UPC Cisco EPC3925: Enabling True Bridge Mode - A Simple How-to Guide

DECEiFER

Nelbert wrote: »

Got an EPC3925 and it had the Bridge option out of the box. Revised thinking by UPC?

Yeah it happened about a month after this thread was started. Not all boxes have it but most do, I reckon. Mine got it out of the blue in October or something. They hid it using the DOCSIS configuration file that your modem downloads on connecting to UPC. They must have simply decided to remove the restriction.

Leiva

Yep father-in-laws EPC3925 arrived yesterday with Bridge mode available out of the box.

I bought him a Raspberry Pi and loaded up Openelec on it for XBMC on his TV in the sitting room.

Have it running on a wired connection into the EPC3925 but still getting buffering issues when streaming movies directly from the Internet.

I know there is many factors to consider why it's buffering, but is there anything I could do on the EPC3925 to the specific I.P that the Raspberry Pi is using to ensure I am getting the best possible out come from the epc3925 modem/router.

looters

Whats the advantage of doing this?

gavmcg92

Couriers bringing the new modem tomorrow. After doing a bit of research I've decided to get the D-Link DIR-826L, unless anyone has any experience with them and would advise me not to?
Found a fairly good review site that gave it a solid 4 stars saying that it had quite a good range.

Blindpew2012

The router looks good but you might need to buy a network adapter to avail of the high speed 5.0 GHz connection. My daughter has a macbook and was able to use it without an adapter but the other laptops, all fairly new, weren't without the dongle. You will be able to access the 2.4 GHz wireless signal without an adapter but the speed will be similar to that you get with the Cisco router. A good adapter costs about 40 to 50 euro but well worth it.

gavmcg92

Blindpew2012 wrote: »

The router looks good but you might need to buy a network adapter to avail of the high speed 5.0 GHz connection. My daughter has a macbook and was able to use it without an adapter but the other laptops, all fairly new, weren't without the dongle. You will be able to access the 2.4 GHz wireless signal without an adapter but the speed will be similar to that you get with the Cisco router. A good adapter costs about 40 to 50 euro but well worth it.

It's the poor range of the cisco that I am more concerned about. From my knowledge most people here, if not all, have 5.0GHz compatible laptops. From the review I've read it has a solid range (right up to 25m where they were able to get 20+Mbit/s) and a great cloud storage feature.

DECEiFER

I've got a dual-band router with housemates connecting to both bands on different devices (Macbooks do have dual radios - as much as I detest them). I've done comparison speed tests and I have to say that there's not much in it between 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz. I believe the main benefit of 5.0GHz is the ability to cut through interference and because it's less common, you likely won't have overlap. As for range, the house I live in is an average-sized semi-detached house and there's no dead spots. If the house was a longer bungalow, then maybe it would be a better testing environment.

DECEiFER

looters wrote: »

Whats the advantage of doing this?

This has been explained a whole ton of times throughout the thread. You won't have to read though much to find the reasons why it's a good idea.

Blindpew2012 wrote: »

The router looks good but you might need to buy a network adapter to avail of the high speed 5.0 GHz connection. My daughter has a macbook and was able to use it without an adapter but the other laptops, all fairly new, weren't without the dongle. You will be able to access the 2.4 GHz wireless signal without an adapter but the speed will be similar to that you get with the Cisco router. A good adapter costs about 40 to 50 euro but well worth it.

I've got a dual-band router with housemates connecting to both bands on different devices (Macbooks do have dual radios - as much as I detest them). I've done comparison speed tests and I have to say that there's not much in it between 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz. I believe the main benefit of 5.0GHz is the ability to cut through interference and because it's less common, you likely won't have overlap. As for range, the house I live in is an average-sized semi-detached house and there's no dead spots. If the house was a longer bungalow, then maybe it would be a better testing environment.

So I agree, a dual-band dongle or compatible device could potentially be advantageous when connected to a dual-band router. The only way to know for sure is by real-world testing. However, you won't lose anything by trying (well, maybe €40-50 - so keep the packaging and receipts).

looters

Couldnt see a single reason this is a good idea.

ED E

looters wrote: »

Couldnt see a single reason this is a good idea.

Because you're too lazy to read.

gavmcg92

ED E wrote: »

Because you're too lazy to read.

Hahah I was just about to post this but you got in before me.

looters wrote: »

Couldnt see a single reason this is a good idea.

If you don't see the benefit in bridging your EPC then don't bridge it. The guys aren't here to convince you to make the change, you have to decide for yourself if it's something you want to do.
However if you were willing to read up until 3 pages back you would have found this...

ED E wrote: »

As a router the EPC is a router and a modem in one box. Bridging disables the routing functions and turns it into just a modem. This means the EPC doesnt have to do any calculations/management, it just allows the new router to open a connection and lease an IP from your ISP.

The reasons you might do this are:

• Double routing = more latency. I've noticed a good 10ms chopped off in tests and similar in gaming
• Remove load from the EPC(Its junk and gets overloaded easy enough)
• Have a proper firewall
• Prevent your ISP from accessing your subnet
• Better control, a good router, especially flashed DDRWT or PFSENSE

There are probably more, but tldr its to mitigate the sh1ttyness of the EPC.

Blindpew2012

Here's another good reason. Before using the method in this thread my download speed was around 45Mbs.

[IMG][/img]

gavmcg92

New modem arrived today. Bridge mode right out of the box.
Funny thing was, I had them deliver it to a work address. It arrived at about 1pm while I was at home. The internet went down in the house so I was checking everything to see what was wrong. Checked 192.168.1.1 to find working mode there staring at me :P
Turns out that when I modem is delivered and signed for they take the old MAC address off the account and replaced it with the new one and for whatever reason when they did that my working mode appeared.
Have the new modem all hooked up now and now waiting for the new router.

looters

I doubt doing this can make my connection any better.
Still seems like a pointless waste of time.

50mb upc

DECEiFER

looters wrote: »

I doubt doing this can make my connection any better.
Still seems like a pointless waste of time.

50mb upc

Then please tell us why you posted here in the first place? If your connection is perfect, what led you here?

You previously asked a question that has been asked and answered already several times in this thread and in other threads. Then when you were given the answer you posted that it was pointless. Yeah, for you, maybe. It depends on how many devices you use online and how they're connected to the router. Do it or don't do it, it's up to you.

looters

DECEiFER wrote: »

Then please tell us why you posted here in the first place? If your connection is perfect, what led you here?

You previously asked a question that has been asked and answered already several times in this thread and in other threads. Then when you were given the answer you posted that it was pointless. Yeah, for you, maybe. It depends on how many devices you use online and how they're connected to the router. Do it or don't do it, it's up to you.

Calm down there buddy.

Calibos

ED E

Looters, give it a rest or we'll have to bump it to the mods, you're just thread spoiling.

looters

YOu are better off buying a wireless access point.

gavmcg92

looters wrote: »

YOu are better off buying a wireless access point.

Why buy a wireless AP when you can simply use your own router?

looters

gavmcg92 wrote: »

Why buy a wireless AP when you can simply use your own router?

The access points give you much higher speeds then custom made routers.

DECEiFER

looters wrote: »

The access points give you much higher speeds then custom made routers.

What's a custom (bespoke?) made router and how do you figure that an AP will be faster?

Calibos

looters wrote: »

YOu are better off buying a wireless access point.........

.......if your only problem with the Cisco 3925 is the crappy wifi transmitter built into it.

If your problem is that the thing crumples under the weight of multiple simultaneous connections both in the form of a large number of connected devices in the home and hundreds of external connections if downloading torrents, well then a more powerful feature rich and more configurable router is the answer. For this you need a bridgable router. This router was not bridgable without the hack that was the original reason for this thread. New firmware since the thread was started has now enabled bridging.

So while the hack is no longer needed, the ability to bridge and use a better router, is. This thread then morphed into a general Cisco 3925 bridging thread from a 'How to hack to enable bridging' thread

You don't need to bridge. Great, why are you still here again?

looters

I just stumbled here but its clear a lot of people here dont understand the whole way the network works.

When you connect to the internet, youre house is not part of the internet. In fact its on its on sperate space.

I went to pc world and the guy told me peopel always waste money on this, that they dont need on custom made expensive connectors. You are much better off with an accesser point......and I download movies all the time from pirate bay.

DECEiFER

looters wrote: »

I just stumbled here but its clear a lot of people here dont understand the whole way the network works.

When you connect to the internet, youre house is not part of the internet. In fact its on its on sperate space.

I went to pc world and the guy told me peopel always waste money on this, that they dont need on custom made expensive connectors. You are much better off with an accesser point......and I download movies all the time from pirate bay.

Oh the guy in PC World said they're sh1t. Well then, that's that! MODERATOR, can we get a lock this thread please, it's obviously of no use to anyone. :P

Seriously, you're talking out of your ass. My house is not part of the Internet? Thank f*ck someone finally confirmed this, I was sh1tting myself for a while there - thought I was being watched live on the Interwebz, singing in the shower and that. Really, it's you who needs a lesson in Networking 101. :eek:

I too download movies from "The Pirate Bay" all of the time and I'm pretty damn happy with my WNDR3700 giving me my full 12-13MB/s on the healthiest of torrents. So unless you have something besides the guy from PC World telling you to save your money and forget buying the "connectors" they're selling, to prove that an AP is better than a discrete cable router hooked up to a modem or bridged router/modem combination (such as the EPC3925), for your own sake, please quit trying to provoke everyone into doing this:

gavmcg92

I'm surprised someone in PC world actively turned you off buying something from their store. That guy needs to get fired. :P

DECEiFER

It takes some balls coming here saying that we don't understand how a network works based on what a salesman told you. Keyword: told you. But that's not all. You came at first here not knowing the potential benefits of bridging. I can't see how you can place yourself on a pedestal. It's one thing not knowing something, asking a question, and being humble enough to admit that it's not your strong point. It's another thing to end up calling us ignorant. It's complete nonsense.

The point is, if you want answers to a question that's already been answered numerous times in a thread that's less than 30 pages long, it's obvious that you can't be arsed reading through the thread and it's a bit disrespectful. I'd feel like an ass if it was me. That said, if finding the answer in the thread is more like trying to find a needle in a haystack and there was a genuine effort made to find it, that's different and it's perfectly fine. Anyone who reads the thread will notice that many of us have chipped in to help people out whenever possible and we're happy to do it. But as I said to you earlier, if you don't want to bridge your EPC3925, then don't. Buy an AP if you think it's the best solution in your circumstances. This thread and the help we're offering here isn't suitable for everyone.

I think it's about time that this discussion was brought to a close so that normal services can resume.

dub45

Just in case the thread might be locked I think that DECEiFER deserves a lot of credit for UPC's change of attitude towards bridging. Without this thread that might not have happened - also DECEiFER (and others here too) deserve a lot of thanks from us for all the help they have given in the course of the thread.:)

DECEiFER

dub45 wrote: »

Just in case the thread might be locked I think that DECEiFER deserves a lot of credit for UPC's change of attitude towards bridging. Without this thread that might not have happened - also DECEiFER (and others here too) deserve a lot of thanks from us for all the help they have given in the course of the thread.:)

Apologies if things got out of hand. But, I think we can pull it back. It got a bit overheated in here, is all. That's the problem with text-based communication, it often lacks the context that comes hand-in-hand with verbal communication.

There's bound to be people who are having issues bridging their cable routers and I think we can continue be of some assistance to people if and when it comes up. Ultimately we're just offering advice and it's often not straightforward enough to get it right 100% of the time when doing so, but we're happy to give it a shot. It's the same with many of the threads on Boards. Someone makes a topic and someone comes in to lend a hand, if possible. It's good to have that system because I know if I need a hand with something, someone's going to be willing to step up.

Blindpew2012

Who would have thought that such drama could exist within a thread on how to bridge routers. I'm glad I subscribed, it's better than Fair City in here.