Re: Best home network setup to allow for configuring ports

On Aug 4, 8:54 am, timu...@xxxxxxxxx wrote:

I shouldn't have tried to answer any questions. Pain meds
have worn off and I feel a bit better than horrible. I'll try to
answer this one and go back into hiding.

Modem model: Actiontec R1524SU
Firmware: 1.60.10.0.69

<http://www.actiontec.com/support/broadband/1524su-1.html>
Looks like a router instead of just modem. I have the same
problem with the terminology for Efficient/Speedstream 5100b
and 4100 DSL modems. They claim to be modems, but because
they support NAT address translation, I would tend to call them
a router. This one has many more useful features, including
port forwarding, so it may be usable as a router.

There are two approaches to doing this. One is to setup the
BEFW11S4 as a wireless access point, instead of a router.
That way, you can your port forwarding in the Actiontec, and
the Linksys BEFW11S4 acts just as a simple wireless bridge.
See general instructions at:
<http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-
Fi_How_To#Use_a_wireless_router_as_a_wireless_access_point>

The other way is the method you found in the Actiontek
instructions. Disable the router section of the Actiontek
and use the BEFW11S4 as a router.

There's a 3rd alternative. I consider the BEW11S4 v4 to be
rather obsolete and of generally poor reliability. Mine would
hang all the time. I'll guess yours is a v4 (look on the serial
number tag) by the firmware version. 1.50.10 is old. See:
<http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satellite?
c=L_CASupport_C2&childpagename=US
%2FLayout&cid=1166859878881&pagename=Linksys%2FCommon
%2FVisitorWrapper&lid=7888137314B19&displaypage=download#versiondetail>
for update to 1.52.02. There's a slightly later version of
the firmware that was sent to me for testing. I must confess
that I haven't tried it. Bug me if you wanna try it.

Router model: Linksys BEFW11S4
Firmware:1.50.10

You have what is known as double NAT, which
can be made to work, but is generally a bad idea.

I found an options to turn off NAT in the modem and router firmwares.
In the modem, it comes with some warnings about doing so, including,
"If you turn NAT off, you MUST specify a static route for your local
subnet."

I don't understand what that means. I think they want to
make sure you can still administer the Actiontek modem/router
after turning it into a bridge. If there's a reset button, the worst
case is to just reset to defaults and try again.

Before I try this out, what exactly will I need to put for
the local subnet? Also, it says, "Turning off NAT will open your modem
to outside intrusion, creating a security risk." Once I get this set
up, should the firewall in the modem be enough protection?

Oh, that. They're assuming that you don't have a router and
are going to plug your PC direction into the Actiontec. That is
somewhat of a security problem as you don't have the added
protection of NAT. However, most computahs have software
firewalls, so it's not as horrible as it sounds. With your added
BEFW11s4 v4, it shouldn't be a problem.

Now that I've hit the limit of my strength, back to sleeping,
er... recovering.

Good luck.

.

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