This topic

Smart Hub 2 and splitting the 2.4ghz and 5ghz bands

cunningmunki — Thu, 24 Nov 2022 09:20:15 GMT

BT are pestering me to plug in my Smart Hub 2 so I can keep using my landline, but it's been gathering dust in a cupboard for about a year because it doesn't support band splitting (which causes issues that I'm sure many are familiar with).

I was just wondering if they ever managed to fix this or if I'm about to lose my landline for good?

thanks!

Re: Smart Hub 2 and splitting the 2.4ghz and 5ghz bands

licquorice — Thu, 24 Nov 2022 09:26:37 GMT

You can't split the bands, but most/all of the problems are when setting up devices initially. The resolution is to turn off the 5Ghz band, set up the devices and then reinstate the 5Ghz band.

Re: Smart Hub 2 and splitting the 2.4ghz and 5ghz bands

countrypaul — Thu, 24 Nov 2022 09:26:41 GMT

If you need to use the SH2 have you considered turning off Wifi completely on the SH2 and using a different Wifi Access point? I you have an existing router that does provide Wifi as you desire, then provided you don't need to return it you could disable DHCP, set a static ip address on it (such as 192.168.1.1) and link the two routers via ethernet.

Re: Smart Hub 2 and splitting the 2.4ghz and 5ghz bands

cunningmunki — Thu, 24 Nov 2022 09:36:51 GMT

@countrypaul - thanks for the suggestion. Can I use my existing Smart Hub to do that?

Re: Smart Hub 2 and splitting the 2.4ghz and 5ghz bands

countrypaul — Thu, 24 Nov 2022 09:39:37 GMT

You should be able to use you existing Smart hub - yes (provided BT don't want it back). You also avoid having to reset the Wifi SSID/password anywhere that way, either on the SH2 or everywhere else!

Re: Smart Hub 2 and splitting the 2.4ghz and 5ghz bands

licquorice — Thu, 24 Nov 2022 09:56:16 GMT

Make sure you turn off DHCP on the second hub

Re: Smart Hub 2 and splitting the 2.4ghz and 5ghz bands

cunningmunki — Thu, 24 Nov 2022 12:08:19 GMT

thanks @countrypaul , I had no idea I could do that!

So, I just need to disable DHCP on the Smart Hub 2 and daisy-chain it to the Smart Hub 1 with an ethernet cable? Sorry, it's been a few years since I done stuff like this so I'm a bit rusty!

Re: Smart Hub 2 and splitting the 2.4ghz and 5ghz bands

countrypaul — Thu, 24 Nov 2022 12:28:27 GMT

Also make sure you change the IP address of your old hub to a static one different to the SH2 before connecting the two together or they might fight for customers trying to access the internet.

Re: Smart Hub 2 and splitting the 2.4ghz and 5ghz bands

cunningmunki — Thu, 24 Nov 2022 19:49:26 GMT

That worked a treat!

@countrypaul you are a 🌟 - thank you!

Re: Smart Hub 2 and splitting the 2.4ghz and 5ghz bands

DavidM — Thu, 24 Nov 2022 20:15:03 GMT

A fantastic solution @countrypaul .

Kudos to you. 👍

Cheers

David

Re: Smart Hub 2 and splitting the 2.4ghz and 5ghz bands

craigsbits — Thu, 24 Nov 2022 20:56:27 GMT

Hi first post been lurking over this topic. Turning off 5ghz does work but sooner or later when the IP is refreshed or a router reboot it will fail again. You need to delete all instances of your connection in the Routers IPV4 Address lists (when the device is not connected!) there may be several if you have been "messing" about for a few days, and delete the wifi connection from your 'phone?(in my case) ssid saved list.

Here is the rub. After spending 40 minutes with BT customer/Tech Services I was advised to leave 5ghz off permanently! I believe Customer Services may have been trying to split the bands (at my request). I said that I had not paid for FTTP to be sent back to the dark ages! While customer services had been remotely working on my hub I realised that although 5ghz was turned 'on' on the home page my wifi monitoring app showed no 5ghz transmission was taking place I did tell Customer Services about this at the time. BT were absolutely clearly aware of this issue I cannot stress that highly enough. Their website still tells you to split the 5ghz band (which we cannot now do!).

So have bt forced my router to quietly drop its 5ghz transmission?

Re: Smart Hub 2 and splitting the 2.4ghz and 5ghz bands

Cicero — Mon, 12 Jun 2023 15:30:50 GMT

Just had my upgrade to Fibre with SH2. What an inferior device it seems to be ignoring all my 5 Ghz adapaters in my PC's.

Running on an old type B Smart Hub I got one PC connected at 325 Mbs to the HUb and the other at 585 Mbps.

Now only the 2.4 Ghz adapters are recognised giving me connection speeds of 43 and 130 Mbs.

How can I get round this or do I have to tell BT I don't want their free upgrade ?

What an appalling device the SH2 is I cant't split Networks. It certainly isnt smart.

Re: Smart Hub 2 and splitting the 2.4ghz and 5ghz bands

licquorice — Mon, 12 Jun 2023 15:32:35 GMT

Its your devices that choose the band to connect to, not the hub.

Re: Smart Hub 2 and splitting the 2.4ghz and 5ghz bands

Cicero — Mon, 12 Jun 2023 16:34:53 GMT

Thanks will keep watching…..

Re: Smart Hub 2 and splitting the 2.4ghz and 5ghz bands

Cicero — Mon, 12 Jun 2023 19:32:03 GMT

Thanks have noticed devices being listed in the hub as attached to 5ghz channel….will double check performance tomorrow…relief..

Re: Smart Hub 2 and splitting the 2.4ghz and 5ghz bands

Cicero — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 09:07:25 GMT

Thanks things seem to be getting back to normal one more.

Re: Smart Hub 2 and splitting the 2.4ghz and 5ghz bands

Cicero — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 13:32:17 GMT

Spoke too soon. Having connected OK yesterday one PC just won’t connect at 5 GHz ..the other one connected straight away.

Does any one know of a USB WiFi adapter that supports only 5 GHZ, contrary to what I read on YouTube I can manually change my adapter characteristics my adapters don’t support the ability to change to exclude 2.4ghz.

Re: Smart Hub 2 and splitting the 2.4ghz and 5ghz bands

Cicero — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 19:47:00 GMT

One step forward three steps back.

Installed a disc between the Hub and the PC’s.

Prior to installing fibre both PC’s were on the 5 GHz band. One at 325 and the other at 585 Mbps. Performance was wholly predictable. Always reconnected at 5 GHz when rebooted.

After installing the disc both PC’s connected to the disc at speeds stated above. Download speeds roughly 130 and upload around 60.

One PC was updated and rebooted and subsequently reconnected at 43 Mbps on 2.4 GHz….why. Subsequent download performance and upload was no better than before the change to fibre.

Removing the ability to split networks is a massively retrograde step, rendering any benefits from fibre useless as device performance is totally unpredictable, especially as reconnection back at the same band is unlikely.

I am seriously thinking of getting fibre removed and going back to copper as at least device performance was predictable and controllable. Getting 300 to 350 Mbps in and then getting less than 10% of that out is pointless.

Re: Smart Hub 2 and splitting the 2.4ghz and 5ghz bands

licquorice — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 20:03:06 GMT

Simply turn off the 2.4Ghz WiFi on the hub to force your device to 5Ghz

I have absolutely no idea what you intend to do with the higher speed on a single device in any case.

Re: Smart Hub 2 and splitting the 2.4ghz and 5ghz bands

Cicero — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 20:30:12 GMT

Had I not got other people in the house who have only 2.4 GHz devices I would have turned it off already. I don’t necessarily want high speed but I do want predictable speeds. If I turn off 5Ghz what speeds does 2.4 go up to ? Quite demonstrably I am not the only person to raise this issue.