Is my new WiFi router suitable?

Yes pixies, that should be fine for the wifi, and possibly for the switching.. Best see how it goes... make sure you don't have two DHCP servers enabled etc.

Simon

Thanks Wat and Simon for the reassurance. Simon what do you mean by your last statement?

I'm not trying to be an idiot, but what does " broadband supplied by telephone line" mean ?   Is that like...what in the States we called DSL?

You want the TP-Link to be in 'bridge mode' meaning that it does not assign IP addresses to anything.  This may be under a settings menu referred to as "DHCP"  DHCP is the process for it assigning ip addresses; you want that off.  When it's off, that's commonly referred to as 'bridge mode.'  In this configuration, the home hub is providing ip addresses.

You could do the opposite, and turn off DHCP on the home hub and let the TP-Link run DHCP.  Just don't do both

In any event, this is separate and apart from wifi.  It sounds like you've got the wifi just right; off on the home hub and on on the TP-Link.

Yep Bart has it, and of course running a device in bridge mode just means it works within the same subnet and doesn't genereally automatically disable other functions like DHCP servers etc.

Greg, indeed what is being referred to there is a DSL and in the UK most DSL lines are ADSL, that is the the down link speed is higher than the uplink speed. 

Ok thanks. I haven't changed any DHCP settings as yet, so will make it my next task.

Pixies - I had the same issue with my BT home HUB - introduced a switch and the problems went away and delighted to say the sound improved as well (thanks to Simon and Bill ) for the advice

Home Hub connected to incoming - then to switch (netgear GS 105) around £25

the switch is then connected via another switch to source - in my case NDX

Hi Antony,  the problems you had was caused by the BT HH's inadequacies with data packet management, adding a switch passes that function to something made for that specific purpose.   I had exactly the same problem. 

Don't see the point in your 2nd switch between BT & Develo

Do I disable DHCP on the to link or the BT home hub? Is there a preferred option?

Also do I need to change anything else. Note that I have both hubs connected via ethernet so I am not creating a wireless connection. Wireless is already disabled on the bt home hub.

I have looked online and most guides are about how to connect routers together via wireless by using bridge mode and talks about changing IP addresses? 

I can see this may get complicated!

wanted to get the NAS in the same room as NDX which I have now done as I was getting signal drop out on UPnP and I radio - this problem is now solved and you can hear the sonic benefit to be honest

It looks to me as if your PC should be connected to the switch, not the router. Otherwise, the switch doesn't seem to have a purpose.

 That switch is surplus to requirements,  PC to Router is all that's needed

-   and ditch those nasty Develo's   - https://forums.naimaudio.com/to...ers-of-bad-homeplugs

I was going to type the same thing -- the switch in Antony's home office isn't doing anything (to the extent I know what all this stuff does! ).

Replacing those Develo ethernet-over-mains with a run of ethernet cable would be a huge improvement.  Depending on the home's layout and construction it may not be very costly.

I was thinking that the switch might be of some use if the PC was attached to it, as it might do a better job than the router of sending the right data to the right destination (either PC or sound system.) that's what switches are best at, aren't they? But in the current configuration, yes, it looks to me like the switch is doing nothing, and could be removed.

Chris I wouldn't bin the switch, and it could well be a better switch than is built into the home hub.  And once one is out of ports on the home hub, best to move all switching duties to an external switch.

Sorry, we seem to have hijacked your thread!

It's probably best to keep the BT HH as your DHCP server, but keep it's wireless disabled. If you're using a NAS, go into the HH settings, and allocate it a fixed IP address. 

All this stuff is easy enough once you've figured it out, so don't be put off. I managed to figure it out with help from my dealer and some more knowledgeable forum members.

Hi Wat. In your set up did you change any DHCP or IP settings on either the BT or airport exteme? It is this advice that is confusing me.

Thanks Chris. I think I made some incorrect settings and ended up losing internet to my wife's laptop. She works from home so I was in the dog house!

At the moment I have gone back to just the HH until I have a bit more time and clearer understanding of what I am doing ie forum advice and good old google!

Thanks Wat.

Sorry to bring this one back, but I have a few more questions on this topic as I have gone away to try and figure it what to do and what I thought may be a simple job is turning into a bit of a mare!

Lots of internet resources offering conflicting advice such as change IP address, turn off DHCP settings, don’t turn off DHCP settings, turn off Wi-Fi, don’t turn off Wi-Fi, activate WAS, enable Bridge etc.

I am ultimately trying to set things up as alluded to in the Phil Harris  ‘UPnP Discovery issues’ sticky i.e. run a decent router inside of the ISP supplied router and effectively using that as a simple gateway to the internet.

It seems I am trying to cascade the 2 routers (as opposed to configure them via wifi or bridge them) with the BT hub as the main router i.e. connected to incoming internet and the TP link as the secondary one. 

Both hubs will be connected via an Ethernet cable as I don’t want to rely on the BT hubs flaky service.

I seem to have a choice of A. LAN to LAN or B. LAN to WAN.  Set up A generally says disable DHCP server in the secondary router and B says simply ‘change the local IP address so that the second-to-last digit is different from your primary router’

Anyone (Phil?) got a simple layman’s guide to such a set up?

If all fails I think I will just go back to the simple yet unreliable BT Home Hub!!

The ONLY changes I'd make to the BT HH would be to turn off WiFi, and give your NAS a fixed IP address. Then if you set the TP Link in bridge mode, it should work. Also, do a full restart of everything on your network, one device at a time.

Hi

My system uses a Sky Hub which does have some wifi and drop out problems. Could I use a T-Link as suggested here to improve things. I have been offered a Linskys EA6900 by a friend. Would this be suitable. It would of course be better to replace the Sky Hub but I understand this is not possible with Sky. I apologise if I am using pixies post for this query but it seemed an appropriate place for it.

thanks Philip

I don't know if it will work on your skyhub, I'm on Virgin,  but I used to have a Linskys EA6900 and it was superb.  

Philip, I would keep the router supplied by your ISP, as it has a lot of settings (many of which I don't even understand) which have been pre-configured by your ISP. So better to keep it as your router/DHCP server. Then use the other router in bridge mode, as discussed above. 

If you're connecting to a streamer/NAS wirelessly, a range extender connected to them by a short ethernet cable is also likely to help - Airport Express, or similar non-Apple equivalent.

Thanks for the replies. Using the T-Link or Linskys in bridge mode was my thoughts. I have a network consisting of ten items, NAS,NDX, Sky hd boxes etc. plus two netgear switches. I use all four LAN sockets on the Sky Hub. If I connect the T- Link or Linskys to the Sky Hub in bridge mode and use the LAN sockets on the bridge would this reduce the workload on the Sky Hub and perhaps provide a more robust network and improved wifi. My Network is all ethernet wired. Wifi is for iPad only which is used for control of my Naim streaming and a Pioneer streamer.

Thanks Philip