How to Bridge PACE 5031 NV to 3rd Party Router?

Thank you g3n3parmesan.  That worked like a charm.  Very informational.  I have been trying to figure out how to do this since I switched to Uverse.  Now I can use my Cisco router again 🙂

I cannot see my Cisco Router at all under those settings. I've put it in DHCP mode and it is connected directly to the router, but I only see wireless connections in the Firewall settings.

I want to use my Cisco Router instead of the PACE 5031nv because it has a much farther range and can support more devices at once. The wireless router I want to use is the Cisco Linsys E2500.

Please help.

Hi @leonheart390,

I am sorry about the issues you are having with connecting your Cisco E2500 with the Pace 5031. One thing to look at is to see what WAN IP address you are getting. To check:

1. Login to your Cisco E2500
2. Select the Status tab at the top.
3. From there, you will see your Internet IP Address and Default Gateway

This should be the information that the Pace 5031 provides the Cisco, so you'll have an IP address that looks something like 192.168.1.x and the Default Gateway should be 192.1681.254 assuming no changes. 

If you are not getting that, let us know what IP you are getting. Try different Ethernet cables and ports to see if there is any issue with the physical connection.

Hope this helps.

-David T

Hello g3n3parmesan!

I recently was switched to Uverse internet from the old AT&T DSL and had to switch to the Pace 5031NV. I was using a 2wire 2701HG-B and was able to bridge it with no problem.  I currently have a Linksys WRVS4400N v2 connected to a server.  I have a PC and a laptop that access the server through the Linksys.  The only thing I need the Pace for is the internet connection, not routing, so I "bridged" it using your instructions below.  It worked perfectly and I was able to access the internet while connected the Linksys router.  However, after a week or so, I lost service.  AT&T came out and spent a day working on my lines and determined that the line going upstairs where my server and Linksys router are located was not strong enough to receive the signal.  So they had to install the Pace downstairs where the signal was stronger.  This leaves me with a problem of either having to pay someone to rewire my house (which I rent, not own!)  so I can connect the Pace to the Linksys upstairs or just drop a long ethernet cable downstairs connecting the Linksys to the Pace everytime I need to use it.  Neither of these are really an option!  So my question, is it possible to "bridge" the Pace like I did following your instructions, but do it wirelessly, since I can't physically connect to the Linksys upstairs?  Being able to connect the Pace to Linksys wirelessly would solve the problem and save me having to rewire a rented house!!  Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Interesting question.  I recently installed a 'wireless bridge' in my house to support legacy (no wireless) devices in my upstairs louge.  The tricky part to this setup is finding a WiFi router you can use as your upsairs 'receiver' that can be set in bridge mode.  Not all routers/access points can do this.  I was successful repourposing a friend's old Linksys WRT54G, but I had to load DD-WRT firmware.  This allowed me to select an option that previously didn't exist, "client bridge".  Now my old softmodded gen1 Xbox gets used as a settop box without a wifi card and no wiring installed in the walls of my old house.

Good luck!

Hi @g3n3parmesan,

There is not. You can however hardcode the DNS address to the device behind our router, whether it be your computer or a 3rd party router.

-David T

Hi,

I'm a little green on networking.  If the 2-Wire is configured to bridge mode will it still offer any type of security or will that all be handled by the 3rd party router?

Additionally once the 2-wire has been put in bridge mode should it's wireless function be disabled?

Robbie.  Your procedure worked perfectly, so far as the internet connection is concerned.  But as soon as I choose DMZplus mode, or disable the firewall in any way, the VOIP phone service quits working.  There's a lot of chatter about this problem - see here:  https://forums.att.com/t5/Residential-Gateway/5031NV-dmzplus-mode-affects-voice-service/td-p/3862441

More specifically, the phone will not dial out to a digital phone, which includes all cell phones.  Incoming calls appear to work normally, as do outgoing calls to a POTS line (like my home phone).  But if I dial a number for a cell or digital phone, there is nothing but dead air - no rings, no answer.  As soon as I turn the firewall back on, everything works again.

I tried another approach, but got no better result.  Under the modem's LAN tab, there's a section for IP Address Allocation where you can actually choose to map the WAN public IP to any connected device. But making this selection REQUIRES that you also disable the firewall to that device. And when you do that, the phone quits working.  They need a firmware update in the worst way!

If you don't need the phone service, your method of "bridging" does the trick.  Thanks for posting it.

[Edited - fixed link]