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Netgear DG834GT and Time capsule

T

thedon1

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 26, 2010
529
73
I have just bought a time capsule and want to use the networking capabilities. I currently have a netgear DG834GT and want to use it as just a modem.

Unfortunately there doesn't seem an obvious way to do this. I have tried methods posted on the net but they don't work.

Would disabling all wireless from the netgear settings give me the same result as having the router in modem mode?

my ideal situation is using the netgear router as only a modem and the time capsule takes care of all network activity.

Any recommendations on how to address this?
 
Actually this range of Netgear routers can be turned into just modems using a hidden settings page. My router is provided by my isp, SKY. Their firmware has blocked me seeing this page unfortunately.
 
You need to reflash the router with the default Netgear firmware, and I think you'll need to extract the username and password as well before doing so. I looked into this a few years back when I had Sky broadband.

Then you should be able to set the DG834GT into bridge mode and use PPPoE on the Time Capsule with the extracted username and password.

I have this setup with my Netgear DG834G set to bridge (modem only) mode connected to my Airport Extreme. Though my DG834G has the default firmware on it so I could access the hidden settings.
 
Dark Dragoon said:
You need to reflash the router with the default Netgear firmware, and I think you'll need to extract the username and password as well before doing so. I looked into this a few years back when I had Sky broadband.

Then you should be able to set the DG834GT into bridge mode and use PPPoE on the Time Capsule with the extracted username and password.

I have this setup with my Netgear DG834G set to bridge (modem only) mode connected to my Airport Extreme. Though my DG834G has the default firmware on it so I could access the hidden settings.
Click to expand...

If the Netgear is still running as a modem, why does the airport extreme need the username and password?
 
thedon1 said:
If the Netgear is still running as a modem, why does the airport extreme need the username and password?
Click to expand...

If it's in bridge mode it's the Airport Extreme which initiates the internet connection via PPPoE which requires the username and password for your connection.

In bridge mode the Netgear just bridges the connection, the Airport Extreme will get the external IP address (assigned to you by your ISP) on it's WAN port and handle all of the routing.


Imagine it more like the old style external USB ADSL or even 56k modems, where your computer is connected to it, but it's on the computer that you enter your username and password and initialise the connection with the modem just acting as a bridge.
 
Cheers for the explanation, that's pretty much what I needed to know.

I've been looking around and to flash my router and use another firmware, I would need to use the Netgear recovery tool which hasn't ben updated since 2006 and won't work on my parallels verions of windows 7, it needs XP.

What would be the disadvantages of turning off wireless and connecting the time capsule via WAN and then using that to broadcast the wireless signal?
 
thedon1 said:
What would be the disadvantages of turning off wireless and connecting the time capsule via WAN and then using that to broadcast the wireless signal?
Click to expand...

You would probably want to set your Time Capsules Internet connection, connection sharing mode to be off (Bridge Mode). With this setup the Netgear handles the DHCP, NAT and the internet connection, the Time Capsule then just acts as a wireless access point (as well as it's other features like usb printing, storage etc...).

The advantage at that point to turning off the Netgears WiFi would be that there would be less interference.

This is basically just the opposite of the other method, if the Netgear already handles the connection, DHCP and NAT ok then there aren't really much in the way of disadvantages, except that the Time Capsule isn't being used for things like DHCP and NAT.


Now the other way is you can just leave both at pretty much the default settings and connect the Time Capsule into the Netgear, however this would result in you being double NAT'ed which can cause some connection issues occasionally and is more of a pain for port forwarding. So you probably want to set one of the devices to bridge mode.
 
You want to set up your netgear as your modem, and your time capsule as your router. This is the set up I have, and it works like a dream.

To change your netgear into 'modem' only mode, plug it directly into your computer and click:
192.168.0.1/setup.cgi?next_file=mode.htm

Enter your username/pass & connection details when prompted and viola - your router should be in bridge mode, with the router/wireless function disabled. Plug your time capsule (wan port) into your netgear (port 1) and you should be sweet.
 
Rusty33 said:
You want to set up your netgear as your modem, and your time capsule as your router. This is the set up I have, and it works like a dream.

To change your netgear into 'modem' only mode, plug it directly into your computer and click:
192.168.0.1/setup.cgi?next_file=mode.htm

Enter your username/pass & connection details when prompted and viola - your router should be in bridge mode, with the router/wireless function disabled. Plug your time capsule (wan port) into your netgear (port 1) and you should be sweet.
Click to expand...

The Sky firmware stops me accessing that page. That was what I thought I would have been able to do untill I actually tried it.

I thought about flashing the router so it no longer has sky's firmware but then was told the recovery software only really works in XP and using it in virtualized windows could cause me to brick my router.

I now have access to a Windows XP laptop and will see if i can do the reflash.
 
OK Guys, I really need some help with this.

I got my firmware on the router changed so I can select modem mode.

I then connect the time capsule to the router using the WAN port and then run the airport utility but whatever mix of options I use, it never connects to the internet.

Could you guys please tell me what settings I should use? I want to use the netgear router as just a modem and it's in modem mode with the time capsule handling the rest.

Any help would really be appreciated.
 
If the Netgear is in bridge mode, the Time Capsule should have it's Connect Using set to PPPoE (in the Internet > Internet Connection tab).

On that page you should only need to then enter your username and password that Sky provide you, though they didn't used to tell it to you instead I had to get it from the Netgear (or whatever other router they provided) while the Sky firmware was on it. If you don't have it, Sky will probably give it to you if you phone them up.

As a bonus once connected when you click on the Airport icon in the top right of your screen, then hover the mouse over the wifi connection it should tell you that PPPoE is connected.
 
I tried that, entered the sky username and password that is currently in use on the netgear but it doesn't work.

My network type is PPPoa not PPPoe, does that make a difference?
 
thedon1 said:
I tried that, entered the sky username and password that is currently in use on the netgear but it doesn't work.

My network type is PPPoa not PPPoe, does that make a difference?
Click to expand...

With the username and password, they are the Sky network username and password right?

Not the username and password to log into the router, or the one for the wireless network.

The username should be something like:
0a1b2c3d4f59@skydsl
and the password should be something like
0a1b2c3d4e

As for PPPoA, I would have expected the Time Capsule to have PPPoE from the drop down menu, at-least thats how I have my Airport Extreme setup. I don't know whether PPPoA will work with the Netgear.
 
Dark Dragoon said:
With the username and password, they are the Sky network username and password right?

Not the username and password to log into the router, or the one for the wireless network.

The username should be something like:
0a1b2c3d4f59@skydsl
and the password should be something like
0a1b2c3d4e

As for PPPoA, I would have expected the Time Capsule to have PPPoE from the drop down menu, at-least thats how I have my Airport Extreme setup. I don't know whether PPPoA will work with the Netgear.
Click to expand...

Yes the username and password are in the format you posted.

I'm guessing sky's internet is provided as a PPPoa network but the PPPoe is what the TC needs. I did a quick bit of googling and I think PPPoa is a standard used in the UK.

Not sure if there's a workaround.
 
thedon1 said:
Yes the username and password are in the format you posted.

I'm guessing sky's internet is provided as a PPPoa network but the PPPoe is what the TC needs. I did a quick bit of googling and I think PPPoa is a standard used in the UK.

Not sure if there's a workaround.
Click to expand...

Well it is used by the ISP's, but thats not for the TC to communicate with the Netgear. I'm pretty sure I had this working with Sky this way a few years back.

I'm on a different UK ISP now though, but here's my setting page from my Airport Extreme which is connected to my Netgear DG834G. Do you not have the same options?
 

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Yep, that's pretty much exactly as I have mines set up.

I looked in my router firmware and lets me switch to PPPoe(PPP over Ethernet).

I tried and used the sky username and password but internet doesn't work at all then on the netgear, looks like the netgear needs to be in PPPoa
 
Last edited:
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