Using EX7000 as an access point or bridge with NVG599
I currently have an NVG599 set up at the farthest end of my house and the wifi kind of sucks. I'm getting 15-20 mbps and somtimes has issues when watching Netflix or Directv. I bought a EX7000 and want to use it as a router to get a better wifi signal. I'm a little confused though. What's the difference between setting the EX7000 up as an access point with the wireless turned off on the NVG599 vs setting up the NVG599 in bridge mode? I just set up the EX7000 in AP mode and connected it directly to the NVG599 (wireless turned off) and it seems to be working better than using the wifi on the NVG599 alone. I ran a few speed test and I'm getting 20-30 mbps on the opposite side of my house now. If I ran NVG599 in bridge mode with the EX7000 could improve my connection even more?
Re: Using EX7000 as an access point or bridge with NVG599
TL;DR Keep your current setup with the EX7000 in AP mode.
Bridge mode(*) is used when you want to use your own router in place of the ISP's router. The EX7000 is not a router, so keep your EX7000 in AP mode. You need your NVG599 to function as a router as well as a modem.
(*) The NVG599 doesn't have a true bridge mode. Instead, the NVG599 has a feature called IP Passthrough. The NVG599's public IP address is shared with a single device (i.e. your own router (**)). This makes your router appear as if it's directly connected to the Internet. In reality, the NVG599 continues to function as a router and firewall. It will perform NAT for devices connected to any of its LAN ports except your router. Any traffic that goes between your router and the NVG599 will not undergo NAT.
(**) You may be wondering what would happen if you went ahead and enabled IP Passthrough? Well, the device you designate will be assigned the same IP address as the NVG599's WAN IP address. This device will be completely exposed to the Internet and not protected by any firewall. All of your other devices will probably still be assigned IP addresses by the NVG599. They would probably not be able to communicate with the first device. Anyway, you don't have your own router, so this is just for your edification should you choose to get one in the future.
