Home Hub question?

sjt269 · 22 May 2007 at 19:22

I did a search and saw how many negative opinions there were of these things, but I thought I'd post this anyway, since I didn't really find what I was after. Besides, it might give people a chance to vent their spleens about how rubbish there things are (allegedly).

Basically, my dad works for BT, and has been given a free broadband upgrade. This means we get a Home Hub + 'hub phone' thing for free. So we've got it, and we've also got a Netgear DG834G router that we've had for ages. Now, the Home Hub gets a better speed on my brother's PC on the other room (wireless, always had a problem with the Netgear...its the proximity to so much other electronics, I think, and the walls that are inconveniently in the way) when it's downstairs, haven't tried it up here yet. The hub phone seems like a bit of a gimmick (looks like VoIP with bells on?) but it looks like a nice enough phone. I need to use the Home Hub to use the phone, but we're not too fussed about the phone - we get free evening and weekend calls anyway, and cheap weekday calls too, so we can do without it.

Basically, the question is, do I stick with the Netgear, or switch to the Home Hub? My gut instinct is to stick with the Netgear, more due to the quality I associate with the brand name than anything else. It would also mean less hassle, less annoying BT software, and it takes up less space. It does, however, mean that we lose the extra phone and phone line (hub phone has a seperate number from home phone) and also means that this free gear is going to waste. We can't flog it, since it's technically BT property, or some such, but it annoys me to have things going to waste that could be otherwise used.

Any ideas? :confused:

Thanks
tTz

Gavstar · 22 May 2007 at 19:58

Suck it and see? Easy enough to swap back if its not to your liking.

Oh, about the annoying BT software - don't install it, absolutely no need!

sjt269 · 22 May 2007 at 20:51

Gavstar said:
Oh, about the annoying BT software - don't install it, absolutely no need!

Really? I thought it was part of the hub installation, didn't think I could get away without it. Hell, I've screwed up one of the PCs with the software installed, never mind without it.

The software says something about logging in causing the hub to assign an IP address to the computer that the login comes from...if I circumvent the software, d'you think I'd find myself lacking IP addresses?

Meh, I'll give it a go and see what happens. Nothing to lose, after all.

bluetech · 22 May 2007 at 21:45

tTz said:
Really? I thought it was part of the hub installation, didn't think I could get away without it. Hell, I've screwed up one of the PCs with the software installed, never mind without it.

The software says something about logging in causing the hub to assign an IP address to the computer that the login comes from...if I circumvent the software, d'you think I'd find myself lacking IP addresses?

Meh, I'll give it a go and see what happens. Nothing to lose, after all.

The software is definetly not required. The home hub has a build in router. The router has a DHCP server. Windows has a built in DHCP client. A DHCP server issues IP address' to all DHCP clients. Definetly no need for the software. I set up one of these for someone I know.

sjt269 · 22 May 2007 at 21:53

bluetech said:
The software is definetly not required. The home hub has a build in router. The router has a DHCP server. Windows has a built in DHCP client. A DHCP server issues IP address' to all DHCP clients. Definetly no need for the software. I set up one of these for someone I know.

Great, thanks. The software is a nightmare. It put a whole new column of icons on the desktop of my brother's PC.

bluetech · 22 May 2007 at 22:26

tTz said:
Great, thanks. The software is a nightmare. It put a whole new column of icons on the desktop of my brother's PC.

He, yeh it will do that!

sjt269 · 23 May 2007 at 13:52

Meh. I've just been told that in order to get access to BT's new TV thingy (which we're also getting for free), the Home Hub needs to be used. This is annoying, because I've also been told that the hub needs to be plugged into either the TV, or some kind of set-top box that a BT guy comes and installs. If that's true, I'll need to get myself a wireless network card for this PC in order to keep the Home Hub within cable distance of the TV.

Anyone know if that's true or not? :confused:

Immsy · 23 May 2007 at 14:01

BT Vision needs to be plugged into the internet router yes so the hub/router will need to be in reach of the set top box. They insist it has to be the hub but I dont see why as its just an adsl router after all so technically any would do. Reason I think they insist its the hun is that it would make it easier diagnosing problems if everyone was on the same hardware combo of the hub and set top box.

sjt269 · 23 May 2007 at 14:02

Bleh. That means I need to get a wireless network card for my PC.

Immsy · 23 May 2007 at 14:05

Sounds like it yes unless the set top box is going to be in the same room as the pc.

sjt269 · 23 May 2007 at 14:11

Immsy said:
Sounds like it yes unless the set top box is going to be in the same room as the pc.

Set top box is going to be directly downstairs, so unless I fancy drilling holes through my floor to snake some cables down to the TV, wireless network card it is. I don't trust wireless, since my brother's PC used to always lose the connection quite frequently, or have really low signal strength. I'll go have a look at wireless cards now, they're pretty cheap, aren't they?

Only alternative would be to find some way of using both routers at once, is that actually possible?

Immsy · 23 May 2007 at 14:30

tTz said:
Only alternative would be to find some way of using both routers at once, is that actually possible?

Yes, you can disable DCHP on the second one and have it act just like a switch which would allow you to run them both at once. You cannot have them both connected to the phone line though, they would have to be connected to each other so doubt you would have joy there as you would need a wire between them so there no gain in that over just drilling a hole to your PC.

sjt269 · 23 May 2007 at 15:18

Immsy said:
Yes, you can disable DCHP on the second one and have it act just like a switch which would allow you to run them both at once. You cannot have them both connected to the phone line though, they would have to be connected to each other so doubt you would have joy there as you would need a wire between them so there no gain in that over just drilling a hole to your PC.

Hmm. The Netgear is wireless, as is the Home Hub...if I disable DCHP (and I must confess, I don't know what that is, but I'll find out) on the Netgear, could I connect the Netgear to the Home Hub wirelessly?

That said, it'd be less hassle to just buy a wireless card and sell the Netgear on the bay, or something. Or keep it as a spare, even. £20 delivered from OcUk, or £20 picked up from the nearby purple-shirt-land for the same Belkin wireless card. I might just get that.