BT Hybrid connect always flashes red (centre LED)

[Essooil]

Thanks for reading this post.

Summary: No matter what I do, the center light (centre LEDs) on my EE 4G hybrid connect device flash red (bnut my BT App shows the Hybrid device is connected). I am getting two blue 4G signal indicators (which the BT App says is a "good" 4G signa).

I precisely followed the instructions to connect the EE 4G Hybrid device to my BT Home Hub 2. I used the cable first to pair them. When I switch the hybrid connect device on, after three or four minutes I get the blue LED light in the center and two blue 4G signal LEDs on the bottom. Great. But... after another minute or so, the center LED flashes red - not great.

No matter what I do, the centre LED only stays blue for a few minutes then flashes red.

BUT IT STILL it works??.... I am yet to actually test this by switching my fiber device off in the cupboard, but the BT app on my mobile shows the Hybrid device is xonnected and is getting a good signal, but the center LED continues to flash red.

Another user is experiencing the same issue and has done multiple tests, so I have provided the link below to that post.

https://community.bt.com/t5/BT-Devices/EE-Hybrid-Connect-Hub/td-p/2451991/page/2

I am highly technical and do IT networking and other techie tasks for a living (Im 50+ so been doing this for 30 years). Iknow I have tried everything in the book to get this to work.

• I have tried using a category 5e network cable between the Hybrid device and my Home Hub 2. I have used multiple cables of multiple lengths.
• Factory reset the Hybrid connect device.
• Switched everything off and then back on again.
• Been patient, waited for the BT fibre modem to start before switching the home hub on and then switching the hybrid connect device on and several different scenarios of this sequence. 
• I have not done a factory reset of my Home Hub, as it has all of my highly configured port forwarding settings and other settings, and has worked perfectly for almost two years.

In simple terms, if I am getting two good blue 4G bars and using a good quality network cable to directly connect the hybrid device to the Hub, it should not be possible for the center light to be flashing red. I even removed the cable and brought the Home Hub and hybrid connect device to within 15 feet of each other. I then only got one blue bar for the 4G signal, but the Hybrid device still flashed red to say that it could not communicate with the hub that was only 15 feet away??

If you read the post in the link above you will see someone has gone beyond the testing I have done and they are experiencing exactly the same issue.

Have I got e faulty hybrid connect device? do I need a firmware update?

We are nearly at the end of our two year BT contract, but I have just installed the hybrid connect box last weekend, as it has been sitting on a shelf  collecting dust,  so I thought I may as well set it up just on the off chance we ever do lose the fiberline

I will probably end up ringing BT as I am paying over £60 a month. Maybe I have a faulty device, but what are the chances that the poster in the link above is also experiencing the exact same problem??

If anyone does have any tips or advice please let me know.

[Essooil]

Hi mate 

Exactly the same issue is happening with my EE Hybrid Connect device. See link below

https://community.bt.com/t5/BT-Devices/BT-Hybrid-connect-always-flashes-red-centre-LED/td-p/2462436

You sound very like minded to myself, this cannot be a coincidence. As my post explains, a hardwired connection from Hybrid Connect to main BT hub should work EVERY TIME. How can it not be communicating if it is hardwired with a cable??

And then with no cable and the devices 15 feet apart the signal is too weak??? how can this be possible??

And then BT support will ask us if we have got the items powered on if we have done a reset and if we have used the cable initially to pay the two items yes yes and yes.

The only thing I have not done is reset my main hub which I suppose I could do, if I backup my configuration and then reload it after the reset, but I do not think that is the issue. I think that if I spend time doing this just so I can tick it off the list, it will not actually be relevant to what the issue is.

I recall a few years ago the BT Hub version 3 was only available to business customers, but now it might be available to domestic customers?? I might be willing to have a new Hub 3 to see if that resolves the issue, but with over 50 devices connected to my current hub, and with many IP address reservations and port mapping, getting a new main Hub will be like getting a new mobile phone and having to set everything up again almost from scratch.

Wouldn't it be nice if these things just worked like they are supposed to?? I really feel for domestic customers who do not have much I.T. experience, when even people with 30 years experience like me cannot get them to work !!

"Hello BT". Any advice??

I am fortunate to have Virgin fiber on my estate and they are offering speeds of up to 1200Mbps compared to BT 900. So when my contract is up in August, BT might be losing another customer (if I I'm going to have to start again from scratch I may as well have an extra 300Mbps from Virgin).

[licquorice]

If you have full fibre to the house you are completely wasting your money. Hybrid connect is useful for folks with flakey copper connections, but with a fibre connection is totally unnecessary.

[Essooil]

For info, there is no cost reduction on BTs package if you don't take the EE 4G Hybrid device. Maybe there should be, and maybe BT are overpriced, but not having it won't save me any money (but I will be checking this in August at renewal time).

As a tinkering techie, I still want to know why that red flashing LED is on.

We both work from home and have three teenage kids. I know fiber lines rarely go down, aircraft rarely go down, but there is still a life jacket  under every seat.

[licquorice]

There certainly is a cost and it is huge.

You can save hub settings, reset the hub and restore them.

[Essooil]

Distinguished Sage.

Question: You say the cost of having the hybrid connect is "huge. Can you qualify your statement and provide some comparison costs? If you know it is "huge", you must know some pricing otherwise you could not know it was huge.

Statement: In my second post I said "The only thing I have not done is reset my main hub which I suppose I could do, if I backup my configuration and then reload it after the reset". So I know that, and if you really are a distinguished sage, you will know doing that will probably not make any difference whatsoever.

[licquorice]

Just read through the forum and check out the number of folks trying to get out of the expensive Halo 3+ contracts that are typically £30/m more expensive than non halo contracts.

No, it probably won't help but until you try it you won't know.

[Kimberlin]

@Essooil  So, as a matter of interest, how much are you paying a month for your hybrid connect? At least that would give everyone an idea of what a huge cost may or may not be.

[johnld]

Going a little of topic 

I am having a discussion with BT about a new order which is giving problems

It has been suggested that one of the issues is that Hybrid Connect is being updated  and this should be completed over over the weekend

This may be the reason you are getting the red bars