Verizon 5G Home Internet IP Passthrough & Bridge Mode Guide

Updated 2026-10-09 • By Marcus Vance, CCNA (Senior Network Engineer)

To enable Bridge Mode (IP Passthrough) on Verizon 5G Home Internet gateways (ASK-NCQ1338, ASK-NCQ1338FA, ARC-XCI55AX, and WNC-CR200A), log into http://192.168.1.1 using the Admin password on the bottom label, navigate to Advanced > Network Settings > Network Connections > Network (Home/Office) > Settings, check IP Passthrough, connect your router's WAN port to LAN Port 2, and set WAN MTU to 1428.

1. Why Verizon 5G IP Passthrough Beats T-Mobile 5G for Custom Routers

Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) 5G Home Internet providers use cellular modems built into indoor window/cube gateways. While T-Mobile 5G Home Internet forces residential users behind Carrier-Grade NAT (100.64.0.0/10) with no bridge mode and no inbound port forwarding, Verizon 5G Home Internet and LTE Home Internet assign a dynamic public IPv4 address and include a dedicated IP Passthrough (Bridge Mode) option across all current gateways:

• Askey White Cube: Models ASK-NCQ1338, ASK-NCQ1338FA, and ASK-NCM1100 (C-Band n77 / Sub-6 5G).
• Arcadyan White Cube: Model ARC-XCI55AX (C-Band n77 / 4G LTE).
• WNC Vertical Rectangular Gateway: Model WNC-CR200A (3-port LAN + C-Band).
• Verizon Internet Gateway (mmWave Window/Wall Receiver): Models LVSKIHP and LV65.

Before touching the Verizon gateway, log into your own router and verify that its internal LAN IP range is not 192.168.1.0/24 (use 192.168.50.0/24 or 10.10.1.0/24) so it never collides with the Verizon cube's management IP at 192.168.1.1.

2. Step-by-Step: Enabling IP Passthrough at http://192.168.1.1

Flip your Verizon 5G Home gateway upside down and photograph the bottom sticker to copy the Admin Password (distinct from the Wi-Fi Password). Connect a laptop to the Verizon gateway and open http://192.168.1.1 (accept the browser security warning if redirected to HTTPS):

• On ASK-NCQ1338 / NCQ1338FA & ARC-XCI55AX: Go to Advanced → Network Settings → Network Connections. Click Network (Home/Office), then click the Settings button at the bottom of the page. Scroll down, check the box for IP Passthrough, and click Apply / Save Changes.
• On WNC-CR200A (New UI): Navigate to Advanced → Network Settings → IP Passthrough, toggle IP Passthrough to On, and save.
• Disable Verizon WiFi Radios (If Not Stripped Automatically): While recent firmware automatically turns off 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz radios when IP Passthrough is enabled, verify under Wi-Fi → Primary Network and Guest Network that all radios and SON (Self-Organizing Network) are toggled Off to prevent 5 GHz co-channel interference with your own router.

3. Connecting to LAN Port 2 & Fixing the 1428 MTU Cellular Quirk

Here is the hardware detail that trips up most installs on the Askey ASK-NCQ1338 and Arcadyan ARC-XCI55AX cubes: when IP Passthrough is enabled, the gateway bridges the cellular WAN IP specifically to Ethernet Port 2 (LAN 2), reserving Port 1 (LAN 1) for emergency local management access. Plug a Cat6 patch cable from LAN 2 on the Verizon cube into the WAN / Internet port on your router, then reboot your router.

Once your router acquires its public Verizon WAN IPv4 address via DHCP, inspect one critical cellular parameter: WAN MTU Size. Over Verizon's 5G NSA/SA core, GPRS Tunneling Protocol (GTP-U) and IPsec overhead reduce the effective Path MTU below the standard 1500-byte Ethernet frame. If corporate IPsec/WireGuard VPNs, Microsoft Teams calls, or PlayStation Network sign-ins stall while basic web browsing works, go to your router's WAN Settings and lower the MTU from 1500 to 1428 (and enable TCP MSS Clamping to 1388 if using pfSense, OPNsense, or Ubiquiti UniFi).

4. How to Access the Verizon Gateway GUI After Enabling Bridge Mode

After enabling IP Passthrough, how do you check your Verizon 5G signal bars (RSRP and SINR on 5G C-Band n77) or reboot the gateway if needed? As long as your third-party router's LAN subnet is different from 192.168.1.0/24 (for example, 192.168.50.1/24), your router will naturally forward traffic destined for https://192.168.1.1 out its WAN port to the Verizon cube, where the cube intercepts it and serves the admin page.

However, on certain firmware releases of the ARC-XCI55AX and WNC-CR200A, the gateway drops management HTTP requests arriving on the bridged LAN 2 port once the public WAN lease is active. In that case, simply plug a laptop into LAN Port 1 on the Verizon gateway (or temporarily assign your laptop a static IP of 192.168.1.50, subnet mask 255.255.255.0) and open https://192.168.1.1. In a worst-case misconfiguration, press and hold the recessed pinhole Reset button on the bottom of the Verizon cube for 15 seconds until the front status LED flashes amber to restore factory defaults.

Verizon 5G Home Gateway IP Passthrough Reference Matrix

Verizon 5G Home Internet Bridge Mode Setup Checklist

1. Changed your third-party router's internal LAN IP subnet away from 192.168.1.0/24 (e.g., to 192.168.50.0/24 or 10.0.1.0/24).
2. Placed the Verizon 5G gateway near an exterior window facing the nearest Verizon C-Band/mmWave cell site with 5G RSRP better than -95 dBm.
3. Logged into http://192.168.1.1 using the bottom-label Admin password and enabled IP Passthrough under Network Settings.
4. Confirmed all 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz WiFi radios on the Verizon gateway are turned off.
5. Connected a Cat6 cable from Ethernet Port 2 (LAN 2) on the Verizon gateway to your router's WAN port and rebooted the router.
6. Verified your router received a public WAN IPv4 address (not 192.168.1.x) and lowered WAN MTU to 1428 if VPNs or TLS sites stall.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my router still show a 192.168.1.x WAN IP after enabling IP Passthrough on my Verizon 5G cube?

First, verify that your Ethernet cable is plugged into Port 2 (LAN 2) on the back of the ASK-NCQ1338 or ARC-XCI55AX rather than Port 1. Second, renew your router's WAN DHCP lease (or reboot the router) after the Verizon gateway finishes its 90-second passthrough transition.

Does IP Passthrough on Verizon 5G Home Internet fix Strict NAT (Type 3) on PS5 and Xbox?

Yes! Unlike T-Mobile 5G Home Internet, Verizon 5G Home assigns a public IPv4 address to your router when IP Passthrough is enabled, upgrading your console from Double NAT / Strict NAT to NAT Type 2 (Open/Moderate) and allowing inbound port forwarding and UPnP to work normally.

Why does Verizon's IP Passthrough assign a very short 2-minute or 5-minute DHCP lease time?

Verizon's cellular gateway uses a short 120-to-300-second DHCP lease timer on the passthrough interface so that if the cellular base station rotates your public IPv4 address, your router picks up the new IP quickly. If your firewall logs fill with DHCP renew noise or briefly drop packets during cellular IP rotation, ensure your firewall allows DHCP responses from 192.168.1.1 on UDP port 68.

Should I also enable DMZ when turning on IP Passthrough on the Verizon gateway?

No—never enable both DMZ and IP Passthrough at the same time on a Verizon gateway. Enabling both creates a routing table conflict in the gateway's iptables firewall that breaks inbound port forwarding; use IP Passthrough alone.

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