Wired devices from the BT Connected Home range

[SeanD]

Hi Everyone,

We are very excited to begin our second Q&A thread but this time the subject is BT's wired devices.

This Q&A is focused on wired devices from our range of BT Connected home devices, please see this link for what this includes,BT Connected Home Devices. 

We will have product experts joining the conversation on Wednesday to answer all your questions.  The thread is open now for your questions so if you currently have one of these devices or are thinking about getting one and have a question, please post it here.

If you are having specific issues with a device then please create your own thread on the relevant forum board.   If the Community cannot help you then the mods will be around to offer support.

So, please get those questions posted!

Cheers

Sean

[SeanD]

Good afternoon everyone,

I am pleased to announce that our devices expert @Anonymous has joined us today to answer questions about our wired devices from the BT Connected Home range.

If you currently use or are planning on getting one of the following devices, BT Broadband Extender Flex 1800,  BT Broadband Extender Flex 1000, BT Broadband Extender 500 Flex Kit, BT 5-Port Gigabit Ethernet Switch, among others, then this is a great opportunity to find out everything you need to know.

I will kick this event off with a question for Steve.

Hi Steve,

Thanks for joining us today.  With the increase in popularity of Smart TV’s in today's world and the need to have these devices connected to your internet connection. What's the easiest way to connect my smart TV to the internet without having a long cable running across my living room floor.  What products are available to address this problem and can you tell us a little about solutions?

Cheers

Sean

[Anonymous]

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@SeanD wrote:

Good afternoon everyone,

I am pleased to announce that our devices expert @Anonymous has joined us today to answer questions about our wired devices from the BT Connected Home range.

If you currently use or are planning on getting one of the following devices, BT Broadband Extender Flex 1800,  BT Broadband Extender Flex 1000, BT Broadband Extender 500 Flex Kit, BT 5-Port Gigabit Ethernet Switch, among others, then this is a great opportunity to find out everything you need to know.

I will kick this event off with a question for Steve.

Hi Steve,

Thanks for joining us today.  With the increase in popularity of Smart TV’s in today's world and the need to have these devices connected to your internet connection. What's the easiest way to connect my smart TV to the internet without having a long cable running across my living room floor.  What products are available to address this problem and can you tell us a little about solutions?

Cheers

Sean

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Hi @SeanD

It's Will Popham here, the Props Manager for our connectivity devices. 

Let me jump in for Steve here and answer your question.

The best way to connect a smart TV is with our powerline products. Here you get a couple of options - a standard Broadband Extender, or a Broadband Extender Flex. The main difference is that the Flex products have a pass through socket - really handy in avoiding losing a precious plug socket!!

Two of the products here are the Broadband Extender 500 and the Broadband Extender Flex 500.

It then boils down to speed and whether your smart TV is HD/3D etc. If it is, then we would advise using as high a powerline speed as possible. We've just launched the Broadband Extender Flex 1000 which is perfect for HD TV.

Hope that helps!

Will 

[SeanD]

Hi @Anonymous,

Thanks for the answer and joining us again this week.  I have a follow on question around the powerline products,

I have heard that Powerlines do not work on different rings mains, is this correct?

Cheers

Sean

[Anonymous]

Hi @SeanD BT's Broadband Extenders or Powerlines will normally work well on different ring mains within the same home. So ideal if your router is downstairs and the device you want to connect is upstairs. Thanks Steve (Product Manager)

[SeanD]

Thanks @Anonymous,

Another question from me?

In the world of online gaming a steady, stable connection is vital.  I presume that any one of the devices that you mention in your first reply would also work with game consoles.  What about on setups which contain more than one console, say I am running my Xbox One using a broadband extender but also have my PC in the same room?  What are my options?  I would prefer not to have to swap the Ethernet cable over depending on the device I want to use.

Cheers

Sean

[Anonymous]

Hi @SeanD There are a few options for connecting multiple devices: a) The BT Multiport Broadband Extender 500 has 3 Ethernet ports and can easily added to your existing powerline network. More information is available at: http://connectedhome.bt.com/product/multiport-broadband-extender-500-powerline-adapter/ b) Alternatively you can use one our Ethernet switches to give you an addition 4 or 7 ports. More information is available at: http://connectedhome.bt.com/category/switches/ c) Finally, if you are setting up wired connections for 2 devices (EG Xbox and PC) for the first time, BT's Broadband Extender Flex 1000 kit uses the latest powerline AV2 technology and features 2 Ethernet ports. More information is available at: http://connectedhome.bt.com/product/bt-broadband-extender-flex-1000/ Hope that helps. Thanks

[SeanD]

Before locking this thread I would like to say a big thanks to @Anonymous and @Anonymous for taking the time to answer all the questions over the last two weeks.

There is some great info available on both our Q&A threads so I am sure many people will find this useful 

Cheers

Sean