Netgear Nighthawk M1 and Router setup

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Oct 30, 2015
Messages
34
Location
VA - Virginia
I have a nighthawk m1 hotspot that I would like to get connected to a netgear ac2100 wireless router. So far I've had it working twice when I can get it to connect, the issue seems to be with the m1. The m1 is setup with ip passthrough enabled, dhcp turned off, and Ethernet standby disabled. The ac2100 is standard setup with ip changed to 192.168.2.1 not to conflict with the 192.168.1.1 on the m1. Tried to setup dmz but didn't have enough time to make sure that was correct. When the router is connected my signal goes from 2-3 bars of cell signal to steady 4 bars and speeds increase 20-30 mbps. Also the hotspot wifi range isn't the best even with long range enabled, so the other reason for wanting to get this setup. Seems like the nighthawk is picky on what it will connect to for a additional router setup. I basically want the m1 to function as a stand alone modem with the router providing everything else. Anybody have any experience with getting the m1 to connect to a router reliably? Or any suggestions on trying another router that is known to work? Any help is appreciated.
 
In most cases the phone company ISP blocks incoming connections in their network. So you really don't need features like IP Passthrough or DMZ which are used to support incoming connections. By the way IP Passthrough and DMZ are different, mutually exclusive, approaches to the problem. You could use one or the other but not both.

If like most users you are only interested in outgoing connections (you're not running a conventional server at home), just set the M1 to its default mode where it is a router, then route again with the second router. The IP addresses of the two LANs do have to be different as you have done.
 
Ok ill try that setup out this evening when I get home. So default mode for the m1, Ethernet from m1 to router, then router setup as access point and make sure ip is configured correctly? What about the dhcp? Been out of the networking setup for about 15 years, this one really has me confused.
 
You are doing a LOT of unnecessary stuff there and putting anything in the DMZ opens a massive security hole and is wholly unnecessary, the DMZ function is designed to expose one host on your network to the Internet, bypassing the security provided by NAT/PAT, you need to eliminate that from your setup immediately.

Router 1: AC2100
Router 2: NightHawk M1

Configuration:
Router 1:
Subnet: 192.168.1.0/24
WAN: DHCP (assuming you have cable)
LAN: 192.168.1.1
DHCP Server: Enabled
DHCP Scope: 192.168.1.10-192.168.1.250
Wireless Name: Your_SSID
Wireless Security: WPA2_AES, your_passphrase

Router 2: (acting as access point)
Subnet: 192.168.1.0/24
WAN: DISABLED
LAN 192.168.1.2
DHCP Server: Disabled
DHCP Scope: None
Wireless Name: Your_SSID
Wireless Security: WPA2_AES, your_passphrase

You should have an ethernet cable running from one of the LAN ports on Router 1 to one of the LAN ports (NOT the WAN port) on Router 2.

This configuration turns Router 2 into a dummy access point whose only functions are to authenticate clients and bridge traffic from the WLAN to the LAN.
 
The nighthawk m1 is 4g let hotspot from at&t it is has to be the first router. I can setup the ac2100 as router 2 and as an access point. I want the m1 to be the "modem" (not providing any wifi), then connected to the ac2100 via ethernet cable (the m1 only has one Ethernet port). I want the ac2100 to provide the wifi, cause its stronger signal. The m1 has limited selection for setup. I dont want to setup dmz just trying to get this working.

So this is what I will try:
M1 as router 1 (providing internet)
Ethernet port connected to lan on ac2100
Ac2100 setup as access point and dhcp off

The issue I see is what should the settings be for the m1 for ip passthrough, tethering and Ethernet standby

Link for m1 settings display

search
 
As OVERKILL said, you're way overthinking this.

IP Passthrough : No
Tethering : No (this is for connecting to a PC using USB).
Ethernet Standby: No (you are using the ethernet port full time).

Would likely work if you reset the M1 to default settings and set up the AC2100 as OVERKILL described. After that works (you can connect to your new WiFi) go to the M1 and turn its wifi off but don't change anything else.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by Tribe21
The nighthawk m1 is 4g let hotspot from at&t it is has to be the first router. I can setup the ac2100 as router 2 and as an access point. I want the m1 to be the "modem" (not providing any wifi), then connected to the ac2100 via ethernet cable (the m1 only has one Ethernet port). I want the ac2100 to provide the wifi, cause its stronger signal. The m1 has limited selection for setup. I dont want to setup dmz just trying to get this working.

So this is what I will try:
M1 as router 1 (providing internet)
Ethernet port connected to lan on ac2100
Ac2100 setup as access point and dhcp off

The issue I see is what should the settings be for the m1 for ip passthrough, tethering and Ethernet standby

Link for m1 settings display

search



Just reverse the settings I gave you if the M1 needs to be the WAN-facing device. There's no reason to disable the WiFi on the M1, while you won't achieve transparent roaming with two devices that can't do hand-offs, it'll give you better coverage.

As mk378 indicated, there is nothing to configure with respect to standby, tethering...etc. You want a basic NAT firewall setup with the AT&T LTE interface connected to the WAN port on the M1 assuming it uses Ethernet.
 
The problem appears to me to be that they are technically on two different networks. The first is 192.168.1.1 and the second is 192.168.2.1 The only numbers you should be changing at this time are the last number so the second address should appear as 192.168.1.2 (or any number between 2 and 254)
 
Originally Posted by mazdamonky
The problem appears to me to be that they are technically on two different networks. The first is 192.168.1.1 and the second is 192.168.2.1 The only numbers you should be changing at this time are the last number so the second address should appear as 192.168.1.2 (or any number between 2 and 254)


While that makes managing it difficult, if the 2nd unit is only bridging WLAN to LAN and not dealing with any addressing or NAT it won't have an impact on functionality. Per my proposal though, for the sake of making management easy, both devices should exist on the same subnet.
 
I'm going to start from scratch here, this is what I should do:

M1 setup: IP 192.168.1.1
Ip passthrough- off
Dhcp- on
Thethering- charge only
Ethernet standby- disabled
Wifi- off

Ac2100 setup: IP 192.168.2.1
Dhcp-off

Ethernet from m1 port to a LAN on ac2100
 
No, that's still a garbage setup.

How is the AT&T service connected to M1, let's get that out of the way first, I want a complete picture of the topology here.
 
Att service is cellular 4g lte to the m1 hotspot. The hotspot is a stand alone hotspot that also provides Wi-Fi. The Wi-Fi range is terrible for coverage at my house for other devices. Thats where I want to connect the ac2100 to the m1 to provide extended range for the house with no Wi-Fi provided by the m1. The m1 only has usb-c charging port that can also tether, Ethernet port and usb-a.

What I have researched led me to try the m1 connected to the ac2100 via Ethernet to the wan connection on the ac2100. M1 had ip passthrough enabled, dhcp off, and Ethernet standby disabled. Ac2100 I only changed the ip to 192.168.0.1 to not interfere with the ip on m1 and to be able to see both devices. But I can't get this to work.
 
Originally Posted by Tribe21
Att service is cellular 4g lte to the m1 hotspot. The hotspot is a stand alone hotspot that also provides Wi-Fi. The Wi-Fi range is terrible for coverage at my house for other devices. Thats where I want to connect the ac2100 to the m1 to provide extended range for the house with no Wi-Fi provided by the m1. The m1 only has usb-c charging port that can also tether, Ethernet port and usb-a.

What I have researched led me to try the m1 connected to the ac2100 via Ethernet to the wan connection on the ac2100. M1 had ip passthrough enabled, dhcp off, and Ethernet standby disabled. Ac2100 I only changed the ip to 192.168.0.1 to not interfere with the ip on m1 and to be able to see both devices. But I can't get this to work.


OK, I just looked up the M1 to get an idea as to what we are dealing with here. It also sounds like you aren't following my advice on the setup, which is why you are getting lost.

1. There's no need to disable the WiFi on the M1
2. The M1 has a single Ethernet port (LAN-facing)
3. The AC2100 needs to be setup as an Access Point which means NOTHING gets connected to its WAN port.

Please do the following:
1. On the M1, everything should be factory settings (not DMZ, no IP forwarding...etc) EXCEPT:
a. DHCP scope should be modified to leave reserved addresses on the bottom and top of the subnet, so starting IP should be 192.168.1.10 and ending should be 192.168.1.250
b. Wireless should be configured with WPA2/AES and secured with a reasonably complex password

2. On the AC2100:
a. Set the LAN IP address to 192.168.1.2 putting it in the same subnet as the M1 but in the range we reserved in 1a.
b. Disable the DHCP server
c. Configure the wireless with the same SSID and WPA2/AES passphrase as the M1

3. Connect an ethernet cable from the single LAN port on the M1 to one of the LAN ports, NOT THE WAN PORT, of the AC2100

That's it, that's the whole setup. Both devices will exist and be manageable in the same subnet. DHCP and NAT will be handled by the M1, both devices will authenticate WLAN clients which can roam to whichever device they are closest to.
 
Ok I understand now what to do. Ill try it out this evening and report back with results. I appreciate the help I know this isnt a typical setup hence the frustration on my part.
 
For testing, you can connect the Ethernet port of the M1 directly to a laptop or desktop computer. If the M1 is working as expected, that computer should obtain a 192.168.1.X IP address and have Internet through the cable.
 
Thanks OVERKILL for the help with this, got everything setup last night just as you suggested and is working great. Not sure why this one was so hard for me to try to figure out on my own. All the research I had done prior had suggested other ways to set this up. This will work so much better with the ac2100 acting as an access point with the m1 in the standard configuration. Wi-Fi range on the m1 is set to short in default so that made sure that none of my devices will connect to it instead of the ac2100.

This m1 with AT&T cellular hotspot is by far the best choice I have for internet where I live. DSL is 1 mbps if your lucky to get hooked to it and cable is nowhere close to being ran here. Had satellite with excess for a while but that was horrendous and only 12gb cap with speeds of 2-4 mbps. With the m1 and ac2100 I can get 40-75 down and 15-25 up all day which isn't anything to brag about, but for my location its amazing. Its allowed me to cancel directv and use OTA antenna for my local stuff and stream everything else we want.
 
Originally Posted by Tribe21
Att service is cellular 4g lte to the m1 hotspot. The hotspot is a stand alone hotspot that also provides Wi-Fi. The Wi-Fi range is terrible for coverage at my house for other devices. Thats where I want to connect the ac2100 to the m1 to provide extended range for the house with no Wi-Fi provided by the m1. The m1 only has usb-c charging port that can also tether, Ethernet port and usb-a.

What I have researched led me to try the m1 connected to the ac2100 via Ethernet to the wan connection on the ac2100. M1 had ip passthrough enabled, dhcp off, and Ethernet standby disabled. Ac2100 I only changed the ip to 192.168.0.1 to not interfere with the ip on m1 and to be able to see both devices. But I can't get this to work.


OK, I just looked up the M1 to get an idea as to what we are dealing with here. It also sounds like you aren't following my advice on the setup, which is why you are getting lost.

1. There's no need to disable the WiFi on the M1
2. The M1 has a single Ethernet port (LAN-facing)
3. The AC2100 needs to be setup as an Access Point which means NOTHING gets connected to its WAN port.

Please do the following:
1. On the M1, everything should be factory settings (not DMZ, no IP forwarding...etc) EXCEPT:
a. DHCP scope should be modified to leave reserved addresses on the bottom and top of the subnet, so starting IP should be 192.168.1.10 and ending should be 192.168.1.250
b. Wireless should be configured with WPA2/AES and secured with a reasonably complex password

2. On the AC2100:
a. Set the LAN IP address to 192.168.1.2 putting it in the same subnet as the M1 but in the range we reserved in 1a.
b. Disable the DHCP server
c. Configure the wireless with the same SSID and WPA2/AES passphrase as the M1

3. Connect an ethernet cable from the single LAN port on the M1 to one of the LAN ports, NOT THE WAN PORT, of the AC2100

That's it, that's the whole setup. Both devices will exist and be manageable in the same subnet. DHCP and NAT will be handled by the M1, both devices will authenticate WLAN clients which can roam to whichever device they are closest to.
The only thing I don’t like about doing it this way is that I can’t use the nighthawk app as my M1 is hooked up to a Nighthawk AC1900
 
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