Help with set up

[Rustybird]

Hi. I would like some help please re my set up. I am trying to get my bt tv into the studio at the bottom of my garden. Bt technical support says it cannot be done and my set up is complex and that it will not work and that I should return the mini box . However, I persisted and it is partially working and I would like to check with you experts before I give up and send it all back. 

The wifi is not good enough to reach the studio. So basically, I have a cat 6 cable running from my hub indoors running to the studio into a wall socket. From this I have a tp link router plugged in to get the Internet out there so it is acting like a WiFi booster. Previously, I had virgin media and had the exact set up and ran a 2nd tv box via  an ethernet cable from the router to the tv box. All worked well. I then changed to bt. 

I thought that I could simply have the same set up , but this is appears not to be the case. 

I can get bt tv box working but only if I run it directly from the wall socket. This means I cannot also have Internet. If I plug the router into the wall socket, and run an ethernet cable to the tv box, get internet but the TV says no broadband and doesn't work. 

I purchased an ethernet splitter hoping that this would do the trick but it doesn't. 

BT technical had nothing to offer. Can any one suggest something or tell me why it won't work. 

Thank you in anticipation 

Brenda 

[WSH]

You don’t really explain how you have this configured.  I assume your were running the Virgin in modem only mode.  So, reading between the lines…

I suspect your problem is the second router.  You can’t run two routers in the same network, (although you could have a second subnet but this is beyond most home users), so I suspect that is your problem.

What you really need plugged into that socket is a “switch”.  An 8 port, unmanaged, gigabit switch will cost you about £20 on Amazon.  Plug that into the socket then connect your TV box to the switch and connect a separate wireless access point to the switch if you want Wi-Fi.

The wireless access point could be provided by your second router, just disable everything except the Wi-Fi function.  However, if you have already disabled everything else then your setup as described should work, so another possibility with the TV box is the absence of IGMP support.  That second router, (and the switch, for that matter), will need IGMP support to talk to the TV box properly.  Most have it built-in today but I wouldn't take it for granted that it is enabled by default.

[Rustybird]

Thank you for your advice. I will have a go x

[TimCurtis]

@Rustybird 

Depending what tp-link router you got in the garden you might be able to configure it as an access point which would give you wifi and ethernet connectivity.

I'm not familiar with TP-Link routers but I know that my Asus ones can be made to work like that.

If not then try configuring the router on a different subnet or just get a 5-port switch - TP-Link are best for this with BT  TV - and a wifi extender plugged into that if you need wifi.