Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimmy Stang
Does anyone have any experience with an XB6 modem in bridged mode AND wireless XI6 TV boxes?
Searching the web shows mixed levels of success. Some say that it is possible to set up your XI6 boxes first, then bridge the XB6 modem. Apparently it keeps a couple of hidden wireless networks for the exclusive use of the XI6 wireless TV boxes, but otherwise bridges as you’d expect.
Can anyone confirm? My new equipment is apparently on the way.
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I'll answer my own question, just in case it helps anyone searching in the future.
The interface on the XB6 modem allows switching to bridge mode very easily. It does, unfortunately, disable the ability for the XI6 TV boxes to connect to it. I haven't used a stumbler yet to see if hidden networks are broadcasting still, but the TV boxes can't find it automatically and the interface of the modem doesn't provide any hints.
You can, however, pick your own network to connect the XI6 boxes to. So I joined them onto my main wifi network/router and they work great.
Bridging is essential for me as I have a persistent VPN connection to my office, and also because I have a VPN server at home that I need to connect to occasionally from other places. So this is a reasonable compromise. I could probably fiddle a bit and use both routers as routers, but dealing with the double NAT, port forwarding, etc. is not really something I can be bothered with.
The only downside that I have noticed is that I am unable to watch a recording in progress on the Shaw iOS app because I am not on my "home network". Well I am, but I'm not letting the XB6 handle be anything more than a modem, which is probably the issue. Not a dealbreaker for me though, as I must use bridge mode, so this a small side effect. And completed recordings work just fine - just in-progress ones are strange because of rights issues, so they require you to be on your home network.
And, of course, the only other small annoyance is that I'm giving my own router more of a workout and not Shaw's equipment. Throughput seems to be unaffected I would imagine that Shaw does some sort of QoS on the traffic), as I can have multiple HD TV streams running and can still get 320/16 on a speed test, which is pretty normal for me. Bandwidth is unlimited anyway, so that's a non-issue.
I will also add that, after all of the dancing around about rates, I was impressed with Shaw's service. I sealed the deal on Friday at suppertime, got an email that my stuff was shipped on Saturday night, and Purolator rolled up on Sunday morning at about 10am. They included pre-paid labels to ship all of my old gear back, although I might inquire about dropping off downtown because that's probably easier because I've got 3 big cable boxes and a modem to send back, and by the time I find a box and pack it up, take it to the post office, etc. I could probably doing it quicker myself.