BT Smart Hub2 WiFi broadcasting without an SSID despite being turned off

[Yoz]

Hi All

I have an external WiFi solution so have turned off WiFI on both the 2.4G & 5G radio on the Smart Hub2.

I have also opted out of BT WiFI and the status shows BT Wi-fi status: Not Active on the Hub.
Smart Set-up is also turned off

Yet despite this, I can see using WiFI scanner software that my hub is still transmitting a WiFi signal on both Radios without an SSID (network name).

I know it is the hub
1) Because if I turn the hub off the unnamed network is no longer there
2) The MAC ADD is pretty much the same as written on the hub
3) The Signal strength increases as I get closer to the hub, to pretty much the maximum (-25dB)
4) If I momentarily enable WiFi and change the channel then disable again, the unnamed network then appears on that channel

Firmware version: v0.30.01.08093-BT
Firmware updated: 12-Dec-2021

I have factory defaulted the hub, but this hasn't worked

I know it's a long shot but has anyone else seen this ?

It appears to be a bug to me

Thanks

[imjolly]

You cannot turn the WiFi off completely in hub so not a bug. This has been covered in previous posts. You need 3rd party router is you want to stop WiFi totally

[Yoz]

Hi @imjolly 

Thanks for responding

Can you point me to one of the covered topics where BT mods have confirmed this please. The ones I found were talking about turning off BT WiFi.

Also do you know what routers people are using for FFTP.

[Yoz]

• @JohnC2 is this definitely the case as it seems a very strange design to turn off Wifi, opt out of BT WiFi but the Smart Hub to still be transmitting and causing interference unnecessarily.

[Keith_Beddoe]

@Yoz 

The hidden SSIDs are needed to link to the black complete Wi-Fi discs, and cannot be turned off.

[SRB]

One of the reasons I switched back to my HH 5 - if you don't use the DV service, or the mesh network, just use another router.

[Yoz]

@Keith_Beddoe  have you had that confirmed by BT support as definitely not a bug?

Because surely if you turn off Wifi on the Hub, you're not going to be using the black discs as they broadcast with the same SSID as the hub.

Do you know if the Business Smart Hub2 does the same, I would assume so, but know it do have slightly different features.

[Keith_Beddoe]

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@Yoz wrote:

@Keith_Beddoe  have you had that confirmed by BT support as definitely not a bug?

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@Yoz 

See https://community.bt.com/t5/Home-setup-Wi-Fi-network/Smart-Hub-2-Firmware-glitch-and-sneaky-networks...

[Yoz]

@Keith_Beddoe 
Many thanks for pointing me to this post, but it doesn't fully explain why it is necessary.

@Dan-O  I see your response from 2020 in the post kindly linked by @Keith_Beddoe 

But I still however don't get why WiFi would be active if you turn WiFi off on the SmartHub2, as the Black Hubs rely on the same SSID that the router uses, So if you disabled WiFi on the router, surely the Discs wouldn't be used as the WLAN network is then disabled. (I think this is the correct assumption)
Whereas the white discs have a separate SSID to that which is configured on the Hub.

[licquorice]

The hidden channels are the backhaul channels to the discs which, if necessary, would allow the discs to be used with the hub WiFi turned off. I agree it's a strange decision to take by BT, but it is deliberate rather than a bug.