Increase wireless range by replacing BT Homehub 2?

zorrofox

zorrofox

zorrofox

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Joined
11 Dec 2005
Posts
123
Location
Dundee, Scotland
Hi folks. As the title says really. I live in the sticks and use BT for my Internet. My Homehub 2 is very unreliable and the range is terrible. Can I replace it with a more modern and advanced router such as the current crop of dual-band models? What should I buy with a maximum outlay of £100? I hear good things about Netgear models although I'm usure which one exactly to go for. Ditto for Asus routers. Also, my computer equipment is all Apple - Mac mini, ipad 3 & iphone 4S. would an Airport Extreme do the job or does it mean id have to retain the Homehub 2?

I'd really appreciate any help or advice you guys can provide. Many thanks in advance.

Gordon.
 
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Thanks. Actually, that model is on the list. I read mixed reviews of it though, particularly on Amazon where both it and it's big brother have some incredibly unfavourable reviews. Will this Asus replace my Homehub 2 or run alongside it?
 
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zorrofox said:
Thanks. Actually, that model is on the list. I read mixed reviews of it though, particularly on Amazon where both it and it's big brother have some incredibly unfavourable reviews. Will this Asus replace my Homehub 2 or run alongside it?
Click to expand...

It would replace it.

I would actually recommend something like this: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=NW-028-AS

This does not have a modem built into it, so you'd have to use the homehub as a modem or get a separate modem (pretty cheap).

The reason is if you ever change from ADSL2+ to cable or bt fibre (VDSL) you'd still be able to use your expensive wireless router.

I'd guess it is unlikely based on your first post but it costs less so :confused:
 
Many thanks for all the help and advice guys. In the end I went for the Asus DSL-N55U. I set it all up last night and it's wonderful. It reaches right out into the garden so come the summer I can sit out and listen to my favourite radio stations in the sun.

Does anyone know of a weatherproof range extender, if that's what it's called? I'd like to be able to get the signal all the way out to the still to be built summer house.

Gordon.
 
Hello people. I didn't want to start a new thread just for this so here goes. I've installed the Asus router and the range is fantastic. However the actual speed seems to have dropped when compared with my previous BT router. I've been unable to set up the new router using Ethernet as it keeps telling me I have a cable disconnected (I don't) and so it's currently connected via wifi. A
By one have any ideas as to what could be wrong? Thanks.
 
Sorry folks but I need help. My pages are loading very slowly now. I've tried Firefox & Safari and in both pages seem to take an eternity to load. It was never fast before (due to my pitiful BT line speed), but it's glacial now. This is the case with my Mac mini, iPad 3 & iPhone 4S. Also, I'm unable to see the Mac mini from either the iPad or iPhone. What has happened to my network?

Gordon.
 
Never mind, I give up. I got home from work today determined to put things right. I had made a mistake during the initial setup and managed to get it hooked up. I rebooted the mac while making a cup of tea. When I came back to the Mac? No connection. I discovered the ADSL light on the router wouldn't go steady blue. I rebooted the outer many times with no success. Long story short? Is now back in its box and will be returned tomorrow. The BT Homehub worked first time when I reconnected it.

I still need to do something about its range though because its pathetic. Does anyone know if the Homehub 3 improves on the 2 or not? If it does then how can I get myself one of those?
 
No I didn't. That might have been an idea when I first opened the box but I eventually couldn't even gain access to the web GUI so I think a firmware upgrade was impossible. I need to get a repeater or something.
 
Do this..

Get this file
https://www.asuswebstorage.com/navigate/s/8EE79F1CE0AF44AFADCA1068B33B6223Y
(extract it with Winrar/7zip to your Desktop, lord knows why they rar these files up)

Turn the Asus router on, with just one network cable connected to it directly to your PC.

Hold the 'reset' button on the back of it for ~15 seconds.

Now wait ~1 minute and you should be able to connect to it again by going to

192.168.1.1
admin/admin

Upload this file to it using the 'update firmware' section



-Once it restarts, upgrade it once more to the same firmware. (repeat process above)

-Now when it boots up the final time and you can connect to it via 192.16.1.1; hold the reset button for ~15 seconds to fully 'zero' the new firmware to defaults.

Connect up your DSL cable and type in your connection info.


Once you've jumped through these hoops, it's a fantastic router.



-With this new firmware, you can tweak the 'snr' to make your connection more stable or quicker if it's not to your liking on the default settings.
 
It's Asus's fault for putting a crappy firmware on there, they should auto-check for updates and let you know if there is one.
 
So what now? The BT hub works well enough as long as you're fairly close to it but anything more than 30' away and it's no dice. I'm thinking of following Bertles suggestion above but I'll need to get the signal out of the house first ;)

Would an Airport Extreme do the business? Again, it gets generally favourable reviews and I do like the idea of sticking with Apple products in general. If I went for an Airport Extreme would I still be able to use a range extender or would that not be compatible with an Apple router? So many questions.

Whatever I get needs to be idiot-proof, lol.
 
I still haven't fixed my issues. I've read up on the Airport Express and it's not without it's issues either. Reading through other threads in this forum there seems to be a consensus that the Billion BiPAC 7800N router might do the job. People are particularly enthusiastic when it's used in a rural setting where BT is the only realistic option. This is precisely my situation.

Would this router be a solution? If so, how easy is it to install? Will it support wi-fi repeaters?

Sorry for all the questions.

Gordon.
 
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