Point to Point Bridge with BT SmartHub

[db0072022]

I currently have to use several BT discs around the home. It's a bungalow - it's not massive but computers in other rooms outside the living room where the hub is simply cannot get wifi connections without the hubs. 

Each hub is connected to the PCs via ethernet. But the hubs obviously create a mesh network. So it's a PCs in each room connected to a hub in the each room which then connect to the hub (either directly or via a closer hub, whatever it selects itself). 

However, the speed of the b/b is 67Mbps - quite slow by todays standards and limited bandwidth. The bottleneck occurs in the WiFi side really, especially when one PC is downloading (a game, for example). 

I was wondering if a point-to-point bridge could help? i.e., it has it's own wifi signal not using the hub one. So it would connect PC via ethernet to the bridge device on the PC side, then over its own wifi signal/network to the bridge device near the bt hub, going from their via ethernet into the back of the bt hub, thus avoiding the hubs wifi altogether?

Will that work?

Has anyone done this and can anyone recommend a product that works well with the BT hub? Any help appreciated. 

[TimCurtis]

@db0072022 

The only thing that might help when you've only got 67Mbps is to have a 3rd party router that's uses QoS to limit individual devices to a maximum download speed .

[db0072022]

Thank you for the reply. Are you able to suggest one or two that could do this?

[db0072022]

Granted, yes, 67mbps is dire. However, this only happens over the wifi - if  you connect directly via ethernet, it's not an issue. It's just not practical (and it's messy) to connect via ethernet wires to each room. 

[TimCurtis]

@db0072022 

A cheap solution would be to try something like an Asus DSL-AC68U (which I've used previously) from ebay or similar , shouldn't cost much more than £25. I swear by Asus having used them for years.

I'm assuming that you don't use Digital Voice otherwise the SmartHub 2 must be the first device connected.

[db0072022]

No, our landline phone is connected to the hub. Our area has had the changeover. 

[TimCurtis]

I have a couple of managed switches TP-Link SG108Es which have QoS which might be a simple solution to restricting the max download speed to devices.

This type of switch can give priority to devices or physically restrict speeds so connecting one of these to the hub and then all ethernet cables to this switch might provide a solution with a 5port version of these (sg105E) costing £20.

[WSH]

You start by mentioning “discs” and then switch to “hubs”.   Are you using BT discs, which are a mesh, or multiple hubs, which will be wireless roaming…and then only if set up correctly?

If it’s the latter and they are all on the same channel, then that will be the root of you problem.

[db0072022]

SmartHub 2 + BT discs in every room.

[WSH]

Ah, so it will be a proper mesh then.