What Router are you using?

I prefer not to use the ISP supplied router and just take the WAN connection out (from in my case a Virgin Superhub used in cable modem mode) to an Apple Airport Extreme for the wireless devices in the house. One of the LAN ports on the Airport connects through to a Netgear GS108 switch, which my NAS, Mac Mini and Devialet connect to for audio duties. 

James

Hi Bill

I had a HH2 which started getting flakey, needing frequent resets. I rang BT support and complained of an intermittent problem with the hub  and BT sent me a free replacement that arrived 2 days later. They didn't want the HH2 back so I now have a spare. 

If I were you I'd try this as you may even get a free HH4. The HH3 seems much better and I understand the HH4 is better still.

Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right.

I have same set up as james n.

But for Virgin Superhub substitute BT HH3, and for Netgear switch substitute TP Link.

My Unitiserve, Superuniti, NAS, TV all connect into the switch.

I too would prefer not to use an ISP supplied router, but at the time I switched to Sky broadband, they would not support, or help configure, anything else.

Still, the router they supplied was a fairly standard and decent Netgear router, and they agreed to allow me Admin access to the router, so I decided to just use it.

Never had any significant issues with it (my iPad works just fine over Wi-Fi). Like you, I only plug my PC, a connection to a switch and an Ethernet cable for remote VPN to work from home into the router itself.     

Unfortunately can't comment on the BT HomeHub.

Draytek Vigor 2850.

Pricey but support ADSL, VDSL (BT Infinity etc.), cable (via WAN port).  It can also support 2 connections should you need redundancy.  Supporting so many connection types it is as future proof as you can probably get.

Works well with my network and is very reliable.  You get what you pay for.

Richard

I use an Airport Extreme, like James, with my Unitiserve connected directly to it by Ethernet. In the next room I have an Airport Express which picks up the Wifi signal, and connects to my Superuniti by Ethernet. This works much better than using the Superuniti to pick up the Wifi itself, which it did very unreliably. Why the SU often couldn't see a Wifi signal that the AE, my phone, and everything else could see perfectly well I have no idea.

Another bonus of this setup is that the Airport Express has an optical digital output which I also conect to the SU, so I can use Airplay. (Maybe starting to drift off topic here, so I'll leave it at that!)

BT HH3

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Netgear GS105

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NDX --- DS214

Also I've set the HH3 port forwarding (advanced settings) for the NDX & iPad IP addresses

If using ADSL I am going to recommend  that you at least use  the modem as supplied / recommended by your ISP. This is important if you are to be confident of getting the maximum performance from your ADSL connection. This is because optimum connectivity will be the DSP and ADSL features matching between the MSAN in the exchange and the ADSL modem at home.

So at HH4 is what I would normally recommend if you are on BT unless you have good reason not too because such as you are doing something more specialised on the LAN.

An alternative if using BT (non Infinity) is to use DrayTek Vigor 120 modem and then connect that via its PPP over Ethernet 'WAN' connection to your capable router of choice. This could be a Cisco 870 or Apple TimeMachine for example - but  this way you are confident you are getting a reliable optimum ADSL sync connection . There are other devices that are effective with BT but it is trial and error finding them - and remember what is good for BT may not be good for other ISPs such as Sky or TalkTalk and vica versa.

I currently use a DrayTek modem feeding an Apple TimeMachine router and it works very well and is quicker by around 1Mbps than my Cisco870 connecting directly. My BT line is about 51.5dB attenuation so its quite long to the exchange - and I get reliably approx 4.1Mbps  throughput on the downlink.

Simon

BT Home Hub 3 with Netgear Gb switches

Mike, what is the purpose of the Netgear switch in your setup? I can understand that it gives you spare Ethernet sockets if you need them, but is there something else I'm missing?

Bt home hub 5 but with Netgear network switch supplying Unitiqute2 

ChrisSU -  the BT HH3 & many other "Hubs" are combined router/modems,  but they are not true switches (they do not manage data packets)  & fail to deliver in one way or another

- mine overheated & wireless failed.

- installing the switch instantly fixed it & a few other issues I was not aware of (it was my 1st weekend with the new NDX)  

Me to, I experienced all sorts of problems before getting the dedicated switch!

Looks that way

I use the BT supplied infinity modem, but ditched the HH4 and attached an Apple 2Tb Time Capsule as the router. Couple of config settings required as i recall to make the green light appear. I use the time capsule HHD to back up the Imacs using time machine and also back up my ripped cds on there as well just in case the NAS falls over. No reliability issues.. it all works fine.

regards

Ingenius

I use the Infinity modem into a Netgear R6250 router, and use 3 Zyxel switches, one dedicated to audio. Very fast and stable.

Gerry

I am using a Sitecom WLR-4002 B

https://www.sitecom.com/en/wir...300/wlr-4002b/p/1507

It has 7 Gigabit Ports so am not using Switch and so far has been rock solid.

Power supply might get an upgrade though !!

Slightly off topic but how many BT HomeHub customers realise that they are helping BT to provide an OpenZone hotspot using their home router? My next door neighbour has a BT HomeHub and it's a real pain as my portable devices will often connect to his HomeHub instead of my PlusNet supplied router. Can it be easily turned-off? I don't want to fall-out with them over it.

Dave

Well that was a lot in a short time.  I use BT Infinity and I have to say my thought processes go in the same way as Simon's and maybe look at the BT HH4 - is there a HH5 out at the moment?  I heard some very good things about the Asus RT-N66U and was hoping someone out there would know that one.

In theory you should be able to use any of them, plugging in your Broadband Modem into the WAN port but I think the difficulty is in the configuration.  But I have to say the firmware could be quite different.

It just seems logical to me to go and buy a cracking Wireless Router and just plug in a modem but I guess it ain't that easy.

ps just found out the HH5 is like the HH4 but has the modem fitted internally, which is what BT always used to do.

Dave your neighbours will have signed up for it and it could be that they will only get access to the system if they agree to let off their 10% bandwidth to BT.

I can't think of a reason why anyone can take advantage of my neighbour's open network unless they park or stand in the road outside the house. Do any other domestic internet providers “offer” this facility. With my cynical hat on is this a way BT can add to it's number of wi-fi hot spots offered compared to other providers?

Dave

Virgin Superhub

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[IPCop Firewall] - (amber) The Family (don't let them near nuffin! Windoze and all that.)

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Cisco 2960

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NAS - NSO1 - Bel Canto DAC 3.5vbs etc

I went from HH1.5 to HH3. A significant side bonus for me was the ability to convert my old HH1.5 to a wireless repeater, giving me a strong signal everywhere in the house. Don''t know if you can do this to an HH2.