NH20T in Bridge Mode/Speeds/General Home Networking/XGS-PON

[Rocko]

Hello all and thanks in advance for any help.

First off I understand how to put it in Bridge mode.  What I am looking for is the differences between the different bridge modes specifically the Full Bridge and Port 10G Bridge, as Port 1 Bridge should be the same as Port 10G Bridge mode other than different port speeds (correct me if I am wrong).

If I put the NH20T in Full Bridge:

1. Does this mean all DHCP etc and everything are shut off and I can no longer log into the NH20T itself without doing a factory reset on the unit?
2. When I plug my own router into any off the ports I will pull IPv4 and IPv6 addresses from Telus (when configured correctly).
3. I can pull only one IPv4 and 6 from Telus so it is not advisable to plug more than one router in to the NH20T’s ports.  Or will I pull multiple WAN IP's with multiple routers?

If I put the NH20T in Port 10G Bridge:

1. Does this mean Port 1 to 4 will operate normally (default) as setup on LAN IP range 192.168.1.254 unless I turn off DHCP and make changes etc.  So I could run the Telus TV boxes off these ports or leave them empty my choice.
2. The 10G Port I can plug my own router into this to provide 10G Networking to my home network provided I have a 10G Networking router/switches/devices/cabling etc (which I do).
3. Plugged into the 10G Port can I run a separate LAN IP range?  Leave ports 1-4 on 192.168.1.*** and set my router on the 10G Port to 192.168.0.*** or whatever I want?
4. While in Port 10G Bridge mode is DHCP and NAT turned off and is totally separate from the routing that is still being done on Ports 1-4?

Thanks in advance.

[Nighthawk · Accepted solution]

Residential connections are permitted 2 dynamic IP addresses. For troubleshooting purposes it is easier to just bridge the 10G port, especially since Telus tech support won't troubleshoot non-Telus hardware. If 10G Bridge is enabled, the 4 LAN ports on the NH20T would share one WAN IP, and your router connected to the 10G port would have the other.

If you used Full Bridge, all ports would try to pull separate WAN IPs and only the first two devices would work and swapping out a device may take time for the DHCP lease to expire before the next device will work. Worst case you would have to call tech support each time. Full bridge means every port is directly exposed to the internet as well so you'd need to ensure that you have a firewall in place. Your router connected to the 10G port can use whatever IP range you want as it'll be separate from the 4 LAN ports. A different IP range would make differentiating networks a bit easier when troubleshooting.

If you have the older non-AndroidTV based Optik TV boxes, only use 10G Bridge and ensure the Optik boxes are connected to the four LAN ports. The main reason is that most third party routers don't support multicast data properly so the Optik boxes won't work when connected to them. If you have wireless Optik TV boxes, you'd need the Wifi 6 AP from Telus connected to one of the LAN ports also. If you have the new TelusTV+ AndroidTV set top boxes then multicast won't matter and they should just work when on a non-Telus router, but data use when watching TV may count when connected to a thid party router rather than an unbridged port / the Wifi 6 AP on the NH20T.

[Rocko]

Nighthawk, thankyou.

Just to clarify the Full Bridge Mode, I can no longer log into the NH20T without a factory reset?  In case I want to go back?

I moved to 3G/3G from 1G/1G and they gave me an XGS-PON.  My old GPON I used to just put into my own home built pfSense box and out to my 1G/10G/40G switch and my home server and Ruckus AP's.  This new XGS-PON will not work plugged into my own pfSense box from what I have read.

Also, what speeds should I see on a 3G/3G connection?  What is the minimum acceptable according to TELUS?

Very much appreciated.

[Nighthawk]

I would recommend avoiding full bridge mode and just stick with bridging 10G.

I don't see why your own pfSense box wouldn't work with the new ONT. All the ONT does is covert fibre to ethernet. You should try connecting things like you had previously before you got the NH20T. If you previously had Optik TV working it should be fine. If you have issues with Optik TV working when using, then bridging 10G and putting your gateway on that port would be the next choice, with the Optik boxes on the four gigabit LAN ports.

If you have everything configured correctly, you should be getting more or less 3G/3G, assuming you can find a speed test site capable of testing 3G speeds.

[Rocko]

@Nighthawk I cannot find the post again, but @DrPacman posted in a response to someone that with services 1G and below this was possible (eliminating the Telus hardware and using your own) but with services over 1G you could not eliminate the Telus equipment anymore (specifically NH20T) and had to use the 10G Port Bridge mode.  The post was from 2023 and it is 2025 now so things may have changed.  I suspect it is because of the XGS-PON but I do not know.  However, if there is an explanation of why it doesn't work I would love to know.

Cheers

[Nighthawk]

It will all depend on what hardware was installed. If there is only the NH20T and the fibre is connected to it directly, then bridging the 10G port is the only option. If there is an ONT installed and the NH20T is connected to it over ethernet, then connecting the pfSense box directly to the ONT should be possible as far as I know.

[Rocko]

Hey thank you.  Maybe asking for an ONT would be the smart move.  

I will keep reading the forums and hopefully someone does both options and can give some feedback.  If you come across anything please link it here as I would like to know the reasons why somethings do not work, and performance of the different options.

Cheers!