You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Just swapped (back) to PlusNet, so I've now got the working PlusNet Home Hub, the previous EE Brightbox 2, and the previous, previous, PlusNet HomeHub.
Surely it's got to get to the point where there should be get some kind of standard 'easy setup' router that swaps between providers, rather than landfilling old routers every time you swap?
In the meantime, I'm going to have a go at using one or both of the old ones as Access Points.
ive just binned a box full of them. seems a waste tbh
Me too.
I have just swapped from Plusnet to Vodafone.
Faster and cheaper, saving £120/yr - but what do I do with the old router?
Most companies I've used have a recycling scheme and have a prepaid return envelopes to send the old kit back. Certainly SSE did this, and I just sent back our 'old' BT TV box yesterday after they sent us a newer model...
When I moved here I had to get rid of something like three of them, then I had to bin the UK router/modem as it did not work in Sweden. Now I have even more because the old ones did not have SFPs for the fibre.
It sucks.
I requested to return mine to TalkTalk so they send me a free postage return bag. When I asked what they do with them they said they binned them - not recycled-able.
So I kept it and used it to extend my wifi out to the garden.
Someone should set up a business to do this. Ticks many boxes at the moment.
I kept a Plusnet modem from ~5 years ago (early days of fibre where they had separate modem+router). That turned out handy when I wanted to upgrade the router and could use the old modem.
But mostly I chuck them out. It's a shame.
If you can find them on here, they can be repurposed as wireless bridges/repeaters etc. I have done this successfully with buffalo, linksys, and a few others.
https://dd-wrt.com/
I chuck them in the small electrical items area at the local tip. I presume there must be some materials in them that can be reclaimed.
Maybe a silly question, but is there any data stored on them that needs clearing before they go in the recycle bin?
This topic has come up on here before and it saddens me that nothing has changed, as far as I'm aware. Still change provider every year meaning a waste of resources, it's just not good enough.
You could always just buy a decent router that's actually fit for purpose instead of the junk the ISP's send out and then when you switch to a new provider, get your connection info and put update that routers settings and tell the new ISP that you don't want a new router. I've changed ISP's for myself and family members over the last 6 months and no-one got a landfill router sent out. Added bonus, you'll get a better connection and have control over what your router is actually doing.
Not exactly suitable for your current situation as you've already got a wee stockpile but something to think about for the future.
It's all about support. A standardised router is a known quantity for the "have you turned it off and back on again?" front line Tech, they know that it's at leased supposed to work and they know their way around the menus (or their scripts do).
Maybe a silly question, but is there any data stored on them that needs clearing before they go in the recycle bin?
Nah.
get your connection info and put update that routers settings
Some ISPs don't provide that information. Sky for instance insist that you use their supplied routers, your 'password' is built into the router and inaccessible. It used to be possible to reverse-engineer this - it was procedurally generated based on serial number so you could bang it into a website and receive the credentials - but I've no idea whether that's still the case without googling.
Had a quick look at routers although haven't a clue of who's best to buy from for computer type stuff these days, any recommendations of retailers please? Looked at Currys and Argos where you're spending at least £100 and everything says it's for low internet use.
My requirements are simple, it's just me so no gaming going on but it's used lots for specific surfing with minimal-ish downloads. Also want a cable connection but use a tablet for streaming.
No reason why ISPs couldn't reduce their charges if a customer has their own router, can't believe that this unnecessary waste continues in this day and age.
C_G - if your current ISP-provided router works, there's no reason you can't re configure it each time you swap ISP (assuming it's not locked down, as per Cougar's comment). You don't need to buy a new one.
No reason why ISPs couldn’t reduce their charges if a customer has their own router
It would go the other way; the base charge would stay the same and they'd charge for a new router
Ah, just seen Cougar's post! *shakes head* at the stupidity of all this and don't see anything wrong with charging the customer for a new router.
The cost to the ISP for their DSL routers will be pence give that a) they'll be buying in huge quantities and b) they'll be the cheapest crap they can get away with that still works. There's negligible cost savings to be had for the consumer here, if any.
if your current ISP-provided router works, there’s no reason you can’t re configure it each time you swap ISP (assuming it’s not locked down, as per Cougar’s comment). You don’t need to buy a new one.
If there is an ISP which will offer new customers a service without providing a router, I'm not aware of them.
It used to be possible to reverse-engineer this
We had to do this, because the supplied Sky router was bobbins with pants wifi. It involved Wireshark IIRC, which somehow didn't feel all that comfortable.
If there is an ISP which will offer new customers a service without providing a router, I’m not aware of them.
We are on Plusnet, who did ask if we wanted a router or not. I said no, as I have a perfectly good (if elderly) DrayTek router… they sent one anyway. It's taking up space in the loft with the Vodafone box we had before.
If memory serves Currys (or whatever they're called this week) will take back pretty much any WEEE waste for recycling.
All your details are stored on the router as well as on your computer. Means if you buy a new computer or reinstall windows, the router resets everything back again, even internet bookmarks.
I found this out changing to a new computer and the router installed all my previous settings. I'd envisioned horrors of trying to find the hundreds of bookmarked music and movie tags. A nice surprise that was.
During the internet set up it installed everything previous, and the only place that could have come from is I think the router.
What you're describing is not possible. Whatever happened, it absolutely wasn't your router {and it would be a massive security issue if it was).
You probably either log in to Chrome with a Google account or into Windows with a Microsoft account. It'll be something like that anyway.
Some routers can be set to log sites accessed and the MAC address of the device accessing the sites. Was certainly the case on my old DrayTek router. So yeah possibly a good idea to wipe that, plus it will have your connection details, which may include a username that's an email address.
Unlikely to be able to link it back to you and your prawn habits, but you never know. Plus you'd have been using a VPN anyway 😃
"can be"
Whilst true, I doubt your average ISP-provided shitbox will be set up to do that by default.
I suppose technically it's possible that someone could extract say your old Wi-Fi password or an email address from an old abandoned router which still had the default admin password printed on it. But I cannot for the life of me come up with a reason why anyone would care sufficiently to bother, other than for the LOLs or if there was a reason for you to be specifically targeted. The risk here is zero for any practical purposes I can think of.
I use 2 old BT home hubs as extra wifi access points, just disable DHCP etc.
I still use the Openreach modem and my own Edgerouter. Every change of ISP I get sent a router which I keep “just in case” until I switch to someone else.
Really wish there was a better choice of ISPs that don’t force one on you, although it means having support who can do more than ask you to reset the router again.