People in Belgium who are Belgacom clients which provides them with an Internet connection, usually get a modem/router as part of the package to connect to the internet.
New clients will get a Router, more commonly refered to as “BBox2″, which is needed to be able to connect to Belgacom’s VDSL2 network.
Although most average consumers won’t have any need to modify it (other than changing the default access password, Wireless ID and encryption key), some people like myself would like to have the device just handle the modem part of the connection (simply handling the transmission) while using their own network equipment to handle all the routing operations.
The modification I’ll show is called “Bridging”, meaning, we are going to configure the Lan ports of the BBox2 to simply transmit anything that passes without making certain routing assumptions.
Other services like Belgacom TV and I-Talk will continue to work.
Please be aware that I don’t have information about the following:
- How to reach the configuration page of the BBox2 after the modifications (I think you’ll have to reset the device to it’s factory default settings to be able to access it again)
- Does the second Lan port work? (I believe that port works as a HUB, though I didn’t bothered checking it out)
That said, you’ll need to do the following:
- Disable the Router’s capability to perform Wan PPPoE
- Set the Lan ports as bridges
- (Not tested) Disable the wireless on the Router (I disabled it because I want my own equipment to handle the wireless)
With no further ado, here’s how it’s done:
- Connect to your BBox2, the ip address is probably the default 192.168.1.1
- Go to Advanced Settings and then select Network Interfaces
- Select Wan PPPoE, then Disable, and then OK
- Then, Settings > Underlying Connection, select Lan Bridge
Now you can use your own Router to perform the authentication to access the internet and handle all the connections.
Super, I finally can make the BBox work
Works for me (bbox2), but I had to shut down the router for a minute before the PPPoE could take place. The router behind is a D-Link DIR-855. You do not need anything special for VLAN tagging. Just PPPoE with “username@providername” and password.
Thanks for the tips!
I also verifyed, that Belgacom TV works perfectly fine after these modifications. However, the IPTV works only through BBOX2 itself, not through the added router. It seems to me that the trouble lies in the BBOX2 rather than in the router. Any additional hints for configuration?
Ivar
Unfortunatly I don’t watch digital television, therefor I haven’t tested the IPTv capabilities.
http://schelstraete.dyndns.org/index.php/belgacom-tv/watch-btv-on-pc
I have found this website which you might find useful
Looks like the TV settopbox is getting it’s IP address directly from Belgacom Skynet, which means that the TV ports on the bbox2 are on the WAN side. If you want your own router:NAT behind the bridged bbox2, choose one that is DD-WRT compatible. In DD-WRT, you can also move LAN ports to the WAN side so you should be able to connect your TV to the DD-WRT router and use the bbox2 as an ordinary VDSL2 modem.
FYI, the same approach works for the cable operator Telenet. Those guys put an extra switch between cable modem and router. I flashed DD-WRT on my router, move one LAN port to the WAN side and connected the the Telenet Digicorder (STB with recording) to that port. Works great and I got rid of the exta switch …
Very good article, and I have some questions:
Is the ISP (Belgacom) public ip adresse is assigned for the bbox2 or the internal router?
Guid the subnet to use on the internal router?
Guid the Wireless of the bbox2? will be able to connect to it to used to test the vpn connections to the internal router?
Thanks,
Marc Meribi
what happens with the second lan port on the bbox? And what should i to not let it act as a hub?