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Successfully Replaced Actiontec T1200h with Asus RT-AC56U

49K views 33 replies 16 participants last post by  StealthOne 
#1 ·
I recently had Telus Optik TV + Internet installed over fiber. I decided I didnt want or need the supplied Actiontec T1200h, as my PVR and STB's were connected through Cat5E, so I set out to run everything off my Asus RT-AC56U instead. After much searching I saw a lot of conflicting posts about whether or not this was even possible, so I thought I would post my own (successful) experience and share the steps with others.

First off, I am running Merlin firmware on my RT-AC56U, but that shouldnt matter, as I believe most newer Asus routers do have the IPTV config tab under the LAN settings, and none of the other Merlin-specific features matter to this setup.

Secondly, I did have the RT-AC56U connected as my router for all network devices via the Port 1 Bridging off the T1200h prior to changing the setup to eliminate the Actiontec, but again, that shouldnt matter. I DID NOT clone the MAC address of the Actiontec like some other posts say you have to do, so that should not be necessary.

My network is connected as follows:
Alcatel Lucent ONT --> RT-AC56U WAN
RT-AC56U Port 1 --> D-link 16-Port Gigabit Switch --> all my wired network devices and 3 other AC routers as AP's
RT-AC56U Port 2 --> Desktop computer (on same VLAN/network as Port 1)
RT-AC56U Port 4 --> Trendnet TEG-S80g (8-Port Gigabit switch) Port 1
TEG-S80g Port 2 --> Telus PVR (Cisco ISB7150)
TEG-S80g Port 3 --> Telus Digital STB (Cisco ISB7100)
TEG-S80g Port 4 --> Telus Wireless STB Access point

IPTV tab settings in RT-AC56U config:
ISP Profile: None
STB port: LAN4
DHCP routes: RFC3442 & Microsoft
Enable multicast routing: Enabled
Enable efficient multicast forwarding: Enabled
UDP Proxy(Udpxy): 0

After that, all I had to do was reboot the Telus Optik TV boxes. Everything is connected and working, the PVR recordings are available on the other STB's, the streaming quality is every bit as clear as it was before, and the whole system just feels more responsive now (i.e. the channels seems to switch faster).
 
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#3 ·
Update to the router config... One issue I noticed with my previous setup was that the Optik boxes were all getting a strange IP (10.139.44.X) instead of an IP within my network (192.168.1.X). The IPTV settings I had used on the AC56U were causing the Optik boxes to be on a separate VLAN that was bridged with the WAN, so they must have been pulling IP's directly from Telus. This was also preventing the Optik on the Go app/website from working properly because the Optik boxes were not on the same network as the rest of my devices.

I was able to correct this by changing the IPTV tab settings in the LAN config on the AC56U as follows. The network connections remained as described in the OP.

IPTV tab settings in RT-AC56U config:
ISP Profile: None
STB port: None
DHCP routes: Microsoft
Enable multicast routing: Enabled
Enable efficient multicast forwarding: Enabled
UDP Proxy(Udpxy): 0

An in the Wireless - Professional tab (for both 2.4 and 5GHz):
IGMP Snooping: Enable
Multicast rate: OFDM 54
Optimize AMPDU aggregation: Enable

After making the changes I rebooted my router, then my PVR, then the other Optik boxes. Now everything is working, including the apps and all devices are on the same network, all still without using the Actiontec router at all.
 
#31 ·
My Asus GT-AC5300 router doesn't have the "Enable efficient multicast forwarding" function. How important is this feature? Is it essential for this setup to work?

IPTV tab settings in RT-AC56U config:
ISP Profile: None
STB port: None
DHCP routes: Microsoft
Enable multicast routing: Enabled
Enable efficient multicast forwarding: Enabled
UDP Proxy(Udpxy): 0
 
#6 ·
Do you think I need to have a switch on one LAN port for all the boxes? I have 2 boxes going in, and I have 1 line going to a switch, and the other 3 ports open. I was thinking of just plugging the boxes into the router, but you mentioned in the initial post that your boxes are all on the same switch. Should I be okay?
 
#7 ·
A separate switch for the TV boxes alone really isnt necessary in my setup, because everything is on the same VLAN now. I will eventually just move the TV boxes over to my 16-Port switch and eliminate the 8-port all together, I just have not gotten around to it yet.
 
#8 ·
Thank you so much for the details of setting up your router. I have successfully set up my Asus RT-N66u router with your settings. All boxes are on my own network, with correct IP's, and recordings available on all boxes. I can say for sure, that your settings work.

Appreciate all the effort you put in to finding this stuff out.
 
#10 ·
If you have the regular copper pair or bonded pair, it won't work. You need fibre to the home, and have an Ethernet connector going into the router. You take it out of the Telus router, and put it into the LAN port of your own router. Mine has been working for over a week now, and hasn't given me any problems. And I get better speeds than the one day I left it on the Telus router.
 
#13 ·
We use the Netflix app pretty much every day. I do agree that the Optik Netfix interface is definitely slower than some other devices, but I still use it because of the convenience factor. I didnt really notice any difference with the Netflix app on either the Actiontec or my Asus setup though.
 
#14 ·
Just a quick update and some additional feedback on WHY you would/should even want to do this...

Everything has been working great for well over a year now. I've gone through multiple firmware updates on the Asus router and never had to reconfigure anything to keep the Optik tv boxes working great. I have swapped out some switches, and added a PoE switch for some IP cameras, but at the end of the day, as long as everything is pulling a DHCP address from the Asus router it doesnt really matter what I swap out on the back end.

As for some additional reasons WHY to ditch the Actiontec...

I upgraded my internet package to the newly launched Internet 150/150 2 days ago. It turned out to be a huge pain, actually getting the 150/150 speeds as I kept pulling my usual ~96/~19 I was getting on my Internet 100 package well after the 24 hours they said it might take to switch the plan over. Turns out it was through no fault of my own and nothing to do with my config, and ended up being all provisioning issues on Telus's back end, but as part of the trouble shooting process I dusted off the ol' Actiontec and hooked it back up, and once the provisioning stuff was figured out I decided to run some speed tests. Using the exact same hard-wired computer with an Intel gigabit NIC connected over CAT6 to each router these are the average results I got:

Actiontec: DL ~145 / UL ~ 125

Asus RT-AC56U: DL ~153 / UL ~ 169

Now clearly this is not overly scientific, and certainly was not a controlled environment, but I still feel it shows Asus is in fact faster than the Actiontec.
 
#15 ·
The Asus RT-AC56U is one of the faster internet routers available. I'm not surprised it beat the Actiontec. The performance/price ratio is also very good as it compares well to some newer, much more expensive routers. Comparable routers with external antennas or more advanced AC protocols might do better in wi-fi performance but the RT-AC56U beats many of them in internet throughput, features and support.
 
#16 ·
I'm doing this with a DLink DIR-890L and every couple of minutes I lose the TV signal but it comes right back (I need to change the channel and back to exit the screen that states the signal was lost though). Is there any setting other than the multicast settings that I may need to adjust? Do I need to turn off or on one or the other of the IPv4 or IPv6 Multicast settings?
 
#17 ·
So, I bought a new Asus router, the RT-3100, because the old one was dying. Anyways, I followed your instructions on post #3 to the letter, and for the last 6 months, I have been experiencing random audio drops. The volume goes really low, then comes back up to set listening levels. I have tried everything I could think of to get past this. I have my PVR hardwired direct to the router/modem, so wireless is not the issue. Cable integrity is fine, as well as all my settings. So, I called Telus, and they're sending someone out with the T3200 Actiontec. It'll do everything that I wanted my Asus to do, the only question is 2.4GHz coverage for our phones. Everything else in the house is hardwired, either through switches or direct, except the laptop, which I use the 5GHz band for, as I'm on 150/150.

I don't know what else to do?
 
#19 ·
Professor,

Thank you for posting this information. I have also switched over my ASUS AC5300 to your configuration and no longer use the Actiontec router. I am having one problem though, when I use the onthego website or the optik GO app while I am at home I can't seem to play channels with the house beside them. The app tells me that those channels are only for viewing at home on my Telus internet connection? I am at home and I am connecting wirelessly to my router, Do you have any idea on that?

Thank you
 
#20 ·
Check your device's public IP address (I just google "what is my ip") and make sure its actually showing up as your Telus IP... If not it could be because you're using a VPN/Proxy or adblocker software or something like that...

I've never had this issue and use the onthego website quite often on my PC at home using my Asus router.
 
#21 ·
The problem seems to have fixed itself. I tried the apps again a few hours later and they worked fine, even for channels which you can only watch at home. I haven't had any problems with the setup the last couple of days.

Wanted to confirm why you are changing the wireless settings for 2.4/5ghz? what is the point of that exactly? I mean, the additional boxes you have for wireless stbs are connected by access points usually?

Anyway. Thank you again for your help.
 
#22 ·
Drops

I set this up a couple days ago & all seemed to be working great till tonight, Now i have the same issues as a previous poster where the picture drops after a couple seconds & i have to leave the channel and come back to start it again. AC3100 everything hard wired. The only difference is I am not using a dedicated switch just for the TV boxes. Going to try that as I have a second cisco 24 port in my rack as a spare/back-up.
 
#24 ·
Just to update my situation, after removing my asus, hooking up both my asus and the actiontech, then just the actiontech, and still having the same issue, i figured there was something wrong with the telus optic boxes, so as I'm hooking up my Asus back to how I had it I realized i hadn't restarted the telus fibre-optic modem......once restarted, everything is working great!! So just incase anyone has issues down the road, be sure to restart all equipment !!!
 
#25 ·
One last post I think! After a few days of testing, everything seemed to be working good for 2-3 days, then back to loosing signal after 10-15 seconds until a channel change, where it would be the same problem....

I ended up having to get a 5 port netgear GS105E (supports IMGP snooping / Multicast) to separate my STB's from My network. I expect It may have had to do with my Procurve 1810G not supporting management of multicast, From what i've read my previous issue with loosing signal on any given channel after about 10-15sec was related to the Multicast stream starting, since I've added the second switch and moved my IPTV to a single port on the AC-3100, everything seems to be running smooth again, the PVR & STB's have IP's outside of my network.
 
#32 ·
Hi @clowrym Thanks for sharing your experience. Just wondering in your final setup, are you able to watch all the "in-home only" channels on your Optik TV app when connected to your own router?

Somehow from my testing, putting the STB on its separate vLAN means losing access to the "in-home" shows on Optik TV app when connected to own router.
 
#27 ·
Just wanted to extend my appreciation to tehPrOfessOr for sharing his experience and knowledge on how to configure your home router to bypass the Actiontec T3200M (Telus provided) gateway. I recently had Telus install their Optik TV service and at the same time has our internet upgrade to fibre optic 150/150. Initially, I was excited to be getting the faster internet, not to mention the vastly improved "up" speeds and unlimited data. But once the technician had installed the services I was very disappointed with my 'disconnected' home network vs. the Optik TV network. Many of my devices did not perform the way they used to (slow to respond) and some just stopped working all together, not to mention that I had just recently upgrade my network to a mesh system. I thought I was tech savvy enough to figure out how to bypass the Telus supplied router, like I had done in the past - but to no avail. After days of searching on the internet for a solution I finally came across this post and followed it to the letter and VOILA! - everytthing was through my network and working as it was supposed to. The Actiontec T3200M is now collecting dust in the closet.

Many thanks tehPrOfessOr.

SelfTaught.
 
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