Hello, I have read many posts confirming that there is no bridge mode for the Connect Box 3 Fibre. Using DMZ seems to be the only alternative and people report success using it. I have basic networking knowledge but I'm not an expert. The particular setup I am trying to achieve is the following: **Sunrise Connect Box 3 Fibre**: * Fiber comes in * A few devices connected to 5GHZ and 2.4GHz WiFi * 3 devices connected to the 1GB/s Ethernet ports * 10GB/s ethernet port going to my own router **My own router** (probably Ubiquiti Cloud Gateway): * 10GB/s ethernet port coming from the Sunrise Connect Box * 3 devices connected to its 2.5GB/s Ethernet ports * DHCP server running here, pointing to a DNS server hosted on another machine on my network * Maybe a VPN server running here All machines need to be able to talk to each other without issues. My questions are: 1. Is this setup possible with DMZ on the Sunrise Connect Box? Are there any limitations to be aware of? 2. Is bridge mode on the CB3 planned / being worked on? 3. If bridge mode was supported, would it help achieve the setup above? 4. Is there another setup you could suggest that would still allow me to have custom DNS servers? - I don't actually really need to replace the CB3 as a router, all I want is more high-speed Ethernet ports + custom DNS servers. - But the CB3 doesn't allow setting custom DNS servers :( - So if I have to run my own DHCP server, I would want it to be hosted on a very reliable + low-power machine, e.g. a Ubiquiti router. Thanks is advance for your help!

CB3 Fibre - Use own router while keeping CB3 WiFi and switch

john314

Hello,

I have read many posts confirming that there is no bridge mode for the Connect Box 3 Fibre. Using DMZ seems to be the only alternative and people report success using it.

I have basic networking knowledge but I’m not an expert. The particular setup I am trying to achieve is the following:

Sunrise Connect Box 3 Fibre:

Fiber comes in
A few devices connected to 5GHZ and 2.4GHz WiFi
3 devices connected to the 1GB/s Ethernet ports
10GB/s ethernet port going to my own router

My own router (probably Ubiquiti Cloud Gateway):

10GB/s ethernet port coming from the Sunrise Connect Box
3 devices connected to its 2.5GB/s Ethernet ports
DHCP server running here, pointing to a DNS server hosted on another machine on my network
Maybe a VPN server running here

All machines need to be able to talk to each other without issues.

My questions are:

Is this setup possible with DMZ on the Sunrise Connect Box? Are there any limitations to be aware of?
Is bridge mode on the CB3 planned / being worked on?
If bridge mode was supported, would it help achieve the setup above?
Is there another setup you could suggest that would still allow me to have custom DNS servers?
- I don’t actually really need to replace the CB3 as a router, all I want is more high-speed Ethernet ports + custom DNS servers.
- But the CB3 doesn’t allow setting custom DNS servers 🙁
- So if I have to run my own DHCP server, I would want it to be hosted on a very reliable + low-power machine, e.g. a Ubiquiti router.

Thanks is advance for your help!

Xydocq

hello john314

Welcome to the community.

DMZ is the only way to go with the Fibre Box. I don’t believe they will allow Bridge Mode in the future. But then it doesn’t really matter. Also IPv4-only needs to be activated for your internet connection.

I run my own network on Zyxel hardware behind a HFC Box using DMZ. So yes the setup can be achieved with new hardware. You’ll need a router, one or two switches and some access points. The WLAN on the Connect Box needs to be turned off, since it became useless in this setup. Devices connected to the Connect Box can’t communicate with devices connected to the third party router. Also DHCP should be turned off, it’s no longer needed.

But wait, there’s another way: You can turn off DHCP on the Connect Box. The Connect Box will still be available on 192.168.1.1 (default setting) then you add a device that can run as DHCP server. Don’t use a router, you don’t need “another” router. The DHCP Server can run on a NAS or on any other device.

Here’s an example on a Synology NAS:

As you can see, you can set custom DNS. The DHCP Subnet should match the IP of the Connect Box and the device the DHCP runs on should have a static IP set (eg. 192.168.1.2).

Now all left, is to get a 10Gbit/s switch (or one that has a 10Gbit/s Uplink port) to multiply the one 10Gbit/s port on the Connect Box.

VPN might be a bit tricky in this setup but it can be achieved.

john314

Hi Xydocq,

Thanks a lot for your super fast reply, as well as your other posts in this forum that have been really helpful.

I should definitely try your suggestion of running DHCP on my NAS first, since I can test it without purchasing any extra hardware. Then, if it works well, I can just add a high-speed switch (no extra router).
I’m just a bit worried that my internet would effectively go down if the NAS is down.

You’ll need a router, one or two switches and some access points. The WLAN on the Connect Box needs to be turned off, since it became useless in this setup. Devices connected to the Connect Box can’t communicate with devices connected to the third party router.

That’s good to know. In the setup I was envisioning, the CB3 would have continued working as a modem + WiFi access point + Ethernet switch, while delegating routing to my own router. But from what you’re saying, it would not be possible.

Thanks again for your help!