AT&T Fiber deployment... Choices for 2.5/5GB PFSense NIC?
AT&T Fiber deployment... Choices for 2.5/5GB PFSense NIC?
Good afternoon everyone. I recently got AT&T fiber internet and picked the 2 Gb up/down plan—not just for the speed, but because there are no monthly data limits. The setup went smoothly and I was up and running quickly. However, I ran into an issue with the NBASE-T protocol. The router/modem I received is a BGW320-500, which has several ports including one 5 Gbps port. It’s set to IP passthrough with all other features turned off. My internet passes through this AT&T box into a Dell R210 II running pfSense via an Intel X550-T2 chipset. I was hoping the X550 could detect the speed of that port in the modem, but it doesn’t. As a result, my speeds are limited to 1 Gb. Anyone have suggestions or solutions for this? I’ve looked into it and found Intel has drivers for the X550 in Windows and Linux, though I’m not sure if they cover FreeBSD. I’m open to trying alternatives and hoping for a better outcome. Thanks for your help!
Yes, you can set the port on your X550 to 2.5 gigabit. Just confirm the cable supports that speed before connecting.
They mentioned it functions well, though the interface doesn’t recognize NBASE-T speeds. The issue might lie with the firmware on your X550 card being outdated.
Using ethtool in that manner seems like a solid beginning. If it isn't logged, I'd guess the firmware is involved.