Replacing the Homehub

[Drezha]

Have moved to the new house and have setup the internet (woo!) finally. However, it’s my first experience with the Homehub. It does the job, but it’s missing guest networking which I used when I had the Virgin hub so we can hand the password out to people and not have them being able to access my Chromecast, Airplay or NAS devices.

 

Any recommendations? From looks of it, I need a VDSL modem/router combo, so it’s either purchase a VDSL one, or get a router online separately.

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

[blacklion1725]

I tried a combined router modem (VDSL) and didn’t get on very well. If you do a lot of tinkering a separate modem is handy as rebooting the router will not cause a disconnect and therefore won’t affect speed.

Budget is a factor as well. I’ve been on the Asus RT-AC87U for a good while and am very happy with it. There’s up to three guest networks on each band (so six in total), very fast WiFi and 4 gigabit ports. Overkill for a lot of people but the lower-numbered Asus models give a lot of the same features.

I’m also running Merlin software, which is based on the Asus official version, but adds a number of handy tweaks, especially up to five OVPN clients, with selective routing based on IP addresses.

I’ve generally been lucky with Asus Routers (except the VDSL combned one). If you do want a combined one I’ve heard and read very good things about the TP-Links. Otherwise and ECI (cheaper) or Huawei modem off ebay is cheap enough. Apparently it is best to try and match up with what is used in your cabinet but I’ve tested both brands on my line (BT Infinity 1 Business) and could tell no difference.

[Bob Williams]

Before I had the Sky Q Box router and system, I had this:     https://tinyurl.com/myn659t

I really liked it and got on well with it, using Plusnet as ISP. However, PN were rubbish at settling dropouts and I never got more than 6.5 Mbps, often a lot less. I give Sky their due: they sorted this out (eventually) by sending a good engineer, who fitted a new shielded line, new BT boxes, and moved the whole lot nearer to my router. I now get around 13-14 Mbps and a stable broadband. When I reach near the end of my Sky contract, I will dump their TV and either look for a new ISP, or keep Sky but use the N600.

I think Dave has, or had, one of those TP-Link N600’s.

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Dave Rice]

I have pointed customers towards the N600’s and they’ve been very pleased.

I was with Sky until recently so couldn’t change, now I’m on TalkTalk their router does all I want which is very little. The backbone of my network is a Gigabit switch and a Ubiquiti WAP, the router only gets used as a modem and DHCP / DNS server.

Note to Bob, you have to use Sky’s router as they use an obscure authentication method and hide your credentials. (this has now changed as discussed below).

It’s one reason why I went down the independent wireless route. My network will always serve my needs no matter who my ISP is or what kit they provide.

[blacklion1725]

Dave unless things have changed very recently it’s pretty easy to extract the Sky credentials from the Hub using wireshark. You can then use these on your router of choice. Technically you are breaching terms but I’ve helped several people do this with no issues. Worth keeping the Sky Hub for troubleshooting though

[Drezha]

After a day of playing with the Homehub, we might not be able to replace it fully – the BT WiFi item is quite a good deal, letting us access BT WiFi for free anywhere on a BT WiFI hotspot or BT FON point. Means that we give some of our bandwidth away to people if they need to use it, but that might be better than having guest networks. I may just have to look into locking down the NAS more instead as that’s probably the bigger issue.

I might look at it again more seriously when we purchase again, but at the minute, the flat we’re in, the WiFi reaches everywhere we need it to and my PC is currently set up in the front room, so it’ll do for now. If the BT WiFi stuff doesn’t work, then I might change my mind sooner as well.

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

[Ed P]

I THINK that using BT Wifi on a smart phone outside your home is not linked to having a BT Modem, but instead is linked to the BT broadband account and your log-in to that. I vaguely remember trying to set up BT wifi away from my house. I failed, but only because I could not remember my BT logon password.

I do know that log-on from a working home wifi is pretty much automatic so I cannot test my memory over this.

[Dave Rice]

BT WiFi is linked to the account and the hub plays no part How do I connect to a BT Wi-fi hotspot with my laptop?

I don’t think you can use Fon for guests as it looks like you have to buy a Fon pass Buy an Access Pass

I would think your Synology is adequately locked down already. I can’t imagine you would have any open shares.

BL – looks like Sky have made it even easier now. How-To: Replace the Sky default router SR102 with a TP-Link Archer VR900 Comments section

1. Buy Archer VR900 router
2. Plug router in
3. Pick “Sky(MER)_VDSL” from the ISP list
4. Put in “moo@skydsl” and “foobar” in as the username and password

Thats it. It all just works – I even got my static IP address assigned without setting the MAC address (but I have now done that just incase I get any grief from Sky).

[Bob Williams]

Many thanks Dave. I am going to have a go at eventually changing the Sky router for the N600, which is sitting unused in a cupboard. The Sky router is painfully useless and has only 2 Ethernet ports, whilst the WiFi is poor.

I have a couple of factors to research though: my Sky router is the Q Box, not the SR102, and I have to find out if the N600 will work with Sky as the Archer does. So off I go into Search Mode.

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[The Duke]

Can you not just turn the wifi off on the Q box and use the N600 as a switch, connected to the Q box via a network cable.

[Bob Williams]

The Duke wrote:

Can you not just turn the wifi off on the Q box and use the N600 as a switch, connected to the Q box via a network cable.

Good suggestion Steve. Not doing anything about it as yet, but I will give it some thought later this week. Have to go over to my old village, an old mate is very ill.

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[The Duke]

Hope all is OK with him.

[Drezha]

Dave Rice wrote:

 I don’t think you can use Fon for guests as it looks like you have to buy a Fon pass Buy an Access Pass

Us using BT FON was what I was referring to, not the guests – we can only access FON if we allow others to access through our router (link). We’d be able to use BT WiFi though regardless as you say.

In regards to my Synology I believe I’ve only one share that’s “public” and that’s media I want to be able to share and I believe that it’s guest access for reading only.

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

[Bob Williams]

The Duke wrote:

Hope all is OK with him.

Yes he’s OK Steve, had a big scare which seems to have stopped his boozing. I have been warning him for a few years now, he knocks back Scotch and Vodka like it’s pop. He has never married, had a woman for a while after his mam died but she got fed up with his drinking. He was just staying at home with his monster TV and music, only went out to shop for food and even had his drink delivered (by the case!)

We were kids together, although I left his kind of life behind years ago, I still keep in contact. Hoping this is a wake-up for him.

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

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