Zyxel 7101 (outdoor) together with Zyzel 5101 (indoor). No internet connection.

ArjenSmedes · March 13

I've got two pieces of hardware from Zyxel: the 7101 outdoor router and the 5101 indoor router. When I put my SIM card in the 5101, I get a working internet connection. However, when I put the same SIM card in the 7101, I get nothing. That is, from the admin home page on the 7101 I see:

Cellular Info
- Mode IP Passthrough Mode
- Status Up
- IP Address 10.194.225.227
- Primary DNS server 62.140.140.251,62.140.138.233
- Access Technology NR-NSA EN-DC
- Signal Strength-109
System Info
- Cellular WAN: 5G is green (!)
The LED lights are flashing though (green/amber).

It's a Dutch SIM card, want to use it in Germany. Obviously, I have put roaming to on. And the pincode has been entered succesfully.

Couple of questions:

Is there a proper manual that describes which settings need to be made on the 5101 (latest firmware) to use it as the internal router, which connects with the 7101 (as per the design so to speak, as the 7101 is not for direct internet access). I've tried IP Pass Through, but the manual is not very clear as to how this setup is supposed to work.
What is wrong with the 7101 (latest firmware)? Given the admin home page above, it looks like there is connectivity.

Any help in the right direction would be much appreciated.

Zyxel_Kay · March 14

Hi @ArjenSmedes

Firstly, I'd like to confirm whether you've enabled the WAN port for the NR5101. By default, the LAN1/WAN port is configured as a LAN port. If you haven't switched it to a WAN port, it might not be able to receive traffic from the uplink (NR7101). To switch the Ethernet port to WAN, please enable it at Network Setting > Broadband > Ethernet WAN.

I attempted to set up a similar topology to yours:

With this setup, we are able to establish an internet connection.

If you've already switched the NR5101 LAN1/WAN port to a WAN port and the issue persists, could you please specify if all the wired and wireless networks are experiencing a lack of connection?

Zyxel_Kay · March 14

Hi @ArjenSmedes

Firstly, I'd like to confirm whether you've enabled the WAN port for the NR5101. By default, the LAN1/WAN port is configured as a LAN port. If you haven't switched it to a WAN port, it might not be able to receive traffic from the uplink (NR7101). To switch the Ethernet port to WAN, please enable it at Network Setting > Broadband > Ethernet WAN.

I attempted to set up a similar topology to yours:

With this setup, we are able to establish an internet connection.

If you've already switched the NR5101 LAN1/WAN port to a WAN port and the issue persists, could you please specify if all the wired and wireless networks are experiencing a lack of connection?

ArjenSmedes · March 15

Thanks a lot Kay. That works for me to. You saved the day.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is not documented as such. Would certainly be beneficial for others to document (exactly) how a setup between an indoor router and an outdoor router works. This sucked up a lot of my time. But again, it works, so I'm happy.

Zyxel_Kay · March 20

Hi @ArjenSmedes

Actually, we do have documentation covering this matter in the NR5101 User’s Guide on pg. 313.

Additionally, in light to your suggestion, we've also added an FAQ article on our community detailing how to set up the Ethernet WAN connection for NR5101:

https://community.zyxel.com/en/discussion/21686/nr5101-setting-up-an-ethernet-connection

We hope this helps and thank you for your valuable feedback!

Zyxel 7101 (outdoor) together with Zyzel 5101 (indoor). No internet connection.

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