Using the WiFi Hub as a bridge, or how to get USB storage?

[Hippogriff]

TalkTalk just upgraded my friend to full fibre as part of the copper switch-off. They removed a TP-LINK Archer V900 as part of that work and replaced it with - I believe - a Wifi Hub Black.

Unfortunately, the WiFi coverage seems poor (at least without any tweaking) and TalkTalk have said that they'll send out a new router - maybe this will be the same model, or the better version of the Wifi Hub.

Sadly, the WiFi Hub does not have the USB port on it the TP-LINK Archer V900 did. This USB Share feature was actively used with this router (to store a Sonos library).

I doubt the TP-LINK Archer V900 is fibre compatible. So, can I seek some opinion, please, as most threads I've so far seen on this topic seem to be years old?

1) Is there a way the TalkTalk-supplied device can be used as a bridge, turning off its WiFi and having the TP-LINK Archer V900 connect into it via an ethernet cable and its WiFi then be used just as before?

2) Is there a way to do that - but, if not with the WiFi Hub, just with another bought separate fibre modem - entirely replacing the TalkTalk-supplied device but retaining the Archer V900? What might be a good option here?

3) Failing that, maybe it's time to upgrade the TP-LINK Archer V900 with another device that has a USB port and USB Share functionality? Does anyone have experience of, say, the TP-LINK Archer AX55 - https://www.currys.co.uk/products/tplink-archer-ax55-pro-wifi-cable-and-fibre-router-ax-3000-dualban...- which comes in at less than £100? Or other workable options?

4) If the TalkTalk device can end up providing good WiFi coverage then the best solution might be a small NAS, but it has always seemed overkill to now... it's only a 64GB music library that's stored.

I appreciate anyone who offers their thoughts here. We are not networking-savvy.

[KeithFrench]

Hi @Hippogriff 

The Sagemcom Hub 2 or 5464 is a very good router so let's start with that.

Have you had TalkTalk’s Wi-Fi optimisation disabled on this Sagemcom FAST53464 router? When this is enabled, as it is by default, it has the power to override any Wi-Fi configuration changes that I might suggest that you need to make. This will not help rectify this type of problem if Wi-Fi Optimisation is allowed to change my suggested settings. Only TalkTalk can do this for you, you cannot do it yourself. If not, just request they disable this for you in your reply. 


The next stage involves sending out a guide to you to help you get me some important diagnostic results so that I can analyse them for you and recommend changes to your router configuration to solve them.

[Hippogriff]

ONT on the wall is marked openreach and has green Power, PON and LAN.

Anecdotal reports of a) often losing WiFi connectivity one room away from the TalkTalk router (nearly always if two rooms away), and b) it dropping connectivity "at night" - I did not get further detail on this and I did not spend a great amount of time looking through the panels over a video call on my phone. I can visit in person if needs-be.

[Hippogriff]

Keith - I've had the video call and tried to get useful stuff for you - weirdly the video quality on the call was terrible, and we kept getting "connection interrupted" - possibly down to WiFi concerns. Anyway, the router TalkTalk has provided looks to be the good one - when you log into the admin. console it says TalkTalk Wi-Fi Hub 2 and then when you get into the Device Info - General it says things like:

Hardware Version = FAST5464 2.00 (this is not a typo. from me - it's definitely 5464)

Software Version = SG4K00174

GUI Version = 5.100.1

Hopefully my assumption is correct - some piece of paper did say Sagemcom too. I think the ideal solution would be either:

1) Get the TalkTalk tweaked so it provides good WiFi coverage (then contemplate how to access the TP-LINK USB)

2) Get the Wi-Fi on the TalkTalk turned off and have the TP-LINK provide WiFi and access the fibre through the TalkTalk and ONT

I am eager to listen to your further advice, thanks.

[KeithFrench]

Hi @Hippogriff 

It might still be possible to use the TP-Link's USB port if connected LAN to LAN with it in bridge mode, but we'll have to see about that. If one of the WiFi Hubs is the Sagemcom FAST 5364, let's go with that, it is a very good router, especially after I have tweaked the WiFi to be at its best.

[Hippogriff]

Keith,

I can't disagree with what you say, but no TalkTalk device offers the same USB Share facility offered by the TP-LINK so, unless that is part of the end solution then, I can't see a way to not be spending something. I'm supposed to have a video call with my friend tonight and I may arrange more hands-on assistance. Another router has arrived today but I'm told - "they have sent another router but it looks exactly like the first one" - but I've stated that I believe they do look almost identical - even if one is the WiFi Hub Black and one is the WiFi Hub - but need to get a closer look myself.

At the moment the report is still - "The WiFi signal is bad in the spare room where I work. It's literally next door." - and that wasn't the case with the TP-LINK for around 4 years, so I can see where this grumpiness comes from - however, I'll start with some basic (maybe like changing channel or what-have-you). I'll advise sticking with that only should be the best choice (even without USB Sharing).

I know there were never any wired connections into the TP-LINK prior to this.

I stress I will come back with the TalkTalk router specifics - I'm suspecting there's both available to try now (but I will confirm).

Apparently there was a call-in to TalkTalk (before raising it with me) and - "I know they asked me to plug the WLAN cable into the TP-LINK and it didn't work. Maybe I needed to have done something else. I'm not sure. The guy sounded like an idiot... not that I know anything.. but I'm sure I knew more than he did. He made me do a hard reset which then took 2 hours to reboot. I was right in the middle of a working day with meetings coming up." - it all sounds quite odd to me but what do I know? What I do understand is the obvious frustration here of having 'something' taken away from you due to an 'upgrade'. If a new Archer AX55 would connect-up without issue - and provide USB Sharing - it's probably seen as a very worthwhile £85 but I am not discounting getting the TalkTalk device working well on the WiFi front at all. Please bear with me.

[KeithFrench]

My advice is not to throw money at this, but to identify the root cause of the problem and improve it as much as possible, before thinking about anything else. As I mentioned before, the WiFi hub has a higher WiFi specification than the TP-Link, so go with that only, until it is optimised fully for best performance. 

The WiFi reception issue is most likely down to WiFi interference.

Slow speed, intermittent dropouts, breaks in the signal, no signal on some or all devices or no internet access might be caused by Wi-Fi interference from other local networks, which can also lead to a permanent reduction in speed. No ISP can be responsible for your local environment, this is mainly a byproduct of the popularity of Wi-Fi.

However, other factors should be investigated first. When this happens, what are the lights showing on the front of the router? Do you have any wired connections & if so, how do they perform?

Generally speaking, the 2.4GHz band suffers much more from interference than the 5GHz band, but the 2.4GHz one can sometimes have a better range, but this all depends on your local area.

If you would like me to help you, please can you specify the make/model of TalkTalk router that you are using?

[Hippogriff]

Thanks, and I'd say that makes perfect sense... the Archer being from 2019 (when bought, so earlier when developed) ...but all I can do is quote part of my friend's initial email to me - "The new router is so bad that when I am in my [bed]room the signal is lost." and "...I need everything to work as they did before."

A NAS is under consideration, believe me - but that doesn't resolve the - current - impression of this router being vey poor. I have said that even things as simple as placement  of it may make things better.

I am also doing basic research on the Archer AX55 "Cable & Fibre Router" which is less than £100 and clearly has both a WAN port that can plug straight into the wall I guess... and a USB port for USB sharing (I assume some details would just need copying for the Sonos devices to be able to see their library).

https://www.currys.co.uk/products/tplink-archer-ax55-pro-wifi-cable-and-fibre-router-ax-3000-dualban...

Could that directly replace the TalkTalk WiFi Hub and would it just be plug-and-play and it'd know how to connect out-of-the-box?

I'll be back with confirmation of the router... but I suspect the first one is the Wifi Hub Black and the one they're now sending out (due to the Complaint raised) isn't. If I could help in changing the details of the TalkTalk device to the same SSID etc. as before and get to a point where WiFi coverage was considered good... then I would push the issue of a NAS replacing the USB much more. As you say, on paper - the TalkTalk device should be better. I think I'd need to visit to do some tests myself and persuade someone who seems to be in the dumps on this at the moment (probably the whole experience to be fair - has been telling me about some "holes in walls" and something "ugly left behind" - I'm assuming the new socket / ONT?).

[KeithFrench]

The Wi-Fi hub has a higher Wi-Fi specification than the TP-Link, supporting Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) up to a theoretical link speed of 1.7Gbps, compared to the TP-Link at 1.3Gbps from the specifications online. I would use this rather than link up the Archer at all (OK no USB), if no one cares about security in that house, they should be. You should look to using a NAS or network share instead.

You could easily change the SSID & password of the WiFi Hub to the same as the Archer, removing the need to reconfigure any devices. If you have issues with WiFi reception, I can help a lot with this.

Anyway, when you know which WiFi hub it is, I'll tell you how to configure it as you want, but you'll be on your own with the TP-Link configuration.

[Hippogriff]

Keith - thank you for the clarity - you're totally right in that I don't know what I mean, or don't mean. 😉 So I don't mean "bridge", that's correct.

I wanted to advise connecting the TP-Link Archer VR900 to the TalkTalk WiFi Hub and then turn off the WiFi for the TalkTalk device and have the Archer completely take over WiFi responsibilities. (broadcasting the previous SSIDs so all non-updated devices, like Sonos, would just see it and connect). The TalkTalk device then just connects to the fibre / outside world - nothing would connect to that via WiFi - just the Archer via a wire.

I thought this would be done by connecting the WAN port of the Archer to a LAN port of the TalkTalk... but the Archer has no dedicated WAN port, just as you said! I've just asked and I've been told - categorically - that it has 4 yellow LAN ports and a grey port marked DSL. However, one of the four yellow ports is actually marked LAN4/WAN.

The Archer has a USB stick plugged into it - I dunno what version of SMB is used (the Archer is from 2019 so could be old?) but I know that no-one cares about the security of what is on there - and its usage is limited to music files for Sonos speakers to point to at //USB/volume(sda1)/Music. Kinda like unchanging reference data... I set up the music library in 2019 and my friend has not changed it since (happy with the tunes available I guess, even though I realise the topic is more complicated than that).

I'll have to ask about the WiFi Hub model... but does the mention of the Archer having that WAN port mean what I hoped could be done, can be? That being - connect Archer WAN to TalkTalk LAN and disable TalkTalk WiFi?

I just looked-up the manual for the Archer VR900 and it says - "The modem router supports two operation modes, DSL Modem Router Mode and Wireless Router mode. If you already have a modem or your Internet comes via an Ethernet cable from the wall, you can set up the modem router as a regular wireless router to share the Internet.
1. Connect your modem router’s LAN4/WAN port to the modem or the network port. 

(bit more stuff, then)

4. Select the Wireless Router Mode option or the 3G/4G Router Mode, then click Save to make the settings effective."

[KeithFrench]

You do not really mean bridge mode on the Wi-Fi Hub. That would turn off all routing features in the WiFi hub, leaving you with no way of getting from the private IP network (typically 192.168.1.0) to the public IP address allocated to the hub's WAN interface. If you could do this, you'd have no internet access. What I would do depends on the capabilities of the TP-Link router, does it have an Ethernet WAN port? From a quick look, I don't think it does?

To use the TP-Link as a WiFi extender would be possible by connecting the two together via their LAN ports & reconfiguring both, if the TP-Link can be put into bridge mode. I can provide full details on the config changes required on the Wi-Fi hub, but I need to know exactly which one your friend has, there are two Sagemcom's & one Huawei and they are different to each other.

I should add, which version of SMB does the USB port on the Archer support? V1 is now classed as very insecure.

[Hippogriff]

Specific details of the service haven't been asked for, and are not required for this question.

My friend is not technically-minded... apparently the "engineers" left without even advising how my friend should reconnect their phone, never mind being open about what facilities had just been lost in the 'upgrade'. Entirely despicable and - unprofessional - if you ask me.

[Gliwmaeden2]

Do ask your friend to join the community in their own right, @Hippogriff, as specific details of the service can only be discussed with the account holder. 

Staff will be back on Monday. 

Your friend will need to complete community forum profile details for TT staff to identify the account etc.