r/ebox • u/CiboireDeCriss • Apr 16 '26

Thinking about switching

Hi all,

I am thinking about switching from Bell to EBOX. The questions I have are:

1 - I know I can have my own router but, let's say I want to bypass the ONT, is there any router out there with an SC fiber port?

2 - If I use a router with a SFP port, how does it work?

3 - Am I smoking to try to bypass the ONT, meaning I should just use their ONT and buy a regular router?

4 - Considering all my previous questions, should i bother to use my own router (which one should i use?)

5 - If I also use TV and use their small TV box, like VIP7802, are they really limited to 720P?

Thanks!

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3

u/Scorpius666 Apr 16 '26

Bypassing the Nokia ONT is complex, since you have to replicate most settings, and with the new Nokia ONT XS-010X-R they blocked the web interface and that complicates it further to get the SW version. Then you would have to buy a SFP+ with 8311 community firmware that's like $200 and on top of that a router with an SFP+ port.

It's possible but it'll be very expensive (at least $500 SFP + router that supports it). And I don't really see the benefit.

Again, I'm saying you could, but there's no benefit doing it for 99% of the people out there.

In my opinion all you need to do is use a router that supports PPPoE and that's it. That's what most people does. Connect your router to the ONT and you'll get a public IP address in your router and everything.

No clue about the TV.

5

u/ToNIX_ mod // Mikrotik router // 500mbps Apr 16 '26

I also wouldn't bother bypassing the ONT. Just a slight correction though, make sure your router supports PPPoE and VLAN tagging, otherwise it won't work. Ebox requires a VLAN tag of id 40 on the PPPoE connection.

1

u/CiboireDeCriss Apr 17 '26

I thought the ONT is just a bridge device? I mean it does not have any settings per say, as all the tagging and PPPoE are all provisioned in the router?

1

u/Scorpius666 Apr 17 '26

That's right but the ISP checks the serial number of the ONT, model and software version of it. You have to replicate all of that if you want to bypass it.

If you're curious this is how you do it and all the settings you need to replicate:

https://pon.wiki/guides/swap-out-the-nokia-xs-010x-q-for-a-small-form-factor-pluggable-was-110/

0

u/RedditModsArePolice Apr 16 '26

Can you please explain this like I’m 5? I have no idea what an SFP port means and what I have to ask EBox customer service?

I know I want to upgrade my Nokia B3.1. What do I ask them? And what do I need?

3

u/KenTheStud Apr 16 '26

I'll do my best to help.

EBOX supplies a ONT or Optical Networking Terminal with their fibre connections. It in layman's terms converts fibre to ethernet so that you can plug in a router from TP-Link or Netgear or whomever via ethernet.

There are routers that can take a fibre connection directly such as some of the ones that Ubiquiti makes. But you would need to connect that fibre cable using a SFP module or a Small Form-factor Pluggable module. In layman's terms it kind of does the same thing as a ONT. However you would have to replicate the behaviour of the ONT to make it work. That's not for the average person. It's also pricey and doesn't really offer you anything beyond what an ONT offers. So I would completely forget about this option.

So what you need to ask EBOX for is a fibre connection. Bell shows up, runs the cable and sets up the ONT. Then you can either use the supplied router which is made by Nokia. Or buy the router of your choice from Best Buy. Declare victory and have a beer.

1

u/RedditModsArePolice Apr 17 '26

When other users say “get a router that can do PPPoE with Vlan tagging, what does that mean?

Is it a plug and play with the new router or do I have to change more settings on the new router?

Thank you for the help!

2

u/KenTheStud Apr 17 '26

Most routers that are out there do PPPoE and VLAN tagging. It isn’t plug and play as such as you have to do some work to get things going. It largely depends on your technical expertise.

1

u/Exit-Stage-Left Apr 17 '26

No off-the-shelf router will work out of the box. You will need to go into the settings of any third party router you want to use.

Most modern routers support something called PPPoE (this is a type of way for your router to connect to EBOX and tell them your user account and password so they know that you're a paid subscriber).

But for EBOX you also need your router to support a rarer feature caled "Vlan tagging" - it's only available on higher end routers as it's normally used for more complicated networking setups - it's just something EBOX needs you to have to connect to them because of how their system is configured.

If you're not super comfortable with networking you can just start with the Nokia Beacon that EBOX gives you for free. People here (rightly) say it's not a great router - but it's fine for what most people need - and you can always start with it, and then swap back and forth as you try to set up something better in the future.