Eir "eFibre" F3000 Sagecom modem - bridge mode?

martco

I would like to overhaul my domestic home network configuration from the simple usual default all-in-one modem/router/wifi to a fully separated setup....partly for my own learning/study purposes as I'd like to move from general IT to Secops work and partly so I can achieve better performance and control (I'd like to build a mesh network throughout the house behind a setup of discrete router, dmz, vpn the works where I could play with and visualise everything)

In my case the Eir vdsl line lands into the roof cavity/attic...wifi performance therefore is pretty brutal as is....also the house is an awkward physical layout so even if I pulled the phone line into somewhere more central it's still not gonna be great...but an advantage in the house is I have cat6 in the walls throughout. I was about to buy a poe switch and some TPlink EAP115's at least but I'd love to go further and build my own border with the likes of a Ubiquiti Edgerouter or USG

I haven't found out a whole lot to date on this Sagecom F3000 modem that Eir supply so far, I'm just wondering if it can be useful to retain in my scenario? I can see it has a Bridge Mode tab in the control panel.....but I've been reading a few posts about people ditching their provider modem and investing in a DrayTek Vigor 130, wondering if it works on Eir's line ?


any suggestions to help me build a decent recipe are welcome!

ED E

The Draytek vs the Sagecom in bridge is probably not worth the cost. Ideally both should be dumb devices you never think of again. Small chance the Drayteks vectoring wont play nice though at this point they all should be up to date and compatible.


One thing Id say is first sign of trouble and youll have to revert to stock setup before Eir will troubleshoot. So if you bury the Sage in the attic and then need to reset it....

babelfish1990

martco wrote: »

I would like to overhaul my domestic home network configuration from the simple usual default all-in-one modem/router/wifi to a fully separated setup....partly for my own learning/study purposes as I'd like to move from general IT to Secops work and partly so I can achieve better performance and control (I'd like to build a mesh network throughout the house behind a setup of discrete router, dmz, vpn the works where I could play with and visualise everything)

In my case the Eir vdsl line lands into the roof cavity/attic...wifi performance therefore is pretty brutal as is....also the house is an awkward physical layout so even if I pulled the phone line into somewhere more central it's still not gonna be great...but an advantage in the house is I have cat6 in the walls throughout. I was about to buy a poe switch and some TPlink EAP115's at least but I'd love to go further and build my own border with the likes of a Ubiquiti Edgerouter or USG

any suggestions to help me build a decent recipe are welcome!

You are on the pigs back given that you have Cat6 wiring in place. I suggest leaving the Eir modem in the attic, but switching off the WiFi in it. Install a POE switch beside it, and mesh nodes throughout the house on the other end of the Cat6 cables. Make sure to select Mesh nodes with 802.11r support (fast-roaming), as this will ensure that mobile devices handover smoothly from one node to the next. (Ubiquiti Unifi support this and POE). I'm not sure if TPLink EAP115s support 802.11r? Adding an Edge router over-complicates things, and will create problems for support.

martco

I'm back to looking at this again....

might have an opportunity to get a Cisco 887 VDSL multimode router in vgc


does anyone here know what Eir's attitude is towards connecting up of of these to my POTS line?


thanks

sphinxicus

martco wrote: »

I'm back to looking at this again....

does anyone here know what Eir's attitude is towards connecting up of of these to my POTS line?

cant see why they would mind what device you are using for the modem side as long as your config is correct. For what its worth, on my FTTC connection i've been running an F1000 in bridge mode for about 6 years now and using a cisco 1841 (yes i know its old) as my firewall/router. Configured as a router on a stick to a cisco catalyst switch. Seperate wireless access points hanging off that and another switch i have located elsewhere. Been solid and allows me to do all you mentioned in your original post.

martco

sphinxicus wrote: »

cant see why they would mind what device you are using for the modem side as long as your config is correct. For what its worth, on my FTTC connection i've been running an F1000 in bridge mode for about 6 years now and using a cisco 1841 (yes i know its old) as my firewall/router. Configured as a router on a stick to a cisco catalyst switch. Seperate wireless access points hanging off that and another switch i have located elsewhere. Been solid and allows me to do all you mentioned in your original post.

out of interest do you run any vpn's and if so how do you implement them? (all just end-device driven or have u built into the infrastructure in some way?)

sphinxicus

Used to run a site to site vpn with a family member in another country for various reasons but that's fallen by the wayside now that they have changed ISP and we just never got around to setting up their end again for them.

For now any VPN is end-device driven but this is purely down to ease of use and me having very little time to dedicate to doing what i want within the limitations of an old device.

Currently umming and ahhing about FTTH as the household is starting to stream more content on a regular basis. Holding off purely due to the incredible uptime i've had on the line which i need for work. If/When that happens the 1841 will be sadly retired due to throughput limitations. Unsure if i will stick with cisco, may end up pfsense since i no longer have time to play with zone-based f/w in a cli that i dont tinker with so much anymore.

martco

sphinxicus wrote: »

Used to run a site to site vpn with a family member in another country for various reasons but that's fallen by the wayside now that they have changed ISP and we just never got around to setting up their end again for them.

For now any VPN is end-device driven but this is purely down to ease of use and me having very little time to dedicate to doing what i want within the limitations of an old device.

Currently umming and ahhing about FTTH as the household is starting to stream more content on a regular basis. Holding off purely due to the incredible uptime i've had on the line which i need for work. If/When that happens the 1841 will be sadly retired due to throughput limitations. Unsure if i will stick with cisco, may end up pfsense since i no longer have time to play with zone-based f/w in a cli that i dont tinker with so much anymore.

yeah I get that conundrum about the administrative duties and reliability

my house has 3x teens now wanting US netflix and the like so maybe I'll just let them figure it out (and pay) themselves and run my own world separately off the tethered mobile lol

sphinxicus

martco wrote: »

yeah I get that conundrum about the administrative duties and reliability

my house has 3x teens now wanting US netflix and the like so maybe I'll just let them figure it out (and pay) themselves and run my own world separately off the tethered mobile lol

Haha. Buy them a raspberry pi let them figure the routing/vpn part out. Good learning experience for them