Using A BT Smarthub, An Update

[#1]

Thanks for all your help with this @Baldrick1 . I have a small query (I think)

With the help of your posts, I  set up my Smarthub a couple of months ago, but I've found that random pieces of kit will suddenly lose connection, and fail to connect, until I turn the hub off and on again.

Is there a fix for this?

John

[#2]

@John_Hull 

I have never come across this problem with a Smarthub. Have you separated the 2.4 and 5GHz bands as leaving them synchronised can cause connection problems, hence the instruction to separate them.

[#3]

Hi

Thanks for the response. I hadn't separated them, but will try it. It's a random thing. My wife's phone did it a bit, until I changed the settings so that it didn't randomise a Mac address, then it seemed to be fine, but every now and then a piece of kit loses connection, and won't reconnect

I have noticed that some devices connect on 2.4 sometimes and 5GHz at others. That was why I wanted to leave it for the system to decide which was best.

Again. Thanks for your help.

John

[#4]

@John_Hull 

If you connect the device to each band in turn turn then both channels will be available to the device. Consequently depending on the device, when it comes into range it will still have both available and depending on how good the device firmware is should still pick the best,

[#5]

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@quelquod

Since I've reading this, and Baldrick1's other excellent thread, I get the feeling that I have a rare version of the BT Smarthub 6.

The box says it is a SI 7.0 Item Code 088044

The firmware version is v0.11.01.10191-BT and I have a blank "software variant" field.

This seems to be different to most of the software/firmware versions talked about in this discussion.

Your Advanced wireless page looks like mine, so was wondering if you had the same model as me?

[#6]

Thanks for all of the @Baldrick1 - picked up a BT Home Hub 6 from Ebay and configured up with your instructions; all connected & firmware updated nicely too. So far so good.

Just a small pointer for anyone with Plusnet who comes from a "Force9 account lineage" - the broadband username will be of format "username@f9.co.uk"  

Best,

Darren 

[#7]

A caveat, and a question;

A while ago I bought an unused Business Smart Hub 6 from eBay, and configured it as per Baldrick1's helpful advice.

I like it - it works well, and the signal strength is vastly better than my original Plusnet supplied router.😍

Sadly, I am falling foul of the well known "Hub 6 keeps rebooting" problem. This afflicts some unknown proportion of homes, and has no known cure. I say "home", because one BT customer was supplied with no less than 3 new routers in succession, none of which solved the problem. In fact, I have not found one thread where the "hub 6 reboot" problem has been cured. All successful outcomes involved changing either ISP, or router, or both.

To repeat (for the nervous) this issue affects some homes/site, but the proportion seems rather small.

Given that I am so afflicted, would an earlier BT model (presumably a 5 or 4 would be best) work with Plusnet, and be configured in a similar way?

It somewhat lessen immersion in a film when you're constantly keeping an eye on the router display. 😥

  BugBear

Link the thread with my reboot issues and attempts to cure:

https://community.plus.net/t5/My-Router/BT-Smart-Hub-6/m-p/1786086#M23771

[#8]

@bugbear 

The Home Hub 4 is ADSL only.so won’t work on Fibre.  A HH5 will but be aware that a Plusnet Hub One is a repackaged Home Hub 5a with tweeked firmware so any difference in performance might not be significant.

It sounds like this rebooting issue is a local environment issue. Maybe too low or high mains voltage as an example.

[#9]

I'm currently on ADSL.

My Plusnet router is the old Thompson 585.

As I said, I've never seen a thread/post of a Smarthub 6 fault diagnosed and fixed such that a Smart Hub 6 became usable. (and I looked pretty hard). I agree that it is likely an "environment" issue (perhaps dirty  mains or dirty data), but I don't knoww how to diagnose or fix this.

So it looks like a 4 or 5 might suit. Cheap enough to try.

  BugBear

[#10]

Got a Hub 5 from eBay.

Despite outer wrapper saying Hub 5, the hub (unused) in the box is a Hub 4.

Trying it anyway (only £13 delivered!) and seems to be working at the moment.

Is there any way to turn off the public "BT Wifi" ?

  BugBear

[#11]

@bugbear 

No, but even though it says it's active it isn't as it isn't connected to the BT System.

It will be interesting to hear if it's any better than a Hub One.

[#12]

@bugbear  have you done a factory reset on the Hub?

From memory the Hub 4 is ADSL only.

[#13]

@Mustrum 

 See https://community.plus.net/t5/My-Router/Using-A-BT-Smarthub-An-Update/m-p/1809950#M26346

I have set one up for a friend as a WAP and found it to be a good dual band device with superior WiFi to Plusnet’s current ADSL offering.

[#14]

Hub 4 configured and running, and being used to make this very post. Given the inconsistent failure/reboot interval of the Hub 6, I won't really be able to comment on reliability until at least 3-4 days have past.

Wifi speed is more than adequate, since I'm limited by the ADSL line.

Wifi range seem comparable to the 6.

   BugBear

[#15]

Are you sure?

I've checked my access points and my 2 "intended" access point both have twins (one on 2.4 Ghz, one on 5Ghz), on the same channel; These are both called

"BTWifi-X"

   BugBear