Using A BT Smarthub, An Update

[#1]

@rsmarsh 

Have you checked your username and password are correct by using them to log in to your Plusnet account?

[#2]

Yeah, I've even gone as far as changing my password to a purely lowercase letters only one to rule out any special character weirdness.
Entered the new login into both plusnet hub and smart hub yet only having luck with the PN hub.

Event logs don't reveal anything, Any method to get more info from the BT hub about what stage is failing?

[#3]

Hi Baldrick,
When I connect a device to the hub it tells me I need to go to a browser to complete BT wifi log in and when I go to the browser I get a service information screen saying service provider unable to accept connection request. At the bottom it says the page is managed by BT Wholesale.
Can't figure out how to attach photos to this post on mobile browsers.
Thanks
Sam

[#4]

I have been using a BT SmartHub for quite some time with no issues. However, 3 months ago, I decided to improve the wi-fi connectivity upstairs and connected a BT Wi-Fi Extender 600 after a factory reset. All working well until ~24 hours later, the BT Smart Hub was not connecting to the internet anymore. I tried to power it down and restart it but nothing worked. I had to bring the original Plusnet back and the connection worked. After a couple of days, I put the BT SmartHub back in and it worked perfectly again.

I thought today, I'd give it another try as I still needed some better wi-fi coverage in one of the rooms. Turned on the BT Wi-Fi Extender again and everything was worked until 9pm today when the very same thing happened. I tried to review the BT Hub technical log but I don't seem to find anything that could 

Could be PlusNet blocking my endpoint as it is a non-approved device?  Could it be BT interfering with the BT SmartHub router as it is not connected to their network? Perhaps a long shot but any experts out there (@Baldrick1 ‌‌😉) can give me some pointers?

Many thanks

[#5]

@xurek 

I’m confused. Are you trying to set it up using an Ethernet cable or wireless? It sounds like you are trying to connect to BTWiFi rather than the hub WiFi as per the label on the back. 
Can you connect to it using an Ethernet cable?

[#6]

@xpto 

Plusnet are quite happy for you to use a third party hub.

[#7]

I am setting it each time with ethernet. It connects to the hub and the hub is blue but says "no internet connection". If I try connecting to the WiFi at all on any device I get the previously mentioned issue. This is why I asked if plusnet / bt would have flagged my account when working on it. It's as if no matter what plusnet details I put in it's determined to not let me use this hub yet I had absolutely no problems before.

When the engineer was round he did install one of these new sockets that don't require the ADSL filter, could this have something to do with it perhaps?

[#8]

@xurek 

If you plug a Plusnet hub in does it work? If not report a fault at https://faults.plus.net. I'm wondering if this is a Plusnet problem.

If you log in to the hub Status page is it showing it to be in sync? If so it should tell you the sync speed. If it is in sync (as is suggested by the blue light) then it's most likely either a username/password problem or something at the Plusnet end. When you rang in last time did you get any sensible indication of what they were seeing at their end from the agent?

Is the telephone working?

If the new type of master socket is fitted, does the front clip on? If so then these can be troublesome. If you unclip the front section, it pulls off and in behind you will see the test socket. Plug your old filter in here to see if this is the problem.

If you have the older type then the front is retained by two screws. If you take them out you can pull the front off and again try the test socket.

Note that no extensions will work when you are connected in this mode.

Neither BT or Plusnet know whether you are connected to the hub via wireless or Ethernet so that is not a factor.

[#9]

@Baldrick1 

Unfortunately I don't have a plusnet router available. Mine packed in 18 months ago that's why I bought the smart hub.

When I first phoned they said everything looked fine on plusnet end but it was an openreach issue after the outtage. Openreach came out said everything was fine with the connection and it was some uncommon issue on BT's end. They apparently sorted it and plusnet came back and said issued resolved, hard reset and set up router again.

Does appear to be in sync there is a sync speed on status page. I have confirmed username and password so I know they are definitely correct and yes telephone is working.

Have tried the test socket with old filter and it hasn't made a difference.

The reason I mentioned potential blocking on the hub is because it seems to have been reported by the openreach engineer that I had been using a third party router so I started getting paranoid in my frustration!

Also I wasn't clear enough for the sign in issue. I meant that it asks me to sign into the BT Hub wifi as normal but when I click to enter the password it opens a brower and takes me to a BT wholesale page. I've (hopefully) attached a screenshot.

I guess I just need to go back to plusnet at this point - appreciate you taking the time to keep responding with help.

Cheers

Sam

[#10]

@xurek 

This is weird.

One thing that I note is that your firmware is way out of date. This should have updated automatically ages ago.

For some reason the hub is not connecting to Plusnet's servers. Either your username/password in incorrect or unacceptable. Have you updated your Plusnet account password during the time since you first installed the hub and included any special characters in the password? If so then go back in to your account and change it to alpha numeric ones only as early versions of the Smarthub firmwhere couldn't cope with these extra characters. Just ignore the Plusnet instruction to use one or more, they are not needed.

Have you double checked that there's no spaces or typos between your username and @plusdsl.net?

If it's neither of these then I would report the fault again at https://faults.plus.net.

There are hundreds of Plusnet customers using BT hubs so it's not this practice being blocked.

[#11]

My password didn't contain any special characters before or after the fault until yesterday when I tried changing and you have to now include a special character. But I was already having the problems before I did this so I don't think that's the issue. The only reason I changed it was so I knew 110% what it was as I was starting to second guess myself. Yes have checked username and password numerous times.

Will report the fault again and see if I get anywhere.

Thanks

[#12]

Same here - BT SmartHub is still running the firmware from 2020. Any ideas on how to force the upgrade?

[#13]

@xurek  @xpto 

I might be wrong about the firmware version. I confess that I have noy followed it recently and the 2020 version might well be the latest now that BT have moved on to the Smarthub 2. Either way, you can't uodate it yourself, it's triggured automatically as part of the process when the hub does its regular TR069 check in with BT.

[#14]

@Baldrick1 

So does the BT Smarthub Router do a TR069 check with BT even though it is on a Plusnet Network?  So do users of all BT equipment/routers get the updates via Plusnet or is there another way?

Thanks

Nic

[#15]

@NicDB 

All Smarthubs check in with BT and update firmware using TR069 regardless of whether they are connected to BT or Plusnet accounts. The updates come directly from the BT connection. I have no idea whether Plusnet updates come from the same source. As the Hub One and Hub Two are both derived from BT products, the Home Hub 5A and Smarthub 2 respectively, it would not surprise me.