AT&T - BGW320

They will likely just end up replacing your 210 with a 320. I got a text yesterday saying I was eligible for a equipment upgrade due to my old gateway. Getting the new one today via Fedex. If you want to go for a 3rd party setup, I really like Ubiquiti UniFi.

If you want to try and get a free solution, contact at&t and say you'd like to upgrade your router to a BGW320 router. It is wifi6 and probably good enough for a 2k, 2-story layout. They should upgrade it for free. If it isn't good enough, then look for your own solution.

I have the BGW 320-505 in passthrough mode with firewall and packet filters disabled that’s hardwired to 3 eero max 7’s with zero issues. I have a new 2 story 2,900 sq. Ft. with 95 devices.

Greetings all, Title says it all. I have the BG320-505. I am well aware just how terrible this router is. Furthermore, it's my understanding that the dual-band is there to "benefit" older, less compatible devices. Nonetheless, I'm finding the router really, **really** limiting. I can't use AX, 40MHz, or 160MHz unless I use "enhanced mode" aka the dual-band. You can't adjust the channels for the 5GHz manually, instead it's set to automatic in both the app and gateway. I'm also not a large fan of how it cannot differentiate between a virtual machine, and my endpoint device. As an example, on my previous network I used pfSense via prefix delegation hosted on VMware. When online, my router (I had GFiber) was able to differentiate what device was online, and made the difference between the VM and the device. In my case now, if the VM is online, the router automatically assigns my DHCP allocated IP that is associated with the endpoint to the VM. If the VM is turned off, the issue goes away. It's very frustrating to have a good set up, and then something as restrictive as this takes it all down. Another con is the lack of port forwarding options. If I port forward say 25565 (Minecraft) on Device A, and attempt to forward it on Device B, I get a pinhole conflict. I understand that UPnP has its own vulnerabilities, but it's rather inconvenient at the same time. We should at least be given the option to enable it for devices that support it. My final nitpick has yet again have to do with the NAT. Since the NAT is automatically strict, port forwarding only seems to work so well on this router. I host a server with the proper ports forwarded. Unfortunately, I had to create a tunnel to connect to the server over the internet. Not difficult by any means, just again, inconvenient. A pro is the allowance of WPA3 and WPA2 at the same time. GFiber allows this, but more often than not, a lot of devices stop working. I do have one question though; why is the "Configure" tab in "Broadband" hidden? Y'all are probably wondering, "why hasn't he just upgraded his router?". As a full-time Cybersec student, it is a little more complicated for my time. I have multiple classes towards graduation, so I don't have time for a job right now. The goal, though, is to upgrade to a router that supports Wi-Fi 6. All of my devices, aside from two security cameras, support it. It doesn't bother me much that the cameras fallback to 5. I have my current router directly connected to the ONT. A lot of people, and I'd also personally do this, recommend using passthrough mode. Are there any reasons otherwise? My only other question is recommending routers. What do y'all use? I've thought about UNFi Ubiquiti, Nighthawk, and Acer, but I'm open to other solutions. TLDR; I need to upgrade my router as the current one sucks, and ATT Fiber is my only Fiber option.

It is indeed, thank you for that. I think I'd much rather prefer to upgrade my router to a router that allows me more customization options for that standard, though.

Change the SSID and password of the 620 to the same as what your TPLink router is, unplug your tp link router, and see if the 620 satisfies your needs. You can do that via SHM. If it doesn't, turn the wifi off on the 620, connect your AXE95 to the gateway, set up ip passthrough on the 620 and turn off the wifi radios, and enjoy. My service works perfect using the 320. No issues with 39 devices currently online.

The 320 is a great gateway. I have the 1gb internet too and att has solid gateways and the WiFi range is good. My gateways covers the whole house and the app is good too. You can also run the WiFi signal test in the app too. See how things go before adding a range extender. Also, the extenders from att are pretty good and overall good reviews. We have a 2 bedroom 3 level duplex with the gateway sitting on the middle floor. Covers all floors, front yard to the mailbox and backyard patio. Performance is great whether it’s WiFi or plugged in. We have over 20 devices connected over WiFi and a few things plugged in. Doesn’t get bogged down. Even our 8 year old and 10 year old Apple TV’s connect and run just fine. In fact, installed 26.2 on the 3 Apple tv’s, iPhone, 2 iPads and MacBook Pro all no problem today. We also have the guest WiFi turned on too and can turn off on in the app. I’m an IT professional for over 20 years and ISP gateways have gotten better over the years. Sure, there’s some value in getting your own if you’re into that, but for most, the isp gateway is more than fine. I don’t run servers but I do game, large download and uploads, and watch stuff in 4K with a family of 4. I have played remote play via my MacBook Pro and PS Portal from basement (WiFi) to PS 5 (plugged in) no problem. We’ve had the fiber for 5 years and the 210 I had before it was rock solid as well. Been running the 320 almost 2 years now. Also makes troubleshooting easier for the less tech savvy at home like my S.O. who is a full time SAHM. I used to run my own routers years ago and it was fun and liked it but I don’t miss it. With that said, not all situations are the same and your experience may be different but no harm in trying first.

But...why? Do you have a massive home and don't think the ATT router will cover it? This is usually the only reason that actually makes sense to get your own these days. I would recommend getting the ATT hardware. These are usually very good hardware, and if anything goes wrong you call ATT to have them replace it or send a tech out. If you buy your own router you have to set it up yourself, figure out your own issues. From what I hear the hardware ATT uses is comparable to a lot of the $300+ Netgear Nighthawk routers. If you still want to buy your own, and know how to support wifi/set everything up/deal with issues (ATT probably will not help you if you have your own router), etc then get a good Netgear Nighthawk router. I personally wouldn't buy anything less than a AX5400 but that's going to be fairly identical to the BG320 that ATT is going to install and service for $10/mo. Not to mention that if ATT releases new hardware for their internet, you can usually upgrade it for free if you still have their service.

I received a text stating the same, with the following link: https://www.att.com/support/article/internet/000106712 Naturally, I have the BGW320 Wi-Fi gateway and 4920 Wi-Fi extenders. My extenders are hardwired with CAT5/6 and have worked well. I would love to find extender replacements for purchase and avoid the monthly fee. I don't need install assistance. Any recommendations? Thank you.

The 320 and 620 have damn good wifi….AT&T mesh extenders are garbage tho

Yep, the BGW320-505 has some annoying shortcomings, just like the CenturyLink-branded C3000Z DSL modem/router I used when still on DSL. As you say, the solution is to have your own router, with the AT&T box in IP Passthrough mode. My previous one was a Ubiquiti Dream Router. I upgraded it once I went from ADSL (~140 Mbps down/20 Mbps up) to AT&T fiber (1 Gbit/s both ways) because that model maxed out at 700 Mbit/s (despite having a "gigabit" WAN port, this was a processing limitation apparently). I replaced that Dream Router with a Dream Router 7, which as well as being more than capable of handling the full gigabit, and also does WiFi 7. Which tier of AT&T fiber do you have? Particularly if you're OK with not having the latest and greatest WiFi, I see a few routers on the market that can handle a full gigabit wired, for $100 or less. Would that work for you? The extra-mega-elegant solution is to cut out the AT&T box entirely, by purchasing your own SFP+ module (WAS-110) and programming it to "masquerade" as the BGW320-505. But then you need something with an SFP+ port to plug that into, and it gets to be a few hundred $ in hardware.