BT Fibre/Infinity - Guide to using your own router

[MiloBT]

I've successfully used my own router with BT Infinity for business and figured I'd post this to help anyone who might want to do the same.

The OpenReach VDSL modem that BT supply must be used and (at the moment) can not be replaced with an alternative.

However, the router that is connected to the modem can be.

Any 'cable' type router should work fine (i.e. the ones that are normally used with Virgin's Cable based connections).

In my case I'm using a Linksys/Cisco E3000.

All that needs to be done is firstly, before you're switched over from ADSL, you need to know your username & password.

The username is usually something like:

Bxxxxxx@hgxx.btclick.com

Obviously with all the x's as numbers.

Your password will be the one you selected when signing up.

Secondly, on the router you will be using, you need to set the connection type to PPPoE. Set the username value to the one above, and the password value to the password you selected.

That's it!

NOTES: 

Currently there is only one manufacturer who makes an integrated VDSL modem/router, but this isn't easily available (or reasonably priced), plus BT won't support it...so for those looking for an 'all in one' solution like you may have had for ADSL, you're out of luck for now.

[broadnet1]

I am trying to use a Draytek Vigot 2850VN router that I purchased directly from BT. How do I go about getting it to work ?

Do I still need to use the BT supplied modem ?

What cabling do I need to do between the Modem and the router ?

HELP......

Thank you,

Roland

[carljokl]

I have been able to get my Apple Time Capsule running with BT Business Broadband when using PPPoE and a dynamic IP Address. However this does not allow the router to use the allocated static IP Address. I tried using Static IP mode on the Time Capsule but was not able to get it to work with the settings I thought should work. I can just use the BT Business Hub I guess but I would rather use something other than the provided BT Business hub. If the Apple time capsule ends up not being compatible, is there something like a more buisiness grade Cisco router that is compatible with BT Business broadband using a pack of static ip addresses?

[ned51]

Hi,

     new to the forum, can i use a standard n Belkin router with bt infinity it has no red connector.Also i have a real problem with the wi-fi some customers devices can see my ssid put in the p/word but the device just keeps on searching for the ip address, tried changing channels /ssid/ network interface. Absolutly stumped customers rioting.

[telephoneguru]

If you have BT Broadband but want to use your own router (i.e. a third party model not supplied by BT) then you will need to configure the hardware settings manually.

[Dantech]

I hope someone from BT reads this.  I am very unhappy that having just upgraded my ASDL BT Business Broadband to High Speed Infinity broadband I was caught out by the lack of honesty on BT's part.  I was delighted that I now get 78 Mbps broadband using the Business Hub 5 and the broadband performance is excellent.

However what they never disclosed on this website before signing up for the contract is that using the "free" hub my business VOIP phone would not work properly.  I know my VOIP phone is non-bt and my VOIP is provided by a third party (www.usomo.co.uk), but when I rang to get advice on how to adjust the settings on the Business hub to get it to work the VOIP technical department said that even BT have problems getting their own VOIP phones to work with it!

Before the upgrade I used a Belkin ASDL router and my voip phone worked perfectly.  Now if someone rings my number I can have a two way conversation, but when I try to make a call it connects and I hear the person say hello, but they cannot hear me and hang up.  Totally pointless.  What use is a business phone that cannot ring out?

BT said to try disabling SIP ALG which is turned on by default, but they could not guarantee it will work.  It didn't.

So I asked BT for details of a router which will work and they refused to tell me any that will do the job even though there are a few out there.  I even rang my SIP providor (usomo) and they too refused to recommend a router so that I could make calls through their system.  I told them they will be losing money but again they would not recommend one.

So what to do?

Google it of course!  The cheapest modem/router I could find that will do the job is a TP-Link TD-W9980 N600 VDSL router.  This with the delivery and VAT cost around £75 from ebuyer.com.

The router arrives tomorrow and I need to have time to program and test it but I will post back if this does the job.

Needless to say I am not happy that I have had to spend this money when I was expecting the BT Business Hub to be up to the job.

I cannot believe that BT are so unhelpful, surely someone in their technical team has tested other routers to try to solve problems for their customers.

I understand that BT should not be biased towards one supplier and why they say they cannot support it, but at least make an effort to help your customers by saying "try the following ones, but we cannot guarantee they work and we cannot support them".  It seems like BT just want to sell you their own VOIP products, but from what I have read on these forums and from the comment from their technical team, they cannot even guarantee these work.  However the website makes everything look so easy to do.

Why even provide a router which does not do what it should?  Considering that most business customers I know of use VOIP phones to save huge phone bills from BT, they should provide a router that does what their customers want.

[Dantech]

Yes!  It works.

A big thank you to Google and the Internet - no thanks to BT or my own VOIP provider (usomo.co.uk).

So here is the definitive answer for me anyway:

The TP-Link TD-W9980 N600 Router lets me use my third party VOIP phone without a hitch!  Why can't BT just let people know this?

There are other benfits too in my new investment.  I can now have 10 VPN connections (don't need more than one though).  This router has a "Guest Network" which I can apply parental controls to and throttle the bandwidth.  You can't do this on the Broadband Business Hub 5.

Also it has two USB ports which does allow you to share a USB print on your network.  The BT Business hub only allows storage devices to be shared and only has one USB port.

Finally to add icing on the cake, when BT installed my BT Infinity they let me keep my ASDL Nation faceplate which has superior filters and I managed to get 78MBps broadband on the 75MBps maximum.  However tonight with the TP-Link router I actually achieved 80MBps(!) - actually 79.999 Mbps but pretty much 80.  The TP-Link will work up to 100Mb I am told.

So - if you bothered to read my posts then I hope this helps out the countless other people who will get fleeced by BT into using a router which is not fit for purpose.

It cost me £75 but I will recoup my money from the savings running my VOIP phone.

Mark Dant

Dantech Computer Services

[SHNAN]

Thanks for your helpful post. I was advised by someone at BT's Tech Expert team that one option was to use a third party VDSL modem router, but I was not sure if somehow BT's network setting would stop it from working, so it was reassuring to see that it worked for Dantech. I am pleased to confirm that this TP-Link N600 router also worked for me on a home infinity broadband.

I have to give credit when credit is due, the advisor from BT's customer service who we spoke to was very patient and provided us with the information we needed. We had trouble configuring the TP-Link router using the app that came with the router, but TP-Link's technical support talked us through setting it up from its web acess page and it works without a problem. At the moment, my download speed is just over 18Mbps, I am hoping this is just the normal fluctuation. My upload speed remains high at 18mbps.

[Dantech]

This link brings up a page 404 error

I have successfully replaced the BT Business Broadband Hub 5 with a TP-Link TD-W9980 VDSL Modem/Router.  You plug this straight into the DSL port in the faceplate and obviously you do not need a seperate Modem.  I bought this because my VOIP phone now works.  It has dual band wireless (2.5 Ghz and 5 Ghz) and four 1Gb ports on the switch in the router.  This means I get a 1Gb feed to my PC and internet downloads are so fast on small files they are done instantly.

The only problem with this approach is that because the modem is built in and I cannot set up multiple VLANs on this device I cannot assign my VOIP phone onto a seperate VLAN because although my internal switch allows it I cannot route the traffice via this device.

However I have not had a single issue with VOIP QoS using this router.

[Dantech]

Excellent news!

So pleased my experienced helped someone else.  I alwats program the routers using the web interface - then you are in control.

I am pleased to report the TP-Link router is working so well I am going to get rid of the BT one altogether.

[stridenoble]

Hi Dantech, ive just bought the same router but having trouble getting it working,

would you mind telling me what settings you used in the set up process: connection type, VPI, VCI, encaps mode etc please?

thanks in advance!

Paul