[WTB] Cheap or Free OpenWRT compatible device

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Kiwifruta

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#261405 25-Nov-2019 23:22

Hi.

I'm helping out a mate whose internet connection is behind CG-NAT. I need to set up no-ip.com DDNS and his ISP supplied gateway device won't provide the public IP address but only the IP address on the WAN interface. So I'm after a small OpenWRT device that I can put on his LAN to provide the public IP address to no-ip.

Alternatively, doesn't anyone know how to factory reset a HG556a running OpenWRT? I've tried all the reset instructions on the OpenWRT website, short of opening up the device and attaching wires to the PCB.

I'm in Tauranga and will be passing through Hamilton and up to Takapuna at the weekend (off to the GZ IRL).

Cheers

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#2360728 26-Nov-2019 00:12

Dynamic DNS won't work behind CG-NAT. You're not going to have any joy getting around that, and you'll need to get him to move to a provider that provides public IPs by default, or or get a static IP.

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Kiwifruta

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#2360733 26-Nov-2019 06:32

Thanks for your concern and advice. It’s for updating his smart dns provider.

muppet

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#2360734 26-Nov-2019 06:55

Kiwifruta: Thanks for your concern and advice. It’s for updating his smart dns provider.

I have one of these as a travel router, I installed OpenWRT on it.

What do you hope to achieve by updating his SmartDNS provider with an IP Address shared by hundreds of other users? The problem with CGNAT is that the "public" IP address he's coming from can often be different depending on the request. One HTTPS request might come from public.ip.adddress.3 and the next might come from public.ip.address.82.

So no matter what you put in his smart DNS, it's almost certainly not valid. You're not going to get any port forwarding, or useful functionality. And when you run the update for the Dynamic DNS, you might find 10 minutes later the address is different.

So by all means, buy that great little travel router and stick it on your LAN to do the Smart DNS updates. But his public IP Address is taken from a pool and can potentially change with every unique TCP request (depending on many things) that we can't see how this isn't a fully pointless exercise. Port forwarding won't work and even if you were using the DNS for say, a remote firewall access list, the IP in the DNS probably isn't the same one that SSH/Web requests to that firewall would come from.

Kiwifruta

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#2360769 26-Nov-2019 09:05

If I understand you correctly, different ports can have different public IP addresses.

When I've manually provided the IP address to the DNS provider, the unblocking worked for a week until his IP address updated. He is with 2D.

I'll have a chat with him to see if he is in a contract. Shame 2D don't offer a public IP address on the WAN unless one signs up for a static IP.

muppet

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#2360770 26-Nov-2019 09:10

Kiwifruta:

If I understand you correctly, different ports can have different public IP addresses.

When I've manually provided the IP address to the DNS provider, the unblocking worked for a week until his IP address updated. He is with 2D.

I'll have a chat with him to see if he is in a contract. Shame 2D don't offer a public IP address on the WAN unless one signs up for a static IP.

It depends on how the ISPs CGNAT is setup. Some CGNAT setups will "pin" the private IP (his WAN IP) to an actual public IP. But that public IP is still going to be shared by other users, other systems, etc. That's how CGNAT is designed to work. Think of how at home in a normal public WAN IP situation, all the PCs behind it have a single public IP they're natted to. Well that's exactly what's happening in CGNAT, many users "WAN" IP's are being NAT'd by the ISP to a single, truly public IP.

You can try and fight it with dynamic DNS, VPNs, but really your only option is either a truly public IP that floats (and then your Dynamic DNS trick will work) or just getting a static IP.

harlansmart

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#2360831 26-Nov-2019 10:37

If you 'ask nicely' 2D may provide you a Static IP at no cost 😉

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itey

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#2362548 29-Nov-2019 08:50

Do you still need the router?

Kiwifruta

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#2362556 29-Nov-2019 08:54

Yes.

nzkc

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#2362678 29-Nov-2019 10:03

For its price, this is great and you can flash OpenWRT onto it: https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/NETAS4058/ASUS-RT-AC58U-MU-MIMO-Gigabit-Wi-Fi-Router-Dual-Ba

Sure there are far better routers out there. But at sub $150 I think its a bargain. I use one at home, flashed with OpenWRT, on gigabit fibre and it handles it fine. Wifi coverage is ok too (I don't have a large house - single story).

toejam316

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#2362720 29-Nov-2019 10:57

If you are dead set on this path, I've actually got an RT-AC68U sitting spare after a recent upgrade to a UAP. It's yours for $100+shipping, or you can pick it up in Hamilton CBD whenever I'm on shift, or this weekend at the Geekzone meetup if you're going there.

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Kiwifruta

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#2362727 29-Nov-2019 11:06

Thanks guys for the router suggestions. Nice routers but more than I want to spend for a DDNS updater to gift to a mate.

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sbiddle

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#2362729 29-Nov-2019 11:08

Kiwifruta: Thanks guys for the router suggestions. Nice routers but more than I want to spend for a DDNS updater to gift to a mate.

But you do of course realise as mentioned above that DDNS doesn't work behind CG-NAT?

muppet

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#2362730 29-Nov-2019 11:09

Why don't you just install something like this on his PC?

KrazyKid

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#2362740 29-Nov-2019 11:20

I brought a cheap cisco e2500 on trademe a couple of years ago (say $20) and put Tomato onto it.
It looks like Tomato has a DDNS service.

Also if your mate has a Fritzbox you can set up DDNS on that.

Also just want to point out that I'm with 2D as well, and rang up and asked nicely for a static IP since this change stuff up my mine-craft server, VPN and access to my camera's.
I was polite and stated my issues. They gave me a free static IP.

itey

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#2362893 29-Nov-2019 13:46

I have a linksys e3200 or 4500 or something similar at home that is running tomatousb that you can have for free if you cover postage (or pickup in Tauranga)

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