Question about the Router issue, did your research cause confusion?
Question about the Router issue, did your research cause confusion?
I posted this here:
Question - Router Trouble, Did Some Research And Got Confused
A few weeks ago my ISP (Frontier) installed a Fiber optic system. It comes with model FX523 modem, connected to an eero pro7 router. I have three older desktop computers that run Linux Oses, that I normally connect to a router via Ethernet cables. I also have a Samsung Galaxy A15 smartphone...
forums.tomsguide.com
I was told by user COLGeek to post it on here. That is why this a copy of what I already posted. I hope someone on this site can help me with this. I apologize for how long this post is.
I am dealing with a lot of questions floating around in my head, and I can not seem to narrow anything down. Which is why I am posting this here. Please Help! Should I buy a different router or keep trying to get the eero pro7 to do what I want with the DNS? What router do think is the more secure? What about WiFi needs or Ethernet speed? What would you do, if you were me?
A few weeks ago my ISP (Frontier) installed a Fiber optic system. It comes with model FX523 modem, connected to an eero pro7 router. I have three older desktop computers that run Linux Oses, that I normally connect to a router via Ethernet cables. I also have a Samsung Galaxy A15 smartphone that I connect via WiFi.
I did lots of google research into this. I have 33 pages printed out and laying on the floor! According to the research the eero pro7 is a very good piece of hardware. But I have several problems with it.
1) I don't like the fact that the only way to access the settings is through the eero app on my smartphone.
2) For the past few years I have used the adult filter with cleanbrowsing DNS. Even though I have done lots of research, I have not been able to make this router use cleanbrowsing DNS. It is very odd, in order to get to the custom DNS, I had to disable "Advanced Security" which was on by default. After typing in the new DNS stuff, I had to reboot the thing and then test to see if was using cleanbrowsing. I tried this several times, and it does not. According to my research this could be because it is not registered with cleanbrowsing DNS. So I contacted cleanbrowsing about it, and I'm waiting for a response.
3) I cannot connect 3 of my computers to it without buying a switch. But since I am having such trouble understanding the settings and getting it to do what I want it to do, I am not sure that I want to buy a switch for it, or just buy another kind of router. A router that I am more familiar with.
I used to use the ASUS RT-AC51U router that I had added to my former Frontier DSL service to try and add a little more security to my internet. Back when I was using this, I could set the DNS in the Frontier Modem/Router, or the ASUS router and get it to work either way. Either one I could bring up the settings through the web browser and making the little changes that I wanted was easy. Before anyone says anything against my old setup, I didn't know what I was doing, but I at least got it to do one thing I wanted.
I have been trying to find me a different router to buy. I wanted to buy something in a local store so that I didn't need to order something and wait a week or so to get it in the mail. According to the research Netgear BE9300 or TP-Link BE9300 are the best ones my local stores carrie. The next one that might be better than those two would be the ASUS ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 Pro. If I wanted that one, I would need to order it from Amazon. Yet the research indicates that none of these perform as good as the eero pro7 does!
Use the modem to modify the DNS settings. Eventually, the router's DNS: Are you using the DNS without a paid plan? The CleanBrowsing Family IPs are: 185.228.169.168 and 185.228.168.168. Set up Free Content Filtering Service – CleanBrowsing Help or consider purchasing a DNS filter through CleanBrowsing. Utilize the DNS associated with your CleanBrowsing account. Adjust your paid CleanBrowsing account settings – CleanBrowsing Help.
there are several free family-friendly DNS options available:
1. Cloudflare family dns 1.1.1.3 and 1.0.0.3 (blocking malware and adult content)
https://blog.cloudflare.com/introducing-...-families/
2. OpenDNS FamilyShield
3. AdGuard DNS “Family Protection”
If eero restricts your ability to change the DNS server, you should disable eero’s DHCP service and set up a local DHCP server that assigns IP addresses and custom DNS settings for devices on your network. However, since dedicated standalone DHCP servers are rare, you may need a local DNS server that includes a DHCP module to manage IP assignments and custom DNS configurations for your LAN.
One popular choice is Pi-Hole, while another less common option is Technitium DNS. AdGuard likely offers one as well, though I haven’t used it personally. Both support filtering lists (blacklists) that you can configure.
You might need a small computer or a Raspberry Pi (older models or lower specs are acceptable) to run Pi-Hole (requires Linux). Technitium is compatible with multiple operating systems, including Windows.
Since your system already uses Linux, you can deploy one of these solutions for Pi-Hole or Technitium DNS, ensuring it remains active as a server. You don’t need CleanBrowsing DNS; you can explore all the options listed to determine what best fits your requirements.
When you asked Frontier to provide your service, you mentioned they require a "bring your own router." If you need a second router, you must inform Frontier that you intend to use one. Frontier will set up the FX523 in pass-through mode. It seems you can later switch it to bridge mode. You can search online for "Frontier FX523 bridge mode" for more details.
A new Asus router compatible with Merlin firmware is a great option: https://www.asuswrt-merlin.net/
I also maintain an older AC-68U for backup router tasks.
The typical method for a consumer router operates by receiving a DNS from the ISP on its wan interface. It then instructs the devices inside the house to rely on the router as their DNS source. The router functions as a proxy to the ISP’s DNS server. Both the ISP DNS server and the router proxy appear to experience intermittent problems. There are two DNS configurations. The first is the one the router uses, usually the ISP DNS server. In certain routers, this setting cannot be modified. The second setting—what you wish to adjust—is found in the DHCP configuration within the router. I have not encountered a router where these parameters cannot be changed. It seems unlikely that the IP subnet and DNS server assigned by the router are fixed; instead, they should be customizable. I usually hardcode these details on my PC. I opted for encrypted DNS and am uncertain about setting it up through DHCP. I assume this is feasible but haven’t delved deeply into how secure DNS integrates with DHCP functionality.
I didn't inform Frontier about my request because I wasn't aware of anything to share. I've used Frontier as my ISP since 2013 and never experienced such issues, so I had no reason to expect this problem. Based on our chats with chatgpt, I believe it's impossible to set up the eero pro7 router for custom DNS, as it consistently bypasses it.
You have the option to adjust the DNS in the eero's application, but it seems both chatgpt and frontier confirm that the FRX523 modem has been configured and secured by frontier, making it impossible to alter DNS settings through a router. I’m uncertain about the best course of action. Perhaps setting the DNS on each computer individually would work better. I’d prefer the router to manage this myself. Another possibility is contacting frontier directly, though that might take around 50 minutes and could be time-consuming. Alternatively, I could inquire if they can modify the modem or purchase a new device instead. You know, I’ve never experienced such issues before with them. Previously, I was able to adjust settings on the frontier modem/router or switch to my old ASUS router for changes.
The FRX523 is an ONT and it doesn't offer DNS functionality as I understand. This is causing some confusion.