topic Re: Move from John Lewis to Plusnet - can I use my existing router? in My Router

Move from John Lewis to Plusnet - can I use my existing router?

g101 — Tue, 04 Jul 2023 11:07:58 GMT

Hi I am just in the process of transferring over from John Lewis to Plusnet for fibre broadband - I know that Plusnet provided the service for John Lewis so I am wondering whether I actually need to make any changes when the service transfers over. We have CCTV and an alarm which both use the internet and are a real pain to change the router passwords so I am just hoping there is a way that I can just carry on without making any changes - I expect the answer is no but no nothing about these things.

Many thanks in advance.

Gav

Re: Move from John Lewis to Plusnet - can I use my existing router?

jab1 — Tue, 04 Jul 2023 11:21:20 GMT

@g101 You should be able to use the JL Hub - just change the username and password in it once the changeover is confirmed.

Re: Move from John Lewis to Plusnet - can I use my existing router?

Dan_the_Van — Tue, 04 Jul 2023 11:26:26 GMT

@g101

You could always change to Hub's wireless name to be that of your current router.

There are advantages in using the plusnet supplied device, firmware updates being one of them.

HTH

Re: Move from John Lewis to Plusnet - can I use my existing router?

g101 — Tue, 04 Jul 2023 11:38:43 GMT

Thank you that is good to know!

Re: Move from John Lewis to Plusnet - can I use my existing router?

g101 — Tue, 04 Jul 2023 11:42:07 GMT

Thank you. I hadn't thought about firmware updates, that's a good point.

How would one change the Hub's wireless name to be that of your current router? Presumably doing that would allow existing devices to connect without changing PWs? Apologies if these are silly questions but I am pretty hopeless!

Re: Move from John Lewis to Plusnet - can I use my existing router?

Dan_the_Van — Tue, 04 Jul 2023 11:47:25 GMT

Have you received the new router yet, if so which one.

Hopefully devices will just move across with need for any change.

Re: Move from John Lewis to Plusnet - can I use my existing router?

g101 — Tue, 04 Jul 2023 11:58:18 GMT

Hi thanks again.

I've just had a look and its a Hub Two router.

Re: Move from John Lewis to Plusnet - can I use my existing router?

Dan_the_Van — Tue, 04 Jul 2023 12:04:56 GMT

You need to go into advanced settings

One word or warning you cannot split the wireless names, hopefully that will not be a issue and you use a wired connection to make the changes

Dan

Re: Move from John Lewis to Plusnet - can I use my existing router?

g101 — Tue, 04 Jul 2023 12:24:53 GMT

Hi again, thanks for taking the time to set this out so clearly for me. I am very slow though - so just to be 100% sure I am changing the box named "Network name" so the pre-existing name? and by doing so it will avoid the need to change the settings on every device which connect to the router. & I need to make the change using an ethernet cable?

thanks

Re: Move from John Lewis to Plusnet - can I use my existing router?

Dan_the_Van — Tue, 04 Jul 2023 12:47:09 GMT

No worries about asking

Yes, I would recommend using a wired connection to the Hub.

Make sure you turn off the JL router before changing the Hub, hopefully all devices will connect to the Hub, once the changes are made.

Network name and Security password - both needs to match the settings on your John Lewis router.

HTH

Re: Move from John Lewis to Plusnet - can I use my existing router?

g101 — Thu, 06 Jul 2023 19:06:13 GMT

Hi again. I have managed to get the new hub working and can connect using the ethernet I'm just not sure where I go to actually change those settings - I've got the info ready just not sure where to make those changes - sorry I am hopeless.

Thanks

Re: Move from John Lewis to Plusnet - can I use my existing router?

RealAleMadrid — Thu, 06 Jul 2023 19:24:17 GMT

@g101 It's all there in black and white, well colour actually😁 in @Dan_the_Van's post in msg #8 of this thread. To login to the router the address is 192.168.1.254 the hub admin password is on the back of the the router or on a sticker somewhere.

If you are having problems just go back to the JL router it's a good device.

Re: Move from John Lewis to Plusnet - can I use my existing router?

g101 — Thu, 06 Jul 2023 20:44:23 GMT

Many thanks, its the router address that stumped me - thanks got it 192.168.1.254

One final question, today the JL hub (actually its a Zyxel hub provided by JL) stopped working, presumably because JL know we have been transferred over to Plusnet. I hadn't expected that to happen, assumed the JL hub would continue to work - so just before I go and make the changes that @Dan_the_Van kindly set out for me, will the new hub actually work (it does work with the new Plusnet PW etc, now tested) with the old wireless network name and PW? I'm only checking given that that the JL router has stopped working. I am sorry about the dumb questions.

Thanks

Re: Move from John Lewis to Plusnet - can I use my existing router?

RealAleMadrid — Thu, 06 Jul 2023 22:27:15 GMT

@Dan_the_Van The JL Zyxel Hub has stopped working only because it now requires the Plusnet username and password to log on to your Plusnet connection. The solution was suggested by @jab1 in msg #2 of the thread.

There's no harm in asking questions, even dumb ones, it's the only way to get answers.😀

Re: Move from John Lewis to Plusnet - can I use my existing router?

jab1 — Fri, 07 Jul 2023 05:42:23 GMT

@RealAleMadrid shouldn't this be addressed ti @g101 ?

Re: Move from John Lewis to Plusnet - can I use my existing router?

RealAleMadrid — Fri, 07 Jul 2023 06:22:51 GMT

@jab1 You're right, I blame Andy Murray for keeping me up late.😁

Re: Move from John Lewis to Plusnet - can I use my existing router?

Dan_the_Van — Fri, 07 Jul 2023 07:18:01 GMT

@RealAleMadrid

I never ask dumb questions as I already know the answer, my problem is sometimes I give a dumb answer 🙄.

It's an age thing 🙁

Dan.

Re: Move from John Lewis to Plusnet - can I use my existing router?

RealAleMadrid — Fri, 07 Jul 2023 07:27:49 GMT

@Dan_the_Van Sorry for the confusion. As @jab1 has pointed out my post msg #14 was meant for @g101 🙄

Re: Move from John Lewis to Plusnet - can I use my existing router?

g101 — Fri, 07 Jul 2023 10:44:51 GMT

Thanks again for all the advice. I am still confused though.

I am happy to use either router just as long as the broadband works - @Dan_the_Van recommended using the new Plusnet router as that will receive firmware updates and makes good sense.

I have already got the new router working with the new password etc. which came with it from Plusnet - what I was hoping to do was somehow not have to pay for engineers to come out and sort out our home alarm and CCTV which both use the internet. I wondered whether it would be possible to somehow rename the new router so that the alarm and CCTV would continue to work without the need for anything else. I have found the Plusnet manager page and I can see where to change the Wireless network name and Wireless Password but as the JL router is now no longer working I am thinking that there is no alternative but to use the new Plusnet password anyway. Am I missing something obvious?

Thanks

Re: Move from John Lewis to Plusnet - can I use my existing router?

MisterW — Fri, 07 Jul 2023 11:03:54 GMT

Am I missing something obvious?

@g101 you are confusing the wireless password with the other ones.

To explain, there are 3 sets of credentials

1) a broadband username & password - which is what the router uses to connect to the internet ( the Plusnet router will get this information automatically the first time it connects )

2) an admin username & password that YOU use to access the configuration pages of the router ( shown on the card on the back of the router )

3) a wireless name & password which YOUR devices use to connect to the router

You can change the wireless ones without affecting the other two, so changing them on the Hub 2 to match the old JL hub will allow your existing devices to connect without changing them. This will not affect the Plusnet Hub connecting to the internet.