Setting Westell 9100EM in Bridged mode

Westell 9100 EM OPTION 7 LAN-To-LAN Guide

I had FiOS for about 4 months now and for the life of me I can't figure out the Westell 9100 EM router, particularly port forwarding. It works great when accessing through WAN, but does not work on LAN, not all the time. Yeah, go figure. And I cannot figure out how to bridge it so I can use my Home Router as the primary router.

So I finally ran my own CAT5 ethernet cable to the ONT (that box outside on the wall that Verizon installed). And after 30 mins of messing with the router settings, I got my D-Link DIR-655 to take over router duties and the Westell is only used to fetch data for the Set-Top-Box. So here's how I got everything working.

Step 1:
1. Running a CAT5 cable from the ONT to the Westell 9100EM and connect one end of the cable to the Westell's WAN port. Connect the other end to the ONT's Ethernet port. I assume you have the Westell and your Home Router in the same location, or else you need to re-route the CAT5 to your Home Router later.
2. Call Verizon and ask for technical support. Tell them that you like to switch from coax to ethernet from the ONT to the router. Let them know that you are already ran the CAT5 ethernet cable from the ONT to the Westell router. It should take them within 24 hours to make the switch.
3. You can check when it is switched by going to the Westell router page at »192.168.1.1. Enter your login as "admin" and type in a password if you have one. On the left where it says Broadband Connection, if it is already switched, Ethernet should be in parenthesis, not Coax. Proceed to the next step if it is switched, otherwise check again until the switch is made.

Step 2: Change Westell 9100 EM Settings.
1. Access your Westell 9100 EM router page: »192.168.1.1. Enter your login as "admin" and type in a password if you have one.
2. Click on the My Network icon on top of the page. Then on the left, click on Network Connections. Then under the list of Network Connections, click on Network (Home\Office).
3. Next on the left, click on Configure Connection. Change the IP Address to 192.168.1.10. Click Apply.
4. Now you need to login the Westell router with a different address since it was just changed, so go to »192.168.1.10 and log in again.
5. Click on the My Network icon on top of the page. Then on the left, click on Network Connections. Then under the list of Network Connections, click on Network (Home\Office).
6. Now change the Default Gateway and Primary DNS Server to 192.168.1.1.
7. Then under IP Address Distribution, change from DHCP Server to Disabled. Click Apply.
8. Click on the My Network icon on top of the page again. In the Network Status list, find the Set Top Box status. It's probably the one that says IP-STB1 with the Connection as MoCA, and a coax icon next to it. Write down the MAC Address of it and save it for later.
9. This is optional, but if you want to disable the Westell's wireless network, go to Wireless on top, and then Basic Security Settings and where it says Turn Wireless ON, select OFF. Click Apply at the bottom.
10. Click on the My Network icon on top of the page. Then under the list of Network Connections, click on Broadband Connection (Coax). Next on the left, click on Configure Connection. Now click on Release IP Address button. Wait about 5 seconds and power off the Westell 9100 EM. There's a power switch on the back to switch it off.

Step 3: Connecting the cables
1. Re-route the CAT5 from the ONT to your Home Router. And connect another CAT5 cable going from the Westell to the Home Router using the LAN ports on both routers.
2. Connect your computer to your Home Router.

Step 4: Setup the Home Router
1. Depend on the brand and model of your Home Router, your setup will be slightly different but it should be easy to figure out. I have a D-Link DIR-655 so I'm using it for this guide. Power on the Home Router. After a minute or so, login to your Home Router by going to »192.168.1.1, enter login and password if you have one. NOTE: If your home router is not using 192.168.1.1, then either change the setting to 192.168.1.1 OR you have to adjust all the settings in this guide to match whatever your settings are, including the Westell IP address, Gateway and DNS settings.
2. If you have internet access, then skip this step. If you don't have internet access, then click on Status on top. Click on the Release button to release the IP address. Then click on the Renew button so it fetches the new settings. After that is done, you should have internet access. If not, check the cables and ports to see if you have everything connected correctly as described in the previous step.
3. Now click on Setup on top, then on the left click on Network Settings. Scroll to the bottom where it says DHCP Reservation. For name, enter IP-STP1. For IP Address, type in 192.168.1.100. You can use 192.168.1.101 if you like. For MAC address, enter the MAC Address you wrote down earlier. Remember to separate every two characters with a colon.
4. Save the settings and reboot your Home Router. You can turn on the Westell also.

Step 5: Testing
Continue to configure your home router settings such as DHCP and Wireless network. Test to see if everything works including your set top box. Make sure widgets and VOD works. Thats it, good luck.