This topic

Smarthub 2 restarting - options ?

garyevs99 — Sun, 12 Feb 2023 09:25:53 GMT

I have arranged an upgrade to my broadband from Fibre 2 (using a Hub 5) to full fibre which will have a Smarthub 2. This is due to be installed in a few weeks. I have also converted to digital voice.

I heard a while back that people were having problems with the Smarthub 2 restarting quite often at random intervals. I assumed that the issues would have been fixed by now, but apparently not.

I need a stable connection, which is part of the reason I upgraded to full fibre, so having the hub restarting randomly is no good for me.

So, a few questions:

Can the restarting be disabled in the settings ?

If not, will I be able to use a different router ?

If so, I plan on using my current analogue cordless phones, so what functions would I need on the other router for this to just plug in ?

Where do I get the logon credentials to connect the other router (username, password ?), or do I just plug it in to the modem and it will work ?

I know that direct links to other products are not allowed on this forum, but any clues / pointers to recommended routers that would suit these requirements ?

Thanks

Re: Smarthub 2 restarting - options ?

Starman — Sun, 12 Feb 2023 09:43:47 GMT

I have the SH2 with FTTP and DV - and yes there is nothing you can do to disable the imposed 14 day automatic restart other than voice displeasure hoping someone notices and in a future release offers the ability to disable.

As for the random stability problems personally I have not experiences any issues with random crashes although I have disabled both the routers Wi-FI and DHCP offering to utilise my own. However since my FTTP install in October I have had 2 random FTTP outages unrelated to the 14 day issue both of which happened in the evening lasted about 45mins and appeared to be an exchange issue as all external traffic stopped beyond the 1st hop.

My personal plan in future (when contract allows) will be to port the landline number away from DV to a VOIP offering which will then allow the BT router to be removed and use my own gateway router this may involve another service provider of course.

There isn't a 3rd party router that can utilise BT's DV offering sadly as its a proprietary solution there is always potental the it could be licensed I suppose if it becomes a wider standard but I think it is unlikely.

Re: Smarthub 2 restarting - options ?

garyevs99 — Sun, 12 Feb 2023 16:42:35 GMT

Thanks for the reply.

Outages at the exchange is something that no one can prevent, I am more concerned with the router resatring itself.

Are you saying that the automatic restart only happens for the first 14 days, while it establishes the optimal speed ?

Could your router be restarting itself after this period and you are unaware of this due to you not using the internet at the time ?

As far as the voice is concerned, maybe we could split the issue into data and voice solutions.

DATA:

If I use a different router, where do I get the logon credentials to connect the other router (username, password ?), or do I just plug it in to the modem and it will work ?

VOICE:

If I use a different router for internet access, could I plug the Smarthub into that via ethernet to use it as a source for voice only ?

Thanks

Re: Smarthub 2 restarting - options ?

licquorice — Sun, 12 Feb 2023 17:01:43 GMT

The 14 day restart is a continuous thing, not just for the first 14 days. There is no 'stabilisation' period.

The generic PPPoE username bthomehub@btbroadband.com and password BT are extremely well known having been published countless times and revealed with a simple Google search.

For voice, the Smart hub has to be the first device connected to the ONT. You cannot simply attach the SH2 to a third party router to provide DV

Re: Smarthub 2 restarting - options ?

imjolly — Sun, 12 Feb 2023 17:10:50 GMT

If you don't suffer currently from your hub resetting randomly then no reason to expect the SH2 to start randomly dropping connection. The SH2 must be the first connection to the ONT then you can connect another router to SH2. Numerous posts about this on forum

If you use DV the SH2 must be first connection.

Settings for 3rd party router as same for all

Bthomehub@btbroadband.com

Password anything and many use BT

Re: Smarthub 2 restarting - options ?

garyevs99 — Sun, 12 Feb 2023 22:32:19 GMT

Thanks for the replies.

My current HH5 doesn't reboot that often, but it does from time to time. This is partly the reason for upgrading to full fibre, to get a stable connection. I assumed that with a fibre connection directly from the exchange to the house, the signal would be rock solid, with no dropouts at all.

So, a few more questions 🙂

I expect that trying to change my upgrade to retain analogue voice is not an option ?

Would I also be correct in assuming that the SH2 cannot be configured to just act as a modem and only be used for voice, with another router connected to provide Internet connectivity ?

Is the SH2 rebooting a "feature" specific to this router ? If I were to disregard the voice requirement and use a third party router, would it stop this issue, or will the DLM continue to drop connections ?

Thanks

Re: Smarthub 2 restarting - options ?

Graham18 — Sun, 12 Feb 2023 23:37:38 GMT

I haven’t tried it myself, but plugging the SH2 power lead into a timer that switched off the power to the hub for a minute or two at, say, 2am every Sunday should force the reboot to happen at a time of the user’s choice, rather than the hub’s choice.

Re: Smarthub 2 restarting - options ?

licquorice — Mon, 13 Feb 2023 08:00:40 GMT

@garyevs99 It's a feature of the router, there is no DLM on full fibre. It doesn't seem to happen for everyone.

The SH2 doesn't have a modem only mode, even if it did it wouldn't help for 2 reasons. With full fibre the ONT is the modem, the hub is purely a router. Also a modem wouldn't have access to the IP layer to provide VoIP capability in any case.

Re: Smarthub 2 restarting - options ?

Andrew600 — Mon, 13 Feb 2023 11:10:58 GMT

@licquoricewrote:
@garyevs99 It's a feature of the router, there is no DLM on full fibre. It doesn't seem to happen for everyone.

Re: It doesn’t happen for everyone. I was just browsing the forum to see if the 14 day reboots had stopped for everyone. Obviously not.

Mine is fttc, but my SH2 stats currently are
Downstream sync speed: 79.999 Mbps

Upstream sync speed: 19.999 Mbps

Network uptime: 46 Days, 15 Hours 37 Minutes

I expect I’ve jinxed it now and it will reboot, but I have no idea why, with no set up changes at all, it has decided to be rock solid for over 6 weeks.

It’s very odd!

Re: Smarthub 2 restarting - options ?

garyevs99 — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 16:55:31 GMT

So, are you sure that there is no DLM on full fibre ? If that is the case, why is the speed guarantee lower than the advertised speed.

On full fibre 100, the advertised sped is 150, with a guarantee of 100. Surely you should get the full 150 with no DLM ?

Re: Smarthub 2 restarting - options ?

licquorice — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 17:04:50 GMT

Of course there isn't DLM on fibre.

Fibre is a heavily contended service, up to 30 customers share a 2.5Gb/s backhaul link hence the speed guarantee.

Re: Smarthub 2 restarting - options ?

garyevs99 — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 18:51:06 GMT

Ok so the restarting thing shouldn't be a connection issue, it is a router issue ?

If I were to use a 3rd party router, this problem would go away ?

Thanks

Re: Smarthub 2 restarting - options ?

licquorice — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 19:01:03 GMT

Yes, but you wouldn't be able to use Digital Voice if you have it.

Re: Smarthub 2 restarting - options ?

gg30340 — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 19:09:39 GMT

As has already been pointed out, this "problem" does not affect every Smarthub user. I for one do not have it happening. Why not wait to see if it does affect you before worrying about it.

Re: Smarthub 2 restarting - options ?

licquorice — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 19:16:03 GMT

If you 'need' a connection that has an uptime of 24/7/365, I suggest you need something more robust than a residential ISP connection.

Re: Smarthub 2 restarting - options ?

garyevs99 — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 19:43:35 GMT

Yeah, I'll run with the smarthub for a few weeks and see how it goes. A restart now and again is ok, I just can't have it happening too often, like some users have been reporting.

If it restarts too often I'll get another router and a VOIP box for digital voice.

Thanks for all the help, much appreciated 😊

Re: Smarthub 2 restarting - options ?

licquorice — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 21:52:14 GMT

Anything other than a regular 14 day restart that you have read about will be due to an individual fault and not something to be expected, certainly not with full fibre.

Re: Smarthub 2 restarting - options ?

garyevs99 — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 22:45:56 GMT

So a 14 day restart is expected ? My hub 5 doesn't do that at the moment.

Re: Smarthub 2 restarting - options ?

gg30340 — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 23:59:52 GMT

No it is not expected. It is something that can happen but not necessarily will happen.

You are now going round in circles and need to just wait and see.

Re: Smarthub 2 restarting - options ?

licquorice — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 08:20:07 GMT

I give up!!