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BT Smart Hub 6 - IPTV

dt99

dt99

TK Veteran
Hi,

I have a BT Smart Hub 6 which works well enough, but I am struggling with Wi-Fi connection upstairs, so trying to use IPTV on a Fire Stick in the bedroom is challenging at times. I was going to buy another router, connect it to the smart hub, set the Smart Hub to Modem only and see if the Wi-Fi improved, but a Smart Hub 6 cannot be set to Modem only.

I know I can use HomePlugs and buy an Ethernet adaptor for Fire Sticks, but I don't want to be doing that, I just need better Wi-Fi coverage.

Can anyone recommend a good router where I can remove the Smart Hub completely and just use something else, with decent Wi-Fi coverage for the FireSticks, PS4, Xbox etc?

The only options BT can give me are their Wi-Fi extenders, but they are £200. Apparently, they can't downgrade my router either, I have to have the Smart Hub 6.

Cheap as possible.
 
If you have an old BT router kicking about you could use it as a wifi repeater.

managed to do it myself a couple of years back, worked fairly well.

if you google it there are plenty of tutorials on it
 
po37 said:
If you have an old BT router kicking about you could use it as a wifi repeater.

managed to do it myself a couple of years back, worked fairly well.

if you google it there are plenty of tutorials on it
Click to expand...

No, don't have any old routers. I have been told that I need to buy a VDSL Modem/router so I can then just remove the HH6 and replace it with a new router, so I was just wondering if anyone had purchased one and replaced a HH6 with any significant benefit.
 
Buy a cheap second hand BT router, save yourself some money.
Not hard to set up.
And not sure if a new router would give you much better coverage.
 
siilver said:
can you move the router to a better location? just to try it

even lift it higher in the air
Click to expand...

Tried everything I can think of. We have had BT for about 18 months and generally never had problems, but over the past 2-3 months the Wi-Fi signal upstairs is terrible. Nothing has changed in the house, everything is the same as it always has been. Reset the router numerous times, even BT cannot find any faults and are just saying that the layout of the house is affecting the signal.
 
I honestly never knew you could get powerlines with WiFi. I thought they were all Just to be used with ethernet cables. Thanks, I will have a look into this.
 
dt99 said:
Tried everything I can think of. We have had BT for about 18 months and generally never had problems, but over the past 2-3 months the Wi-Fi signal upstairs is terrible. Nothing has changed in the house, everything is the same as it always has been. Reset the router numerous times, even BT cannot find any faults and are just saying that the layout of the house is affecting the signal.
Click to expand...
Before doing anything else download WiFi Analytics from Play store. This free program will allow you to see where your WiFi reception is good and bad. Anything less than 75% signal strength will not give you reliable service. This will also show where wifi adaptor/repeater needs to be located to give proper coverage.

Secondly consider moving your BT router to a central point in your upstairs. If you think of your WiFi router as a transmitter then the higher in the building it is the better the spread of the signal - I have even put them in the roofspace of houses. In general BT routers are fairly good and gives reasonable WiFi in most average sized houses. If all else fails a decent WiFi repeater hardwired to the router using CAT5e is the answer. A reasonable one will cost you around £35-45.

Sent from my SM-T815 using Tapatalk
 
dt99 said:
I honestly never knew you could get powerlines with WiFi. I thought they were all Just to be used with ethernet cables. Thanks, I will have a look into this.
Click to expand...
I've used powerlines with a wifi extender for a while now and it works a treat.
 
most old type modem/routers can be configured as simple routers with wifi access by disabling DCHP
old sly white netgears are fairly good, as are most of the Talktalk range of HG routers, I have [iirc] 5 TT routers configured as routers/wifi points in my house,
its not a big house, but everything is hardwired, [apart from mobile devices], so only requires one cable to each room and then a router with dchp disabled
 
I was having serious issues with my Home hub 6 when I was using it as I like yourself was not getting the coverage suggested around the house. The thing I found causing the issue was I had too many electrical items surrounding it which was causing it to not perform as it should. I bought a 15m adsl cable ran it from the telephone point round the house and into the router almost under the stairs and this then boosted the signal to the bedrooms and could even get signal in the shed. (I couldn't get outside at all previously) Hope this helps you out.
 
So the problem wasn't the hub? But the setup
Wonder home many times this happens and the product gets the blame
 
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