You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Quick questions for someone who really knows their stuff.
SETUP/ISSUE
After lots of signal dropping and booting random devices off I think I'm going to trial using our Hub3 in Modem mode with a Netgear Nighthawk as the WiFi provider/main router.
I previously ran the Hub3 AND Netgear on seperate SSIDs with the DHCP disabled on the Netgear. As far as I understand it the IP addresses for both were then handled by the Hub3. The idea of seperate SSIDs was so that we could divi wireless traffic over two routers. In hindsight I think it was an ugly and over complicated solution to the Hub 3's poor WiFi and we'd be better off just using the Netgear.
DHCP ON THE NETGEAR ON OR OFF?
So the short question is should DHCP be on or off on the Netgear (with Hub3 in modem mode)? I think it should be ON and it should NOT be in access point mode.
CAN I RUN ETHERNET CABLES FROM BOTH THE NETGEAR AND THE HUB3 OR JUST ONE AND WHICH?
I plan to also run ethernet from one or of both the Hub3 and Netgear to another router in the shed, an upstairs ethernet port in my "office" and to some other devices in the house.
SHED ROUTER
Presumably if connected by Ethernet to the Hub3 then shed device would be a "router" as per Nighthawk and if connected to Nighthawk I'd want an access point. Is that right?
There won't be any signal overlap due to distance from house/range.
Can someone clever at such things help me out?
In modem mode the virgin hub is only a modem. Only 1 of it's 4 ethernet ports can be used (yes this is crap). That ethernet port must connect it to the Netgear. You will need DHCP turned on on the Netgear. Any further routers need connecting to the Netgear.
For the extra router if connected to the Netgear you should be able to set it up in an AP mode where the Netgear will still provide the DHCP server.
I have a similar setup to what you are describing.
Hub3->nest wifi->other router in AP mode. DHCP is handled by the nest WiFi for both it and the other routers clients.
@nixie many thanks that's really helpful as it may affect where I place the router and run cables and means I won't go even more grey than I already am 😂.
I've been down this road recently and you need to know two things:
1) The Hub3 in modem mode, the clue is in the name, is a modem and nothing else. DHCP, Wi-Fi, etc etc, will have to be handled by the router that you plug into it.
2) In modem mode it will disable all bar one of the four switchports. Ignore the Internet because it is wrong, the enabled port will be the first to respond on boot. You need to connect your router to the hub and, I cannot stress hard enough how important this is because it caused me weeks of pain, disconnect everything else connected via Ethernet into the hub. Virgin TV box, a laptop used for testing, it all has to come out and connect to your router instead.
Specifically:
DHCP ON THE NETGEAR ON OR OFF?
On.
CAN I RUN ETHERNET CABLES FROM BOTH THE NETGEAR AND THE HUB3 OR JUST ONE AND WHICH?
Just the Netgear.
Also, why bother running cables if you have Wi-Fi coverage?
SHED ROUTER
No. You cannot connect anything to the hub other than the replacement router if the hub is in modem mode. Forget it. Whatever you're connecting to whatever, it has to go via your Netgear.
If you're reusing an old router as an access point here then switch off all the smarts like DHCP.
@cougar - many thanks
In total device terms we are not a very "smart" house. Just computers, tablets, TVs, Xbox and phones. There are no WiFi enabled bog roll or Internet based cat feeders but we do have a few thick concrete walls that we're trying to get signal through.
Whatever else I do I need Ethernet to the shed so that's one socket. I'm then looking at an ethernet cable to upstairs/home office as that's the flakiest place where it matters and maybe one that I would add an access point to depending on the latest experiment.
The desire for cables is "plan b". Thankfully kids are back at school next week but as designated "WiFi fixer" I cannot always step out of a client meeting, kick my wife off a conference call, the other child out of a taught lesson and spend 20 minutes resetting whatever piece of hardware the Hub3 (mostly) has chosen to take an aversion to and kick off the network. Being able to chuck a cable in and sort it after work/over lunch is really valuable.
In hindsight MESH might have been a better answer. Live and learn (I've grasped the first bit so far)
In modem mode it will disable all bar one of the four switchports.
This got me as well. So frustrating running around in circles wondering why the second device polished in would not work!
I have exactly this setup (plus a couple of wireless extenders to reach outside). Works way better than the original Virgin wifi.
Good advice above. DHCP enabled on Netgear. Option on VM router not available in modem mode. Use the different colour ethernet port on the VM modem.
I’ve got a nest Wi-Fi connected to a hub4.
The hub 4 is still in router mode but I turned Wi-Fi off.
It’s been rock solid for months - the nest Wi-Fi seemed to work out how to resolve the double NAT by itself.
Depending on the speed of the OP’s connection it may be worth using a cat 5e or cat 6 cable to connect the hub to the netgear router.
All the cables are cat5e I'm on a modest connection of 100mbps but may upgrade at some point. With more online gaming / eldest approaching teens etc. it would be useful to have more speed at peak demand.
I now just have to try and figure out where I'm going to run the external cables. Through the house is about a 10m internal run with 2 interior walls then through the back wall. Out of the front and round the house is 30m to the same point but only one hole.
So I have a VM SH3 running as normal router, but have turned off the Wi-Fi from it. I have have left DHCP enabled. It uses the normal 192.168.0.x sub-net with the VM SH3 as 192.168.0.1 Plugged into the SH3 are a NAS, a networked printer (it does not have Wi-Fi) and a router (in my case a Netger Orbi). The router has two IP addresses one for the 'external' network (the one connected to the VM SH3) and an internal one for the all the devices on the Wi-Fi. As such it also has DHCP on, but only for the Wi-Fi connected devices and uses a different sub-net (192.168.1.x). Doing this I can make maximum use of the ethernet ports on the VM SH3 and on the router (it has a couple of PCs directly connected to it as well as Wi-Fi devices). It works!!