Is static IP required for enabling bridge mode on Airtel Xstream?

[hashhar]

I placed a call to customer care for enabling some ports as bridged mode on my Airtel Xstream fiber conection which uses the Nokia G-2425G-A router.

The customer care sent a technician to my home who told me that since I don't have a static IP I can't configure the router to bridge mode.

I want to know whether it is actually required or is the Airtel guy trying to upsell me to Rs 199/mo + GST for the static IP? As per my understanding of how networking works I don't think there's any requirement for a static IP to be able to configure a router under bridge mode.

Can the people here please confirm if bridge mode requires static ip or not?

I'm trying to use a UDM Pro as the gateway so want to turn the Nokia into a dumb ONT.

 

[Lolita_Magnum]

Yes, he was trying to upsell you. I believe the Nokia ONT has the option to enable bridge mode in the config within, try to look for it or you can always search in the forum for people who might have done it before you.

 

[igloo]

These guy are really confused or mostly try easy way out.
Ask him for conference with backend tech team and be adamant about it.

 

[Lolita_Magnum]

Words from an airtel ex-engineer. (not me lol)
Most airtel local engineers are poorly trained, and during training, they are told that if a customer asks to enable bridge mode tell them they need to buy static IP.
The backend guys are honestly quite rude so there usually is a drift b/w frontend and backend team.

 

[Aashish.007]

Bridge doesn't require static ip and with Nokia it has to be activated from the backend.

 

[shantam2005]

Bridge mode settings on my Nokia G2425 are already unlocked. I can set any Lan Port to bridge mode and it works.

 

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[hashhar]

@shantam2005 Lucky you. Mine shows the option to set the LAN ports to bridge mode but it doesn't work properly. Also I can't add a new WAN profile with bridge mode enabled.

I hate that the companies try to lock things down so much and don't offer control to people who are capable of using that control.
I sent back the engineer since I also thought he had no idea what he was talking about. I'll try to get hold of someone who really understands what I want to do (i.e. use my own much more powerful gateway and router) and then see what happens.

 

[imdarkray]

@hashhar So recently I have been dealing with Airtel NOC team, RA, NA team and so on.. don't ask me the full forms of these term I really don't know.

What I do know is, even NOC team will give the same reply. Confirmed from multiple people. They say once the static ip is assigned to you. The bridge mode will start working.

Long story short, my Nokia ONT also used to have the same config. I was able to put the port on bridge by myself. But now since they have shifted me to a different backend vlan port, it had stopped working completely. If I enable the bridge from ONT, the link on the LAN port goes down. Where as the NOC team can put the port on bridge but they deny, may be because they have been told to say so. Good luck in finding someone who can do it for you.

 

[hashhar]

I think one just needs to be persistent in dealing with such issues - the part which sucks the most is that it means I won't get to play with my shiny new networking gear for probably a few more weeks.

I received a call a while back from a different technician this time who at-least understood what I was trying to do. He's assigned to visit tomorrow - let's see if I can convince him to enable bridge mode from the backend.

A static IP is useful though the amount they are charging is a lot - even more than what GCP costs for static IPs attached to pre-emptible VMs. The older pricing of Rs. 99 was good enough.

 

[Chip]

@hashhar You don't need to take a static IP for bridge mode. I was on dynamic and had a bridged mode Nokia set up for me. I opted for static IP much later. If they are adamant agree to static IP have them bridge the router and then cancel static IP a month or two down the line.

I must tell you that Airtel has pretty much changed its attitude to a "take it or leave it" mode. Home BB is not their priority it seems. And I speak from personal experience. Others on Airtel BB have also experienced the same nonchalant attitude from their staff.