WiFi

[#1]

Hi.

I am about to return to Plusnet having been over to Sky fibre for eighteen months, contract up and now Plusnet cheaper.

When I was previously with Plusnet and on the router 2 there was the problem of not being able to split WiFi 2.4&5 networks and give them different names especially for all the smart gadgets. Fixable only by switching 5ghz off and hooking all the smart stuff to 2.4ghz before reinstating 5ghz.

I am amazed after 18 months away that this situation still persists. Sky router allows this to be done.

Have you guys found any other solutions apart from buying a router that allows WiFi network renaming?

Cheers

Rob

[#2]

@smithyoaks 

One way: https://community.plus.net/t5/Tech-Help-Software-Hardware-etc/Separate-Bands-with-a-Smarthub-2-or-Pl...

[#3]

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@smithyoaks wrote:

... I was previously with Plusnet and on the router 2 ...

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@smithyoaks 

If you still have your previous Plusnet Hub-2,  and you accept a free Hub-2 with your new Plusnet contract,

then you could wire the second Hub-2 to act as a WAP (Wireless Access Point), 

and have the first configured for ONLY 2.4GHz WiFi, and the other with ONLY 5GHz WiFi, and set unique SSIDs for each.

... or just buy a decent WAP (Wireless Access Point) on eBay for £20 to £30.

.

[#4]

Thaks for that and yes I do have the previous router.

[#5]

@smithyoaks 

Did you experience problems with not being able to split the 2.4 and 5 GHz names?

Although the Hub Two could be repurposed to split the WiFi name the one with no WAN or DSL connection the lights will flash orange. It can not be turned off.

[#6]

@Dan_the_Van Gaffer tape?

[#7]

Yes, not possible to assign separate ssid's

[#8]

@jab1 

Maybe but it wouldn't look very nice in public view

[#9]

It's just that Plusnet have a behind the times inflexible router set up. Other ISP's allow this to be done.

[#10]

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@smithyoaks wrote:
Yes, not possible to assign separate ssid's

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Not being able to split the SSID names did not cause me any issue with my 2.4 GHz only devices. But I know some have, it could be down to the wireless on the devices not being able to support the Hub two.

Adjusting the wireless mode could help

• Mode 1: This is the default setting that offers the most robust performance, maximizing both throughput and range. It utilizes the latest wireless features and standards to provide the best experience for modern devices.

• Mode 2: This mode is designed for compatibility with devices that might struggle to connect or maintain a stable connection using Mode 1. While it can improve connectivity for these older or less-compatible devices, it may slightly reduce the router's overall wireless range and throughput.

• Mode 3: This is the most compatible mode, further reducing the wireless features to accommodate the widest range of devices. This mode will have a more significant impact on range and throughput compared to Mode 1 and 2, but it ensures that nearly all wireless devices can connect.

The Hub two uses 'Smart Connect' which remove the need to split the bands

Smart Connect allows each of the router's 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands to use the same wireless settings. The router can balance network demand and assign devices to the optimum band.

[#11]

It's the 10W (£22.50 p.a.) energy cost that puts me off using a full blown DSLmodem/router as a WAP.

[#12]

Quite agree. 

When this came up when I was previously with Plusnet I purchased an alternative router because of this reason.  All these phantom power supplies sitting around in the background add up to some serious money over a year. Luckily I still have it and will be using it again. 
Just can’t believe that they haven’t sorted this out after all this time.

[#13]

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@smithyoaks wrote:

Just can’t believe that they haven’t sorted this out after all this time.

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The Hub-2 hasn't had ANY firmware updates since June 2023, for security patches, bug fixes, upload QoS problems, etc

so expecting the implementation of a new feature such as splitting the WiFi bands, or enabling the VoIP phone socket,

is now unlikely to ever happen.

.

[#14]

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@Baldrick1 wrote:

It's the 10W (£22.50 p.a.) energy cost that puts me off using a full blown DSLmodem/router as a WAP.

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Does a Hub-2 really take 10W ? or was that just a guess ?

By coincidence, I've spent the afternoon building my next overkill router, using a mini-PC with a 3.6GHz N150 CPU, 16GB DDR5 RAM, 512GB NVMe SSD, 8 USB ports, 4 power hungry 2.5Gb i226V ethernet ports, 2 video ports, onboard HD audio, a serial port, SATA interface, card reader, etc.

Running Ubuntu 24.04 desktop, or pfSense firewall firmware, with an attached keyboard, mouse, 1080p monitor, and LAN, this little PC is only using 9.12 Watts, measured at the mains socket, and probably less when used as a headless router.

I would have thought that a Hub-2 power consumption would be closer to 5W, maybe 6W at most.

.

[#15]

From Googles AI search

Plusnet hub-2 power consumption

The Plusnet Hub Two has a power consumption of

8.11 watts when in standby mode and 13.89 watts when in operation

Annual and daily power consumption

Based on these figures, here is the approximate daily and annual power consumption:

• Daily standby: 0.19 kWh per day (8.11W x 24 hours).
• Daily in use: 0.33 kWh per day (13.89W x 24 hours).
• Annual standby: 71.04 kWh per year (0.19 kWh x 365 days).
• Annual in use: 120.45 kWh per year (0.33 kWh x 365 days).

Electricity cost

As a cost example, at a UK electricity price of £0.30/kWh, the annual running cost would be:

• Annual standby: £21.31 (71.04 kWh x £0.30).
• Annual in use: £36.14 (120.45 kWh x £0.30).

HTH