BT Smart Hub

[Sirbu]

I have had a new BT Smart Hub installed today by an Openreach engineer to replace a broken Home Hub 4.  Now I am unable to access non-BT email accounts e.g. gmail, hotmail via MS Outlook.  However, if I connect to the internet with BT Wifi-with-Fon from the new router, or via my mobile phone Wifi hotspot, I am can still connect to the non-BT email accounts.  This clearly points to the problem being with the Smart Hub and not with Outlook .  Is there some setting in the Smart Hub which is blocking access by Outlook to these email websites?  Any ideas?

[licquorice]

Try turning off smart setup, you might as well split the 2.4G and 5G wireless while you are at it.

http://bt.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/44328/~/what-is-smart-setup-on-the-bt-hub%3F-how-can-...

http://bt.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/56419/~/how-do-i-split-my-bt-hubs-ssid-%28wireless-ne...

[Sirbu]

Thanks, that seems to have sorted it for me.  Windows XP, open Control Panel, Network Connections.  Then select Wireless Network Connection, Properties and untick Microsoft TCP/IP version 6.

Note that MS Outlook worked fine when editing the gmail account and sending a test message.  Also workeddfine with other internet connections e.g. BT Wifi-with-Fon with gmail.  So why the problem only with the so-called Smart Hub?   Clearly not as Smart as previous BT Home Hubs.

[licquorice]

I really don't understand that at all, I didn't before and I don't now. Outlook works fine for me with IPv6. Might be something to do with Windows XP not liking IPv6!!

[Sirbu]

Thanks, but Smart Setup has already been switched off and I don't know if splitting the 2.4G and 5G would make any difference.  Certainly I didn't need to do that with Home Hubs 4 & 5.  Anyway the problem is apparently all to do with iPV4 and iPV6 and the solution is provided in thread in this forum titled "Gmail - Outlook - Not working on new smart hub".  Begs the question why this problem has only arisen with the new Smart Hub (Home Hub 6) when it didn't occur with the previous Home Hubs which did not require any changes to the computer's Wireless Network Connection properties to allow MS Outlook to received emails from non-BT accounts such as Gmail and Hotmail.  What has been changed in the new Smart Hub?

[licquorice]

See my reply in the other thread.

It is not a general problem or there would be countless posts on here, I really don't understand why disabling IPv6 works. If a site can't be reached via IPv6 then it should drop back to IPv4.

What has changed is IPv6 capability which wasn't available in earlier hubs.

[Sirbu]

Maybe Windows XP doesn'tlike IPv6 but it worked fine with BT Home Hubs 4 and 5 and works with other internet connections such as BT Wifi-with-Fon (via Home Hub 6). The only logical conclusion is that something has changed within the BT Smart Hub (Home Hub 6). Perhaps BT's technical experts could look into it.
Btw the problem came back because Microsoft TCP/IP version 6 was somehow ticked again in the Wireless Network Connection properties, but went away when unticked. Hope this doesn't happen every time my computer is rebooted.

[Sirbu]

This then suggests that the BT Smart Hub is not dropping back to IPv4 when the site can't be reached by IPv6. And how could the changed IPv6 capability affect this?

[licquorice]

Its not the smart hub that drops back, it is your device. I suggest it is probably Windows XP where the problem lies, I have no problem with W10.

The smart hub is now providing IPv6 service to your devices that previously didn't have it as it was not supported by earlier hubs.

[licquorice]

Home hubs 4 and 5 don't support IPv6 hence no problem. I don't know whether BTWiFi with FON supports IPv6 but suspect it doesn't which is why that also works.

There is nothing for BT experts to look into, the problem doesn't lie with the Smart Hub (for once!!!)

I seriously suggest if you are connecting to the internet you use something more secure than Windows XP in any case.