Setting up IPv6 on ASUS Router Connected to Smarthub 2 with BT 900 Fibre

[IainMcFarlane]

Hi

I am upgrading to BT900 Full Fibre from BT 300, I use the Smarthub 2 to connect to the Internet via the BT modem and I also have a seperate ASUS Router DSL-AC68 and 3 AImesh nodes that are connected to the Smarthub via ethernet and are running as a seperate network (I had to keep the smarthub 2 doing modem duties due to digital phones I was led to belive, I had the ASUS mesh before the Fibre 300 product so wanted to keep this as a lot of home items hang off this mesh). I noticed when in checking a few things to add my new BT disc just sent that IPv6 is noted as not enabled for the ASUS connection and sure enough in the ASUS router it is disabled. Is it worth enabling this? could it cause issues if enabled, and if I do enable which of the basic set-up options should I choose? Native, Passthrough, Static, FLETS or any of the various tunnel options.

Any suggestions, advice or help would be greatfully recieved.

[TimCurtis]

@IainMcFarlane 

I'm on Fibre 2 with the SH2 because of DV and with the DSL-AC68U.

The setting use for IPv6 is Passthrough and in the System Log , IPv6 tab it shows my IPv6 addresses.

On my PC Test-ipv6.com says that I don't have IPv6 but doing the same test on my iPhone 11 it gives me 10/10 for IPv4 & 6 so I'm assuming my PC is the issue here but everything else is OK.

[IainMcFarlane]

Tim, thanks, will set it up, my new laptop etc. are all compliant, I will give it a go knowing I can always put it back.

another think I notice is when connected to BT Wi-Fi I cannot route to the interface page of the ASUS router is there a way that I can get the two networks to allow this via opening a port or similar? I am guessing it’s because both are separate networks both operating DHCP separately ( the ASUS is in DMZ for connecting out to internet through the BT hub !

[Keith_Beddoe]

@IainMcFarlane 

BT Wifi (public hotspot) is totally separate via a Virtual Path back to the BT server, and has its own DHCP server on a different subnet.

As it needs to be authenticated, its not really of any use.

[IainMcFarlane]

Keith

Sorry did not articulate my situation preperly. when I mention BT wifi, I mean the wifi from the Smarthub 2.

As I say I have an ASUS router with 3 further mesh nodes that is connected to my Smarthub 2 by ethernet, This serves seperated 2.4 and 5 gHz wirelss networks that I have most of my smart home items set up to (mauch easier for the 2.4 only stuff). The main mesh hub is also wired to the main ASUS DSL-AC68 router and I use the other ethernet ports on this mesh hub in my living room for connecting my hi-fi and sky out through (Prefer these all on fully wired for streaming etc). The Main ASUS router is oprerating DHCP in the range of 192.168.2.1 to 254 leaving the standard 192.168.1.1 to 254 for the SH2 that is connected direct to the BT modem (kept it this way as I understand the SH2 is needed for digital phone otherwise I would have used the ASUS as the main connection point). What I have done as I say is link the ASUS to the SH2 by ethernet and the SH2 allocates an IP address by DHCP to allow the ASUS and the SH2 to work on that port. Issue I have is if I am on my PC on the BT SH2 WIFi network, I cannot get the ASUS router interface up on the laptop (192.168.1.1 is address) to see how the network is if I am having any issues, I have to switch my wireless connection to the ASUS 5 gHz to allow me to do this and back again if I want to look at the BT SH2 webpage (192.168.1.254 by default). I have all my wireless heavy traffic stuff connected to the SH2 , normally, PC, phones, ipads etc simply as it saves a bit of traffic from the ASUS to the BT, but if I do want to look accross the network I have to continuoulsy switch networks. What I am wondering is if there is a way I can have the 192.168.1 - range directly accisible while I am on the SH2 wifi. so I can see what is happening where!

I am going to try the IPv6 stuff also, and it would be nice to have both the interfaces running at the same time so I dont need to keep swapping wifi when I am "tweaking" (breaking) things

hope this rambling makes sense!

[TimCurtis]

@IainMcFarlane 

My SH2 does very little other than direct everything to my Asus, but obviously handling DV.

My SH2 has it's DHCP turned OFF and I've disabled it's wifi completely. It port forwards TCP/UDP on both IPv4 & 6 directly to the Asus's IP address.

I can see no reason for the SH2 to be doing anything other than handling DV and acting as modem for the Asus.

Port forwarding only works I think for internet traffic coming into the SH2 not for wifi access, although I could be wrong.

I've kept my Asus on the 192.168.1.nnn subnet as it's standard but set the SH2 as 192.168.2.1 with 192.168.2.2 as the IP address that the SH2 forwards to on the Asus as that's how I've defined the Asus port's IP Address. The subnet mask I use is 255.255.252.0 btw

[TimCurtis]

The only thing that doesn't work is accessing the Asus using the Asus app when not on my internal wifi, but I can do that by logging in directly via a browser should I need to.

[IainMcFarlane]

Tim

again thanks for the feedback. I kept the BT wirelss on the go simply as I have a lot of devices and I thought I would spread the load a bit. What I have now is workable and I do have lots of WIFI capacity as it stands. I can also use the phone app on the ASUS as well, but its not quite as easy as the web app. In reality I will have made the changes (speed update and getting IPv6 up and running) so in reality I will probably stop tinkering again soon!!

I think the next major update I may consider is triband mesh and Wifi 6, if I do that I will almost certainly set up as you suggest as above with the SH2 really only acting as a pass through.

Thanks for the help, I have taken note of your set-up for future reference!!

[IainMcFarlane]

Meant to ask, can I ask the reason for the change to subnet mask used?

[IainMcFarlane · Accepted solution]

Tim

I have found a workaround, there is a feature to allow access to the Router from the WEB - I have enabled this and saved the access link as a bookmark, it now does not matter what wifi I am on I can access the routers at the same time !!