RV042G Newbie Questions

[mallardnathan]

I have the new Cisco RV042G router, and I have just a few "newbie questions" about it as I get started using it:

The firmware on board is v4.2.1.02. Since this is a brand new router, is that the latest firmware?

Under Time>DST Dates, what do I need to configure in there? I'm in the US, Central Time.

I want to use Back to My Mac from iCloud (formerly MobileMe). Under the iCloud preferances pane on my Mac, it's saying: "Back to My Mac may be slow because NAT Port Mapping (NAT-PMP) or Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) is turned off on your router. Turn on NAT-PMP or UPnP." What should I enable on my router in order for Back to My Mac to better function?

I'm using a VOIP phone on the network (only 1 device with a couple phones). Are there any QoS settings I should tweak for better performance of my VOIP phone? I did change the port the VOIP phone is connected to to High (instead of Normal) under Port Settings. Will this help boost performance?

I also want to setup a VLAN on a port for guests to access the Internet, but not have any access to my personal network. Here's the steps I've done so far. Is this sufficient or is there anything else I need to do?

I went to Setup>Network, enabled Multiple Subnets.

I added 192.168.254.1/255.255.255.0 as a subnet.

I went to Port Management>Port Setup, set the port I wanted to use (Port 4) to VLAN2.

I went to Firewall>Access Rules, added two rules:

Deny All Traffic from 192.168.254.0 to 192.168.1.0.

Deny All Traffic from 192.168.1.0 to 192.168.1.0.

Thanks everyone for your help!

[linksysinfo · Accepted solution]

Firmware...thats the latest yes.

http://www.cisco.com/cisco/software/release.html?mdfid=284170426&flowid=32902&softwareid=282465789&release=4.2.1.02&relind=AVAILABLE&rellifecycle=&reltype=latest

DST - you need to google it and find what your timezone DST is. - http://www.timeanddate.com/time/dst/

Better to open the ports (access rules) that the iCloud service uses rather than using UPnP

Prioirty or rate control is the only QoS on the RV042G.  so setting to high should help.

would need to look at the my own RV regarding the VLAN issue. am at work at present.

Regards Simon
http://www.linksysinfo.org

[mallardnathan]

Great to know about the firmware.

Got the TZ set. Thanks for the info!

Would you happen to know what ports I should enable for iCloud BTMM or should I holler at iCloud about that one?

Great to know on QoS. Should be set then.

Sounds good about the VLAN. No rush at all. If you happen to come across it when you have some free time, great. It's not something I need ASAP.

Thanks again for all your help!

[linksysinfo]

looking on Apples site they recommend :

• Ensure TCP port 5354 and UDP ports 4500 and 5353 are open on your firewall. To learn more about ports used by Apple products, click here.

you could use UPnP but that does open up security issues.

When port forwarding make sure your device you are port forwarding too, has a Static IP address, or has a reserved IP address assigned via DHCP.

Regards Simon
http://www.linksysinfo.org

[mallardnathan]

How do I enable those ports on the Firewall settings so I can use BTMM between my MacBook Pro and iMac? I'm still new at configuring the Firewall on the RV042G.

Thanks!

[linksysinfo]

Just goto the Firewall, access rules and add them in there. sinc ethe ports are not that well know you will need to goto Service management and add each port in there first of all.

admin guide is here:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/routers/csbr/rv0xx/administration/guide/rv0xx_AG_78-19576.pdf

if you still need some help i'll add a few screen shots for you to look at.

Regards Simon

http://www.linksysinfo.org

[mallardnathan]

I'm in the firewall and added the ports to Service Management and figured out how to add the rules. How can I set my Macs to either have a Static IP or Reserved IP address so the IP address doesn't change on them?

While I've got your ear, two other quick questions.

On the VLAN stuff, did I set that up correctly or do I need to tweak it? I haven't tested it yet and just wondering if my VLAN is setup correctly for a guest network on that port allowing Internet access but nothing else.

I'm also using Lync Online for my internal IM and videoconferencing application. Is there anything I need to set on the router for it to properly function? See this:

http://community.office365.com/en-us/w/lync/ensuring-your-network-works-with-lync-online.aspx

Thanks again for all the help!

[linksysinfo]

page 59 of the admin guide shows you exactly how to set static assigned ip addresses.

as to the VLANS.  if the vlan2 is port based and all others devices are on vlan1 then thats good enough - There is no communication between devices on separate VLANs - or so the admin guide stats., try pinging one device on vlan1 from vlan2 and vice versa

As to Lync online, if you outbound firewall allows all (by default) you shouldnt need any other settings. there appears to be no inbound ports to be open.

Regards Simon
http://www.linksysinfo.org

[mallardnathan]

Figured out the Static IP. Was pretty simple. The guide definitely helped.

Got my firewall setup with Apple's recommended ports, but still seeing the NAT/UPnP message come up in iCloud. Anything else I need to do?

Sounds great on the VLANS. I ditched all the other junk I put in and just set the port I wanted to VLAN2. I was thinking it was that simple than someone at Cisco gave me all the other stuff to put in.

Sounds great on Lync. With the exception of the BTMM port changes, I'm using the rest of the rules default. Does this mean that everything with Lync Online should "just work" without having to tweak my router any?

Thanks again for all your help!

[mallardnathan]

The NAT/UPnP message is gone. BTMM is working perfectly now. Just had to reboot everything.

Bascially I just want to clarify with you the Lync Online stuff. With the exception of the BTMM port changes, I'm using the rest of the rules default. Does this mean that everything with Lync Online should "just work" without having to tweak my router any?

Thanks again and I should be good to go after that!

[linksysinfo]

Hi Nathan.

The Lync Online stuff shown here: http://onlinehelp.microsoft.com/en-us/office365-enterprises/hh416761.aspx

shows only out going ports which by default are allowed by default so I am only guessing this should work. then only way to know for sure is test it.

if you ever get a second line into the office you may need to Bind some of those protocols to either WAN1 or WAN2 as there have been known issues in the past with Dual WAN ports on the RV0xx units.

Regards Simon
http://www.linksysinfo.org

[mallardnathan]

Sounds great. I believe I'm all set! Thanks again for all your help! Sure appreicate it! Congrats on your achievement this month too!

[linksysinfo]

Cheers, it was for last month actually so the award will go next month.  hopefully you shouldn't have to keep tweaking the RV042G to much more and it work just fine - well better than my RV220W lol

Regards Simon
http://www.linksysinfo.org

[mallardnathan]

Hello again! Quick question. How do you set reserved IP address assigned via DHCP? That might be better for a couple of our interal network devices instead of internal static IP's. Thanks!

[linksysinfo]

Easy.  just goto the DHCP field and fill in the Static DHCP fields.

Assigning static IP addresses by adding devices from a list
Click Show unknown MAC addresses. The IP & MAC binding list appears. If the web browser displays a message about the pop-up window, allow the blocked content.
The devices are listed by the IP address and the MAC address. (Typically the MAC address appears on a label on the bottom panel or back panel of a device.) If needed, you can clickRefresh to update the data.
To select a device, first enter a descriptive Name. Then check the Enable box. Alternatively, select all devices in the list by clicking the check box at the top of the Enable column.
Click OK to add the devices to the Static IP list, or click Close to close the pop-up window without adding the selected devices. After you click OK, a message appears. The message includes important information. Read it before clicking OK. Keep the browser open and wait until the selected MAC addresses appear in the Static IP list.
Modify or remove list entries, as needed:
To modify the settings: Click a device in the list. The information appears in the text fields. Make the changes, and then click Update. If you do not need to make changes, you can click Add New to de-select the entry and clear the text fields.
To delete an entry from the list: Click the entry that you want to delete, and then clickDelete. To select a block of entries, click the first entry, hold down the Shift key, and then click the final entry in the block. To select individual entries, press the Ctrl key while clicking each entry. To de-select an entry, press the Ctrl key while clicking the entry.
Assigning static IP addresses by entering devices manually
In the Static IP Address section, add or edit entries as needed. Remember that the settings are not saved until you click the Save button.
To add a new device to the list: Enter the following information, and then click Add to list.
Static IP Address: Enter the static IP address. You can enter 0.0.0.0 if you want the router to assign a static IP address to the device.
MAC Address: Enter the MAC address of the device. (Typically the MAC address appears on a label on the bottom panel or the back panel of a device.) Enter the address without punctuation.
Name: Enter a descriptive name for the device.
Enable: Check this box to assign the static IP address to this device.
To add another new entry: Enter the information, and then click Add to list.
To modify the settings: Click a device in the list. The information appears in the text fields. Make the changes, and then click Update. If you do not need to make changes, you can clickAdd New to de-select the entry and clear the text fields.
To delete an entry from the list: Click the entry that you want to delete, and then click Delete. To select a block of entries, click the first entry, hold down the Shift key, and then click the final entry in the block. To select individual entries, press the Ctrl key while clicking each entry. To de-select an entry, press the Ctrl key while clicking the entry.
Using the Static IP List to Block Devices
You can use the Static IP list to control access to your network. You can block access by devices that are not on the list or do not have the correct IP address.
Add devices to the Static IP list as described in Static IP Addresses.
Enable or disable the following features:
Block MAC address on the list with wrong IP address: Check this box to prevent a computer from accessing your network if its IP address has been changed. For example, if you previously assigned a static IP address of 192.168.1.100 and someone configures the device to use 192.168.149, the device will not be allowed to connect to your network. This feature discourages users from changing their device IP addresses without your permission. Uncheck the box to allow access regardless of the current IP address assignment.
Block MAC address not on the list: Check this box to block access from devices that are not included in the Static IP list. This feature prevents unknown devices from accessing your network. Uncheck the box to allow access by any connected device that is configured with an IP address in the correct range.

Hope that helps.

Regards Simon
http://www.linksysinfo.org