Network failure on Smart Hub 2

[GarryH]

Hi

Apologies up front, my IT skills are limited so I may use the wrong terminology at times.

Background: My broadband failed one evening about ten days ago, disconnecting all devices from the network. There is now just a weak intermittent WiFi signal and nothing from the Ethernet ports.

I’m using a Smart Hub 2 with 8 devices connected via power line adapters and up to 12 devices via Wi-Fi including a Blink camera network and a Nest thermostat.

The Nest thermostat’s own network has also failed but I suspect this is unrelated as they are woefully unreliable.

Since the disconnection I have tried the following:

• Switched the router off and on
• Factory Reset the router
• Factory reset the power line adapters (the power line adapter lights indicate they are operating normally but the devices say there is no signal)
• BT have tested the line and reported no issues (up to 56Mbps download speed)
• The telephone line is working fine
• BT have sent a replacement Hub but it did not resolve the problem
• I have switched off every device and switched the router off and on as suggested elsewhere in this forum
• I have tried the above with both the old and the new router

Has anyone encountered this before?

Thanks in advance.

[imjolly]

when you got the new SH2 did you turn off smart setup and this can cause problems?

after connecting the new SH2 did you change the hub name (SSID) to that of old hub or did you change all your wifi devices to the new hub SSID and wireless password?

https://www.bt.com/help/broadband/what-is-smart-setup-on-the-bt-hub--how-can-i-turn-it-on-and-off-

[Keith_Beddoe · Accepted solution]

@GarryH 

Disconnect everything connected the Ethernet ports of the home hub, make sure there is nothing pysically plugged in.

Then factory reset the home hub again and check to see if you can connect any wireless devices. Do not re-connect anything to the Ethernet ports at the moment.

If you can connect using wireless, then that would mean that something that was connected to the Ethernet ports was causing the home hub to fail.

Powerline adapter networks, if incorrectly connected, can cause such a failure. A common mistake is for people to connect more than one powerline adapter to the home hub, as this will cause an Ethernet loop and the home hub will stop working.

[GarryH]

Thank you, sorted!

[John-4-Rum]

This response is a BT opt-out. With Smart hub 2 there is often a conflict if there are 2 or more powerline adapters connected to the hub. This problem occurred when I tried to set up my hub last week. My old Smart hub worked fine for several years with 2 adapters plugged in. Why did BT not reliability test the latest Smart Hub before roll out. Additionally, my new hub does not have 4 LAN ports; it has 3 LAN and 1 WAN port (which set up instructions say not to be used). Very disappointed with my new package.

[imjolly]

@John-4-Rum 

the SH2 has 4 LAN ports 1 of which (port 4) can be converted to a WAN port if you have FTTP.  there is a switch to toggle in hub manager

[licquorice]

@John-4-Rum  You can't connect 2 powerline adapters to ANY router.

[Keith_Beddoe]

@John-4-Rum 

You can of course connect a master powerline adapter to the home hub, then pair other adapters to that master. The number allowed depends on the manufacturer, and the transmission quality of your mains wiring.

What you cannot do is to connect two master units to two different ports of the home hub.

I think you may be getting confused with the other replies.

[TimCurtis]

Don't see why you couldn't conceivably connect 2 master powerline adapters if you have 2 mains circuits on different halves of a split load consumer unit and they can be successfully connected by separate ethernet cables going directly to the master adapters on those totally separate circuits.

[John-4-Rum]

Wrong. I've had 2 pairs of powerline adapters in use without problem for 4 years until I got the lastest Smarthub. Each time I connected the 2nd adapter I lost connection. A BT engineer came out to fix it but told me that the new hub doesn't work well with more than 1 pair of powerline adapters.