could admins please move it, thanks!

Whilst the note below might suggest I know what I’m doing it’s more due to terminology scavenged from many frustrating hours on websites than misguided knowledge on my part, so please bin bear with me.

We very recently had Fibre (NOW) installed and have the Internet running OK using the NOW instructions for customers after December 2021 ie PPPoE, with VID 10 in the IPTV Tab of my (own) ASUS RT-AX86U Router. Oddly I had to use LAN2 port of the Chorus Type 300 ONT before it worked.

Based on a successful setup I’ve used overseas, I also tried to set up a VPN server on the ASUS so I could access the Router and my LAN remotely, but it is not working, I suspect due to the ONT and Router creating a Double NAT? The error message in the VPN Server Page is “The wireless router currently uses a private WAN IP address (192.168.x.x, 10.x.x.x or 172.16.x.x). Please refer to the FAQ and set up the port forwarding”

I believe (correct me if I’m wrong) that you can actually log in to the ONT but if so, can you set the ONT (it’s a Chorus Type 300) to bridge mode only by yourself? Or does Chorus need to set this? I tried NOW support and they said do the port forwarding but you’d need to do that in the ONT anyway. Simplest solution seems to the Bridge (bypass) setting?

I understand I could possibly get the VPN working using a port forward but prefer not to go that route if it’s even possible doing port forwards in the ONT.

Finally the Chorus ONT (printed on the box) says it is accessible on 192.168.1.254; my ASUS is set to 192.168.47.1 so it’s on a separate subnet. Should I try on the same subnet as the ONT?

Sorry for the long post but wanted to relay all the details.

Cheers

k

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#3094655 25-Jun-2023 11:40

Hi the issue is not the ONT it's a pure L2 device, the issue is by default NOW use CG-NAT that is causing the double Nat, contact them and request a public IP, there may be a extra cost for that.

Cyril

SmurfHk

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#3094658 25-Jun-2023 11:50

Wow super quick response thanks Cyril !

Oh that’s a bit disappointing, was hoping for a simple fix that didn’t involve additional cost.
I’ll inquire about it.

For future reference do any other ISPs (eg Spark which my Mum used to use, read some other websites which suggest yes) offer this Bridge mode to make config simpler (in case I want to change ISPs later)?

BarTender

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#3094666 25-Jun-2023 12:18

Look for ISPs that only offer CGNAT (Carrier Grade NAT) or give you a real IP address, and then also offer a Static IP address.

This thread: https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=49&topicid=174969

Does talk about the DHCP/PPPoE and voice options, and I saw that @Behodar did talk about adding CGNAT in as part of having a comparison table.

I know Spark still gives out real IP addresses via DHCP and then offers a Static IP and I am not sure if Voyager still do, 2D used to but don't anymore.

But the question you need to ask is "Do I receive a real IP address static or dynamic or am I behind a CGNAT connection and need to pay for a fully static IP?" as it is nothing to do with your ONT and everything to do with your ISP.

Behodar

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#3094668 25-Jun-2023 12:19

Bwahahaha... I was JUST in the middle of posting an update to that thread when the "BarTender has mentioned you" notification came in!

RunningMan

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#3094672 25-Jun-2023 12:25

SmurfHk:
For future reference do any other ISPs (eg Spark which my Mum used to use, read some other websites which suggest yes) offer this Bridge mode to make config simpler (in case I want to change ISPs later)?

With some very rare exceptions (which are going to disappear soon) EVERY SINGLE ISP has the ONT in bridge mode. Ignore what you've learnt from overseas, it doesn't apply. Your issue has nothing to do with the mode of the ONT - it's that your ISP is not giving you a public IPv4 address (i.e they use CG-NAT - Carrier Grade Network Address Translation).

The rare exception is if the ONT is used in residential gateway mode on a hyperfibre connection instead of a CPE router. This (quite uncommon) product is depreciated by Chorus and being phased out.

SmurfHk

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#3094689 25-Jun-2023 13:19

Thanks everyone seems like I was totally barking up the wrong tree with Bridge Mode (I thought it was configurable as it’s not a dumb ONT it appears to have Wi-Fi and an admin page).

I will inquire with the ISP as suggested. Reviewing their response to my query about them contacting Chorus or changing it themself they did come back and say they don’t deal with VPNs or port forwarding but offer Static IP as.an additional $5 Monthly charge.

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RunningMan

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#3094691 25-Jun-2023 13:21

NOW's info on CG-NAT and what to do if it is an issue

https://www.nownz.co.nz/support/technical-support/broadband-help/public-ip-address/

SmurfHk

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#3094695 25-Jun-2023 13:35

RunningMan:

NOW's info on CG-NAT and what to do if it is an issue

https://www.nownz.co.nz/support/technical-support/broadband-help/public-ip-address/

Thank you very much - I did read it a while back but it now makes much more sense in the context of the advise and commentary above.

EDIT - is a public IP address different from a static IP? ie if I go back to NOW can I just ask for the former and it’ll do what I want it to do?

EDIT2

above @Bartender said

But the question you need to ask is "Do I receive a real IP address static or dynamic or am I behind a CGNAT connection and need to pay for a fully static IP?" as it is nothing to do with your ONT and everything to do with your ISP.

As such if what @Cyril mentioned that NOW IS CG-NAT then I have to ask for a Static IP, is that correct?

Behodar

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#3094697 25-Jun-2023 13:39

Yes, public and static are different, although your ISP may "bundle" one with the other (i.e. if you ask for public, you might get static anyway).

quickymart

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#3094703 25-Jun-2023 13:56

If they told you talk to Chorus about it, that's definitely barking up the wrong tree.

SmurfHk

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#3094708 25-Jun-2023 14:26

quickymart:

If they told you talk to Chorus about it, that's definitely barking up the wrong tree.

to be fair this was in the context of asking NOW to put the ONT into Bridge mode.

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huckster

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#3094711 25-Jun-2023 14:35

Behodar:

Yes, public and static are different, although your ISP may "bundle" one with the other (i.e. if you ask for public, you might get static anyway).

If the public ip is sticky i.e. NOW don't change it very frequently, then it may do as you can use a dynamic DNS service to access your network.

It comes down to how frequently and for how long would you want to connect.

SmurfHk

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#3094712 25-Jun-2023 14:46

huckster:

Behodar:

Yes, public and static are different, although your ISP may "bundle" one with the other (i.e. if you ask for public, you might get static anyway).

If the public ip is sticky i.e. NOW don't change it very frequently, then it may do as you can use a dynamic DNS service to access your network.

It comes down to how frequently and for how long would you want to connect.

I think that’s pretty much how my overseas setup worked. Used ASUS DDNS xxxxxx.asuscomm.com and it renews automatically (not sure of frequency). Not critical, just to amend stuff, see which IoT devices are still connected in the Network Tab and maybe Remote RDP into Desktop a PC I can turn on using a wireless switch, on occasion. Want to use VPN as don’t want to open ports (Asus has a proprietary remote access option which does this I think, but you have to open various ports). I’ve closed everything.

michaelmurfy

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#3094728 25-Jun-2023 15:25

@SmurfHk Just note - these days you don't need a public IP if you're just wanting to remotely access stuff. The better option is to use Tailscale (https://tailscale.com) for this which works fine behind CG-NAT and is totally free for most use-cases.

DO NOT (and I mean this) forward RDP to your PC. This is one of the most exploited services out there.

It sounds like to me you actually don't need a public IP and to be honest in your case I wouldn't as it adds a security layer. Just use Tailscale and be done with it.

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freitasm

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#3094732 25-Jun-2023 15:33

SmurfHk:

EDIT - is a public IP address different from a static IP? ie if I go back to NOW can I just ask for the former and it’ll do what I want it to do?

ISPs are running out of IPv4 addresses, so they use CGNAT and one IP address is shared with multiple users. If an inbound connection comes in, the network doesn't know which customer that is being sent to.

A public IP address is just an IP that is not in the CGNAT pool. Some ISPs don't even offer that anymore, leaving any spare IP address not in the pool to be used by static customers.

A static IP is an address that is assigned to your connection and doesn't change.

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