Smart Hub 2 not connecting to broadband

[FreeasaByrd]

Good evening, all,

Hoping someone can help, since BT/EE engineers are baffled.  We have always had connection issues at our property - the only router that has worked consistently is an old BT Type A hub (also confusingly called Smart Hub 6) which was lent to us by an Openreach engineer 18 months ago.  All was fine until last month (Feb '25) when we were moved over to EE and Digital Voice.  The old hub still works, but doesn't have an output phone socket, which we now need in order to use our landline - no good plugging the phone into the wall socket any more.

We have been sent several Home phone adapters, but they won't pair with the old hub.  We have also been sent 3(!) Smart Hubs 2, but they just will not connect to our broadband (I left one plugged in all night, and it was still flashing orange in the morning).  Since 5th March we have had visits from 2 Openreach and one Circet (formerly Qube) engineer - the Openreach guys said the line is fine and it's a problem internal to the property, the Circet one said it was a problem at the exchange - so over to you, Openreach.

Our technical set-up here is FTTC (the cabinet being at the exchange, a mile away) with a Master Socket 5C.  The last Openreach visitor (yesterday) said he'd come across a situation like this once before... but he couldn't remember how he dealt with it.  The latest is that EE are going to try us with an EE Smart Hub Plus - but if anyone here has encountered a similar problem, and has a better memory than a certain Openreach engineer, I would be very grateful to hear from you.  Thanks.

[licquorice · Accepted solution]

What speed do you get with your old hub? Strikes me that you are a long way from the cabinet and the Smart Hub2 isn't good enough to sync.

In extremis, you could get a secondhand Huawei HG612 modem from Ebay which might be better at connecting. You can still use the Smart Hub2 for Digital Voice. Connect the modem LAN1 port to the Hub LAN port 4 and set the hub to full fibre (FTTP) mode.

[rbz5416]

Are you using the same DSL cable plugged into the Broadband socket on the SH2? Just in case you're trying to use ethernet/WAN.

[FreeasaByrd]

Good evening, licqorice, and thanks for your thoughts so far,

We get about 25-27 Mb/s download speed, about 1 upload.

Your suggestion certainly makes sense, since we had a SH2 prior to all these problems which wouldn't connect, which the Openreach engineer swapped for the old Type A one from his bag of spares in November '23.  (i.e. our connection issues are probably nothing to do with the move to Digital Voice per se.)  The only problem I can see with your suggested solution (apart from having to buy the Huawei modem) is that we still wouldn't be able to use the home phone adapters, since they won't pair with the old hub.

[FreeasaByrd]

Thanks, rbz5416 - yes, using the same cable into the same socket on both hubs.

[licquorice]

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@FreeasaByrd wrote:

Good evening, licqorice, and thanks for your thoughts so far,

We get about 25-27 Mb/s download speed, about 1 upload.

Your suggestion certainly makes sense, since we had a SH2 prior to all these problems which wouldn't connect, which the Openreach engineer swapped for the old Type A one from his bag of spares in November '23.  (i.e. our connection issues are probably nothing to do with the move to Digital Voice per se.)  The only problem I can see with your suggested solution (apart from having to buy the Huawei modem) is that we still wouldn't be able to use the home phone adapters, since they won't pair with the old hub.

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Hmm, at that speed the SH2 shouldn't have a problem.

My suggestion uses the modem in conjunction with the new hub to allow DV, you won't be using the old hub.

[iniltous]

To recap , your broadband router only syncs if you use the old router,  but that’s obviously no good for Digital Voice , and all the new SH2 routers you have tried have failed to sync so no broadband and obviously no DV ?

Reconnect your old hub (so at least you have broadband) and post the router connection statistics (all of them including modulation version ) , you may need to search how to access  the admin pages for the old router ( the one  that does actually connect )  .

FWIW , thus does seem odd , your usual speed although not fantastic,  is a long way from being terrible , so the newer routers inability to sync when the older one can is weird, it’s not likely to be the ‘line’ , which aligns with what the OR techs have said , I’d be suggesting to your ISP that they cease and re-provide your service, or Openreach do a lift and shift , to get you into a different FTTC port , the first to flush out any dodgy configuration data , the second to eliminate the FTTC equipment as the problem.

[FreeasaByrd]

Thanks, iniltous - yes, your 1st para summarises the situation exactly.

I hope these are the stats you asked for:

Product name: BT Hub 6A

Serial number: +084316+NQ64127814

Firmware version: SG4B1000E081

Firmware updated: 23-Feb-2023

Board version: 1.0

Gui version: 1.126.0

DSL uptime: 1 Days, 4 Hours 13 Minutes 4 Seconds

Data rate: 1.28 Mbps / 27.80 Mbps

Maximum data rate: 1281 / 29330

Noise margin: 8 dB / 6.9 dB

Line attenuation: 84.3 dB

Signal attenuation: 11.4 dB / 30 dB

VPI / VCI: 0/38

Modulation: G_993_2_ANNEX_B

Latency type: Fast Path

Data sent / received: 421 MB Uploaded / 7 GB Downloaded

Broadband username: bthomehub@btbroadband.com

BT Wi-fi: Active

2.4 GHz wireless network name: BTHub6-FHM7

2.4 GHz wireless channel: Smart (Channel 1)

5 GHz wireless network name: BTHub6-FHM7

5 GHz wireless channel: Smart (Channel 36)

Wireless security: WPA2 (Recommended)

Wireless mode: Mode 1

Firewall: On

MAC address: AC:84:C9:AF:3F:91

Software variant: -

Boot loader: 7.33.1

[iniltous]

I’m not an expert, so possibly will be corrected by others  , but the router stats and your observations  seem at odds , you state you suspect you are around 1 mile from the cabinet and you are definitely on VDSL2/FTTC ( modulation G993.2  and above 24Mb speed ) but an expected download speed would  be around 12-15Mb the distance you state you re from the cabinet , so how is yours far higher , the attenuation of 86dB is  indicative of a very very long line which aligns with your distance estimate , so how is 27Mb achievable as reported by your router , 27Mb is more typically seen at around 800m distance from the cabinet, that’s possibly half the distance you are from the cabinet…..VDSL has a pronounced drop off in speed after around 300m , in fact at around 2000m ADSL performance is better than VDSL .

Why your old router syncs like this , and a more modern router won’t is a mystery , but I’d suggest the next time you get an OR tech , suggest they lift and shift you onto a different VDSL port in the cabinet .

[rbz5416]

If you haven't already, it may be worth removing the faceplate from the master socket & trying the test socket behind. You'll need a microfilter for that.