Hybrid connect box / 3rd party router (TP Link ER605v2)

[TP_Guy]

Can the Hybrid Connect device/box be set up and used without a Home Hub?

Looking for an educated answer from either a BT engineer who knows for sure or from someone who has extensively tried to get it working outside of the Home Hub environment and either failed or hopefully succeeded.

It's not the end of the world if it can't be done, I can use a regular USB dongle as back-up/failover connection but as the Hybrid box arrived, I thought I might see what's what.

Thanks.

[wkirkman · Accepted solution]

Hello,

The answer is no. The Hybrid Connect relies on a pairing of it and a BT Smart Hub 2. It is not a normal failover device, nor is it a 4G modem or modem/router. It is a specifically designed piece of kit that will only work in conjunction with the BT Smart Hub 2.

Think of it this way. If BT produced a BT Smart Hub 4G Hybrid router to replace the BT Smart Hub 2, the 4G would be built into the device. The downside to this, as it is within my house, where the gateway router is situated, there is no 4G signal. Would therefore make the product useless for 4G connectivity.

All they have done here in creating the Hybrid Connect is separate it physically from the Smart Hub 2, allowing me to put it in the loft and connect wirelessly back to the Smart Hub 2. But other than that, it is 'part of the same device' for all intents and purposes, and is not designed to work within anything but its own kind.

For 4G connectivity to a third party router, you would need a third party 4G device.

The Hybrid Connect (for home users) only does one thing. It allows for a Failover when the main link goes down. So you unplug your DSL or FTTP Ethernet, and within about 3 minutes the Hybrid Connect connects the Smart Hub 2 to 4G over BT/EE. When the main connection is connected back and proven good for 15 minutes, it will fail-back to the main connection again.

What it doesn't do is act as a bonded connection (unless you are a business customer and in which case that is not covered here), nor does it act as a separate 4G Modem. It only does failover.

To recreate failover properly with third party equipment, you would need something smart that detects the primary link termination and switches (hopefully seamlessly, unlike the Hybrid Connect - but that's another story), to the 4G instead, and then is able to detect when a stable primary is back in play, to switch back to that and leave the 4G in redundant mode. I happen to work for a company whose products can do that, but I am not sure of any other third party product that allows for proper failover.

[licquorice]

Feel free to wait for 'an educated answer', but I've yet to see anyone on the forum manage to get the hybrid connect to work with anything other than the SH2.

Just wondering why you have one if you didn't expect it to work with a third party router.

Are you sure it is a Hybrid Connect device rather than a mini hub?

Edit: Post crossed with chapter and verse from @wkirkman 

[TP_Guy]

Perfect answer, thank you for taking the time to explain in depth. Fits perfectly with what I have tried/tested (briefly).
 I figured for the extra few pounds a month BT , understandably, weren't handing out a 4G modem and this confirms it. 
Saves me time and effort, I can send it back, save a few quid and put that on a device designed specifically to do what I want it to do with my set up. Cheers.

[TP_Guy]

Got my educated answer (as I just noticed you have seen 🙂
Why do I have a Hybrid box? I phoned up to change the data package on a SIM, ended up re-negotiating my BB package (as you do) and was offered the Hybrid box; decided I'd give it a go in case it did what I wanted it to do on my set up (and because I like things to be under one roof) for less than the cost of a 4G USB dongle.
Definitely a Hybrid Box, says it on the box and matches the set-up instructions video for a Hybrid Box.

The dream has ended, back to looking at reasonably priced 4G USB dongles.

[apbarratt]

I've a follow up question to this topic.  I have a third party router that takes multiple WAN connections, it can even accept a USB port connection through a mobile network modem.

Can I simply take the EE simcard out of the Hybrid Connect device and place it into a third party 4G modem?  And if so,  can I simply connect the fibre connection with an ethernet from the ONT directly to the third party router, and a second connection from the 4G modem directly to the same router?

My assumption is I could configure this router to prioritise the fibre based WAN first before targeting the mobile network.  Does this sound like a working plan or is there some special link between the EE and BT connection to share an IP during fall back etc that would upset it without the specific equipment designed for the purpose?

The router in question is here: TP-Link SafeStream Busniess Gigabit Multi-WAN VPN Router, Supports IPsec/PPTP/L2TP, Up to 20 Ipsec VPN Tunnels, Easy Management (ER605)