PF Sense Setup
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There’s something wrong with your PFSense setup. I know, rocket scientist. Its not your modem assuming the modem is in transparent bridge mode.
PFsense should hand out DCHP lease information to the laptop, you connect by entering the IP address of the PFSense box.
The PFSense LAN port should have a statically assigned IP and a DHCP address range. That’s the IP you put in the address line in your browser.
Can you access the PFSense console via a monitor?
Those block this stuff is for the WAN.
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Sounds like you've accidentally switched the WAN and LAN NICs.
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Some times the time it takes to blast it and start over is WAY less than trying to figure out what’s wrong and fix it.
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@travelmore If your putting your modem into bridge mode, you wouldn't be getting a 192.168.100 which is what I am guessing?
There is zero reason to hide 192.168 addresses..
When you set your modem in to bridge mode. Power cycle it, once it has finished booting ie all the lights are correct and it shows it has internet, then plug in and turn on pfsense with dhcp set to its wan. Even if you were double natting you would still have internet. Even if the pfsense wan was a 192.168.1.x address and overlap your lan. You would still be able to get to pfsense via lan.. Your laptop would get dhcp from pfsense and be able to connect to the gui.. So you could change the IPs so they do not overlap.
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I'd guess it will work as expected if you just swap the cables between the NICs from what you're seeing.
Steve
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If he can get to the console and go through the steps to assign and configure interfaces that’d eliminate a variable. Easy to do via the console menu too.
Those modems that have multiple ports easy to mistake which port is the WAN. My modem has one port so its mistake proof.
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@johnpoz I did not get a 192.168.100.1 address when my modem was in bridge mode which really confused me because literally a few days ago I purposely put my router in bridge mode and pulled it back out of bridge mode just to know how to do it/if it would save the settings, etc.
The other day when I put my modem into bridge mode, I was able to go to 192.168.100.1 and login and reset it back out of bridge mode but tonight I couldnt get to that 192.168.100.1 IP at all no matter what i tried/rebooted which really threw me for a loop because i would have figured if anything I should be able to get that and log back in to take it out of bridge mode but that wasn't the case. I even shut pf sense box off at one point and just plugged my laptop into my modem and went to the 192.168.100.1 address to see if i could reach it and login to revert it out of bridge mode but I couldn't. Is there a specific reason why i couldn't reach the 192.168.100.1 address to revert it out of bridge mode instead of having to reset it?I'll try it again tomorrow or later this week and see. I know i rebooted my modem quiet a few times and the pf sense box a few times as well after plugging things in and verify everything was on the right port.
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As a last resort I’d hit the reset button for your modem. Set it back to defaults.
Where did the IP address that worked come from?
That’s not the IP your ISP gives you for the WAN.
Also is your laptop network properties manually set? If your modem isn’t given out IP’s, which it shouldn’t be in bridge mode, your laptop IP could be outside the subnet so it can’t connect to the modem.
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@jsmiddleton4 i did reset my modem and uploaded my prior configs backup so everything is working normally for work tomorrow.
the IP address that worked was a static one that I set when I was going through the initial configuration. So I set a static IP for my LAN.
the only way i could connect to the pfsense box was by setting my laptop up w/a static IP (via network settings, ipv4, setting the IP to 192.168.0.10, subnet 255.255.255.0, and gateway to 192.168.0.1 and physically connecting the cat5 cable from my laptop to my modem that is in bridge mode.
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@stephenw10 i did try swapping the cables at one point and it didn't make a difference. i cant recall if it made it worse or not i just know it was not progress moving forward when i swapped them lol. (so then i reverted the swap to keep troubleshooting.)
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You set the static IP for the modem?
While this can be very frustrating you should know it shouldn’t be. Its not this hard to make PFSense work as a basic router/firewall.
You set the modem to pass WAN information to the PFSense box. If configured with the initial simple settings, PFSense picks up the WAN information on its WAN port.
Are you able to access the console mode for PFSense, simple menu, etc.?
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@jsmiddleton4 this is the back of my modem/router combo. from what i know it doesn't specify wan or lan.
it says 1 wan port on the doc but then when you look closer it says:
WAN ports: 1
WAN port(s) type: Coax F-connector
LAN ports: 4sooo technically, id take that as it doesn't have a wan port and it just uses the coax as wan and gives you 4 lan ports.
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@travelmore It seems that you're over complicating your setup for a person that's new to pfSense...start simple for now with WAN > public IP, LAN > non-static, DHCP.
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Coax for WAN….
NOPE. That’s for “out there” WAN.
You need “in here” WAN port.
When you go into bridge mode one of those LAN ports is the WAN port.
Which model modem?
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@travelmore In bridge mode you only need the first and nothing else plug in...every thing else plugs into pfSense.
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Which is the first? One closest to COAX or closest to USB ports?
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@jsmiddleton4 yes closest to the cable port.
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@jsmiddleton4
Hitron CGNM (model) 1C:AB:C0:65:6C:A0 (mac) 251164055728 (serial #) -
Your’s has wireless?
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@travelmore I had to buy a cable modem on eBay (Motorola 3.0) without the WIFI as all Cox had was as yours, and you have to do the same unless you can find info how to disable it.
