How to Limit Upload on Actiontec Router

Setting up the Actiontec MI424WR (Rev. I) as a passive bridge

How to upgrade Verizon'south FIOS router to and EdgeRouter Calorie-free (or anything!) in your home network.

I've had FIOS 75/75 for over a year now and absolutely love it. I consistently get these advertised speeds and the provided router/MOCA bridge (the Actiontec MI424WR Rev. I) has been pretty much rock solid since we switched to Verizon. While it's done its task, it has a very small NAT tabular array, simply provides 10/100 Mbit Ethernet connections, and the web interface provides essentially 0 reporting or traffic monitoring.

I had been looking into upgrading it for some time and for Christmas my brother got me the Ubiquiti EdgeRouter Lite to upgrade my home network. While I couldn't wait to integrate it and start taking a await at our network bandwidth/action trends, I should have known Verizon makes this nearly impossible when connecting to my Optical Network Final (ONT) via coax. (It's possible to call Verizon and have them switch from coax to ethernet from the ONT, but my business firm is sadly not wired for ethernet and not something I can run easily.)

Start with Scott Hanselman'due south first-class overview on setting this upwardly, I soon realized at that place are some important differences with the Rev. I version of this router and none of the express resources I could detect provided articulate steps on this item revision. I'thou hoping to outline much cleaner steps beneath for anyone looking to upgrade their Verizon-provided (Rev. I) Actiontec into something much more powerful.

Initial Setup

My personal setup has the Actiontec MI424WR Revision I router provided by Verizon (the "Actiontec") and the Ubiquiti EdgeRouter Lite (the "Router"). Yous tin choose whatsoever third party router only I'm going to overview this from the EdgeRouter perspective. Another notes:

• Network connections: my habitation network has fiber going into my ONT, coax running from the ONT to my Actiontec, ethernet from the Actiontec's LAN1 to my router'due south eth0, then ethernet from my router's eth1 to my wireless admission point (Apple tree Airport Extreme base of operations station). Yous should accept something similar.
• Ready-top box considerations: I don't use whatsoever Verizon set-height boxes since I cutting the string in May but I believe in order to maintain guide data and make sure your boxes still work you need to bridge the connectedness back to the Actiontec (i.due east., connect the router's eth2 or whatever available LAN port to an open LAN port on the Actiontec). I'll take a longer annotation on this below.

Step-by-Stride Guide

For the nigh part I'll exist following milkmandan'due south guide from DSLReports.com, based on an before one for the Rev. E. I'm also going to use some notational shorthand for navigating in the Actiontec's GUI, so ">" will stand for click paths.

Get the MAC addresses and disconnect the router

Before we get started we need the MAC addresses for both the Actiontec's Broadband/Coax connection and the Router. For the EdgeRouter specifically, connect to it and open the CLI. After signing in, run:

          $> prove interfaces ethernet eth0        

The MAC accost will exist on the first line after "link/ether." Copy information technology and paste information technology somewhere you tin can get to easily.

To become the Actiontec's MAC accost, sign in to the GUI and navigate to the Meridian Menu > Advanced > click "Yes" > Mac Cloning > Set Mac of Device and then choose Broadband (Ethernet/Coax). Copy this equally well and save it.

Before proceeding, make sure the connection from the Actiontec to the Router is asunder (i.e., unplug the ethernet cable from the Actiontec'southward LAN1 to the Router's eth0).

Let's get our hands dirty!

Just a fair alert here, if you're not comfortable hard-resetting your Actiontec repeatedly, calling Verizon's support to release your DHCP charter amid other things, or banging your head confronting the wall wondering why these steps are so particular and sensitive, please back away now!

Now with that out of the mode, permit'south go going!

1. Hard reset your Actiontec. This isn't absolutely mandatory, but if you're unsure of whatever changes you lot may take made to the default configuration this is the fastest/cleanest way.
2. Log in to your Actiontec. Employ the default username and password; these are both printed on the side my physical Actiontec. It's safest to change these to something secure, just to exist safe.
3. Change the Actiontec's IP. Navigate to the top card and click My Network; in the side bill of fare choose Network Connections > Network (Home/Function) > Settings. Locate the "IP Address" department and alter the IP to 192.168.50.1 (note: the 3rd octect only needs to be any number non used by your local network, I chose 50).
4. Log back in to the Actiontec. You lot should renew your IP then that you tin can connect back to the Actiontec easily at 192.168.50.one. And then log in over again.
5. Turn the wireless network off. Get to the top bill of fare > Wireless Settings. In the side menu click Basic Security Settings and tuen Wireless "Off." Click Apply.
6. Subtract the firewall settings. Go the meridian menu and click Firewall Settings. In the side carte du jour click General, and then click Minimum. Apply this.
7. Release your IP. Go to the top menu and click My Network. In the side menu click on Network Connections and and then the Advanced link to evidence the connections cleaved out. Get back hither (top menu, My Network > side menu, Network Connections) and click Broadband (Ethernet/Coax). Click Settings and find the Release link, click that and and so click Apply.
8. Stop the Broadband connexion from distributing IP addresses. From the meridian menu click My Network, then click Network Connections from the side menu. Click Broadband (Ethernet/Coax), and so Settings, and so locate "IP Distribution." Select "Disable" then click Apply. Get back to these settings (top menu > My Network > side menu > Network Connexion > Broadband (Ethernet/Coax) > Settings) and locate "DNS Server," select "No DNS Server" and then click Apply. Go back here again and locate "IP Accost," select "No IP Accost" and apply again.
9. Terminate the Home Network connexion from distributing IPs. From the elevation menu click My Network, then click Network Connections in the side menu, then click Network (Home/Office) and then Settings. Locate "IP Distribution" hither and select "Disable," and so click Utilise. Become back to this settings page and locate "DNS Server," select "No DNS Server" and employ this besides.
10. Disable/enable options in the Abode Network connection. Get to the peak menu and click My Network, so in the side card click Network Connections, then click Network (Habitation/Office) and Settings. Locate the checkbox group midway down and uncheck "Wireless." Click Apply. Become back to this settings page and make sure the box to the left of "Broadband (Coax)" is checked, and so apply if necessary. Get dorsum here once more and cheque the box under the "STP" column in the "Broadband (Coax)" row, so apply.
11. Swap MAC addresses between the Router and Actiontec. We're getting close, at present we need to set the Actiontec's MAC address to be the Router'south, and vice versa, so that Verizon treats the new router correctly. From the top menu click Advanced and then MAC Cloning; in the dropdown menu next to Set Mac of Device brand sure "Broadband (Coax)" is selected. In these boxes enter the MAC address of the Router (that we got earlier these steps). Click Save. Now go into your Router and prepare it's MAC address to the original Actiontec's we also got earlier (i.e., the 1 you just overwrote). To exercise this for the EdgeRouter from the CLI:

          $> set interfaces ethernet eth0 mac XX:XX:Twenty:20:XX:XX        

At present all we need to exercise is connect the Actiontec's LAN1 to the Router'southward WAN (eth0) port. Y'all may demand to power wheel the Actiontec, I did just to be safe. The Router should now have received a new IP address from Verizon (going right through the Actiontec), serving upwardly DHCP leases instead of the Actiontec. If it did not, you unfortunately have a trouble and will demand to first from stride i, making sure to hard reset the Actiontec outset.

A notation on set-elevation boxes and VOD

Fortunately I no longer use Verizon'due south set-top boxes or their cablevision TV! I cannot test whether the guide data, fix-top boxes, and video on-demand works correctly with this setup, merely other guides instruct to either connect the Router back into the Actiontec's LAN4 or it'due south WAN port to re-enable these cable TV features.

Success!

Your new router should have taken the identify of the old Actiontec, without even having to call Verizon to release your IP or recognize it. The EdgeRouter Calorie-free is fantastic and at less than $100 is a serious deal — my internal traffic is lightning fast now and really everything feels faster.

The EdgeMax GUI is really characteristic-rich and easy to use as well, I'grand peculiarly interested in bandwidth/network monitoring and it's been slap-up for that. I'm currently using PeakHour to capture usage from my home server but will exist tinkering with netflow to do it better.

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Source: https://medium.com/particle-bits/setting-up-the-actiontec-mi424wr-rev-i-as-a-passive-bridge-5bf23dcf5c21

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