Bt homehub

stevetiler

stevetiler

Suspended / Banned
Messages
1,475
Name
Steve
Edit My Images
Yes
So BT have sent me a replacement home hub - can I just pull out the old one and plug in the new? Or is it more involved ??

Steve
 
From my experiences yes it is pretty much plug and play (or pray?)
 
Blimey that was quick !! Thanks everyone I'll give it a go!
 
And when you decide the HH is pants, you should upgrade to an Asus RT-N66U (or -AC66U if you want the new fangled AC connection).

That's got that one out the way :D
 
Does that work with BT infinity-*** the first HH was pants that's why I've been sent a new one!
 
Yes :)

By the way, if you are having problems with wi-fi, you may want to check the HH doesn't have auto select for wi-fi frequency. The performance could be pants because when you switch it on, the ether is free of wi-fi signals, only to find your neighbours switch on and compete with you sometime later in the day...
 
I'd second the comment about interference. I had a problem with poor connectivity a while ago. Fortunately on a Mac you can scan for local wi-fi and see what channels are in use. I switched to one well away from the others and problem stopped.
 
stevetiler said:
Okay - so what is the best channel to use?
Click to expand...
Which ever is farthest away from your neighbours so I can't tell you that. Not used a HH - does it allow you to scan for neighbouring networks?
 
I don't think it does- there is a programme for that but I can't remember its name!
 
Thanks all- all working good at the moment.............!
 
which hub did they send?

I'm getting a bit board with my home hub 3 :D
 
Exactly the same! Seems to be working better though.
 
arad85 said:
And when you decide the HH is pants, you should upgrade to an Asus RT-N66U (or -AC66U if you want the new fangled AC connection).

That's got that one out the way :D
Click to expand...

Have used BT's Homehubs for years, never a scrap of trouble.

Care to be more specific arad?

Pete
 
Pete Gl said:
Have used BT's Homehubs for years, never a scrap of trouble.

Care to be more specific arad?

Pete
Click to expand...

  • Only 1 gigabit port
  • No dual band until Hh4
  • only 2x2 on HH4
  • Dubious selection of default WiFi channel

There are more issues but just off the top of my head....

Until you use something better, it probably doesn't mean that much...

EDIT:


Fundamentally, I've never found a good router supplied with any BB package.
 
Last edited:
Talk talk one is more than good!
 
Mikesphotaes said:
Talk talk one is more than good!
Click to expand...
Umm... http://www.trustedreviews.com/talktalk-fibre-router_Peripheral_review (first I came across).

  • Not dual band (if you have capable kit, the easiest way of making sure it performs the fastest is to get it on the 5GHz frequencies as generally no one has hardware capable of 5GHz, so you can use it without competing with your neighbours).
  • NO gigabit (really??? in this day and age?)
  • Can't hit advertised speeds (a lot of routers run out of puff on fibre if you switch everything on)
  • Poor WAN->LAN/wifi performance (see page 2 of the review)
  • ...

I'm on a business contract and got sent a Zyxel NBG4604 which is a semi-managed "high end" router (and is still £70 online even though discontinued). Whilst it at least has 4 x gigabit ports, it cannot handle running the web UI AND downloading at 60Mbits/sec simultaneously and is only 2.4GHz. It sits pre-configured in the cupboard in case my firewall computer dies as it isn't really fit for purpose.

If you want wireless performance comparisons, the best site I've found is http://www.smallnetbuilder.com They seem to have the most rigorous testing, although they are US based so you may have difficulty finding the exact routrer you have if supplied by an ISP.

The freeebies generally are the cheapest router the operator feel they can get away with. You should treat them as such IMHO...
 
It hasn't dropped the connection yet, wireless strength is higher than my Netgear router and you're the fella that told me how to connect up my gigabit switches :lol:

That's all real world good to me.
 
Mikesphotaes said:
It hasn't dropped the connection yet, wireless strength is higher than my Netgear router and you're the fella that told me how to connect up my gigabit switches :lol:
Click to expand...
So you're already working around one of the weaknesses of the router by adding gbit switches ;) :D You will be limited to 100Mbit between whatever is connected to your switches and wi-fi - no matter how fast the wi-fi is plus the wireless strength may be better, but still may be limiting your throughput. When I moved from my old Netgear to the Asus, I did a speedtest.net before swapping which 3Mbps in my bedroom. When I replaced it with the Asus (in exactly the same position) it jumped to my maximum Internet throughput of 60Mbps. Ms Andy noticed significant improvement in browsing performance too...

Also, the cheaper routers can often have software issues if you want to start doing something a little more esoteric (you may not want to do this but...) such as VoIP or port forwarding. Another example is stability once pushed - the old Be router I had was notoriously flaky when stressed for example. This is normally down to underpowered CPUs or not enough memory in the system - all cost savers.

People often skimp on network infrastructure, but it can come back to bite them. Having been through a swathe of cheap routers and switches (I'd often get weird issues with the cheaper equipment that would mean I'd need to power cycle it), I now have invested a little in my network infrastructure. My 2 managed switches (I have 2 16 port switches at either end of the house which would be overkill for 99.9% of people) plus the Asus probably cost around the price of a cheap laptop. Since investing in them, I have had precisely 0 problems and have great speed anywhere in or outside the house (and I do some esoteric stuff!!).

You pays your money....
 
What is a reliable way to measure wireless speed? I normally use speedtest.net,but the results vary wildly!
 
stevetiler said:
What is a reliable way to measure wireless speed? I normally use speedtest.net,but the results vary wildly!
Click to expand...
The best way is to another computer on the wired bit of the network using something like iperf as you are then in a completely repeatable scenario without relying on your BB. It is, however a bit of a techie way of doing it as you are at command lines on the two computers.

Try wiring the computer (I assume a laptop) to the gigabit port on the HH, disabling wireless and then testing it. This should approach the speed of your Infinity connection and should be fairly constant. Try a few times to get a feel for how repeatable it is (mine is pretty much repeatable unless there is a network problem somewhere...). Then switch wireless back on and disconnect from the HH and try again wirelessly and see what the speed is like.
 
I normally get about 70+ on the wired side but only around 15-20 on the wireless - is that good or bad ? (The wireless )
 
stevetiler said:
I normally get about 70+ on the wired side but only around 15-20 on the wireless - is that good or bad ? (The wireless )
Click to expand...

Wireless g is limited to 54Mbps but that isn't duplex and it is shared. So that will be about your limit unless you upgrade to N and all devices are N as 1 G device limits the speed of all N devices I believe.
 
HH 5 is being released 'later this year' (didn't specify which year :))

A tad annoying for all those who just bought a HH4.
 
john-oh said:
HH 5 is being released 'later this year' (didn't specify which year :))

A tad annoying for all those who just bought a HH4.
Click to expand...
Hmm.. possibly the first that may be decent - will need to see what the s/w quality and hardware memory sizes are like first though.

From: http://www.btplc.com/News/Articles/Showarticle.cfm?ArticleID=89E546D4-A694-4164-96ED-AF49C91E40FE

BT said:
Hub 5 will build upon the unrivalled reliability of Hub 4 and add superfast 802.11ac Wi-Fi and 4 GigE ports so customers can further exploit the superfast speeds of BT Infinity. Additionally, the Hub 5 will come with an integrated VDSL modem meaning that BT Infinity customers will no longer need two boxes in their house.

When Hub 5 is launched it will be included in all BT Infinity packages as standard. Existing Infinity customers will be able to recontract to get a Home Hub 5 for free or will be able to buy one for a small fee. Hub 4 will continue to be offered as an inclusive part of the package with all copper broadband packages.
Click to expand...
 
Update- after living with my "new" bt homehub for a few weeks I can report it is as crap as the old one! Gonna get onto them again......
 
stevetiler said:
Update- after living with my "new" bt homehub for a few weeks I can report it is as crap as the old one! Gonna get onto them again......
Click to expand...

arad85 said:
And when you decide the HH is pants, you should upgrade to an Asus RT-N66U (or -AC66U if you want the new fangled AC connection).

That's got that one out the way :D
Click to expand...

;)
 
Okay I'm listening,

So if I bought one of these whats involved setting it up in my existing setting?

steve
 
I'm assuming you have the 2 box Infinity (i.e. separate modem that plugs into the telephone line plus the HH). Correct? If so, just replace the HH in your network.

If so, it's quite easy to setup. BT don't have login details as they use the phoneline as your login. You will need to setup the WAN connection (i.e. the Internet connection):

PPPoE
Username: bthomehub@btbroadband.com
Password: anything

You should just be able to replace the HH with it, but you will need to configure the wifi and DHCP. It's all web based (the default IP address is 192.168.1.1 whereas the HH one is 192.168.1.254) and is fairly easy (lots of guides on the internet - I think there are a few on the Asus product pages).
 
Thanks Andy,
Just rung BT-thought I'd give them one last chance-outcome was theyre going to send me a HH4 on tuesday so will give that a whirl and report back!
If thats no good the I will try and source the Asus!

Steve
 
So they've sent me a home-hub 5! Didnt know they existed-it says that I dont need the white Openreach box anymore-is that right? Is it plug n play?
Steve
 
Last edited:
In the instructions it has diagrams for set up with and without the White box so guess I'll just give it a whirl and see what happens!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top