Unhappy with the performance of his U-verse modem [Jordan] decided to dig in and see if a bit of hacking could improve the situation. Motorola makes this exclusively for AT&T and there are no other modems on the market which can used instead. Luckily he was able to fix almost everything that was causing him grief. This can be done in one of two ways. The first is a hardware hack that gains access to a shell though the UART. The second is a method of rooting the device from its stock web interface.
We think the biggest improvement gained by hacking this router is true bridge mode. The hardware is more than capable of behaving this way but AT&T has disabled the feature with no option for an unmodified device to use it. By enabling it the modem does what a modem is supposed to do: translate between WAN and LAN. This allows routing to be handled by a router (novel idea huh?).
I would argue your wording is poor for that last part . . . “translating” between WAN and LAN in network speak is reminiscent of NAT [Network Address Translation] which is something a router [or modem-acting-as-router] does. Translate is just a poor verb choice.
And I hate when manufacturers creep further away from a true Bridge Mode in modems, so this hack warms my heart.
THIS is a hack. And nicely done, too. I wonder, though, why he only bridged the one ethernet port, rather than all of them. Maybe so AT&T wouldn’t notice he had modified his modem?
It’s not possible to bridge more than one.. I mean, sure it is, but you only have one IP and with bridge mode there is no NAT, so what’s the point?
You only need one output to hook to your router. The built in router is garbage, best to bypass anyway.
Is there any way to increase gains on the radio?
I didn’t investigate it in depth, but there are 4 possible access points you can use (of which one is broken out)
We had AT&T for a while, My wife liked that better than our local cable provider but I insisted it be gone b/c of that worthless #$% router! Maybe now we can both be happy? I hate to be dependant on a vulnerability which may get patched or could be obsoleted with AT&T switching to a different model.
Bridging and routing are two very different things. Learn networking fundamentals and THEN play smartass.
What kind of game is “smartass”? Learn grammar, then become a condescending troll.
All hail the master of the universe. Srsly, dude? If you can’t figure out what Mike is saying in his summary, then re-read it until you do. If you know what he’s trying to get at but you’re miffed because he used the word “router” where you think he shouldn’t have, then just say so without all the troll antics and condecension. When you put on your “I’m better than you” hat, most of the rest of us see you as a troll. If you have knowledge you believe is of value which you wish to share with the HAD community, then do so with grace. We all have areas of ignorance, and we teach and learn by sharing with each other. But you can’t be an effective teacher by being a dick. Don’t be a dick.
Well said :-)
No, I’m miffed because he has the nerve to diss AT&T even though he obviously doesn’t know much about how computer networks work. They could have had their reasons. It’s definitelly not his call to judge them and be a smartass like that. He just did the exact thing the trolls here do. I wouldn’t have said a word if he didn’t add that smartass remark. And maybe also if they didn’t recently post a link to a nice video from the Bell labs archive and feed off of AT&T yet again.
Att is a rip off I do not condone any business with att they have bad tactics and service u guys go play with their shitty hardware software and service
What’s to stop AT&T from declaring you a cybercriminal and turning off your service permanently?
Unless things have changed since I stopped working on U-verse, I highly doubt he has anything to worry about.
Also, the business class modems for UV IPDSL service (which is what he has. It’s not true U-verse, it’s some wonky cobbling together of U-verse and regular DSL systems) has bridge mode readily toggle-able in the modem interface. Granted the model number is different, but it’s the same hardware.
am i the only one noticing the three missing powersupply filter capacitors?
if it keeps crashing/rebooting glitching then try adding them in where they are clearly marked for placement
i guess the monkey is out of the bag, explains why everyone complains about problems with uverse glitching and crashing ect.
just my two cents, or in this case, 4 dollars plus tax and shipping
So I have a 2Wire i3812V. Anybody know if anything similar can be done to put this into true bridged mode? I already have my internal router in the DMZ of the 2Wire but as others have said this is still routed.
Actually this is a last ditch effort. My experience with AT&T has been terrible. Since I’m too far from their nearest node they are using this ‘experimental’ iNID method that uses both a primary and backup copper pair to provide internet. It uses some sort of load balancing but since I got it, the first pair seems to work but as soon as their is any real load (i.e. major downloading via torrents) the connection takes a crap and just like that 50% packet loss. At first they were useless in helping me until I put in a complaint with the BBB and then they started caring (hint for those not getting the proper service). So to make a long story short they have not been able to correct the problem that they even admit to. They have tried rerunning the lines to my house and changing pairs from their node to my telephone pole with no success. They now tell me there is nothing else they can do for me and I’ll have to cancel. All this after even having switched to their VoIP service as well which also did not go smoothly. It has been a nightmare. Trying a true bridged mode was simply a final effort (experiment if you will) to see if there is any improvement whatsoever although I doubt it since the problem is almost certainly the wiring and their failed attempt to offer fake fiber service where they don’t have the ability to offer the true thing. How I wish I had Fios in my area.
Ok, I have a couple of questions. I have had U-verse for 11 months, I love the speeds when my wireless does crash on me or both wired and wireless or I don’t lose another of there great routers they offer like the last 4 I have been through. (2 of the new 2-wires and 2 of there ~Model~503-1nv). I am having the best luck with this 503 model one then all the others ones…It has lasted the longest so far. (Hipp Hipp Horray) LOL
I have a question to the guy about the filter capacitors and want to know what it did for him and what are the exact caps I would need to have to put on the board? Also, how do I go about doing the hacks that are briefly explained above that lead me to this blog in the first place? Yes, I hate there cheap routers or what ever anyone whats to call them…right or wrong lingo, I have my own name for them but won’t share them with anyone! Any help would be very much appreciated!
Thanks,
Robotiko
Well this all makes sense. I had my
Motorola In passthrough mode. With my Cisco 2600 xm behind it. I was having Nat issues on my ps4, ps3, Xbox 360 and Wii. The true bridge mode should help. Can’t wait to get home and fix this. It was boggling my mind yesterday. Then I came across this. Stupid double Nat.. Thank you.
uhhh my name is jordan.. and i am experiencing a hack similar to this.. my uverse modem seems to be routed all my devices are being routed how do i change this>?
Jordan, this article is about a “hack” in the traditional sense of the word, a technical solution for owners of the modem to unlock additional functionality (using administrative, or “root” access, more specifically, hence “rooting”).
If you’re experiencing a problem with your modem it probably has nothing to do with this.
I got all excited, I have an att uverse 5031NV-30 err, cept fer it’s pace branded and tried to utilize the software hack but no joy…anyone else?
wished I was as smart as you people! and this is not a condescending remark…I mean it.
OK, I got half way through this thread and had to see if anon could respond. My 2c, att or any telecom is not concerned with what any of you think and if you find a workaround for their designed incumberences I appreciate the post. As to the troll… who has not been one at some time? Y’all, the troll is not the enemy. Get focused…
the URL does not work
Works for me.