This topic

Why was this removed? Bring it back!

K7L3 — Sat, 11 Nov 2023 20:53:53 GMT

Seriously, bring this back.
It's extremely annoying that's it's not a feature anymore and honestly it's just plain rude to take it away.

Re: Why was this removed? Bring it back!

StuartHK — Sat, 11 Nov 2023 22:31:56 GMT

It’s only hearsay, I think, but I have heard that it is because of the Investigatory Powers Act and the ISP being obliged to track which sites you have been to. Obviously one way of doing this is by making you use their DNS servers and then keep logs. Another reason for using your own equipment.

Re: Why was this removed? Bring it back!

Crimliar — Sat, 11 Nov 2023 22:38:42 GMT

It's far more likely that it makes tech support much simpler if you can rule out DNS config mistakes.

Re: Why was this removed? Bring it back!

verkosh — Sun, 12 Nov 2023 09:43:18 GMT

I'm inclined to agree it's likely to make tech support easier.

Although it would be nice to have it in advanced settings for power users

Re: Why was this removed? Bring it back!

Midnight_Voice — Sun, 12 Nov 2023 11:32:25 GMT

@K7L3

Sky recently had an outage where Sky and Now Broadband users lost access to the DNS servers Sky use.

Users were able to restore their internet access by switching to alternate DNS servers, such as the Google ones.

BT must be mighty confident that there will be no such occurrence on their network.

Re: Why was this removed? Bring it back!

Keith_Beddoe — Sun, 12 Nov 2023 11:47:25 GMT

There is nothing to stop you changing the DNS settings on individual devices, to restore service.

You can also disable DHCP and use your own DHCP server to issue different DNS servers.

Many devices, like wireless access points and NAS, have DHCP servers built in, if you want to use them.

Re: Why was this removed? Bring it back!

K7L3 — Sun, 12 Nov 2023 12:00:02 GMT

I'm aware there are other ways to do it, I'm very much aware they won't just add it back for a simple switch to an alternative DNS service, so I've had to setup pihole DNS and DHCP but I really didn't want to have too, it still is in their documentation on their website that you can change the DNS settings, but it's no longer there on the router. There's no good reason to not just put it in an advanced settings area if their reasoning is that they are blaming users.

Re: Why was this removed? Bring it back!

Crimliar — Sun, 12 Nov 2023 11:57:36 GMT

Let's be honest here, most users don't even know that they use DNS or DHCP, let alone what these services do. So if the internet "goes down" it's only a few users who will be thinking "I'll try a different DNS". You've got to weigh that against the number of users who on seeing a setting they don't understand but are able to change will then go ahead and poke it with a stick!

Re: Why was this removed? Bring it back!

StuartHK — Sun, 12 Nov 2023 12:01:22 GMT

@Midnight_Voice I'm under the impression, perhaps wrongly, that Sky (& Virgin's) latest equipment has also gone down the same path.

@Keith_Beddoe...but how many ordinary users know that?

Re: Why was this removed? Bring it back!

Keith_Beddoe — Sun, 12 Nov 2023 12:06:46 GMT

Even if the setting was available on the Home Hub, the average user would not know about it, or what settings to use.

Re: Why was this removed? Bring it back!

StuartHK — Sun, 12 Nov 2023 12:29:59 GMT

@Keith_Beddoe

Yes, good point. I suppose “ordinary users” wouldn’t even be aware of it on the hub. Silly comment, consider it withdrawn.

I really posted my initial reply to see if anyone had heard the same rumour. I thought you might be one of the people that could answer that question.

Re: Why was this removed? Bring it back!

K7L3 — Sun, 12 Nov 2023 12:37:00 GMT

Well this average user went looking for it because i read it on their website, couldn't find it, learned about Pihole, setup my own DNS and DHCP server all before lunch time. I'm a fabricator welder...

Re: Why was this removed? Bring it back!

StuartHK — Sun, 12 Nov 2023 12:46:37 GMT

The very fact that you posted on here marks you out as not an “ordinary user” but my apologies if the remark caused any offense.

Re: Why was this removed? Bring it back!

licquorice — Sun, 12 Nov 2023 12:48:45 GMT

I've no idea why this has suddenly been raised, it hasn't been possible to change DNS settings on BT hubs for years.

Re: Why was this removed? Bring it back!

Keith_Beddoe — Sun, 12 Nov 2023 12:49:52 GMT

@StuartHK

I have used most BT routers in the past, including the original USB (stingray) one, a later USB one which had an Ethernet port, and all of the Voyager series, including the one that had a phone socket for "broadband voice" which was the very early version of VOIP, and gave you an extra phone line. That was on 500Kbs broadband, which was the very first offering from BT.

The last usable home hub was the Home Hub 1, which you could change everything via the web interface, or by editing the user.ini file, which is now encrypted.

I have mainly used a TP Link W9970, however a recent change to BT`s ADSL profile caused connection difficulties.

I now use a Home Hub 4, but with DHCP disabled, as I use PI-Hole as a DHCP server and DNS filter to remove unwanted content like advertisements and trackers.

Re: Why was this removed? Bring it back!

StuartHK — Sun, 12 Nov 2023 12:52:15 GMT

@licquorice Aligns with the IPA back in 2016 by any chance?

Re: Why was this removed? Bring it back!

gosforth — Sun, 12 Nov 2023 12:52:53 GMT

I went out for walking other day…

You might be surprised, how many people have their Broadband Router placed in the window facing street, with clearly visible credentials to log in…

90% ordinary users of any Broadband provider never ever log in into administration and never made any changes, be fair…

I say, also 1/2 ordinary users never change default credentials (yeah, I just might log into some Wifi networks, find printer and print out warning “Please change your Wifi/router password, and move it out from the sight of strangers, before someone dodgy will stole your bank/credit card details, or do more naughty things on your behalf, whilst on your internet.”

Feeling sorry for little mess this might produce, but it might be easy way, how to point to that people, as they expose self to many risks…

My experience is, as 90% people don’t have idea what and why is DHCP, DNS, WEP, etc etc.

bt providing product for masses, and best option to make sure it’s simply working (on almost plug and play basis) is give them less options to broke anything, DNS included 🙂

I have my SH2 plugged in solely because my phone line… everything else is managed by TP Link Omada HW, from router, bridges, POE, to APs… from that moment, I never need to deal with BT SH2, because it’s just work, providing me my Broadband and Phone connection, with anything else simply managed out of the BT options…

Re: Why was this removed? Bring it back!

licquorice — Sun, 12 Nov 2023 13:06:08 GMT

@StuartHK Quite possibly

Re: Why was this removed? Bring it back!

Crimliar — Sun, 12 Nov 2023 14:25:56 GMT

It always used to be good practice to provide two or more DNS servers, geographically separate, and to ensure that they didn't undergo maintenance at the same time. Not every ISP runs their own DNS servers, especially if they are offering value-added services such as filtering, but BT probably has the customer base and infrastructure (not OpenReach Infrastructure) to keep these things in-house.
At least one of the big names in DNS has in the not-too-distant past caused problems by not following "best practice".
Sky/Now I would assume may also have their own DNS servers in addition to the distributed TVOD servers I assume they maintain even if they failed "best practice".

@gosforth You'd also be surprised how many people have their router on or under a telephone table just inside the front door - not such a security risk, but awful for signal propagation!

Re: Why was this removed? Bring it back!

K7L3 — Sun, 12 Nov 2023 15:17:00 GMT

@StuartHK No, no offense taken I simply mean this is not advanced stuff, we live in 2023 where you can ask an AI how to do something and it tells you how, people need to expand their expectations of normal users. So maybe stop removing features based on that.

@licquoricebecause it's in the help documentarion on the official website, as seen in the OP...