Wireless 4K (Xi6) wifi setup - question

[deltagamma]

Hi, am having security and bandwidth concerns using my 3 Xi6 wireless TV boxes and would like some input.

I use the BlueCurve gateway (which is only WiFi-5 compliant) in bridged mode and run 2 CAT6 cables to a WiFi-6 3rd party (non Shaw) router to maximize speed. On the router i've setup a hidden guest network running on 5GHz on ac/ax mode with full-bandwidth and setup only these 3 devices to run off this guest network.

The guest network restricts any access to my internal network (including computers, printers, NAS, other devices, etc).

Initial setup of the boxes worked properly, all showed they were on the guest network. However, if you asked the query button what Gateway you were on, it would show on the TV the visible networks AND their passwords..., and not the hidden guest network it was setup on.

Also, after the overnight update to sync the recorded shows, each Xi6 has unexplainably changed to a visible 5GHz (ac/ax) network that is not a guest network, and has potential to access my network.... not the greatest security.

Changing the wifi connection is not an upfront task, it's not easily changeable - it looks like the Xi6 box needs to be fully reset.

As the BlueCurve gateway is in bridged-mode too, i'm unable to remote into it and do anything that way, either.

[mdk]

@deltagamma -- As the BlueCurve gateway is in bridged-mode too, i'm unable to remote into it and do anything that way, either.

I have seen posts on this forum that state that http://10.0.0.1 will still work, even when the BlueCurve is in "bridged-mode". Give it a try.

[deltagamma]

Hi mdk - yes, accessing via computer works correctly (providing there’s no active VPN on). Most of the settings/configurable content are shaded and not alterable during bridged-mode.

Remoting in via the Bluecurve Shaw Home app is disabled while in bridged-mode.

I’ve reset one of the TV boxes by pressing the WPS button on the bottom of the Xi6 (the only button on the unit?!) then manually adding my hidden guest network to the wifi settings. I’ll fiddle with this some more, as queries to technical service have come up empty. 

[Bestv8er]

Maybe a dumb question, but why don't you just run the boxes off your regular network and not the guest network? I assume you are using bridged to run VPN's based on the comments? I setup mine in non-bridged mode, 2 Xi6's wireless to the shaw wireless network from the gateway, and then 2 Asus routers running as access points in AIMesh  for all my other wireless devices in the house. So far the TV's have worked well going to the main.

[mdk]

@deltagamma -- Most of the settings/configurable content are shaded and not alterable during bridged-mode.

That makes sense. The Shaw box is acting only as a coaxial-cable-to-Ethernet-cable modulator/de-modulator "bridge", like the first-generation cable-modems. All the "advanced" features available in some routers are bypassed -- all the network traffic just travels over the "bridge"

> Remoting in via the Bluecurve Shaw Home app is disabled while in bridged-mode.

If you mean using the Shaw app to configure the router, bridging has disabled external connectivity to the cable-modem; all incoming traffic goes over the "bridge" to your device (router? computer?).

If you mean remotely logging-in to your computer, going over the "bridge", you will have a different IP-address from Shaw -- the Shaw box no longer "consumes" a Shaw IP-address. Instead, the MAC-address of your device (router? computer?) connected to the "bridged" router causes Shaw's DHCP-server to allocate a different IP-address. Check that your computer's firewall "allows" incoming traffic to a specific port, or check that your own router has its own port-forwarding rules to one of your computers.

[deltagamma]

hi bestv8er - reason why i'm trying to bypass the normal network setting is that i'm uncertain to the extent of the security with respect to these Xi6's and their bandwidth draw.  why is there no real manuals available for them or the Gateway? i'm a little hesitant using a streaming box that's designed to upload/download through a firewall without having any real security - being on the same networked side as my LAN creates potential for malfeasance. 

by bridging the Gateway provided (black one wifi-5, ac band) to my ASUS wifi-6 router (ax band), this router is capable of better controlling access (ie, not part of my LAN through use of the guest network), bandwidth beaming and control (can simultaneously stream instead of single-device), and allocating QoS preferences to the Xi6 boxes.

...who knows in the end... tvs are working properly.  and the bandwidth used by the Xi6 boxes is considerably less than i was expecting - but it takes away from other devices that it shouldn't need to. 

still working on it, want to know why it's not right.. the Xi6s appear to connect and work properly on the ax band, but are still resetting to the ac band during the 4AM sync (or possibly before).

[deltagamma]

just to clarify - i'm able to login by browser to the bridged Gateway via 10.0.0.1 (as long as i'm not running a VPN) and poke around, unable to do anything substantive.

As for the rest, i'm able to remote just fine into the computer/router/NAS/etc through - thanks for the followup.

[mdk]

@deltagamma --  the Xi6s appear to connect and work properly on the ax band, but are still resetting to the ac band during the 4AM sync (or possibly before).

Experiment: after that "4 AM" reset, power-off your ASUS router, to see if your Xi6 boxes are still functioning correctly. If so, this implies that they are connecting to the BlueCurve's WiFi, not your ASUS' WiFi.

Do you have a "smart-TV" connected to the Xi6? If so, does your smart-TV have its own WiFi capability? If so, is it connecting to any WiFi network, i.e., bypassing parts of your setup?

[deltagamma]

Alrighty, think there's a solution - it's been working for over a day now.

Spoke with a technical specialist, they confirmed that the Xi6 boxes can receive up to the new ax wifi-6 standard (though most Gateways provided are only ac wifi compliant), and that 3rd-party routers are fully capable of working with the Xi6s (contrary to the limited literature). 

To do this, the Gateway was turned back from Bridged-mode to regular mode via browser into 10.0.0.1, to which the SSIDs were amended as were the passwords (to something that aren't used elsewhere on the network). Once completed, the Gateway was put back into Bridged-mode, and the ASUS wifi-6 compliant router was connected as described in the first post.

Each Xi6 was reset by pressing/holding the WPS button (on the bottom) and manually adding the hidden guest network ax wifi signal and unique password. The IP addresses for each box have been confirmed to be on the guest network (they are on a different subnet), each are rock-solid with signal strength, confirmed simultaneous upload/download, and speed.

If you press the 'talk' button on the Bluecurve remote, and say 'Wifi' - the Gateway shows the amended network settings and passwords (that aren't used). Under Settings/Devices, the Network shows the SSID that you're actually on.

What was found out was: the Gateway was always in Bridged-mode and was not sending a different signal to the Xi6s; the Xi6s were using the original Gateway network setup to change from the hidden guest network at some point; the Xi6s can be streamed to with 3rd-party routers; the Xi6s are wifi-6 compliant; and the Xi6s work properly in a guest-mode firewalled from the 'normal' internal wireless network that most people use - which I believe should be done for your own security.

Thanks for the support, and followup-