MikeL's ActionTec Q 1000 HowTo

MikeL's ActionTec Q 1000 HowTo

18-Feb-2014

I have QWest/CenturyLink DSL, using an ActionTec Q 1000 modem. I've had a heck of a time getting it set up for a fairly simple configuration. I'll jot a few notes here about what I had to settle for.

The goal was to have DHCP turned on for the inside LAN; any computer plugged into it, or any computer using wireless would simply be allocated a NAT protected internal IP address.

The exception is that there are two servers that need to be available to the outside world. These would each have a static route for access. DHCP would have a reservation for these two, so they'd just use DHCP as well.

I have a block of static IP addresses from CenturyLink. When you get this, you are actually allocated a block of 8 (hence the .248 subnet mask), however only 5 are available to you for use.

I was unable to make the above work. Final settings that got me into some semblence of running as follows:

Browser into modem http://192.168.0.1/
Advanced Setup->Wan Settings
ISP Protocol: "auto" (selected is PPPoE)
PPP username, pswds filled in, "Auto Connect" is checked, "No credentials" is NOT checked
IP addressing type: "Block of Static"
Your gateway address is provided by the phone co, it's 1 higher than the last usable IP address in your block
subnet mask: 255.255.255.248
Here's the important one -- select "Public Static Subnet". This makes every internal address available externally - see below!
Static DNS, phone co should have provided this along with your IP block

I think what I really wanted is to choose "Private" instead of "Public Static Subnet", then add static routes to the two servers, leaving everyone else to DHCP. However, I was never able to get the ActionTec to save a static route. Note that I saw comments on the web that it's a screen bug that the static routes screen does not show routes once they've been saved, but that they can be seen on the Modem Status->Routing Table screen. I never saw my added routes appear on this screen.

Now the internal computers:

On each server you must hardcode the IP address you'll be calling it up with. Plug these directly into modem.
Use some internal device to isolate the remaining internal computers. I'm using a wireless router to provide wireless connectivity, and am plugging the few wired machines into it. This machine provides DHCP thus saving the annoyance of having to hardcode IP addresses on the internal LAN.

However, this device is now my entire protection from the internet -- ugh! I am totally unhappy with the protection this provides -- I do not trust a $39 LinkSys wireless router to protect my entire network. Some day you know there will be a hack directly into this thing. But for the moment, this is what I'm stuck with.

Feel free to contact me if you have suggestions for a better way, or you can give me info that this isn't as bad as it seems to me, or anything else...