Use the NETGEAR LB1120 LTE Modem's router or Airport Extreme's router?

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Use the NETGEAR LB1120 LTE Modem's router or Airport Extreme's router?

I just 'upgraded' my AT&T LTE Wi-Fi system with a new NETGEAR LTE Modem (LB1120). Unlike the AT&T Nighthawk LTE Mobil Hotspot Router AT&T sells, this is strictly an LTE modem/router.

Before I start messing with settings, I'm wondering if there have been enough technical advances within the NETGEAR unit that it might outperform my aging (but still working quite well) 6th generation Apple Airport Extreme (Model A1521) as a router.

That is, which unit should I use as the router, the NETGEAR (with Airport in bridge mode) or the Airport Extreme (with LB1120 in bridge mode)? We have 2-iMacs, 1-MacBook, 2-iPads, 2-iPhones, 2-'smart' TVS, and an TV connected (not necessarily all running at the same time). So the load isn't what I'd call 'crushing.'

Other than speed, are there any other advantages of one method over the other?

p.s. If you don't need a mobile hotspot, the NETGEAR LB1120 is handily outperforming the older AT&T (ZTE made) Home Phone & Internet unite (ZTE Z700A) by a factor of 50%–300% — without any external antenna! While it doesn't offer the theoretical 10Gbps download '5G Evolution' speed the AT&T Nighthawk unit boasts, I didn't care as the 5G network won't exist in my area for years. I'm experiencing up to 100Mb download speeds and 20+Mb upload speeds — plenty enough for streaming 4K movies : )

iMac, macOS High Sierra (10.13.2)

Posted on Feb 14, 2018 2:52 PM

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Answer 1

Feb 14, 2018 5:16 PM in response to Mr. Zoot

Reading the specs here..

https://www.netgear.com/home/products/mobile-broadband/lte-modems/LB1120.aspx#ta b-techspecs

The LTE modem is just that.. a modem.. it is not a router.. and the single gigabit port on it is termed WAN not LAN.

That is, which unit should I use as the router, the NETGEAR (with Airport in bridge mode) or the Airport Extreme (with LB1120 in bridge mode)?

So the answer to this is fairly easy.. The Netgear is effectively a pure modem.. and hence the AE should be in router mode.

If you run into trouble with this setup.. check your WAN IP address on the Airport.. if it is 10.x.x.x then move the IP of the Airport to 192.168.1.x

You will get a double NAT problem but that is a given with most 4G wireless networks which are using NAT already.

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Answer 2

Feb 14, 2018 8:40 PM in response to Mr. Zoot

Ok.. there is no mention of router mode in the specs. It could have been added in later firmware.

If your network is mostly Apple .. then I would stick to Airport Extreme as your main router.

It will generally work better that way.

On the other hand if you have gaming consoles, PC and other non-Apple phones, pads etc.. the Netgear is likely to provide UPNP and that will do more for your network than you can imagine. Most interactive internet stuff now depends on opening ports via upnp. It is a real hassle that Apple did not think it worth bothering.

You can also mix it up with the airport doing DHCP. It is rather more complex but I would need more info on what IP the NAT is using in the Netgear.

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Answer 3

Mr. Zoot Author

Level 1

25 points

Feb 15, 2018 12:35 PM in response to LaPastenague

LaPastenague —

I was a bit surprised to find the router setting myself as I too had assumed this was 'just' a modem.

My network is all Apple (sans the TV sets that don't yet have an TV unit) and no gaming here. We are contemplating dropping DIRECTV in favor of subscription services, if that makes any difference.

I understand the DHCP settings in the Airport. The NETGEAR's 'DHCP IP Range' is set at '192.168.5.20 – 192.168.5.99' with DHCP Server 'Enabled,' DHCP lease time minutes of '720,' and DNS mode set to 'auto.' (whatever all that means)

I noticed under the Operations Modes of 'Bridge / Router' the following message

"When set to Bridge, this option turns off the router function of the device and assigns the
network IP address directly to the attached host. This option can be useful for
implementing secure, enterprise VPNs."

Though I don't currently have a VPN, we have been discussing the possibility.

Hope that helps — and thanks for all of your assistance.

Major

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Answer 4

Feb 15, 2018 2:08 PM in response to Mr. Zoot

My network is all Apple

A few exceptions is no problem.. if you are all apple.. then I would still strongly recommend the Airport in router mode.. and the Netgear bridged.

That will also suit your future vpn needs.. if they eventuate.

Streaming video services are no problems.. Apple router is fine to handle that.. or at least I don't hear people having issues.. it is gaming that definitely is problematic. Since you don't game then your answer is still as per my first response.

If you later have issues... it is not like any of this is set in concrete.. it is 5min job to swap things around.

So my other point is that well proven engineering method.. suck and see.

Science can sometimes get it wrong.. the real world is a mix of more factors than you can poke a stick at.. And wireless is a black art.. voodoo.. chanting in secret languages, bones and rattles.. You have to understand once you escape wired connections.. the gods of the ether are angry and need to placated with chicken livers (they must like pate) incense and chanting to lull them into accepting your networking abomination.

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