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Comment by tra3 | Hacker News Reader

I just upgraded my ISP's router/modem and got rid of my old mikrotik. Turns out that the new router does not allow me to set custom DNS.

The new system uses a weird management style -- a combination of on router settings (https://10.0.0.1 whatever admin console) and an ISP portal. I can't set port forwarding unless I go to the ISP portal. I suppose it's to support the mobile app they are pushing. The lack of DNS customization is a pain though.

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I'm assuming you're talking about Xfinity xFi. If so, you can just put it in bridge mode and use your own router.

Your own router will need to use a different private address range (e.g. 192.168.1.x or 172.16.0.x) because then you'll still be able to connect to the xFi admin interface on 10.0.0.1 (e.g. if you decide to turn off bridge mode).

Shaw, but apparently they get it from Comcast.

I kinda like some of the features they offer in the mobile app. Would be a shame to lose it.

If it works for you, great.

The mobile app features shouldn't be related to whether you're using their router/modem, or whether you have it in bridge mode with your own router. Which features are you referring to?

I actually switched away from Shaw due to my dissatisfaction with their router/modems. Their modems are all have obnoxiously high power draws (active cooling required?!), can't have wifi entirely disabled even if you use your own access point, and all use the trashy[1] Intel PUMA chipsets. Switched to TekSavvy using Shaw last-mile infrastructure so I can use my own modem and chipset. (And support TekSavvy's lobbying efforts.) Losing access to the Shaw hot spots was a bit of a pain, but for me, it was worth it.

[1] https://approvedmodems.org/bad-modems/

I like it showing me when a new device connects to the network; time based usage limits. I'm assuming if I put it in bridge mode and have my own router I'm going to lose that. How is shaw going to know who/what is connecting if my router assigns and manages DHCP?

Right, those are router features, if you don’t use the Shaw router you won’t have those features via the Shaw router, but those are pretty basic basic features for modern routers. (I use Eero, which has the features you listed via its app.)

I’ve got no real skin in your pick of router though, the Shaw one is fine if you’re okay with its limitations.

That is why you should always avoid your ISP modem/router combos.

Some providers offer better pricing if you use their modem/router combo. For example, Xfinity plans come with a 1.2TB monthly data cap. So, you might have the following options:

A) $50/month with your own equipment and a data cap

B) $80/month for the same as (A), but unlimited data

C) $60/month for the same as (B), but higher bandwidth and using the ISP's equipment

Something sounds horribly wrong here. It should be cheaper when using your own router (aside from the once off cost to buy the router)

What horrible things are they doing with that router that they would effectively pay you $20/month to use it for

The only things I can think of:

- they get some data on how many (and what) LAN devices you have

- they face fewer support calls from people using DOCSIS modems with one of the buggy intel chipsets, and from people with a random router/modem combination that their support people aren't trained to debug

- they can expand their wifi hotspot network (the xfinity wifi hotspot is enabled by default, but the user can turn it off)

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