Advice on Network

[thomasps]

I've been testing Amahi for a week now and I like it, but I have a problem with the way my network is setup (I'm no expert on networking) and looking for some suggestions.

The main problem I have is that I get my TV through the broadband (ADSL) and there are severe restrictions on how things can be connected.
My ISP/TV provider gives out a modem+router (Actiontec V1000H) and the TVs have to be connected to this unit (via cat5 or coaxial). Unfortunately, the Actiontec uses a custom firmware that makes it nearly useless for advanced users. This means no DHCP control, no static IP, no custom DNS etc. etc. It does allow for one DMZ port. My first solution was this (Network_1):

Unfortunately it gave ridiculously low speeds on an otherwise gigabit network. I hear that has to do with double NAT even if one port on the Actiontec is DMZ. In this network I had set my DD-WRT router to disable DHCP and FW everything to my Amahi machine. Again, it worked but very very slow.

So now I had to revert to a basic network:

Speeds are back to normal. But this means no Amahi DHCP

Any ideas?
Would having two NIC in my Amahi machine help in any way?
If I have to stick with Network 2, how should I setup Amahi? (i.e. no DHCP vs. only DNS server vs. DHCP)

I cannot get a separate modem from my ISP. Third party modems are hard to find, expensive, and no one knows if they will work. Bridge mode seems to be a no go for the TV.

[razzz]

I think the only way you can do this is by putting your Amahi in no DHCP mode and placing it in diagram 2 between the modem and the Netgear switch

[rjwaldren]

How are you using the DD-WRT router? If you are only using it as a wireless access point there is no need to have wired traffic going through it - set it as an AP only and connect it to the switch. If it is also taking care of your firewall functions, check into whether your modem/router can be configured as a bridge - then you could move your TV's to the switch and all WAN communication would be configured through the DD-WRT router and all LAN devices would all be on the same network.

Hmmm, just caught the nogo part about bridge mode. That sucks, and makes it hard to isolate the DHCP servers without going through the linksys router. The Linksys is 10/100 on both WAN and LAN. I'd do some googling on the router/modem combo, surely, someones resolved a similar issue that would allow you to move the TV connections.

[thomasps]

Thanks for all the suggestions. In the end I found a hidden link to disable DHCP though it's unsupported and would brake the contract if the provider finds out. It works fine.

[rjwaldren]

I was about to post links to a thread about that. I figured it was the same thread you got the pictures from.

[thomasps]

Yes, I cross posted this in the dsl forum as many folks with my same provider lurks over there