BT Home hub problem

[Margaret Pilkington]

Margaret, I have been watching this thread but because I had no useful information that would help, I hadn't posted.
I am pleased to hear that at long last you are sorted out.(it must have been a real trial for your patience)
It has been very pleasing to see the number of helpful responses you have had......it just shows that Accyweb members are the salt of the earth and will do their very best to help and advise others.
Look after yourself Margaret

[Neil]

Does your laptop connect to your hub with a cable between the two devices?
If you are not using wifi on your laptop you should disable it, until you disable it it's radio will be active.

[MargaretR]

Originally Posted by Neil

Does your laptop connect to your hub with a cable between the two devices?
If you are not using wifi on your laptop you should disable it, until you disable it it's radio will be active.

I haven't disabled the wireless on my laptop but I only have it for emergency use if and when my PC is out of action. It just lies there switched off and not connected to anything. About once or twice a year I connect it and update it - otherwise it is not used.

I am reluctant to disable it because if I ever went into hospital I would need it.

[Gremlin]

Margaret, all the laptops I have had, probably seven or eight, have all had either a small switch or button on the keypad to turn Wi Fi off.
You can see a Red Cross over the wifi symbol on the bottom right corner of the screen when it is disabled. If you decide you need it all you do is press the switch again.
But a switched off laptop emits less radio activity than an normal human brain and that's the last thing you want turning off.
Hopefully.

[Neil]

Do you have a network cable plugged directly from your PC to your BT hub?

[Gremlin]

I think she does Neil, Margaret said she had the WifI disabled a while ago.
Margaret, if you have a cable from your hub to your PC how long is it?
If the cable is short you maybe sat near the hub even though you are not using Wi Fi the signal will still be there if it is not disabled.
You could even absorb less wireless radiation if the hub was in another room and you used wi fi.
Failing that if you still don't want Wi Fi you could still have the hub in another room by connecting the cable through the adapters which plug into your mains socket. I use a pair to get a wired signal from my hub to my BT vision box.

[Gremlin]

I'm here again Margaret.
I've just been looking into the settings for a BT home hub 3.

There should be a little plastic removable card on the back.
Get hold of that. If no card then the information is on a label underneath.
Go into your browser and type in bthomehub.home, this should get you to the admin section of your hub.

When asked for a password it will be on the little plastic card titled "admin password", enter that. Probably eight characters.
If you have reset your hub then that is the correct password.

Go to "advanced settings " and select "wireless configuration".
The very first option you have there is "wireless network enable" if it is ticked as "enable" just tick "no".

That then leaves you without the worry of Wi Fi.

You can also change your password at the same time but I never do.
All anybody needs to do is a reset and the password is back as it was.

I hope you can understand all that and I hope you get the result you want eventually.

[MargaretR]

My hub is connected to my PC with 5' ethernet cable.
It is not practical to extend the cable to the bedroom because it is too far away.
(you may recall that from my thread about potential phone extension)
I have gone through the procedure of entering those serial and admin password numbers numerous times since sunday and the hub does not accept they are correct - that is why BT decided my hub is faulty and a replacement hub is on its way

[DtheP47]

Originally Posted by MargaretR

My hub is connected to my PC with 5' ethernet cable.
It is not practical to extend the cable to the bedroom because it is too far away.

Can you not use a powerline adaptor Margaret?

The 13 best Powerline adapters 2014: Here are the best Powerline adapters you can buy in the UK right now - PC Advisor

[MargaretR]

Originally Posted by DtheP47

Can you not use a powerline adaptor Margaret?

The 13 best Powerline adapters 2014: Here are the best Powerline adapters you can buy in the UK right now - PC Advisor

See post eleven in this thread
http://www.accringtonweb.com/forum/f...ion-65477.html

Using any extension cables to reach the bedroom is not practical.

The 13 best Powerline adapters 2014: Here are the best Powerline adapters you can buy in the UK right now - PC Advisor
Those look interesting but I don't want spend both night and day in the bedroom.

PS just read the detail -- a wifi spot in the bedroom- EEK - just what I am trying to avoid

[DtheP47]

My mistake Margaret I was thinking it was the isdn (ethernet) line you wanted extending.

Some powerline adaptors have wi-fi but most dont.

[MargaretR]

Originally Posted by DtheP47

My mistake Margaret I was thinking it was the isdn (ethernet) line you wanted extending.

Some powerline adaptors have wi-fi but most dont.

If I ever become bedridden (heaven forbid) I can see how that would provide an ethernet type extension to the bedroom.
However if I get that sick I would look to moving the bed to the lounge (I do have plenty of room for it)

[Neil]

Powerline adapters are evil things and create a lot of RF interference between about 25Mhz and 30Mhz. The mains wiring in your house becomes great big aerial all over your house transmitting nasty RF noise. Most fail the EU EMC standards but the manufacturers get away with it because of how they test them

[Gremlin]

Lets hope a new hub can be made to disable Wi Fi Margaret.
If you follow my post earlier it is really a very simple procedure, provided you can access the settings. That appears to be your problem at present although once you do a full reset on the hub the admin password should revert to the key on the bottom of the hub or the card.

It does seem a bad thing to have the admin password on the hub though, anybody with a will to do so could easily reset the hub, get into your settings, change the wi fi password and then get into your PC. That's why the little removable card is a good idea, I keep mine secure and scrape the label off the hub.

[DtheP47]

Originally Posted by Neil

Powerline adapters are evil things and create a lot of RF interference between about 25Mhz and 30Mhz. The mains wiring in your house becomes great big aerial all over your house transmitting nasty RF noise. Most fail the EU EMC standards but the manufacturers get away with it because of how they test them

As long as I can get my weekly fix of "Hell on Wheels" "Ray Donovan" and be ahead of the UK for episodes of "Homeland" on my unlocked Amazon Fire TV box Neil, I don't think I am gonna wory about any SW radio hams in my neighbourhood. I remember back in the day when CB radio caused all sorts of havoc with TV's back in their hey day.

Powerline HomePlug Adapters - The Pros and Cons


The Problem with Powerline Adapters?

There is one inherent problem with Powerline adapters, and that's that they can cause interference to short wave radio reception.
HomePlug adapters are often referred to as PLT (Power Line Telecommunication) devices, and shortwave radio enthusiasts claim that they can effectively turns your home into a low-powered transmitter, as your home's mains cabling radiates a low-power "noise" in the band used by short wave radio (2Mhz to 30Mhz).
If you're using a Powerline adapter and you have a radio amateur living two or three doors away, you may be broadcasting noise on a frequency he's using for his hobby. The interference can radiate out around 100 metres. There's also evidence that Powerline adapters can cause interference to FM and DAB radio reception.
Shortwave is also used by some long-range aircraft and shipping, and many still use SW radio to listen to broadcasts from other countries, sometimes using a radio system called Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM), which is in use in parts of Europe, notably Germany.