BT Smarthub Replacement

[Rumple]

Hi,

I currently have a BT Smarthub and in one room of my house the signal drops due to two walls and I get approx 40-50Mbps rather that 72-75.

I'm in the market for a new router so figured I'd see if I can improve the speed in this room.

I don't have the option to run cables, so I guess my options are a wifi router with better range, a Netgear Orbi or a couple of Unifi access points with one being connneted via PowerLine. I would also need a Guest wifi network with the option to allow access to 1 IP address on the main Lan.

Does anyone have a similar setup? I can't find comparisons with the SmartHub and other non-isp supplied routers so it's a tough decision.

Thanks

 

[psychopomp1]

If you're after an all-in-one box solution (ie modem/router combined) then go for a Billion 8900AX-2400, TP Link VR2800 or Asus DSL-AC88U. All of these are 4 stream Mu-Mimo routers which use the latest ( or new-ish) Broadcom adsl/vdsl chipset. If you're after a 2 box solution then buy a Draytek Vigor 130 xDSL modem and hook that up to a Netgear R7800, Netgear X10 or Synology RT2600AC and Bobs yer uncle

 

[frustin]

If you're after an all-in-one box solution (ie modem/router combined) then go for a Billion 8900AX-2400, TP Link VR2800 or Asus DSL-AC88U. All of these are 4 stream Mu-Mimo routers which use the latest ( or new-ish) Broadcom adsl/vdsl chipset. If you're after a 2 box solution then buy a Draytek Vigor 130 xDSL modem and hook that up to a Netgear R7800, Netgear X10 or Synology RT2600AC and Bobs yer uncle

is that two box solution still current? I have a merlin router already. just need to replace my BT smart hub that's just arrived.

 

[psychopomp1]

is that two box solution still current? I have a merlin router already. just need to replace my BT smart hub that's just arrived.

Yep the Draytek 130 is still a great VDSL2 modem and is ideal for pairing up with a standalone router of your choice

 

[frustin]

Yep the Draytek 130 is still a great VDSL2 modem and is ideal for pairing up with a standalone router of your choice

do i need to put the vigor 130 into bridge mode as per these instructions:

https://www.draytek.co.uk/support/g...nbW9kZSciLDEzMCwiMTMwJ3MiLCJicmlkZ2UgbW9kZSJd

I'm on BT Superfast Fibre 2.

 

[psychopomp1]

do i need to put the vigor 130 into bridge mode as per these instructions:

https://www.draytek.co.uk/support/g...nbW9kZSciLDEzMCwiMTMwJ3MiLCJicmlkZ2UgbW9kZSJd

I'm on BT Superfast Fibre 2.

Yes you do, but it already comes in bridge mode by default once you fire it up - so you don't really need to touch the settings on the Draytek (unless updating the firmware). You simply setup a PPPoE connection on the router and Bobs yer uncle

 

[frustin]

Yes you do, but it already comes in bridge mode by default once you fire it up - so you don't really need to touch the settings on the Draytek (unless updating the firmware). You simply setup a PPPoE connection on the router and Bobs yer uncle

to be clear, it works and i can get internet for a little while from the asus, however, after 5 minutes or so i kept getting sync errors on the DSL connection on the 130 i.e. the DSL light would stay on and then it'd start blinking, then go solid again. the router is set with PPPoE.

the 130 has a 196.x address and dhcp server on. my router has a 10.x address and also a dhcp server. i turned off the dhcp server on the 130 and left the ip with the 192.x address that it came with. that didnt help.

There's nothing wrong with the line because if i plug the BT router back in, it works fine.

Anything else i should check?

 

[psychopomp1]

to be clear, it works and i can get internet for a little while from the asus, however, after 5 minutes or so i kept getting sync errors on the DSL connection on the 130 i.e. the DSL light would stay on and then it'd start blinking, then go solid again. the router is set with PPPoE.

the 130 has a 196.x address and dhcp server on. my router has a 10.x address and also a dhcp server. i turned off the dhcp server on the 130 and left the ip with the 192.x address that it came with. that didnt help.

There's nothing wrong with the line because if i plug the BT router back in, it works fine.

Anything else i should check?

It seems the default settings on your 130 have been changed as its default ip address is 192.168.2.1, not 196.x.x.x. I suggest you do a factory reset on the 130 to bring it back to default bridge mode - once done DO NOT CHANGE ANYTHING ON THE 130 (sorry for the caps). I suggest you also do a hard reset on the Asus to start afresh - I would stick with the default ip address of 192.168.1.1 on the Asus and let the router assign all connected clients in the range of 192.168.1.x via DHCP. That should do the trick. Good luck!

 

[frustin]

It seems the default settings on your 130 have been changed as its default ip address is 192.168.2.1, not 196.x.x.x. I suggest you do a factory reset on the 130 to bring it back to default bridge mode - once done DO NOT CHANGE ANYTHING ON THE 130 (sorry for the caps). I suggest you also do a hard reset on the Asus to start afresh - I would stick with the default ip address of 192.168.1.1 on the Asus and let the router assign all connected clients in the range of 192.168.1.x via DHCP. That should do the trick. Good luck!

firstly, thanks for your help on this.

sorry, the 130 is 192.168.2.1 (i just didnt want to type that each time so i put 192.x).

i'll give it another go and factory reset the 130. should the settings look like this?
https://www.draytek.co.uk/support/guides/kb-vigor-130-bridge

do i need to turn off the DHCP server on the 130?

i'm pretty sure i do this. but as soon as i add the asus, the 130's DSL light starts blinking intermittently.

i'll factory reset the asus as well. it was already set to pppoe.

 

[psychopomp1]

firstly, thanks for your help on this.

sorry, the 130 is 192.168.2.1 (i just didnt want to type that each time so i put 192.x).

i'll give it another go and factory reset the 130. should the settings look like this?
https://www.draytek.co.uk/support/guides/kb-vigor-130-bridge

do i need to turn off the DHCP server on the 130?

i'm pretty sure i do this. but as soon as i add the asus, the 130's DSL light starts blinking intermittently.

i'll factory reset the asus as well. it was already set to pppoe.

As I've said before, the 130 should already be in bridge default mode (with DHCP off) in its factory default setting. So after you've done a hard reset on the 130, don't change ANYTHING on it and simply fire up the Asus and connect via PPPoE. It really is that simple

 

[frustin]

As I've said before, the 130 should already be in bridge default mode (with DHCP off) in its factory default setting. So after you've done a hard reset on the 130, don't change ANYTHING on it and simply fire up the Asus and connect via PPPoE. It really is that simple

interesting, because i did a factory reset and dhcp is definitely on and it definitely wasnt in bridge mode. Firmware is latest 3.8.3_BT.

I'll try and factory reset again tonight.