Configure your Optik Router ActionTec in Bridged Mode

Configure your Optik Router ActionTec in Bridged Mode

I have a unique situation. 🙂

I have Telus Optik TV with a PVR and a few other TV cable units. I also have a separate Telus Internet connection to my house. These two services are separate. Why? My Internet connection is a business connection which could not be bundled at the time with Optik TV. So I had to have two separate pipes activated in order to receive both services.

Here’s the problem. Optik TV requires an internet connection in order for some of the subtle Optik services to work properly. For example: The streaming music channels require internet access in order for the preview and album artwork to show properly on the screen. Also Optik apps such as Netflix and the weather network app require internet in order to stream movies or get weather information downloaded. None of the features worked because there was no internet access. My home computer network worked fine as it was on a physically separate ADSL connection.

How-to enable Optik TV with internet when internet is not bundled with the TV service.

The first trick is disable the Actiontec router’s firewall(nat) and configure the box for “bridged mode”. This isn’t easy since the menu option is hidden. You can enable this option by hacking the advanced configuration page while logged into the Actiontec modem.

Step 1: Login to your Actiontec router and go to the advanced setup page.

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Step 2: Click on Wan IP Addressing. You’ll see an option to select an ISP protocol. The default might be RFC 1483 by DHCP. This is what normally works for Optik TV and internet, but this hides your TV units and internet access is blocked since I don’t have a valid connection via this network. The goal now is find the hidden radio button that allows the unit to be put into bridged mode.

Press F12 to activate your browsers developer mode and look for “rfc_1483_transparent_bridging” line. Change the value from display value from none to block.

You’ll now suddenly see a radio button option to enable transparent bridging. Select the radio button and apply the settings.

Step 3: Plug one of the LAN Ethernet connections on the Actiontec router into your own home network connection and reboot all your TV devices.

Done!

You will see that your TV units and PVR will still receive the TV channel feed from Optik, but your devices will receive an IP address from your home local network and they will have proper access to the internet.

References: http://npopson.com/archives/2202

 

 

 

 

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