Changing VDSL Provider in the UK (Fibre to Fibre) without any change in hardware. Simple config update.
I'm always asked "Which broadband company provides the best WiFi?" my answer has always been "They are all equally bad." The truth is that the free modems that come from broadband companies are designed to help the broadband companies not us.
So with that in mind I thought I'd explain my setup where the hardware has not changed for several years even though I've moved provides 4 or 5 times during this period.
For Sky, PlusNet and other companies that use OpenReach FTC (VDSL) Fibre to the Cabinet you need to set your CHAPS authentication to your unique username and password. This is normally the credentials that you use to sign into the ISPs portal to view bills etc. The exception is BT where a FIXED username of bthomehub@btbroadband.com is used the password can be left blank or set to anything if your modem web interface / smart phone app will not allow this.
The setup I use and would recommend for simple ISP migration with the best possible home network experience is something like this.
BT VDSL modem near master socket. Single ethernet port on this modem needs to be connected to a Cable modem / Wifi AP. I have an ethernet socket on the wall near the BT Master socket. This runs to a central wiring cabinet. Here the cable is patched DIRECT (no switch) to a cable that runs to a socket near the Cable Modem / WiFi AP. In my case an ASUS unit - Not cheap but superb WiFi range reliability, firmware updates (Official and Custom: Merlin). This unit replaced the 3 WiFi APs I used to have. The ASUS PCI WiFi cards are really good as they support beam forming and can connect to the Router at very high speeds. From the modem I have a cable to another socket on the wall and then back to the wiring cabinet but this time it goes direct to my main 24 port switch.
This setup allows my network to run without any reconfiguration beyond changing the CHAPS authentication username and password.
This setup can be replicated with ADSL2+ or any of the OpenReach hosted services, just replace the Fibre modem with a ADSL unit connected direct to the cable modem. In such cases the cable modem will act as a router and the CHAP auth will be done by the ADSL modem. You can disable WiFI and DHCP or use the modem in "Modem Mode" if available. This is the recommended setup for Virgin Media users as the DocSys3 units run faster in Modem mode with 10-30% faster upload / download as the Superhubs are limited by CPU. Again you need a fast Cable modem like an ASUS with hardware offloading for network I/O etc to see this speed improvement with cheaper units you will just move the bottleneck.
PPoE
Username: bthomehub@btbroadband.com
Password:
VLAN: 101
MTU/MRU: 1492
So with that in mind I thought I'd explain my setup where the hardware has not changed for several years even though I've moved provides 4 or 5 times during this period.
For Sky, PlusNet and other companies that use OpenReach FTC (VDSL) Fibre to the Cabinet you need to set your CHAPS authentication to your unique username and password. This is normally the credentials that you use to sign into the ISPs portal to view bills etc. The exception is BT where a FIXED username of bthomehub@btbroadband.com is used the password can be left blank or set to anything if your modem web interface / smart phone app will not allow this.
The setup I use and would recommend for simple ISP migration with the best possible home network experience is something like this.
BT VDSL modem near master socket. Single ethernet port on this modem needs to be connected to a Cable modem / Wifi AP. I have an ethernet socket on the wall near the BT Master socket. This runs to a central wiring cabinet. Here the cable is patched DIRECT (no switch) to a cable that runs to a socket near the Cable Modem / WiFi AP. In my case an ASUS unit - Not cheap but superb WiFi range reliability, firmware updates (Official and Custom: Merlin). This unit replaced the 3 WiFi APs I used to have. The ASUS PCI WiFi cards are really good as they support beam forming and can connect to the Router at very high speeds. From the modem I have a cable to another socket on the wall and then back to the wiring cabinet but this time it goes direct to my main 24 port switch.
This setup allows my network to run without any reconfiguration beyond changing the CHAPS authentication username and password.
This setup can be replicated with ADSL2+ or any of the OpenReach hosted services, just replace the Fibre modem with a ADSL unit connected direct to the cable modem. In such cases the cable modem will act as a router and the CHAP auth will be done by the ADSL modem. You can disable WiFI and DHCP or use the modem in "Modem Mode" if available. This is the recommended setup for Virgin Media users as the DocSys3 units run faster in Modem mode with 10-30% faster upload / download as the Superhubs are limited by CPU. Again you need a fast Cable modem like an ASUS with hardware offloading for network I/O etc to see this speed improvement with cheaper units you will just move the bottleneck.
PPoE
Username: bthomehub@btbroadband.com
Password:
VLAN: 101
MTU/MRU: 1492