NETGEAR is aware of a growing number of phone and online scams. To learn how to stay safe click here.
Forum Discussion
Solved
Adtran SDX 621 fiber modem and Netgear Orbi RBR750 won't communicate
Recently purchased the Netgear Orbi RBK753S High-Performance Whole Home Mesh WiFi System. Cannot get it to work when connected directly via ethernet to my Adtran SDX 621 fiber modem. If I con...
Netgear has set up a community forum specifically for the Orbi AX (WiFi 6) products. Most of the people who watch that forum are more likely to have experience with Orbi AX and know how to work it better than those of us who follow this router forum. Might be more likely to find someone who has a solution if the question is posted there:
https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi-AX/bd-p/en-home-orbi-axBe sure to restart your network in this sequence:
Turn off and unplug modem.
Turn off router and computers.
Plug in and turn on modem. Wait 2 minutes for it to connect.
Turn on the router and wait 2 minutes for it to connect.
Turn on computers and rest of network.
Please use this link to the main forum product list to review and choose where to make your posts.
https://community.netgear.com/t5/NETGEAR-Forum/ct-p/en-netgear
Thank you
Sorry, didn't realize which sub-forum this post was placed in. Have reposted in the correct sub-forum. Please delete this thread. Thanks.
bmwr75 wrote:
Sorry, didn't realize which sub-forum this post was placed in. Have reposted in the correct sub-forum. Please delete this thread. Thanks.
It doesn't really matter. Your question is generic – it is really about connecting any router to the Adtran SDX 621 – and could have been answered here instead you were given the bum's rush, as we say here in the UK.
Strange that the person who told you to "go away" didn't have the courtesy to help when you did repeat your message.
Fiber Modem and Orbi connectivity problem - NETGEAR Communities
The key bit of your first message is the reference to the Adtran SDX 621.
It seems that you are piling router in router. Never a good idea.
A lot of people use an Orbi as a Wireless Access Point.
Compare the router features of the Adtran SDX 621 with those on the Orbi.
Then decide what to do.
What is Double NAT? | Answer | NETGEAR Support
and
How to fix issues with Double NAT | Answer | NETGEAR Support
My understanding is the Adtran SDX 621 is not a router, it only has a single ethernet out, but is rather an ONT, basically converts an optical fiber connection to an ethernet output. The problem I have is it won't work with my Netgear Orbi router when plugged directly into the router's WAN connection. Didn't work with my old Google Mesh router either when connected the same way.
bmwr75 wrote:
My understanding is the Adtran SDX 621 is not a router, it only has a single ethernet out, but is rather an ONT, basically converts an optical fiber connection to an ethernet output.
Like CrimpOn I did a quick search for this beast. It wasn't easy to work out what it is.
You did say "(wifi radio turned off on the ISP router)". I mistook that for the ISP's box. I guess I got confused. (Easily done.)
If it really is just a plain ONT, then it shouldn't need any fancy configuration.
If that means that you got the thing working happily with the router from the ISP, have you done the usual trick of setting up the network from scratch?
Reset everything in sight and restart it in the right order. As FURRYe38 says in their boilerplate, introduce new devices one at a time, without adding the ISP's router. Did you try that.
Unfortunately, here in the third world we don't have much optical to the home, so ONTs are new beasts.
I assume that Netgear has more experience of this new technology, but wouldn't count on it. I'd check that the ISP has provided the right settings for you to feed in to the router. It isn't something that Netgear is likely to have added yet to its setup wizards.
It is a bit odd that the ISP can't provide better help.
I remain puzzled about this situation.
Despite lots of searching, I have yet to find any useful information about the Adtran SDX 621. (No user manual. No description of typical 'router functions'.) If the Adtran is not the fiber equivalent of a cable modem with voice support, I'm not certain what it is.
When the tech claims "lots of customers use their own router", that is an indication that the Orbi should connect.
(Even if the Adtran is some sort of 'router', the Orbi connected to the ISP provided router and worked, so the Orbi should connect to the Adtran and work.
The cleanest way to provide remote access to the NAS is for the ISP router to be removed, then forward ports on the Orbi. This solution not working is what led to the original post.
If the Orbi could be put into the ISP router's DMZ, that might allow the same solution. Alas, I have little experience with DMZ. I do not recall seeing the brand/model of the ISP router, so am unable to look for a user manual to see if it supports DMZ.
If the user can forward ports on the ISP router, then the Orbi could be put into Access Point mode and the NAS will be available remotely. I do not care for this solution because AP mode disables most of the Orbi's useful router functions.
I think we're missing something.
