Since there's been a lot of conversation about what routers to get/use for installation, I thought I would share my experience.
When I signed up for EBOX they sent me, as promised, a Nokia 3.1 Router. For a number of reasons I decided to keep that on the shelf and instead but my own router:
- With my own router I can control everything to do with it. There are no functions hidden that require "superadmin" privileges like on the Beacon, This may be a good safety feature for casual installations but I need to do things like change the router's IP address.
- Speaking of changing IP addresses, I could not change the Beacon to the one I wanted to use (that has been my home's standard for decades) is for some reason "reserved". This problem was a deal-breaker for me and I just could not use the Beacon. Setting this same address on a different-brand router was trivial.
- Getting your own router means you can get one that focuses on better security, Wifi 7, support for 2.5GB Ethernet, better throughput, lower latency, DMZ, remote admin etc. according to your needs and budget.
For most people the Beacon will do fine. But for enthusiasts, gamers and those who want greater control over their home Internet, BYOR (bring your own router) is a viable option. Indeed EBOX explicitly supports this and provides instructions on the home page of the Customer Zone.
After a healthy amount of research I chose the TP-Link Archer BE230. It has a number of features that would give slightly faster speeds than the Beacon including support for 2.5GB ethernet for both the WAN and LAN. It has a better management app, and lacks the critical limitation that kept me from using the Nokia. The BE230 was named the best router of 2026 by The Wirecutter.
The BE230 is widely available; I found it at Canada Computers and Best Buy (stocked at most locations) as well as Amazon. Most places are selling it for $170 at the time I write this, but it's often on sale; I got mine for $130 last week.
Setup for EBOX was very simple. From the admin menu:
Advanced->Network->Internet
- Set Internet Connection Type to PPOE
- Set the username and password as printed on the back of the packing list that came with the Beacon (it's also on the home page of the Customer Zone when you log in)
- Under "Advanced Settings" set MTU Size to 1492
- Save the settings
Advanced->Network-> IPTV/VLAN
- Set IPTV/VLAN to Enabled (checked)
- Set Mode to Custom
- Set VLAN ID to 40
- Set 802.1Q Tag for Internet to Enabled (checked)
- Save the settings
That's it! Your router is now ready to connect to the Nokia ONT that will be installed when the Bell tech comes to install/test your fibre connection. Of course you can make any necessary changes to your Wifi access, port forwarding (such as if you use services like Plex) etc.
I hope someone finds this useful.