BT SmartHub – supported filesystems

[D-Dan]

I’m really struggling to get info on this. I have a BT SmartHub (which BT were kind enough to supply for free after I complained enough). I have a USB HD plugged in, which is used as an NFS drive (and it works just fine, mounted as an cifs drive on my PIs, my desktop and my laptop, so pretty much my home network).

The problem is, when I bought it my first step was to format ext4 and plug it in. That was a no-go. No sign of it on the network. Right now, it’s FAT16 formatted, which works just fine, but has a 4GB filesize limit. Right now, I need a 64Gb file (loopback device).

I know FAT32 will handle it, as will NTFS. But, I like my choices, and would like to know what filesystems are actually supported. Anyone know??

Arch Linux, on a Ryzen 7 1800X, 32 GB, 5 (yes -5) HDs inc 5 SSDs, 4 RPi 3Bs + 1 RPi 4B - one as an NFS server with two more drives, PiHole (shut yours), Plex server, cloud server, and other random Pi stuff. Nice CoolerMaster case, 2 x NV GTX 1070 8GB, and a whopping 32" AOC 1440P monitor.

[Dave Rice]

I’ve just got rid of a Smart Hub in a small business I look after. It was flaky as hell. It decided to randomly stop the wired PCs from accessing the wireless printers. The “guest” wireless network defaulted to a paid for BT product. Changed that to find it was a totally open wireless network with a maximum of 13 clients.

It does what it does in it’s own way with very little control on your part. Replaced with a Vigor 2762N and now their network works how they want it to work and they have a secure VPN and a secure guest network. £125 well spent.

Good luck working out what the “Smart” Hub can do and just hope it continues doing it.

[The Duke]

Isn’t the open guest part, a part that any other bt customers can access? As I now in the US one of the big providers does that. If your with them you can jump on anyone else’s router. It’s a cheap way to extend your user reach.

Blanket a large portion of the country for basically free. That’s the theory behind it anyhow.

[blacklion1725]

From distant memory I think they have normal guest access (what Dave mentioned) and then the “FON” feature which is opt in (or maybe opt out) – which creates the huge WiFi network by letting you use a portion of other “FON” users WiFi (and vice versa) – the hotspots used to show up as “BT Openzone FON” or soemthing like that. I never used it as it never seemed a very secure concept (in principle).

 

[Dave Rice]

IIRC guests had to pay £4 an hour (to BT) for internet access if they weren’t members of something. You have to go into the router and specifically change it to “Guest Wi-Fi” and even then BT controls it.

The thing with the Smart Hub is you have to run your network how BT decide as opposed to a proper router like the Vigor which is a tool to allow you to run your network how you want.

I guess for most small businesses this isn’t an issue, all they do is access the internet with 1 or 2 PCs with attached printers and no network devices. Options are minimal and diagnostics are virtually non existent.

The £125 Vigor 2762N is amazing for the money. VDSL2, ADSL, 3G/4G and Ethernet-based Broadband, Four Gigabit LAN, 2 x SSL VPN dialins, Dial-out VPN (Two tunnels), 3G/4G failover, 2 Private LAN Subnets (use the second for guest access), VLANs (Port, 802.1q & Wireless) ,USB file or printer sharing. And it’s rock solid reliability.

[Drezha]

Looking at your original post – are you sure FAT32 will work? Isn’t that also limited to a 4Gb file size?

I ditched my HomeHub as well and use a Netgear nighthawk model. Sorted out the modem internally to connect to BT and then I was off and away.

Interesting to see that the Draytek supports a USB thermoter – I have one of those attached to a Pi in my kitchen to record the temperature (as it’s not the warmest room in the house and I wanted to see by how much!)

"Everything looks interesting until you do it. Then you find it’s just another job" - Terry Pratchett

[Dave Rice]

It could be useful. In small businesses (including the charity I look after) the small cabinets can be crammed.

I bought them a 9U one with a shelf for a Draytek 2830, 16 port switch and a Synology NAS plus two injectors for the WAPs. Plenty of room. They get a new phone and BB supplier who cram it all with their kit. The branch office has a 12U one because it has a 16 port analogue CCTV recorder too and they did the same with that!

[D-Dan]

Drezha wrote:

Looking at your original post – are you sure FAT32 will work? Isn’t that also limited to a 4Gb file size?

You are quite right. It was FAT32 and bombed at 4Gb. I went the long winded route, with a copy off, test an NTFS format, copy on procedure, which seems to be working. At the moment, I’m using dd to create a 64Gb file, which is currently at 16Gb, so looks like this might work.

Fingers crossed.

Arch Linux, on a Ryzen 7 1800X, 32 GB, 5 (yes -5) HDs inc 5 SSDs, 4 RPi 3Bs + 1 RPi 4B - one as an NFS server with two more drives, PiHole (shut yours), Plex server, cloud server, and other random Pi stuff. Nice CoolerMaster case, 2 x NV GTX 1070 8GB, and a whopping 32" AOC 1440P monitor.

[Dave Rice]

Got another smart hub causing problems with wireless devices – printer and Alexa.

Good excuse to visit Cornwall even if it’s only 1 night.

[D-Dan]

Y’know – I’m an idiot. USB drive, trying to get it working as a network drive (with either a rootfs or two on it for the PIs, or a loopback device), plugged in to a router with restricted capabilities (CIFS rather than NFS, limited to FAT or NTFS). Now, two PIs, one running headless, not doing too much work, and powered 24/7, with nothing hanging off the USB ports.

I blame single malt whisky, but I had a revelation. Why am I using the router at all? Plug the drive into the under-utilised Pi and set up a proper NFS share from there.

The share is working (still NTFS at the moment, but tomorrow it will be ext4), and a proper NFS.

Doh!

Arch Linux, on a Ryzen 7 1800X, 32 GB, 5 (yes -5) HDs inc 5 SSDs, 4 RPi 3Bs + 1 RPi 4B - one as an NFS server with two more drives, PiHole (shut yours), Plex server, cloud server, and other random Pi stuff. Nice CoolerMaster case, 2 x NV GTX 1070 8GB, and a whopping 32" AOC 1440P monitor.

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