Using a WiFi Hub as an Access Point

[TrevorWF]

I have recently moved from Gigafast 900 (with Vodafone WiFi Hub THG3000) to Pro Fibre 2 (with the Vodafone Ultra Hub) and while the internet service is fine I cannot connect my 2.4Ghz "smart" devices. I've tried setting them up as far away from the router, using my mobile phone tethered to a 2nd mobile phone and trying to connect an iPhone 4 to the Ultra Hub all with the same results - no smart devices.

As I have the THG3000 I wondered whether it can be attached to the Ultra Hub as an access point, but don't appear to be able to set up the gateway on the THG3000 to point at the Ultra Hub.

Can anyone explain how it's done and advise which settings in the online portal console need to be changed.

I have a substantial investment in smart devices and I can't move them away from my router as some are in the same room an the router location is dictated by the fibre entry into the house.

Thanks in anticipation

[Jayach]

When it comes to using the THG3000 as an access point I like to point people to this video:

Gigabit WiFi for a Fiver: Making the best value high performance Access Point (THG3000 setup guide) ...

Make sure you factory reset it first, and the Wi-Fi settings should be accessible so you can switch the 5Ghz off.

However a cheap 2.4Ghz AP will probably be a neater solution.

Edit: How did you manage to do it with the THG3000?

[TrevorWF]

Jayach

Thanks for your reply.

Unfortunately I have not managed to set up the THG3000 as an access point. I have watched PeterC's YouTube video but I can't find the setting to point the THG3000 at the Ultra Hub for Internet access - so still can't connect my smart devices ;-(

[Ripshod]

Thee wan port is locked to a PPPoE connection so will never work as a normal wan port. 

[TrevorWF]

Ripshod

Thanks for the reply.

I was using LAN to LAN between the two routers not LAN to WAN

[Jayach]

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@TrevorWF wrote:

I was using LAN to LAN between the two routers not LAN to WAN

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That is the correct method. Try giving the THG3000 a fixed IP outside of the ULTRA hub's DHCP scope.

Like this:

Assuming the Ultra hub has the same DHCP settings as the THG3000 (192.168.1.2 - 198.162.1.199)

[TrevorWF]

Jayach

I did that but it didn't work

I am away for the next couple of days but will then be able to dedicate a few hours to painstakingly go through all the steps again just to make sure it wasn't some simple error I made.

If I can't get it to work I intend to reinstate the THG3000 as the router I use so that all of the smart devices can connect and then I'll wait to see if Vodafone fix the problem with the Ultra Hub

Thanks again for responding 

[Jayach]

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@TrevorWF wrote:

Unfortunately I have not managed to set up the THG3000 as an access point. I have watched PeterC's YouTube video but I can't find the setting to point the THG3000 at the Ultra Hub for Internet access 

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You really don't need to "point" it anywhere, it just becomes a switch sitting on the LAN. It needs to know nothing.

[CrimsonLiar]

That's the whole problem, it shouldn't become a switch.  So a device on the subordinate device receives an address request outside of its own subnet, it'll route it via the WAN port and not any of the LAN ports.

[Ripshod]

I agree. Despite the dhcp and dns servers a lot of routers can be operated in this way. I don't know for sure about the thg3000 but I have an old Netgear D7000 and an Asus dsl-ac68u that do this. Essentially overpowered overspecced unmanaged switches.