Wi-Fi Hub port forwarding

[davecm]

Hi. Are there any networking experts out there who could advise on how best to replicate the current port forwarding rules, used on my ASUS wi-fi 6 modem/router, on the Talktalk Wi-Fi hub.

In particular what I should select in the Service drop down list on the hub port forwarding settings for each rule shown in the attached file. The rest is fairly obvious.

My aim is to configure the Wi-Fi hub as an exact mirror of the Asus router, so that if needed for Talktalk testing, or if the Asus router is faulty (which it was recently), I can do a straight swap, without having to reconfigure either the router, my NAS, or any connected devices, each time.

So I'd plan to give the Wi-Fi hub the same SSID, passwords and other settings, as the Asus.

The port forwarding is necessary for the NAS external access functionality, and the ports used are chosen because the Asus router reserves several common ports for its own use, e,g, 80, 443, 5000, 5001, 500, 4500. If these default ports for the NAS are used,  they conflict with the router, so I have to use alternative ports.

[Chris-TalkTalk]

OK thanks, our product team are currently looking into it, I'll let you know when I have an update

Chris

[KeithFrench]

I think if it had the phone port it would be the Sagemcom FAST 5464.

[davecm]

No, it looks perfectly standard in hardware terms. Photo of label on rear attached. I've changed all the access details from those shown.

[Chris-TalkTalk]

OK thanks, Does the router have a telephone port on the back, possibly covered with tape?

(I've removed some of the info from your previous post - I can still see it if I need it)

Thanks

Chris

[davecm]

Yes, I copied and pasted the info from the hub GUI. It was suppled a couple of weeks ago.

[Chris-TalkTalk]

Thanks for the information. And as far as you're aware this is the firmware that it was shipped with?

Chris

[davecm]

Serial Number [removed]

Hardware Version FAST5364 3.00

Software Version SG4K100136

GUI Version 5.6.1

System Up Time 00h06m21s

MAC Address [removed]

[Chris-TalkTalk]

Hi davecm,

I'll ask our product team about this and get back to you when I have some more information

Chris

[davecm]

Hi Keith. It was supplied by Talktalk a couple of weeks ago, as I needed to send my own router for repair or exchange. Looked to be new in unopened box.

[davecm]

Not at present, as I can't configure to meet my requirements.

I could install a firmware update from a file, if you can provide a download link, or I could provide a secure upload link.

Or if we can arrange a day and a time window, I can leave it connected for a couple of hours, or overnight.

[Chris-TalkTalk]

Hi davecm,

Do you currently have the Sagemcom connected?

Chris

[KeithFrench]

I don't think that this firmware was ever released, I have no idea how you have it. I will ask TalkTalk to see what can be done about it.

[davecm]

The firmware version appears to be TalkTalk Wi-Fi Hub version SG4K100136

I'm unable to add any port forwarding rules at all.

First there appears to be a character limit to the rule description

A 4 digit limit on the port numbers

A blue highlight on the external host field if I enter *

Even if I select one of the pre-defined rules rather than Other, to create my own rules, nothing can be saved.

On clicking Add, a brief message in red indicates something has gone wrong, but not what!

I tried adding rules in both the Access section and in the Device section, all of the above applies to both.

[KeithFrench]

No, you can change the router's IP address DHCP scope & reserved IP addresses to match that of your Asus, so long as you are on firmware 2816 minimum.

[davecm]

Thanks for the detailed reply. I'll give that a go. Laptop wi-fi card is set to prefer 5GHz, and always connects to the Asus on that band. On the wif-fi hub it connected to 2.4Ghz on first 2 attempts, then 5Ghz after. Asus router, laptop and tablet all wifi 6, which is why I bought it.

Any hub issues likely with changing the default router IP, DHCP address range and reserved IPs to match the Asus, i.e. 192.168.50.1 and upwards? I'd like to be able to swap the routers whenever needed, without reconfiguring any other devices, as there's DDNS, VPN server, several remote internet connected devices which rely on DDNS+non standard port numbers to connect, and NAS firewall involved.

[KeithFrench]

Hi @davecm 

Thanks for that. The Service Dropdown box in the port forwarding rules I always leave set to "Other" and then build my rules as required. The most common mistake people make is the "External Host" field, which should always be left at the wildcard setting of an asterisk (*).

Most of those bugs were fixed in V2816, & the remainder were fixed in the later V130.

There was never really a bug though of devices failing to connect to the most appropriate WiFi band. This all depends on the quality of the two bands where a device is currently. Two devices placed side by side can get different reception quality due to the unpredictable way that WiFi signals travel & get both reflected around & absorbed by all sorts of things. This is all down to the WiFi adapter in the device deciding which band has the better signal. If that chooses the 2.4GHz band, then Band Steering will try to move it to the 5GHz band, if the device supports it. Band Steering has various thresholds that could be set to change its behaviour, but they have never been exposed to the UI for user configuration. So really in answer to this one, it is totally down to the WiFi adapter's choice of band to use, not the router's.

[davecm]

Hi Keith

The hub is a Sagemcom Fast 5364.

You may also happen to know if the many firmware issues with early versions of the hub have now been resolved. I bought one in 2018, and after having 2 of them with hardware faults I returned them for a refund and bought an alternative from a store.

The particular firmware issues I experienced were:-

Router config backup could be saved, but could not be restored.

Several settings, e.g. edited connected device names, could be set and saved, but they then disappeared.

The router log was unusable and not fit for purpose.

Devices failed to connect automatically to the optimal wi-fi band, the 2.4Ghz and 5GHz bands had to be given separate SSIDs, and compatible devices connected to the appropriate band.

[KeithFrench]

Hi @davecm 

@Michelle-TalkTalk has asked me to help you with your port forwarding. Before I can do so, I need to know the make/model of TalkTalk WiFi hub that you have. There are two of them & they are totally different to configure.

[Michelle-TalkTalk]

Hello,

@KeithFrench - is this something that you might be able to help with?

Thanks