can the arris bgw210-700be setup in a dual router config? I would like to use my dd-wrt router for a vpn behind it.

So you want to have:

1) The AT&T Gateway, and behind it,

2) A multipurpose router connected directly to it, and behind the router,

3) A VPN router.

Is this correct?

And if so, why this specific configuration (instead of connecting the VPN router directly to the Gateway, or using a separate VPN router, etc.)?

@JefferMC  not so many, sorry if i was erroneous in my discription.  I am trying to set up like in the picture. from what i have seen in my search, i have to use this modem (att)bwg210) internet only no tv)which is also a wireless router. I cannot add a vpn to it. so i saw this dual router setup which seems to be a good fit . the reason being  - i have to keep att modem in place, I can still get my vpn , and the ease of swithching from one to the other by a simple network change. I am leaning towards it cant be done, i have seriously searched and tried a tone of things. 

and if its not possible with dual , then i would like to set it up single with att modem only and my vpn. thx for the response. I hope I cleared it up a bit.

You can put a router behind the Gateway and have that router host a VPN, subject to issues that PPTP tunnels will not set up properly.  The recommendation is that you set up your router behind the Gateway using IP Passthrough mode in the Gateway; this causes the Router to act like it has a bridged modem in front of it (which it doesn't, but it's close enough).  Ensure that your router has a different IP subnet behind it than the one the Gateway is using (which is 192.168.1.0/24 by default).

yeah i got close to that information. gateway as in att modem ip is      .1.254

3200 is.       .1.1   i ran into an issue there when changing the ip of the 3200 i lose connection to it, and cant find it. so i have to reset it. 

this is really frustrating. I am trying so hard and have looked amnd looked and tried and tried. att wont help . Its should not be so difficult to do this, I do believe the difficulty has alot to do with the box supplied by them. 

I appreciate your time  @JefferMC thx for your insight

They will not help you configure a third party router.  They won't go very far towards helping you configure the Gateway to work with the third party router.

When you change the IP subnet of the router you're connected to, you will of course lose the connection... because your computer is no longer on the correct subnet to communicate with the router.  However, if you've set up the router correctly, you need only to release the lease on your old IP and request another... which should get you a new IP in the new address space and your connection should resume.

Hi Azelina27,

If you don't mind my asking, what VPN are you subscribing to/using?

Couldn't you just run VPN software on each computer on your home network? I can (and do) with ExpressVPN, and I haven't seen any advantage to installing the VPN app on the router, myself.

BTW - You will need fixed IP addresses for each device (MAC address) to prevent the DHCP from switching IP addresses around when the various leases expire, (assuming you want to avoid having to mess with "searching for printer..." every day or two).

@mrcoffeeee hmm you bring up a interesting point, but I do not want them on each item individually, furthermore- I cannot even get internet out of the modem through ethernet to router yet. I might be missing something. att might have it locked? i am 50 50 on this one. I have tried everything and still looking. If it was not able to do the dual router, i would settle for their modem, my router.... its all about privacy and control here... thats all . THX!

Let's get you pointed in the right direction to get your routers set up for you, @azelina27.

When it comes to setting up 3rd party equipment on your network, we highly advise reaching out to Hometech (paid subscription service) as they're able to assist with in-depth network assistance and getting 3rd party devices set up with your service.

If you have any other questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach back out and we'll be more than happy to help. Thanks for reaching out on the AT&T Community Forums!

Jarod, AT&T Community Specialist

@ATTHelp  ok so before i go and get a paid service to do so, which I have no problem doing. Its it possible??? thanks.

Hey there @azelina27!

Generally, there shouldn't be any issues when trying to use a 3rd party router with the modem we provide. Keep in mind though that we're unable to guarantee that your service will continue working since we are unable to endorse the use of any 3rd party equipment/devices, and it's possible that some devices may not be compatible with our service (you'll want to contact the manufacturer to verify that).

Hometech should be able to provide you with further support and let you know if there's any compatibility issues with the devices you're trying to use and our service.

Let us know if you have any other questions or concerns!

Jarod, AT&T Community Specialist