Forum Discussion

holibka1's avatar
holibka1
Joining in
2 months ago

Hub 5 + mesh do I need modem mode?

Noob here. I have a Hub 5 (1gb) and Google Mesh.

So far, I've just plugged my Google mesh into the Hub 5, and now I've got 2 networks. 1 from the Hub + 1 from the Google Mesh. It all seems to just work fine.

Do I really need to switch the Hub to modem mode? I've seen plenty of advice online stating that double NAT is not really an issue. As an average user (I don't game) will I see any tangible benefits?

If I put the Hub 5 into modem mode, the settings page warns I'll need to connect to it via an ethernet cable to get back into the settings page using 198.168.100.1.

Is that correct? Will I need to connect physically to it to change settings? For example, if I want to take the hub out of modem mode.

  • Roger_Gooner's avatar
    Roger_Gooner
    Alessandro Volta
    2 months ago

    Most mesh units come with a DHCP server and so should be used with the hub in modem mode as you want just one server.

  • asim18's avatar
    asim18
    Rising star
    2 months ago

    You would only need to connect a computer to get out of modem mode if something went very wrong with your Google WiFi.

    If things are working correctly you can access 192.168.100.1 through any device connected to the Google WiFi no problem. It's still technically ethernet between the VM hub and the Google. If the Google is doing the routing function, the VM Hub won't know nor care what device is wifi or ethernet.

     

    Whether you see a benefit depends on the airwaves around you. It is possible you may see a benefit if your area is swamped with WiFi signals, getting rid of 1 WiFi network may give the other network more "room to breathe" with less interference.

  • asim18's avatar
    asim18
    Rising star
    2 months ago

    Forgot to mention I believe you can also get out of modem mode with a pinhole reset.

  • legacy1's avatar
    legacy1
    Alessandro Volta
    2 months ago

    The argument if you choose to stay in router mode is that it all seems to work is what ISP want you to think so they don't have to do modem mode its a bit like if the USA allow guns but your not allowed bullets or put another way your giving up having your WAN IP that your router fully controls traffic sessions to its way of handling for the protocols you use.

  • carl_pearce's avatar
    carl_pearce
    Community elder
    2 months ago

    Just keep in mind if you do go with modem mode, you'll lose some bandwidth due to the 1Gbps ethernet ports, generally, on mesh systems.

    So, instead of 1130 - 1150Mbps across all your devices, wired and wireless, you'll see a maximum of around 900 - 940Mbps.

    • legacy1's avatar
      legacy1
      Alessandro Volta
      2 months ago

      Thats the users problem anyway or they can get a router with 2.5Gb WAN and LAN ports