Fiber Optical Cable To Router

[Scotwight]

I've got 3bb optical cable coming into the house to a 3bb Huawei router. I want to switch to an Asus RC68P router. Do I need something to convert the fiber optical cable to fit into the Asus router? I've asked Asus but they have not answered.

[Pib]

Does ASUS RC68P even have an optical input?

Just hook the ASUS router (or whatever router or access point you want to buy) to a Huawei router ethernet port and use it that way....maybe turn off the Wifi of the Huawei router or maybe even put it in bridge mode.

[KhunBENQ]

to a 3bb Huawei router.

So I assume this router has an optical connector.

So either as described in #2 or you need a "media converter" which converts optical input to Ethernet/RJ45 output.

Can then be connected via a simple LAN cable to your router.

ToT used this for my connection.

The converters are pretty expensive though.

[Chicog]

First, I would check with 3BB if they support any other Fibre Router.

Second, the Asus is not a Fibre router.

Why don't you just turn off the WIFI on the Huawei and use it as a perimeter router only, and then create your home network under the ASUS?

[Scotwight]

Does ASUS RC68P even have an optical input?

Just hook the ASUS router (or whatever router or access point you want to buy) to a Huawei router ethernet port and use it that way....maybe turn off the Wifi of the Huawei router or maybe even put it in bridge mode.

I've looked at the photos and can't tell. I'm trying to put a VPN in the router. My VPN said the Huawei that I have would not work.

[Scotwight]

First, I would check with 3BB if they support any other Fibre Router.

Second, the Asus is not a Fibre router.

Why don't you just turn off the WIFI on the Huawei and use it as a perimeter router only, and then create your home network under the ASUS?

Asus DSL AC 68U says,

• Compatible with ADSL2/2+, ADSL, VDSL2, fiber and cable services for complete future-proofing

Does that mean it's a fiber router?

[Litlos]

The Asus AC68U is not compatible with fibre optic. Run a ethernet cable from the Huawei router to the Asus unit and place the Huawei router in bridge mode. You will need to get the admin password for the Huawei router for this, ask 3BB and they will give to you eventually. Also the Asus will need to be set to accept internet via an ethernet port and this particular unit is fussy on which port you use and this is set in the configuration. I have the Asus unit running on 3BB DSL service and and once running is great, but can be finicky.

Cheers

[Pib]

First, I would check with 3BB if they support any other Fibre Router.

Second, the Asus is not a Fibre router.

Why don't you just turn off the WIFI on the Huawei and use it as a perimeter router only, and then create your home network under the ASUS?

Asus DSL AC 68U says,

• Compatible with ADSL2/2+, ADSL, VDSL2, fiber and cable services for complete future-proofing

Does that mean it's a fiber router?

No...it's not a fiber optics (or cable/DOCSIS) router. It just means you can connect one of its ethernet ports to an ethernet port on the fiber optics or cable router/modem like mentioned earlier....nothing special about that. Just ASUS being creative in their advertisement of the router.

As part of the ASUS "DSL" 68U part number implies, it's a VDSL2/ADSL2+/ADSL2/ADSL router.

As fiber optics and cable routers/modem are usually married to the system you are hooking up to, I'd be surprised if you could buy a fiber optics router to work and that assumes you get 3BB to agree in accepting it on their system/marrying it to their system.

[Chicog]

If you put DDWRT on it, you can put the VPN directly on the Router, then you don't have to configure anything that attaches to it.

https://www.flashrouters.com/routers/router-types/dd-wrt/asus-rtac68u-ddwrt-router

This is exactly what I do at home.

I have one Router for my home network, and another that's strictly for VPN devices when needed.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

It depends on the OP's VPN provider. But I believe some ASUS routers these days come with a built-in Open VPN capacity in their firmware that ASUS calls Merlin or something like that.

My VPN provider has router apps for DD-WRT, Tomato and ASUS Merlin, so possibly no need to re-flash the ASUS router to DD-WRT or anything else.

https://www.asus.com/Networking/RTAC68P/specifications/

VPN server : IPSec Pass-Through, PPTP Pass-Through, L2TP Pass-Through, PPTP Server, OpenVPN Server
VPN client : PPTP client, L2TP client, OpenVPN client

But in my case at my home, I've implemented exactly the same approach as Chicog described above:

I am using the Huawei router-modem that 3BB provided with my FTTH service. And then running an ethernet cable from a LAN port of the Huawei router into a port on my VPN router. The two routers are assigned different SSIDs, and set to transmit on two different wifi channels to avoid interference. The Huawei router provides a Thai IP connection both by ethernet and wifi. The VPN router provides my home country IP connection both by ethernet and wifi.

You just have to make sure that the two different routers are set to operate on different, I believe the term is, subnets. So the Huawei router's IP address is 192-168-1-1, thus your VPN router needs to have a different address. It could come with a different address because it's a different brand and arrives that way by default. Or if it arrives with the same IP address, you have to manually change it to anything else, like 192-168-2-1.

That way, the IP addresses assigned by the two routers will not interfere and overlap with each other.

[Chicog]

You just have to make sure that the two different routers are set to operate on different, I believe the term is, subnets. So the Huawei router's IP address is 192-168-1-1, thus your VPN router needs to have a different address.

Not really an issue because it should NAT the address anyway.

Although in my case, my Fibre Router's internal address is 192.168.100.1 and both internal routers use 192.168.1.x

There are no conflicts because devices attached to them are segregated, but yes, you can change the addressing scheme so that one is 192.168.1.x and the other is 192.168.2.x.

The only real reason I can think of for doing that is so that you can quickly tell which network you're using, but you should be able to do that from the network name anyway.

[Scotwight]

You just have to make sure that the two different routers are set to operate on different, I believe the term is, subnets. So the Huawei router's IP address is 192-168-1-1, thus your VPN router needs to have a different address.

Not really an issue because it should NAT the address anyway.

Although in my case, my Fibre Router's internal address is 192.168.100.1 and both internal routers use 192.168.1.x

There are no conflicts because devices attached to them are segregated, but yes, you can change the addressing scheme so that one is 192.168.1.x and the other is 192.168.2.x.

The only real reason I can think of for doing that is so that you can quickly tell which network you're using, but you should be able to do that from the network name anyway.

So below is what I should do and it will be plug and play?

[Pib]

Assuming the internet line coming to your residence if first connecting to the Huawei, you should go from the Huawei RJ45 ethernet port to the Linksys "WAN" port. Not sure it would work the way the picture shows without some port rerouting within the Linksys setup menus as the input to the router is expected to come into the WAN port.

[Scotwight]

Assuming the internet line coming to your residence if first connecting to the Huawei, you should go from the Huawei RJ45 ethernet port to the Linksys "WAN" port. Not sure it would work the way the picture shows without some port rerouting within the Linksys setup menus as the input to the router is expected to come into the WAN port.

From Huawei (optical fiber router) To the port labeled "Internet Wan Port?"

[Chicog]

You run an cable from an Ethernet port on the Fibre Router into the "Internet" connection on the other Router - because that's where it's getting its Internet from.

If you set everything up as Auto the internal router will get an IP from the Fibre Router and do the DHCP for you.

[Scotwight]

You run an cable from an Ethernet port on the Fibre Router into the "Internet" connection on the other Router - because that's where it's getting its Internet from.

If you set everything up as Auto the internal router will get an IP from the Fibre Router and do the DHCP for you.

Seems simple enough. Now my signal goes from -10 dbm next to the hauwei to -55 dbm in the living room. Assuming that a new router will boost that and allow me to add a VPN and storage.

[Pib]

Yes to the WAN port--consider it kinda like your master "input" port...the input is coming from the other router. And your ethernet ports as "output" ports although they really send data both ways just as the WAN port can also. Think of it like a daisy chain setup. Fiber optic cable goes to the fiber optics input/WAN...it's ethernet outputs feed other devices such as the input/WAN port of another router daisy chained.

[Scotwight]

Thanks all for the information.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Just be aware, the 3BB fiber router is an N class wifi router, whereas the photo you've posted above is a very common and formerly popular Linksys G router.

I tried a similar set-up at one point with the same model Linksys router I have at home, setting it up as a kind of repeater router. And while the Linksys router provided a stronger signal at the reception point based on dBi than the Huawei N router did, the Huawei N router, and other N routers I tried instead, still provided a faster wifi bandwidth than the Linksys G did.

If you're going to run a second router off the Huawei one as a VPN router or a range extender, and plan to use its wifi signal, at least try to have a 2nd router that runs on faster N wifi.

It didn't used to matter so much, when the best internet speeds anyone was going to get over DSL and such at the modem/router might have been their plan's 15 or so Mbps. But now with ISPs like 3BB offering rated 100 Mbps plans and actually delivering much of that, especially with a VPN involved, you need a more capable router if you want to take full advantage of that speed via wifi reception.

[mahjongguy]

"you need a more capable router if you want to take full advantage of that speed via wifi reception."

Quite true, and it goes beyond the lack of fast Wi-Fi. The CPU and RAM of the WRT54GL can't handle that amount of throughput even to its Ethernet ports. Not to mention that the ports themselves are only 10/100 Mbps.

[Pib]

But don't overdue it on the router....you can get the latest and greatest and fastest router on Earth but if the Wifi chip/circuit in your computer is limited to a lower bandwidth a person could have a 1000Mb fiber optics connections, feeding the latest and greatest and faster AC standard Wifi router and still his computer may not be able to pull a Wifi connection faster than around 60Mb due to limitation of his computer's Wifi circuit if the computer Wifi circuit is a run of the mill N circuit. And of course distance and obstructions from the whiz bang router and your computer impact speed also. Weakest link in the chain type situation.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Pib, when you talk about wifi chip/circuit in one's computer, I'm assuming you're talking about the wifi adapter (receiver) on the receiving device or computer.

Of course it's true that you need to have comparable hardware on both the sending and receiving ends in order to take full advantage of the better technology.

If you have a wifi N router, but the wifi adapter on your receiving device is Wifi G, then the best you're going to get on the receiving end is Wifi G. So clearly with the Huawei fiber router, which has N wifi, to make the most of it, you want to have an N wifi adapter/receiver on the receiving PC or other device.

When I was running my tests recently, one configuration I tried at home was using the built-in wifi G adapter in my main laptop. That produced a much stronger signal reading than the USB wifi N adapter that I had been using, so I thought great! But then when I speedtested both configurations with all other variables the same, the wifi N adapter with the weaker signal gave me about twice the bandwidth to my laptop as the built-in wifi G adapter had, weaker reception notwithstanding.

[Pib]

Yes, I'm talking the Wifi adapter (i.e., chip, circuit) in your device. And just using the 802.11N standard for example the router and/or device laptop adapter can come in different varieties in terms of max theoretical speed it can handle such as 150mb, 300mb, 450mb....900mb etc....and then we get into whether the Wifi adapter is single, double or multiple streaming and how many antenna it has to use.

Not uncommon for Wifi adapters to come installed in a basic laptop to be 150mb single or double stream. But lets say you have a N router which can do 450mb multiple streaming, well, that's kinda like saying you are trying to get all the water capacity of a 5 inch in diameter water pipe (the whiz bang, top of the line router) to now go through a 1" inch water pipe (i.e., your basic 150mb, single antenna, single/double streaming Wifi adapter).

And when you start talking the AC standard, which is a step above the N standard, the AC router is like having a router with a 10 inch water pipe capability---but if a 1" water pipe is being hooked to it like say a 150mb single streaming capability Wifi adapter it's like having a Ferrari which could do hundreds of KMH on the straight and flat road but you only have the local moobaan sois to drive it on at a much lower speed. Nothing wrong in buying a whiz-bang router of the latest standard to help future proof yourself....I'm just saying your Wifi adapters in your computer/tablets/smartphones may not be able to take advantage of it.

See below website for some more explanation on the various flavors of the N standard...it's a just for example website talking different speeds and streaming available under the N standard....and now the N standard is being replaced by the faster AC standard.

http://kb.netgear.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/21918/~/what-does-it-mean-when-a-router-is-described-as-being-n150%2Fn300%2Fn600%2Fn750%2Fn900%3F

What I have found with a couple of my laptops...some with older G Wifi adapters and some with N wifi adapter standards and when just using my True 15Mb cable internet plan which can burst up to over 30Mb, and also using two routers in my house (a G upstairs and N downstairs) that when signal strength is equal the speedtest results are basically the same. Now, I'm sure if a person had a 30Mb plan or higher using Wifi the N standard router would give better speed because a G standard router in "real world Wifi data throughput" will usually max out around 25Mb although it could briefly burst higher.

[Richard-BKK]

Use a Ethernet cable from the blue socket on the back of your Asus router and connect that cable to one of the Ethernet ports of the Huawei router... Easy peachy

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Now, I'm sure if a person had a 30Mb plan or higher using Wifi the N standard router would give better speed because a G standard router in "real world Wifi data throughput" will usually max out around 25Mb although it could briefly burst higher.

That was my point re the prior poster above with the Linksys G wifi router. Combining that G class wifi router with a 100 Mbps 3BB plan and using it for wifi reception is crippling the 3BB service.

The G class router will be fine for wifi with your 15 Mbps True Online service. But not with 3BB's 100 Mbps.

When I tested my Linksys G router's wifi at my Huawei router's location, the G router's wifi would run up in the 20 Mbps range. But when I move the Linksys G router's wifi reception point to another room separated by a pretty thick wall but only about 15 feet away, the wifi bandwidth would drop down to 10+ Mbps.

Either way, it's not keeping up with a 3BB 100 Mbps service.

[Chicog]

There is plenty of good 802.11ac kit out there to choose from, some of it optimised for video streaming which is going to be a growing trend.

So if you're thinking of upgrading, bear that in mind.

[Scotwight]

There is plenty of good 802.11ac kit out there to choose from, some of it optimised for video streaming which is going to be a growing trend.

So if you're thinking of upgrading, bear that in mind.

Fiber optic coming in on the 3bb router going to an Asus below and then a wire Lan connection to my smart TV is that going to make my tv run 4k video better/faster.smoother? Since my TV is wired and not wifi connected? I realize it will make my wifi tablet run better/faster but will it do that for my wired connections too?

[sniffdog]

I have a ac87u asus router .. Will it work with 3bb 100/10 fiber?

[Pib]

There is plenty of good 802.11ac kit out there to choose from, some of it optimised for video streaming which is going to be a growing trend.

So if you're thinking of upgrading, bear that in mind.

Fiber optic coming in on the 3bb router going to an Asus below and then a wire Lan connection to my smart TV is that going to make my tv run 4k video better/faster.smoother? Since my TV is wired and not wifi connected? I realize it will make my wifi tablet run better/faster but will it do that for my wired connections too?

When you are coming out of an Ethernet port of a router you don't have issues with Wifi slowing down things.

If the ethernet ports are the older 100Mb speed ports they would pass an incoming 100Mb internet connection full speed with 0% left over capacity.

If the ethernet ports are newer 1000Mb speed ports it would pass an incoming 100Mb internet connection full speed have 900Mb of left over capacity. For the typical home use ethernet ports on a routers, even the older 100Mb speed ports, is not a limiting factor. Better to have a router with the newer 1000Mb ethernet ports but the ports do not speed up your internet connection.

Now if you are streaming data from a drive to the router and they out 100Mb ports then you can exceed 100Mb and maybe notice a difference....how much you can exceed it depends on how fast the drive can pump out data.

Just remember if your incoming internet plan is say a 100Mb fiber plan that the best speed you'll get in relaying it around the house whether using Wifi or ethernet...if you have a 10Mb ADSL plan that the best speed you get in relaying it around the house wheterh using Wifi or ethernet. Weakest (slowest) link in the daisy chain concept.

And don't forget if your say have a 100Mb fiber plan and streaming from say a site in UK or US, well, you are not going to get a 100Mb international speed connection to the US or UK...it going to be something far less...all depending on what speed the internet speed provider's international gateway is allowing. And I'm sure your read the many posts on ThaiVisa complaining slow connections to international sites regardless of how fast their internet plan is. No shortage of people who got fast internet plans hoping that fast internet plan would equal the speed of their local/domestic connection...what they end up getting is some fractional part like say 20%, 30%, etc., when measured by a thorough/reliable. speedtester. But yea, get the a fast internet plan, the latest router, and your streaming is going to be better, from a little to a lot (maybe).

[Pib]

I have a ac87u asus router .. Will it work with 3bb 100/10 fiber?

Sure, but you must run an ethernet connection from the provided fiber router to the input of the asus router.