4G router

Hi
Currently I have a poor internet service send via copper wires and desire something better.

So went along with a Zyxel external router, a LTE7490-M904 with a 3 sim. Very happy with speeds

Only problem I have is connecting more than one device to it.
I used a Netgear smart ethernet switch which I already had thinking could connect another laptop to it and a printer. Printer works fine but laptop no. If I connect another laptop via the switch there is no internet available on it until I disconnect the original pc then all is fine on the laptop. Then though there is no internet on the pc until I disconnect the laptop. I am sure it all revolves around addresses of one sort or another. Has been suggested on Zyxel forum to disable IP passthrough. According to Zyxel info this should be an oprion but on my unit is not available.
Any idea will be gratefully received.

@Bogart, you need to put a router behind the Zyxel otherwise you are currently putting your printer on the public internet for anyone to access.

Sorry but how do you see that?

as meritez said​

Buy a WIFI router with specifications according to your needs and connect the Zyxel ethernet cable to the wan port of the WIFI router, login to the admin portal and complete setup

The Zyxel device you have should also have router function according to the manual.
Could be that your smart switch has incorrect settings.
A basic non smart switch such as tplink or netgear for £20 would be a good choice.
Or reset your smart switch to defaults and set it up to work with the Zyxel.

This link has links to manual and mentions router function.

Bogart said:

Sorry but how do you see that?

Click to expand...

Has been suggested on Zyxel forum to disable IP passthrough. According to Zyxel info this should be an oprion but on my unit is not available.

Click to expand...

IP Passthrough passes through your public ip address to your local devices, the Zyxel is currently in a modem state, it does not do routing and you cannot enable it.

Thankfully, I think only Three UK (of the UK mobile networks) with the 3internet APN will provide a publicly routable IPv4 address. I'm not sure about the routability of IPv6 addresses provided but suspect they may not be publicly routable either by design or insufficient configuration.

IP passthrough to a client device is still obviously a bad idea. With a switch behind the router in IP passthrough, I guess there is non-determinism (as to which client device receives the WAN IP address) which is exactly the symptom reported.

The recommendation to disable IP passthrough on the Zyxel so that it acts as a router and DHCP server for client devices connected to the switch, seems to be reasonable.

Really, one should not be using IP passthrough (or bridge mode, which is similar) unless one knows what one is doing. And if IP passthrough is used, it's usually the intention that it should passthrough to the WAN interface of a router, and it would be very special circumstances to passthrough to a client device (and a printer being the client device would almost never be a valid case).

Well following what I was told by someone on the ZYXEL forum I did manage to disable IP passthrough and can now connect both computers at the same time.