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Forum Discussion
Using a LAN port on a cable modem/wifi router combo as a WAN port
I have a question that relates to any cable modem/wifi router that does not have a WAN port but has 4 LAN ports:
If I decide at some point in the future to use a standalone cable modem, can I use the combo device as a typical wifi router by converting one of the LAN ports to a WAN port? I would want to connect the ethernet port on the cable modem to one of the LAN ports on the combo unit and then use wifi and/or connect other devices to the other LAN ports.
TIA.
3 Replies
> [...] can I use the combo device as a typical wifi router by
> converting one of the LAN ports to a WAN port? [...]Sadly, no. Without a WAN/Internet Ethernet port, about the only
exotic thing you could do with it would be to use it as a wireless
access point.If I use it as a wireless access point, would i be able to plug in the ethernet cable from the cable modem into one of the LAN ports on my combo unit, and have the combo unit broadcast the wifi signal?
> If I use it as a wireless access point, would i be able to [...]
Not without a router in there somewhere. A Cxxxx-as-WAP (or any
other WAP) would be used _with_ a router, not _instead_of_ a router.