How do I set bridge mode on Ignite so I can use a safe DNS?

[whomever]

I was forced to accept and use the new modem, Ignite Gateway.

After several hours,  of reading testing calling it was pointed out to me that Shaw disabled the ability to change DNS from Shaw to whatever one wants.

I was told by Shaw person to buy another modem and bridge it and set the DNS there.

Is there a recommended modem here by people using it to bridge the Ignite allowing me to set DNS, like the most popular non-spying, non-tracking like 0.0.0.0 / 1.1.1.1

TIA

~w

[mdk]

@whomever -- if you have only one Windows computer connected to the cable-modem, you can configure TCP/IP on Windows to use any DNS-servers.  Similarly, you can configure an iPhone to use your choice of DNS-servers.

However, using "0.0.0.0" never works -- that is not a valid IP-address on the Internet. 

You could try 1.1.1.1 and/or 8.8.8.8 and/or 8.8.4.4

You can manually configure almost every third-party router to override the automatic IP-addresses.  

Be sure to purchase a router that has "WiFi 6" (or "WiFi 6e") support, for fastest-possible WiFi.  The XB7 has "WiFi 6".

[whomever]

@mdk

using "0.0.0.0" was just a example. 

Bought a router. It is "WiFi 6" capable.

It is not the only computer. I have a Windows desktop, and HP 400 workstation w/ 4 boot-into OS I have one cell phone running linux based OS, i.e. No Apple or Google.

New word 🙂  Bridging.

QUESTION:

If I understand correctly, the connection would be:

Wall outlet > Router > Ignite.  and then everything cabled goes to Ignite. Everything on Ignite stays.
On the Router, I change DNS settings and leave the rest blank?

Would that appear correct to you?

I'd hate to over-stress Shaw's modem by trying the above.

Tia again

~w

[mdk · Accepted solution]

@whomever -- the correct configuration, even when the cable-modem is NOT "bridged":

1. coaxial-cable from wall-socket into cable-modem's coaxial socket
2. Ethernet cable ("CAT 6" or "CAT 5e") from one Ethernet socket on the cable-modem to the WAN port on your router
3. Ethernet cable from one of the LAN sockets on your router to the Ethernet socket on your desktop
4. Ethernet cable from another LAN socket on your router to the Ethernet socket on your HP computer
5. On one of your computers, logon to your router's web-server, e.g., something like: http://192.168.xxx.1 (where xxx usually is "zero" or "one") -- check the documentation for your router for its logon ID/password
6. while logged-in, setup your router's WAN port to manually choose DNS-server(s), such as "1.1.1.1", instead of allowing the cable-modem to automatically send the IP-addresses of its "preferred" DNS-servers to your router
7. setup your router's WiFi -- by picking an SSID and password
8. on your cell-phone, configure it to connect to that SSID

Done.

Yes, there will be two routers between the wall-socket and your computers/phone, but any performance "hit" over having just one router is too minimal to be noticed.  It is those servers on the Internet that usually are the bottle-neck -- they do not push out Internet packets as fast as the cable-modem can receive those packets, mainly because they are pushing-out packets to multiple simultaneous computers -- each computer gets a small percentage of the server's maximum output speed.

[whomever]

Hello again Grand Master MDK 🙂

---

@mdk wrote:

Yes, there will be two routers 

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Sorry to be dense, but which do you call a modem and the other a router.? I see a lot of people confuse the two. I'm one of them.

QUESTION: With reference to your invaluable help above, is the Gateway Ignite the modem or router?

TIA

~w

[mdk]

@whomever - the word "modem" is shorthand for "modulator-demodulator".

The first generation of Shaw's Internet boxes were just modems -- convert whatever incoming protocol that was delivered through the coaxial-cable to output TCP/IP packets through the *ONE* LAN-port on the box, and vice-versa, for outgoing packets to the Internet.  Yes, just one computer at a time could connect to the Internet, and the modem did not provide WiFi service.

A router can be compared to the receptionist at a small business. A visitor enters the business through its one door (or you telephone the receptionist), and the receptionist routes the visitor to one of the professionals. Once the receptionist has "routed" you, none of the other professionals will be conversing with you, and the receptionist can move-on to some other task. A router does the same "routing" for each incoming IP-packet, once the connection between the visitor and the professional has been established. 

At one time, Shaw's Internet boxes did not offer WiFi -- just 4 LAN-ports, to physically connect up to 4 computers via Ethernet cables. Shaw's current boxes (Hitron, XB6, XB7, XB8) have integrated the modem & the router & the WiFi capabilities into one physical box. The "Ignite" box is just Rogers' brand-name for the XB7/XB8.