Using a TP-link AX5400 (third party router) with the Smart Hub

[ttimms]

Hi all, I've bought an Archer AX5400 router and connected it via ethernet from a port on the smart hub 2 to the WAN of the AX5400 and the internet works fine, the file transfer speeds on my shared network drive have now significantly improved. However I've read online that this is not a good idea due to "double nat" and can cause issues when online gaming (which I do a lot). Since the Smart Hub 2 can't be used as a modem only, is my only solution to buy a modem like the huawei hg612 to use with the AX5400 to eliminate the double NAT?

[Crimliar]

Double NAT is a problem, when its a problem, and when its not its not!  I probably have to mention that while I'm definitely an Asus fan, double-NAT is something Asus probably doesn't manage as well as much of their competition.

The setup here is complex, and has just about everything that is going to cause problems if I were to double NAT.  But if you're not experiencing any issues, I'd not waste your money on any additional equipment.  In addition to that many of the BT modems you'll see out there are coming to their end of life, and so may not be as reliable as they once were.

[Anonymous]

You could run the TP-Link in access point mode to get rid of double NAT, but you'll probably lose a lot of it's features. Whether that actually matters, you can probably only find out by trying it. Much like whether double NAT is actually causing a problem rather potentially causing a problem.

Other options depend on whether you have/need a telephone service. If you do then when you're moved to DV, assuming you haven't already been, you'll still need the SH2. So not much point in throwing money at an option that's going to be rendered obsolete sooner rather than later.

[ttimms]

Thanks for the reply. I have an old Plusnet Hub 2 in my cupboard from my previous provider which I believe has a bridge option and can be used as a modem only? Would that work?

[licquorice]

Is your current setup actually causing you any problems?

[Crimliar]

One thing that's not mentioned when talking about running modem/routers in bridge mode is that they will often have their own "buffers".  That's great for downloading files, and watching streaming services, but it's terrible for online gaming!

The earlier comment about potentially running your TP-Link router in AP is spot on.  If you don't need any of the "better" management features and just want the better Wi-Fi, it could well be the way to go!

[ttimms]

I purchased the new router for WiFi 6, better signal strength and to improve my shared HDD speeds, currently I do not need any other features so I think I will just use it in access point mode.

[ttimms]

Out of curiosity I decided to try the Plusnet router in bridge mode and it works fine. However I have a problem, when I enable IPV6 on the Tp-link I get no internet. Does anyone know what settings I must use on the Tp-Link to get IPV6 working?

[licquorice]

https://community.bt.com/t5/BT-Fibre-broadband/IPv6-setup-on-PPPoE/td-p/2439761

[ttimms]

No luck. My internet simply stops working when I enable IPV6. Setting to "Non-address" which fixed it for the person in that thread hasn't fixed it for me. I've also tried SLAAC+RDNSS as suggested.