optimal settings for true zyxel router in bridge mode

[dharmabm]

hey all,

i just got a new zyxel router from true after upgrading to 13down/1up and continuing to get only 512 up. several days of line testing and diagnostics and they finally gave me a new modem/router. as i have my own (very nice asus rt-n16 running shibby's tomato) wireless router, the first thing i did was change the ip, disable wireless and set it to bridge mode. what i am wondering is, can i improve the performance at all by tweaking the default settings in bridge mode? i could probably figure this out myself with several hours of research, but hoped that some of you experts might have a quick and dirty solution for me.

any thoughts?

br

k

BTW, i am finally getting more than 512 up (with the fake results of speedtest.net), but am not getting close to 1mb yet

Edited April 9, 2014 by dharmabm

[Dork]

If it's working then you obviously have all the ATM settings correct. Beyond that, in bridge mode, there isn't anything else to set in the ADSL modem. In some older modems it is possible to change the ADSL mode from the default "Auto" to force "ADSL2+ Annex M" but I doubt that will help if it is even an option.

If you aren't getting the speeds you think you should be, the first thing to check is the ADSL Sync Rate. It should be 10-20% higher than your package speed. If either the upstream or downstream sync rates are much less than that then it indicates less than optimal line conditions and there is no other solution than to fix the line fault.

If you have the bridged modem on a different subnet than your LAN (which is the correct configuration) then you can't access the modem's web page unless you either physically plug the modem directly to your PC or modify the routing tables on the Tomato router.

Can you post a screenshot of the ADSL statistics page?

[Dork]

One more thing. For the purpose of testing the line speed there is no point using any site other than your ISP's speed test since you can't influence anything beyond that and there can be other issues causing a slowdown.

e.g.:

http://speedtest.trueinternet.co.th/

http://speedtest1.totbb.net/

[lomatopo]

i just got a new zyxel router from true after upgrading to 13down/1up and continuing to get only 512 up.

My guesses are that they've actually not yet re-provisioned your line/service from the old service of 512 to the new service of 1 Mbps, or your line is not currently capable (distance, bridge/tap, etc.) of supporting rates upstream of greater than 512 Kbps.

A "bridge" (layer 2) is a "bridge, so only "filters" or "forwards", which the Zyxel unit should be able to accomplish at rates greater than your WAN uplink.

Edited April 10, 2014 by lomatopo

[Cloggie]

Check your signal - maybe this will help:

SNR means Signal to Noise Ratio. Simply put divide the Signal value by Noise Value and you get SNR. You need high SNR for a stable connection. In general, a higher signal to noise ratio will result in less errors.

* 6bB. or below = Bad and will experience no line synchronisation and frequent disconnections

* 7dB-10dB. = Fair but does not leave much room for variances in conditions.

* 11dB-20dB. = Good with little or no disconnection problems

* 20dB-28dB. = Excellent

* 29dB. or above = Outstanding

Line Attenuation

In gerneral, attenuation is the loss of signal over distance. Unfortunately, dB loss is not just dependent on distance. It also depends on cable type and gauge (which can differ over the length of the cable), the number and location other connection points on the cable.

* 20bB. and below = Outstanding

* 20dB-30dB. = Excellent

* 30dB-40dB. = Very Good

* 40dB-50dB. = Good

* 50dB-60dB. = Poor and may experience connectivity issues

* 60dB. and above = Bad and will experience connectivity issues

[MeowBundit]

Nothing to add, except recommendation to trash this Zyxel and purchase Tenda D8 or Mercury MD880S from Aliexpress (MD880S also available on DX.com). I own both, pure modems w/o any dialer part, and I can't complain after exchanging Zyxel to them. I don't know for what reason, but ADSL2+ modems (only modems) not available on market here.

[RichCor]

dharmabm, are you still trying to use the XyZEL?

Just upgraded my flaky TOT adsl to fttx 15/1 and as they did't furnish a WiFi combo boxes they bridged in my old ZyXEL P-660HN-T1A

After testing the configuration I've found the ZyXEL firmware has major data throughput reduction issues when enabling multiple AP names. The primary SSID returns 15/1 through most in-country speed tests, but the secondary and tertiary SSIDs only return 5/512k -- fine for the neighborhood kids that want to leach off my connection but terrible for streaming.

[Dork]

Check your signal - maybe this will help:

SNR means Signal to Noise Ratio. Simply put divide the Signal value by Noise Value and you get SNR. You need high SNR for a stable connection. In general, a higher signal to noise ratio will result in less errors.

* 6bB. or below = Bad and will experience no line synchronisation and frequent disconnections

* 7dB-10dB. = Fair but does not leave much room for variances in conditions.

* 11dB-20dB. = Good with little or no disconnection problems

* 20dB-28dB. = Excellent

* 29dB. or above = Outstanding

Line Attenuation

In gerneral, attenuation is the loss of signal over distance. Unfortunately, dB loss is not just dependent on distance. It also depends on cable type and gauge (which can differ over the length of the cable), the number and location other connection points on the cable.

* 20bB. and below = Outstanding

* 20dB-30dB. = Excellent

* 30dB-40dB. = Very Good

* 40dB-50dB. = Good

* 50dB-60dB. = Poor and may experience connectivity issues

* 60dB. and above = Bad and will experience connectivity issues

I've seen those numbers quoted on various sites and while the Line Attenuation numbers still stand the SNR numbers are very out of date. Probably from the early days of ADSL not the ADSL2+ in use now.

That's because the normal SNR rate (where higher is better) drops correspondingly as the line speed increases.

As an example, here is a screenshot of the stats page of the modem on my present 12/1 TRUE ADSL connection.

I went to quite a lot of effort to get the line condition as good as it could possibly be and as a result the ADSL sync is completely stable. I've never seen it drop the connection apart from power cuts. The sync rates and the attainable rates that the modem is showing would back that up. However if you look at the SNR margins they are 9.7/4.5 which puts them in the fair to bad range on the above scale.

Since most (all?) later ADSL modems show both the actual and attainable sync data rates, I have come to the conclusion that it's too complicated and unnecessary to monitor the SNR because the attainable rate is based on a mathematical calculation of the actual line speed vs the actual SNR and therefore if the attainable rate is ok the SNR must be ok too.

[dharmabm]

Nothing to add, except recommendation to trash this Zyxel and purchase Tenda D8 or Mercury MD880S from Aliexpress (MD880S also available on DX.com). I own both, pure modems w/o any dialer part, and I can't complain after exchanging Zyxel to them. I don't know for what reason, but ADSL2+ modems (only modems) not available on market here.

i was originally planning to do this but a) couldn't find a modem only, and true gave me the zyxel for free... i figure it can't be any worse than the old huawei modem i was using

[dharmabm]

dharmabm, are you still trying to use the XyZEL?

Just upgraded my flaky TOT adsl to fttx 15/1 and as they did't furnish a WiFi combo boxes they bridged in my old ZyXEL P-660HN-T1A

After testing the configuration I've found the ZyXEL firmware has major data throughput reduction issues when enabling multiple AP names. The primary SSID returns 15/1 through most in-country speed tests, but the secondary and tertiary SSIDs only return 5/512k -- fine for the neighborhood kids that want to leach off my connection but terrible for streaming.

i am, but i have wifi disabled and using bridged mode only, so those issues do not apply to my situation.

[dharmabm]

before i can address the signal issues i need to overcome a hurdle of apparent stupidity - i cannot get access to the modem through my network. i am ALMOST sure i should be able to, but apparently having a brain fart today

LAN is 192.168.1.0, changed modem to 192.168.0.1, turned of dhcp, wifi and set to bridged mode. added static route to my rt-n16 of 192.168.0.1 gw 192.168.1.1 interface WAN. tried gw 0.0.0.0. i know i'm missing something terribly simple here but i just can't wrap my brain around it... any help?

Edited April 12, 2014 by dharmabm

[RichCor]

If your LAN is in the 192.168.1.0 subnet then the equipment should be in the same subnet

ZyXEL settings:

IP: 192.168.1.1

Subnet: 255.255.255.0

DHCP Server: Off/Disabled

WiFi: Off/Disabled

ASUS RT-n16 settings:

BRIDGED

IP: 192.168.1.2

Subnet: 255.255.255.0

Gateway: 192.168.1.1

DHCP Server starting address: 192.168.1.100

DHCP Server pool size: 20

DNS Servers Assigned by DHCP Server: (can either place STATIC addresses or use RELAY)

[dharmabm]

thanks rich, but my asus is my router (and a very nice one at that), i don't want to put it in bridged mode as i have multiple wired and wireless devices configured on it, many for external access. i did try putting the zyxel on 192.168.1.254 but that didn't work either and it is connected to the WAN port of my router so i wouldn't expect it to. i'm pretty sure the route i am trying is the correct way, i'm just missing something. one other weird thing is, the settings in the zyxel don't always seem to stick, but that's another issue. everything i have read (and already know, as i am SUPPOSED to be an experienced network/systems administrator ) indicates i am going about it the correct way, just missing some small key factor.

[RichCor]

I'm confused. Please list out your equipment (CPE Modem, Router/DHCP Server, etc) and how you have them configured.

I thought you were using the ZyXEL as your adsl modem, then wanting to use your ASUS RT-n16 as your router? So the ZyXEL in BRIDGE mode. I'd suggest giving it a 192.168.1.250 address (common). Though is probably doesn't matter as this device will be invisible once configured.

According to some ZyXEL documentation, "In Bridge mode, you must either have another device (a Router/Firewall or your PC) to use that can be configured for PPPoE authentication. In Bridge Mode, the Zyxel Router, delegates the main functions PPPoE, Routing and NAT to the connected Router/Firewall. The Public IP-Address is forwarded to the Router/Firewall."

At least that's the way I think it works. ZyXEL used to be a really good commercial equipment company but they really put out some awful firmware on their consumer stuff.

[dharmabm]

hi rich,

i think you misunderstand the issue. your assumptions about my configurations are correct, however in your advice above you suggest putting the asus in bridge mode (maybe a typo or i am misunderstanding?). anyway, my setup works perfectly fine, my issue is being able to access the zyxel web interface once it is configured, as i want to look at the throughput/signal statistics. it may be that this is just not possible, but i have read that it is by putting it on a different subnet and setting up a static route on my asus in order to connect to it.

[RichCor]

before i can address the signal issues i need to overcome a hurdle of apparent stupidity - i cannot get access to the modem through my network. i am ALMOST sure i should be able to, but apparently having a brain fart today

LAN is 192.168.1.0, changed modem to 192.168.0.1, turned of dhcp, wifi and set to bridged mode. added static route to my rt-n16 of 192.168.0.1 gw 192.168.1.1 interface WAN. tried gw 0.0.0.0. i know i'm missing something terribly simple here but i just can't wrap my brain around it... any help?

ZyXEL Router in BRIDGE Mode, IP: 192.168.0.1 / 255.255.255.0

ASUS RT-n16 IP: 192.168.1 | Static Route -- IP: 192.168.0.1 / 255.255.255.0 / GW: 192.168.0.1

I believe the destination IP and the Gateway should be the address of the out-of-subnet router.

[dharmabm]

ok, that's some progress... now i can ping the address, but when i go to the web interface it connects to the asus. thanks though, we're getting somewhere!

[RichCor]

Verify the IP addresses:

ZyXEL Router - IP 192.168.0.1 / 255.255.255.255 (or 255.255.255.0 if it won't accept)

ASUS RT-n12 - IP 192.168.1.1 / 255.255.255.0

Static Route: 192.168.0.1 / 255.255.255.255 GW 192.168.0.1 (Try setting the subnet to 255.255.255.255 (a single IP address range))

You could try setting the ZyXEL to 10.0.0.1 / 255.255.255.255 and put those numbers in your ASUS Static Route IP/GW

[dharmabm]

tried using mask 255, no difference. traceroute from my laptop shows 1 hop directly to 192.168.0.1 and nslookup returns the name of my asus-lan1. routing table now shows a new interface br1 (lan1) (image attached). i suspect there is more to do here, but i'm a bit out of my depth and my brain hurts, i'm going to bed and leaving tomorrow for holiday, i will revisit when i return.

i've been meaning to setup some vlans to seperate my wireless IP security cameras from the rest of my network traffic, so this may be a good opportunity to learn how this works and do both at the same time.

thanks very much rich for your help tonight, you haven't heard the last from me!

[Dork]

If I have understood correctly your LAN is on the 192.168.1.x subnet and the Zyxel modem has a fixed IP address of 192.168.0.1. The Zyxel is connected by patch cable from a LAN port to the WAN port on the Tomato router.

If you want to be able to reach the web gui of the Zyxel through the WAN port on the Tomato, because it is on a different subnet,, you can add the following scripts to Administration/Scripts on the Tomato:

In Firewall add this command:

ifconfig `nvram get wan_ifname`:0 192.168.0.2 netmask 255.255.255.0

In Init add this command:

iptables -t nat -I POSTROUTING -o `nvram get wan_ifname` -j MASQUERADE

Save and reboot the Tomato. Now you should be able to access the Zyxel (192.168.0.1) from anywhere on the 192.168.1.x LAN.

[dharmabm]

If I have understood correctly your LAN is on the 192.168.1.x subnet and the Zyxel modem has a fixed IP address of 192.168.0.1. The Zyxel is connected by patch cable from a LAN port to the WAN port on the Tomato router.

If you want to be able to reach the web gui of the Zyxel through the WAN port on the Tomato, because it is on a different subnet,, you can add the following scripts to Administration/Scripts on the Tomato:

In Firewall add this command:

ifconfig `nvram get wan_ifname`:0 192.168.0.2 netmask 255.255.255.0

In Init add this command:

iptables -t nat -I POSTROUTING -o `nvram get wan_ifname` -j MASQUERADE

Save and reboot the Tomato. Now you should be able to access the Zyxel (192.168.0.1) from anywhere on the 192.168.1.x LAN.

ok, tried this and it is still bringing me to the asus page (i had seen this but thought it was an alternative to the routing option). i wonder 2 things, shouldn't the firewall script be 192.168.0.1? (why 192.168.0.2?). secong, should i remove the routing entry and use ONLY these scripts?

thanks for all the help with this.

[Dork]

If I have understood correctly your LAN is on the 192.168.1.x subnet and the Zyxel modem has a fixed IP address of 192.168.0.1. The Zyxel is connected by patch cable from a LAN port to the WAN port on the Tomato router.

If you want to be able to reach the web gui of the Zyxel through the WAN port on the Tomato, because it is on a different subnet,, you can add the following scripts to Administration/Scripts on the Tomato:

In Firewall add this command:

ifconfig `nvram get wan_ifname`:0 192.168.0.2 netmask 255.255.255.0

In Init add this command:

iptables -t nat -I POSTROUTING -o `nvram get wan_ifname` -j MASQUERADE

Save and reboot the Tomato. Now you should be able to access the Zyxel (192.168.0.1) from anywhere on the 192.168.1.x LAN.

ok, tried this and it is still bringing me to the asus page (i had seen this but thought it was an alternative to the routing option). i wonder 2 things, shouldn't the firewall script be 192.168.0.1? (why 192.168.0.2?). secong, should i remove the routing entry and use ONLY these scripts?

thanks for all the help with this.

If it is taking you to the ASUS (192.168.1.1) then there must be an erroneous entry in the routing tables. Routing entries alone could never work because the modem is connected via the WAN port and therefore needs to pass through the firewall.

If it was me I would do a factory reset to be sure to be sure everything is clean. There isn't much configuration for PPPoE anyway.

The firewall script doesn't necessarily have to be x.x.x.2 but it shouldn't be x.x.x.1. Using 2 just seems logical.

I don't have a working Tomato otherwise I would send you a screenshot. I use DD-WRT nowadays but I have made this work on Tomato before. They are very similar anyway.

Cheers & good luck!