NA Wifi box ID

[Let'sgoflying!]

Is this Uverse or ordinary DSL?

 

[denverpilot]

Yes.

Uverse is a brand name. DSL is a transport technology.

The Motorola device in the photo is called an "AT&T Uverse DSL Modem".

 

[denverpilot]

P.S. Google the model number. Top right of your photo.

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

I did google first, did not receive definite answers. Thanks.
And my bill does not say Uverse on it.

Is this box server-ready?
Ie, can I plug it into the switch, and with appropriate configuration, allow access to the internet through it, to all workstations?
IT guy has thrown in a $700 router into my package and I am wondering if that is really necessary.

 

[James331]

Google manufactor MAC lookup, run the MAC address

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

Google manufactor MAC lookup, run the MAC address

There is a MAC address on the box, I had obliterated it for the pic above.
Is it like this; No MAC address - it is not server ready; or certain MAC addresses are compatible and others aren't? I can provide the number if needed.

 

[flyingron]

This is the Motorola NVG510. It's desgined to be an end user (consumer) DSL router and is commonly used by the ATT UNIVERSE service.

The way it comes out of the box it behaves as a NAT router. It provides one external IP address and NAT's on to a local subnet (typically the trash 192.168.1.xx class C network).
There are a couple of ways you can hook servers up behind it OR you can just put it in IP passthrough mode and use another router behind it.

You have two issues with setting up a server behind it. The first is that unless you arrange with ATT (don't know if they charge), you won't have a static address. You can either get a static address or you can use Dynamic DNS to map whatever your allocated address is to your host name you want to use.

Second, you have to figure out how to route onto your local server. Typically this is done by either putting the server in the DMZ or using port forwarding.

All of this info is readly available on the ATT/Universe community forums (forums.att.com). Absent knowing what you're really attempting to do, I can't really go further.

 

[Henning]

I'm not a guru on this, but I have never needed any different input/modem/router for whatever application. Whatever the input and whatever the purpose, I was always able to switch what came in to what I had.

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

Absent knowing what you're really attempting to do, I can't really go further.

Here is what I am attempting to do:

Ie, can I plug it into the switch, and with appropriate configuration, allow access to the internet through it, to all workstations?[/quote]

Cabled internet access to about 4 or 5 workstations which are connected to a server. Plus wifi.

From your description, it sounds like it would be difficult to connect the Motorola NVG510 to the server, and that it is not commonly done this way.

The IT salesperson is right then, and I need a different router than my existing Uverse router.
Is there a less costly way to achieve this, than a $700 HP 'MSR1002-4 AC' router?

Thanks.

 

[RJM62]

Here is what I am attempting to do:

Ie, can I plug it into the switch, and with appropriate configuration, allow access to the internet through it, to all workstations?

Cabled internet access to about 4 or 5 workstations which are connected to a server. Plus wifi.

Yes, but not especially efficiently. You'd be daisy-chaining switches.

From your description, it sounds like it would be difficult to connect the Motorola NVG510 to the server, and that it is not commonly done this way.

It's not inherently difficult. It just may be harder to do because the device isn't really designed for it, may not have the configuration options that you may (or may not) need, and may not provide an acceptable level of performance.

As for the static IP, there are a lot of reasons why you might need this, the most obvious being if you (or someone else) needs to know where to find your network on the Interwebs. As someone else said, you can also use DyDNS or a similar service to accomplish this, but a static IP is the better way.

The IT salesperson is right then, and I need a different router than my existing Uverse router.

That's impossible for me to answer without knowing your network and what you want it to be able to do, in more detail than you yourself may know. It's also impossible to answer definitively. There are many possible ways to do routing, but some are better than others.

Strictly speaking, for example, you don't need a router at all. You could put the modem in bridge mode, install a WAN-facing NIC on the server, and let the server both negotiate the DSL connection on the WAN side and handle all the firewalling and routing on the LAN side. Then all you'd need hardware-wise would be a switch on the LAN side.

Not that I'm recommending doing it that way, mind you: I think it would be a horrible idea. But it would, in fact, be possible.

Is there a less costly way to achieve this, than a $700 HP 'MSR1002-4 AC' router?

Certainly there is. You probably could use a cheap router like I use in my home office. It does what I need it to do. But I would NEVER install a cheap router like that in a client account, for all kinds of reasons.

If what you want to know is whether there's a router of comparable quality and functionality to the HP MSR1002-4 AC that your IT guy / gal is recommending, but that costs less, I don't know. I'm not current on routers. But the other thing to consider is that if your IT guy / gal has some reason for recommending that particular router.

When I was doing that kind of work I tended to recommend products that would meet the client's needs and that I'd found to be reliable and well-made. I think pretty much everyone I know in the business makes their choices the same way. A poorly-functioning component (especially a router) can affect the performance of the entire network, and the IT consultant wants the client to be happy with the whole job. Whether that happens is dependent on their subjective experience. Any weak link in the chain can destroy that experience.

I think you might be better off asking your consultant why he or she is recommending that particular router instead of any of the bazillion other routers out there, and whether there is another less-expensive one that he or she would also be comfortable recommending.

Rich

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

the most obvious being if you (or someone else) needs to know where to find your network on the Interwebs.

I don't have a website and no plans to - if that is what you mean, Rich. I will need to log in remotely, however. As will IT support, for maintenance.

I think you might be better off asking your consultant why he or she is recommending that particular router instead of any of the bazillion other routers out there, and whether there is another less-expensive one that he or she would also be comfortable recommending.

Indeed, Rich - I have done exactly that with every component so far, and will be doing so on Monday with the router.

That's impossible for me to answer without knowing your network and what you want it to be able to do, in more detail than you yourself may know. It's also impossible to answer definitively.

That might explain some of the difficulty I am having with buying and arranging for a very simple server in my tiny business! I tell my IT salesperson, I think very specifically, what functions I would like (ie "5 workstations connecting to a RAID5 server, Quickbooks on the server, a few other programs on the server, access via Remote Desktop; onsite and offsite backups, etc) but apparently I don't know what I want, or computer lingo well enough (in IT sale's mind) to explain it to him in terms he understands. So we go back and forth with offerings that end up not meeting my original function specs. Plus, we get a quote close and oh, you need this $800 item (without explanation, which I then have to research and end up vetoing because, oh- I don't need that after all.)

It's not inherently difficult. It just may be harder to do

In fact, I got a hold of Motorola and the tech, without hesitation or caveat, said it was designed to do what I want (allow occasional, low volume workstation connection to the internet through the server)

Thanks!

 

[TangoWhiskey]

Plus, we get a quote close and oh, you need this $800 item (without explanation, which I then have to research and end up vetoing because, oh- I don't need that after all.)

Dave,

Instead of you trying to research it, put the IT guy to work! I'd suggest asking the person that made the recommendation the reason why they made the recommendation, and ask them if your alternative (using the existing DSL modem) will work.

Maybe he's doing it to provide a more robust firewall or something? No idea, but you'd have to ask him to find out. He could just be wanting to sell you a high markup item he's an authorized reseller for, but I bet he has an actual business reason for the advice.

 

[RJM62]

I don't have a website and no plans to - if that is what you mean, Rich. I will need to log in remotely, however. As will IT support, for maintenance.

That may be part of the reason for specifying that particular router. They may just be more familiar with it. If they have to set up something like updating the Internet connection, reserving a LAN IP, setting up QOS, setting up port forwarding, or whatever else they may need to do on the router, they know exactly where to look for it.

In fact, I got a hold of Motorola and the tech, without hesitation or caveat, said it was designed to do what I want (allow occasional, low volume workstation connection to the internet through the server)

Lucky you! According to this article, the device is not supported by Motorola. That doesn't mean that they won't talk to you if you happen to get the right tech on the line. It just means that there are no promises that they will. These sort of devices are custom-manufactured and marketed to ISPs, not consumer; and part of the deal is that the ISPs will provide the support. You happened to get lucky.

I personally would not use a combination modem / router owned by an ISP for your purposes. I ran into that situation with Frontier. Even though Frontier's support was U.S.-based and much better than average, it just got annoying to have to call them every time I needed some simple setting changed on the router.

They did give me the router password, but there were two passwords on that particular router, and the one they gave me didn't give me quite the access that I needed. That password would also have given me access to some technical, troubleshooting, and provisioning-level stuff to which Frontier didn't want me to have access, because as in your case, the modem / router had been custom-designed and manufactured for Frontier, not for direct sale to consumers.

I wound up buying my own router simply so I would have full admin access to it. That's also what I would strongly recommend you do, if you were my client.

That's not to say that you need the exact router that your consultant is specifying. It sounds to me like you just need a standard commercial-grade router that complies with the bazillion different safety and security standards for same.

In fact, I just took a [very] quick look at the HP MSR1002-4 AC, and I'm not quite sure why they're recommending it, either. It doesn't look like it would be my first choice for a client with needs like you describe. I suspect it has something to do with the company's levels of familiarity with and confidence in that particular device.

By the way, despite the "AC" in the name, that router doesn't look to me to have wireless capability. You would need an access point or possibly an expansion card. That's also something I usually recommended because the failure rate for wireless stuff is higher. It makes no sense to toss (and have to reconfigure) a business-class router because the radio fried during an electrical storm. I preferred either a separate AP or a replaceable wireless module.

Unfortunately, I'm not current enough to tell you which router would be my first choice for you. The posted specs don't tell the whole story. Some routers with great specs have horrid performance (and occasionally vice-versa), so recent experience also comes into play when making these decisions. Someone else will need to chime in with current recommendations for commercial-grade routers appropriate for small-business use.

One thing I wouldn't use would be the modem / router owned by the ISP, that only they could administer and that wasn't designed for business use. It would present multiple access, configuration, performance, reliability, security, and potentially legal problems. I'd put it in bridge mode and put a business-class router behind it.

Rich

 

[RJM62]

Dave,

Instead of you trying to research it, put the IT guy to work! I'd suggest asking the person that made the recommendation the reason why they made the recommendation, and ask them if your alternative (using the existing DSL modem) will work.

Maybe he's doing it to provide a more robust firewall or something? No idea, but you'd have to ask him to find out. He could just be wanting to sell you a high markup item he's an authorized reseller for, but I bet he has an actual business reason for the advice.

It doesn't look to me like the markup is huge on that device based on my quick price-searching. I'd be surprised if it's more than a hundred bucks, if even that much. So I also suspect he has a reason based on their confidence in and familiarity with that particular router.

Rich

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

Why can't I hire you guys, I am getting a lot more answers. Thanks for talking to me.
(I have been getting a lot of "I need to run that past tech support or higher ups")

 

[RJM62]

Why can't I hire you guys, I am getting a lot more answers. Thanks for talking to me.
(I have been getting a lot of "I need to run that past tech support or higher ups")

You'll get my bill in the morning.

Rich