Sonic 10G Fiber Router Setup: Use Your Own Router with the ONT
To connect your own router to Sonic 10G Fiber, plug your router's 10GbE or 2.5GbE WAN port directly into the 10G RJ45 Ethernet jack on the Adtran SDX 622v or 6310 XGS-PON ONT. Sonic delivers untagged Dynamic DHCP (IPoE) with zero PPPoE credentials or VLAN tagging, but you must release the old eero gateway DHCP lease or power down the ONT for 10 minutes to clear MAC address locks.
- Dedicated Layer-2 Optical Bridge: Sonic's Adtran XGS-PON ONTs are pure optical transceivers with zero built-in routing, NAT, or firewalling. You bypass the rented eero router completely with zero double NAT.
- Untagged Dynamic DHCP (IPoE): Sonic residential fiber requires no 802.1Q VLAN IDs (unlike CenturyLink VLAN 201). WAN interfaces should be set to standard Automatic/Dynamic IP.
- 10GBASE-T WAN Hardware Requirement: To utilize Sonic's symmetrical 10 Gbps speeds, your router must feature a native 10GbE RJ45 or SFP+ WAN port (such as the ASUS RT-BE96U, QNAP QHora-301W, or a custom OPNsense box).
- Native IPv6 /56 Prefix Delegation: Enable DHCPv6 Prefix Delegation (IA-PD) on your router WAN to receive a native /56 prefix yielding 256 individual /64 local LAN subnets.
Sonic 10G Fiber Architecture: Adtran XGS-PON ONTs
Sonic Telecom operates one of the fastest residential fiber networks in the United States across Northern and Southern California (including San Francisco, the East Bay, Silicon Valley, and Los Angeles). Built on symmetrical 10G XGS-PON (ITU-T G.9807.1) architecture, Sonic delivers uncapped 10 Gbps symmetrical download and upload speeds to single-family homes and MDUs.
At your home demarcation, Sonic installs a standalone Optical Network Terminal (ONT):
- Adtran SDX 622v: Compact desktop or wall-mounted indoor 10G XGS-PON terminal with one 100M/1G/2.5G/5G/10G NBase-T RJ45 Ethernet port and two POTS telephone jacks.
- Adtran SDX 6310: Commercial-grade 10G optical receiver equipped with a 10GbE port for subscribers on multi-gigabit symmetrical tiers.
- CommScope / ARRIS ONT: Deployed in legacy GPON legacy footprint areas capped at 1 Gbps.
Crucially, Sonic does not deploy combination modem/router gateways. Their Adtran ONTs perform optical-to-electrical signal conversion at Layer 1/2. Because there is no internal router, firewall, or NAT table in the ONT, there is no 'Bridge Mode' setting to configure. When Sonic supplies an Amazon eero Pro 6E or Max 7, it is simply plugged into the ONT with an Ethernet patch cord.
Clearing the Sonic DHCP MAC Lease Lock
Like most regional fiber providers, Sonic's upstream Broadband Remote Access Server (BRAS) and Optical Line Terminal (OLT) enforce a strict single active IPv4 lease per subscriber port. The public IP address is bound to the physical MAC address of the first router that issues a DHCP Discover packet.
If you unplug the Sonic-provided eero and immediately connect your new router, the WAN port will show 'Disconnected' or receive an APIPA address (169.254.x.x). To avoid a prolonged lockout:
- Graceful DHCP Release (Recommended): Log into your current router's management interface (or eero mobile application), navigate to Internet > WAN Settings, and click Release DHCP Lease.
- Physical ONT Power-Cycle (Zero-Software Method): If you cannot access the old router, disconnect the Ethernet cable between the eero and the Adtran ONT. Unplug the 12V DC power brick of the Adtran ONT. Leave the ONT completely unpowered for 10 to 15 minutes. This allows the upstream BRAS lease timer to expire and flush the subscriber MAC binding table.
- Power Up Sequence: Plug the Adtran ONT power cord back in and wait 3 full minutes until the Power and PON/Broadband LEDs turn solid green. Only then connect the Ethernet cable to your third-party router's WAN port.
Third-Party Router WAN & IPv6 Configuration
Connecting your third-party router to Sonic requires minimal manual WAN configuration. Enter your router's administrative GUI (e.g., 192.168.1.1 for ASUS, 192.168.50.1, or https://192.168.1.1:8443 for UniFi) and apply the following verified parameters:
- WAN Connection Type: Select Automatic IP / Dynamic DHCP (IPoE). Do not select PPPoE, L2TP, or PPTP.
- 802.1Q VLAN ID: Set to Disabled (Untagged). Sonic does not tag residential Internet traffic. (Note: If you have Sonic legacy fiber delivered over AT&T leased lines, VLAN 0 priority tagging may rarely be required, but native Sonic fiber is 100% untagged).
- MTU (Maximum Transmission Unit): Set to standard 1500 bytes.
- IPv6 Configuration: Sonic provides full dual-stack IPv6 routing. In your router's IPv6 tab:
- Connection Type: Native / DHCPv6 Client.
- Prefix Delegation (IA-PD): Enabled. Request a /56 prefix size.
- Auto-Configuration: Stateless DHCPv6 or SLAAC + Stateless.
Once saved, your router will receive a routable public IPv4 address and a delegated /56 IPv6 block providing 256 individual /64 subnets for your local VLANs.
Hardware Requirements to Maximize Sonic 10G Symmetrical
Subscribing to Sonic's symmetrical 10 Gbps tier presents unique hardware bottlenecks that standard Gigabit or even 2.5GbE consumer routers cannot handle. To route at multi-gigabit line rate without bufferbloat or CPU choking:
- Physical Port Speeds: Your router must possess at least two 10GbE interfaces (one 10GbE WAN for the Adtran ONT, and at least one 10GbE LAN or SFP+ cage to feed a multi-gig switch or 10G NAS/workstation). A router with only a 2.5GbE WAN caps your real-world download at ~2,350 Mbps.
- NAT Routing Throughput & Hardware Acceleration: Routing 10 Gbps of small TCP/UDP packets requires either a high-frequency multi-core ARM processor with Packet Acceleration (e.g., Broadcom BCM4916 in the ASUS GT-BE98 Pro) or an x86-64 custom PC running OPNsense/pfSense with an Intel Core i5/i7 (12th Gen+) and Intel X550-T2 / X710 10G NICs.
- Ethernet Cabling: Use Cat6a or Cat7 patch cables between the Adtran ONT and the router. Standard Cat5e is rated for 1 Gbps up to 100m, and while it may negotiate 10G over short runs under 15 meters, it is susceptible to packet loss and thermal degradation at 10GBASE-T frequencies (500 MHz).
Sonic Fiber ONT Hardware Models, WAN Ports, and Network Configuration
| ONT Model | Fiber Standard | Ethernet WAN Port | WAN Encapsulation | 802.1Q VLAN ID | Default Hand-off |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adtran SDX 622v | XGS-PON (10G) | 1x 10GBASE-T (10 Gbps) | Dynamic DHCP (IPoE) | None (Untagged) | Layer-2 Optical Bridge |
| Adtran SDX 6310 | XGS-PON (10G) | 1x 10GBASE-T (10 Gbps) | Dynamic DHCP (IPoE) | None (Untagged) | Layer-2 Optical Bridge |
| Adtran 411 / 401 | GPON (2.5G/1.25G) | 1x 1000BASE-T (1 Gbps) | Dynamic DHCP (IPoE) | None (Untagged) | Layer-2 Optical Bridge |
| CommScope NVG578 | GPON (Legacy) | 1x 2.5GBASE-T / 4x 1G | Dynamic DHCP (IPoE) | None (Untagged) | Internal Gateway (Bridge Required) |
Sonic Fiber Third-Party Router Installation Checklist
- Locate the Adtran 10G ONT and verify Power and Broadband LEDs are solid green.
- Log into the existing router or eero app and execute a graceful WAN DHCP release.
- Power down the Adtran ONT for 10-15 minutes if swapping routers without a software release.
- Connect a high-quality Cat6a patch cable from the ONT 10G port to your router's 10G/2.5G WAN port.
- Ensure WAN connection type is set to Automatic IP / Dynamic DHCP with VLAN tagging disabled.
- Enable DHCPv6 with /56 Prefix Delegation to activate native IPv6 addressing across your LAN.
- Run a wired speed test using the official Sonic Speedtest CLI to verify low-latency 10G line rates.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to put the Sonic fiber ONT in bridge mode?
No. Sonic's Adtran XGS-PON ONTs (SDX 622v and 6310) are dedicated Layer-2 optical media converters. They have no router, NAT, or firewall functions, meaning they operate as transparent bridges out of the box.
What VLAN ID does Sonic Fiber require?
Standard native Sonic residential fiber requires no VLAN tagging (untagged). Leave 802.1Q VLAN disabled on your router's WAN configuration interface.
Why is my router getting a 169.254.x.x IP address when connected to Sonic?
Sonic's upstream OLT locks the public IP lease to the previous router's MAC address. Power-cycle the Adtran ONT by unplugging its power brick for 10 to 15 minutes to clear the MAC address cache, then reconnect your router.
Can I return the rented eero router to Sonic and stop paying rental fees?
Yes. Sonic allows customers to decline or return rented eero mesh nodes. Contact Sonic support to remove the monthly equipment rental fee from your billing statement once your own router is verified operational.
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