topic Re: Wifi Query in Full Fibre

Wifi Query

laurajd28 — Fri, 07 Jan 2022 11:47:11 GMT

Hi,

We've got Plusnet fibre broadband, with the hub in our lounge, connected to the main telephone socket. We've got it set-up as wireless, which we connect our mobile phones/laptop to.

We've then got an ehternet cable from Port 2 which runs outside to an office that we've got down the garden. This is then connected to a separate hub, so that we can use wifi in the office for the computer/printer etc...

All works absolutely fine, apart from when the wifi hub is switched on in the garden office, it then interferes with the wifi inside the house, and no-one is able to connect to the wifi in the house, as our phones bring up a message to say 'Connected without internet.' We then have to switch off the hub in the garden office, connect mobile phone/XBox etc...in the house, and then switch the wifi back on in the garden office.

So basically, if the wifi is switched on in the garden office first, no-one is able to connect to the wifi in the house (hope that all makes sense!)

Has anyone any ideas on how we can resolve this? It's driving us mad!

Many Thanks!

Re: Wifi Query

MisterW — Fri, 07 Jan 2022 12:23:12 GMT

This is then connected to a separate hub, so that we can use wifi in the office for the computer/printer etc...

What make/model is the Hub in the office and how is it connected ? In particular does it have DHCP disabled ?

Re: Wifi Query

Townman — Fri, 07 Jan 2022 13:19:39 GMT

Does the garden WiFi use the same SSID?

Does anything which connects to the "hub" in the garden (possibly wired) obtain a connection to the internet? It might simplify investigations if you have a wired device you can plug into the "hub" and then ensure that it can connect to the internet.

@MisterW

Whilst turning off the DHCP in the "hub" (if it has one) simplifies the set up, it is not always essential. It would be somewhat unhelpful if its DHCP were in the same subnet as that used by the Plusnet router.

Things get muddier if the "hub" is in fact a modem / router and it has not been properly reconfigured to work as a WAP. I've set up a TP-link modem / router as a WAP with DHCP in my local pub so that the landlady can connect her devices to the pub's internet service (which isolates the clients) and at the same time connect to her other devices. Direct connection to the pub router inhibits access to the network printer and other devices. Connecting them to the WAP SSID with DHCP delivers local client connection and internet access ... until the TP-link router forgets its operational mode and decides it wants to be a router again.

An answer to the question on what is the "hub" would indeed be helpful!

Re: Wifi Query

laurajd28 — Fri, 07 Jan 2022 13:28:22 GMT

Hi @MisterW

The hub in the office is an EE Brightbox, they were out previous provider before moving to Plusnet, and so we still had the hub from when the contract ended and they didn't want it back.

How would I check to see if DHCP is disabled? Sorry, I'm not very good with these kind of things!

It's connected using the ethernet cable which is plugged in one end of the Plusnet hub (in the house), and then runs outside to plug into the EE Brightbox in the office

Re: Wifi Query

laurajd28 — Fri, 07 Jan 2022 13:27:46 GMT

Hi,

So the hub in the office is an EE Brightbox which is connected to the Plusnet hub in the house, via an ethernet cable.

I'm not sure what an SSID is...

We've got a laptop and wireless printer which we connect wirelessly to the Brightbox in the office. The laptop also connects to the internet absolutely fine, if we plug the ethernet cable directly into the laptop, rather than into the Brightbox. The only reason that we wanted the wifi in there was with having a wireless printer too.

Re: Wifi Query

Townman — Fri, 07 Jan 2022 13:27:54 GMT

Which version?

These might help - EE BrightBox Login (router-access.com)

https://youtu.be/iRM6pdkNmI0

Re: Wifi Query

Townman — Fri, 07 Jan 2022 13:34:40 GMT

"The laptop also connects to the internet absolutely fine, if we plug the ethernet cable directly into the laptop, rather than into the Brightbox."

That is very much to be expected as you are in effect plugging the laptop into the main router, thereby eliminating the bright box from the equation.

A very quick Google advises that the expected network address for the Brightbox is 192.168.1.1 which is in the same default network for a Plusnet router. Can you please advise which Plusnet router you are using?

Re: Wifi Query

laurajd28 — Fri, 07 Jan 2022 13:39:41 GMT

Hi, it's a Plusnet Hub One router and an EE Brightbox 2

Re: Wifi Query

bmc — Fri, 07 Jan 2022 13:42:40 GMT

@laurajd28

An SSID is the WiFi network name used by your router. If you scan for local networks this is the "name/s" you see.

Brian

Re: Wifi Query

laurajd28 — Fri, 07 Jan 2022 13:44:47 GMT

@bmc

So the Plusnet one shows as Plusnet-FPM7 and the Brightbox one shows as EEBrightboxXXXX (I can't remember the last bit of it without switching it on to check)

Re: Wifi Query

MisterW — Fri, 07 Jan 2022 13:48:06 GMT

Which port are you using on the Brightbox to connect the ethernet cable to the Hub one ?

Re: Wifi Query

Townman — Fri, 07 Jan 2022 13:54:56 GMT

It really does not help that EE's website is more broken than Plusnet's!! The link to the Bright box 2 help guide simply loops to the device help page. So try this EE Bright Box 2 User Manual (setuprouter.com)

Which port is the ethernet cable from the router plugged into?

It should be plugged into the red WAN port.

Edit: Having skim red the whole manual, this is not a "Hub" but rather a full modem / router using the same IP subnet as the Plusnet Router. Making this work to do what you want is somewhat more than just plugging it in. You will need to be a bit tech savvy and then change some settings ... which will need some background reading of the above documents.

Re: Wifi Query

laurajd28 — Fri, 07 Jan 2022 13:54:13 GMT

Hi,

The ethernet cable is plugged into Port 1 of the Brightbox. Should I swop it to the one which says WAN?

Re: Wifi Query

Townman — Fri, 07 Jan 2022 13:56:47 GMT

That would be a fundamental improvement, but I doubt it will do what you want, as both the Plusnet "Hub" and the Bright Box will be attempting to manage the 192.168.1.x subnet.

Re: Wifi Query

MisterW — Fri, 07 Jan 2022 13:57:41 GMT

Instructions here https://community.ee.co.uk/t5/Broadband-home-phone/How-do-I-connect-a-second-Bright-Box-2-to-a-first-BB2-in-order/m-p/666165#M33806 for setting Brightbox 2 as a WAP

The relevant bits are

Connect an ethernet cable between port 4 on your primary router to the red WAN port on this one.

Connect to its wireless network and go to Advanced Settings > Broadband Settings. You want to change Broadband Type to Ethernet, and Protocol to Bridging. Click Save Settings.

Go to DHCP and set the Gateway Address to 192.168.1.2. On the same page, disable the DHCP server and click Save Settings.

That should work

Re: Wifi Query

Townman — Fri, 07 Jan 2022 14:06:11 GMT

Being a pedant ...

Given that this Bright box is being setup as a "slave" of a Plusnet Hub, there is no need to change the device's IP address to 192.168.1.2 - as this guide is for a SECOND BB slaved to another BB which would be using 192.168.1.1 already. Plusnet Hubs use 192.168.1.254

I would also recommend setting the WiFi SSID and passphrase to the same as that for the Plusnet Hub - thereby devices will roam seamlessly between the two WiFi access points.

Re: Wifi Query

MisterW — Fri, 07 Jan 2022 14:08:36 GMT

Given that this Bright box is being setup as a "slave" of a Plusnet Hub, there is no need to change the device's IP address to 192.168.1.2

Agreed

Re: Wifi Query

laurajd28 — Fri, 07 Jan 2022 14:10:39 GMT

Ok, so I've moved the ethernet cable from Port 2 to Port 4 of the Plusnet router, and then plugged the other end of the ethernet cable into the WAN port on the Brightbox. There's still not change though and my mobile is connected to Plusnet as that's the one I'm sat closest to, but is saying 'Connected without internet.'

Re: Wifi Query

MisterW — Fri, 07 Jan 2022 14:14:19 GMT

You need to do the rest of the configuration on the Brightbox that I specified in the previous post https://community.plus.net/t5/Fibre-Broadband/Wifi-Query/m-p/1850308#M131277

Re: Wifi Query

Townman — Fri, 07 Jan 2022 14:15:53 GMT

Things are getting too complicated here - you need to break this issue down - ignore phones and wifi for the moment.

Take the laptop which has an ethernet interface
Turn its wifi off
Get an ethernet cable
Connect the laptop to one of the LAN ports in the Plusnet router
Confirm it can connect to the internet
Take the laptop and the ethernet cable and go to the BB2
Plug the ethernet cable into one of the yellow ports
Confirm that the laptop connects to the internet
Report back

There is no point trying to connect over wifi until a wired device has proven that it can connect to the internet from both the Plusnet Hub and the EE BB2.