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Teacher

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19 Messages

Tuesday, March 8th, 2016 5:00 PM

NAT Loopback on 5268AC

Hello, my friend has AT&T modem 5268AC FXN router. We installed CCTV system and successfully configured port forwarding. He is able to access the cameras from outside the home but not within the WiFi network (BTW, he doesn't have any additional switches, routers past the AT&T router). I believe this is due to NAT loopack not working. Is there a particular setting on the router that can be changed to enable NAT loopback? Any other thoughts/suggestions? Thanks!

Mentor

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33 Messages

7 years ago

Hi, BarryTR,

Thanks for posting your experience! If it’s any consolation, I, too, wasted a week or so trying to figure this out, only to find that “It’s the router, stupid!” 😉 I plowed my way through it by deploying a second router (that fortunately, I already had on-hand) behind the AT&T Pace router.

I was bound-and-determined *not* to call AT&T support for two reasons: 1) I hate the runaround of, “Is your modem/computer plugged in, sir? It is? Then I need you to reboot the modem and your computer… etc. etc. etc.” 2) I figured there was no chance in the world that AT&T support would even *understand* the problem, let alone be willing to swap the router for one that supports NAT Loopback!

Obviously, I was wrong, and I applaud your tenacity for taking it to them and getting them to fork over another router. Best of luck!

Mentor

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33 Messages

7 years ago

Bummer. That’s how I got into this mess in the first place. AT&T “offered” to upgrade my bandwidth from 18Mbps to 24Mbps, but didn’t mention this entailed swapping out the outside interface and my trusty, old 2Wire router (which supported NAT Loopback) and had been workings well for years.

So, after they finished, I had more bandwidth (actually, it consistently measures 29Mbps) but also a new router (Pace 5268AC) which did *not* support NAT Loopback. Thus began my odyssey…

I guess on the plus side, I now have 29Mbps bandwidth (which I didn’t really need) and I still have NAT Loopback.

Teacher

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19 Messages

7 years ago

BarryTR, can you please post your new modem's model number? Thanks!

Teacher

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19 Messages

7 years ago

BarryTR, please let us know the modem you got from AT&T. 

Contributor

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2 Messages

7 years ago

What a great thread. So glad I found this and so appreciative of all of the posts here. Thanks very much all.

 

I too was solicited to upgrade my perfectly fine 2Wire modem/router to a 5268AC and quickly found the missing NAT Loopback feature, which meant I could still access my wireless cameras externally, but not while connected to my LAN. My previous speed was fine and I'm not finding the 5G useful at all. I feel like I've been duped into paying the same price for a lesser set-up. Its really hard to decide who is the bigger poison: Time Warner or ATT; they're both terrible.

Mentor

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33 Messages

7 years ago

Nicely stated, @720Jeff. I feel like this forum is a support group for a bunch of "fellow victims" that have fallen prey to the infamous AT&T "router upgrade" offer! Luckily, I had a spare router on-hand that I was able to use to work around this problem, but had it been necessary to go out and buy a new router, I would not have been a happy camper! In that case, I think I would have wound up either insisting that AT&T provide me with a different router (one that supported the NAT loopback feature) or "undoing" the "upgrade" and restoring my old service and router.

 

As for internet (and TV) service providers, it's a giant shell game, hopping from one provider to another in the hope of getting better customer service and/or a lower price (usually for a limited period of time). To borrow a line from the movie The Blues Brothers, "Yeah, they're all pretty bad." Smiley Happy

Tutor

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10 Messages

7 years ago

I suspect this scenario is a job for Real Router Man!

I seem to have had a lot of luck using Ubiquity Edge X router to completely handle all IP's in raw DMZplus mode.  Even the cheap models can be picked up new for around $65, and they do hairpin, multi-nat firewalling, and lots more at blazing speed.

The only downside is you'll likely need to place your own WiFi Access Point behind the Ubiquity router, since AT&T modem access point WiFi apparently doesn't support hairpin routing upstream.  But many folks tend to use their own AP's anyway and turn off the AT&T WiFi.

yours truly'

- Rick

 

Related
  - https://www.ubnt.com/products/#edgemax

Teacher

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32 Messages

7 years ago

How did you get port forwarding to work with that gateway?  I can't get port forwarding to work on my 5268AC at all, in fact AT&T tech support just told me the only way to get it to work is to purchase a block of 8 static IPs for them..  I set them all, and then every check tool says port is closed.. period

Mentor

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33 Messages

7 years ago

I’m afraid that I can’t be very helpful with this, except to say that it (port forwarding) can be done with the 5268AC. You definitely do not have to purchase static addresses (that seems to be something that the AT&T Customer Service folks tell you, either due to ignorance on their part, or because they’re trying to up-sell you on expensive static IP addresses).

Your confusion (and lack of success) getting port forwarding to work is not your fault. IMHO, this router has the poorest UI of any router I’ve seen, and trying to set up port forwarding is completely non-intuitive. The so-called “instructions” are completely worthless. In my case, I just screwed with it, repeatedly trying and failing, until I finally got it to work.

Again, I know that’s not very helpful, as I can’t give you a step-by-step recipe for setting it up, but at the very least, I can confirm that it is possible. I rue the day that I agreed to let AT&T “upgrade” me to a faster network, which entailed replacing my trusty 2Wire router with a 5268AC.

Teacher

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14 Messages

7 years ago

Sad thing is, the 5268 hardware is fully capable, I helped make it!

 

Unfortunately, as stated back in sept, att seemingly intentionally broke the following standardized protocol in their firmware and you'll be chasing ip addresses forever to try and access externally.

reason: "TCP/UDP hole punch summary section 5.1 of the RFC 5128 document and req-9 listed in document BCP 127 - "NAT must support Hairpinning"

 

how do you port forward?

A-navigate through the goofy UI and tediously define and then add device profiles to firewall page and then expose your entire network by enabling dmz mode. Safer/Easier to just buy your own standard router and do this all w ease. FYI - even after you do all this, att's bogus fw will never work/forward reliably outside your home network due to protocol failure I listed above, which is why I will never be a customer until they fix. Also, I wouldn't buy static ips from att, it's sales gimmick and they try and charge for support when statics fail work properly on atts end!

 

if not satisfied, just open BBB or FCC ticket and you'll get their attention.

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