Using BT Home Hub 2.0 with another ISP - AND use your hub phone

Just so you know, this isn't a hack. It's just a work-around.

I was given a free BT Home Hub 2.0 (the new black one), but then I switched to TalkTalk, only to discover the BT hub is locked to BT.

For anyone who has faced a similar predicament, here's the work around.
  1. Connect another ADSL router (e.g. the crappy TalkTalk one) with an ethernet port to the ADSL and log on to the ADSL service using your ISP's details. Make sure DHCP server is enabled.
  2. Note the IP address of your ADSL router.
  3. Power on your BT Home Hub, and connect by ethernet cable to your computer.
  4. Go to 'http://homehub.home' in your web browser and go to Settings > Advanced Settings > Application Sharing > Firewall.
  5. Set the Firewall to Disabled and click Apply.
  6. Next, go to Home Network > IP Addresses, and enter an IP on the same subnet of your other router (e.g. if your other router is 192.168.1.1, then make the BT hub 192.168.1.175, or if it's 192.168.0.1, enter 192.168.0.175.)
  7. Set the DHCP Server to 'No' and click Apply.
  8. Now, connect the BT Hub to your other router with an ethernet cable - and you're done. Connect by WiFi to the BT Hub.
  • If your other router is wireless, it's best to disable the wireless access point within the settings, so you can save power (you'll still be able to access the web interface via the BT Hub)
  • This way you will also benefit from the power save option on the BT Hub.

** Next... using you BT Hub phone... ***

This is easy, I just discovered it by experimenting...

Simply plug the phone cable into the (unused) 'Broadband' port on the back of the BT Hub.

And it just works!

Comments

  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 40,102
    Forum Member
    Sounds like you're just using the hub as an access point?

    The hub phone is probably routing through your landline.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 10
    Forum Member
    Yeah, that's all it is. The hub phone does route directly to the landline, but at least it doesn't become redundant.

    I also wanted to retain the 802.11n functionality, (and, if I'm honest, I prefer the look of the BT Hub.)
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 40,102
    Forum Member
    Oh, oh course, 2.0 is wireless n.

    Makes sense now (I was wondering why you'd need two routers :p)

    Is the Talk Talk router a wireless one? You could disable the wireless on it to make things a bit better.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 171
    Forum Member
    How does the hub phone work if its a broadband talk phone with its own number? :confused: Does it work with the old black hub?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 10
    Forum Member
    Well, the hub phone doesn't have the phone number attached to it itself - that's actually defined on the hub. It's also a feature of the Hub that normal landline calls can ring on the hub phone, even if you have Broadband Talk enabled.

    So, really, by doing the above, you're just taking advantage of the element that routes the landline calls through to the hub phone.

    As for the old black hub, I have never tried. But I expect it does work.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 7,207
    Forum Member
    I had a fiddle in the early days of the HH 2.0 and came to the conclusion that it isn't locked to BT, in that one can change the User Name and Password.

    Logon to the Home Hub, ensure that it isn't connected to an ADSL service (If it is connected, the User Name Password with no Password is locked). Go to: Settings, Advanced Settings, Broadband and there you have it.

    I haven't tried it with another ISP yet but the logon can certainly be changed and so at the very least I would expect it you be able to be used with an IPStream ISP, maybe others.

    Perhaps the OP could give this a try and see what happens.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 10
    Forum Member
    I noticed this and tried it, thats how I worked out it was locked. It also has this link in the 'Basic Settings':
    "Enter your broadband username and password (for non-BT Total Broadband customers)"

    However, when you actually try and enter a non-BT Total Broadband username/password, you get the following error:
    "The Broadband user name you have entered is either incorrect or is not supported by the Hub. Please check and try again."

    So I looked in the manual, which states you can't use it with any provider other than BT. I found this bizarre, considering there is that link in the 'Basic Settings'.

    I also tried testing it with my BT Business Total Broadband account details, but it just returned the same error. I even tried opening an SSH session to it (as it runs on Linux) to see if I could fiddle with anything in there, but no passwords I tried worked (which isn't surprising).

    I'm sure there will be a hack at some point, though.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 322
    Forum Member
    Any of you want to have ago at hacking one?

    Be a great help to me.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1
    Forum Member
    jmhdorset wrote: »
    Just so you know, this isn't a hack. It's just a work-around.

    I was given a free BT Home Hub 2.0 (the new black one), but then I switched to TalkTalk, only to discover the BT hub is locked to BT.

    For anyone who has faced a similar predicament, here's the work around.
    1. Connect another ADSL router (e.g. the crappy TalkTalk one) with an ethernet port to the ADSL and log on to the ADSL service using your ISP's details. Make sure DHCP server is enabled.
    2. Note the IP address of your ADSL router.
    3. Power on your BT Home Hub, and connect by ethernet cable to your computer.
    4. Go to 'http://homehub.home' in your web browser and go to Settings > Advanced Settings > Application Sharing > Firewall.
    5. Set the Firewall to Disabled and click Apply.
    6. Next, go to Home Network > IP Addresses, and enter an IP on the same subnet of your other router (e.g. if your other router is 192.168.1.1, then make the BT hub 192.168.1.175, or if it's 192.168.0.1, enter 192.168.0.175.)
    7. Set the DHCP Server to 'No' and click Apply.
    8. Now, connect the BT Hub to your other router with an ethernet cable - and you're done. Connect by WiFi to the BT Hub.
    • If your other router is wireless, it's best to disable the wireless access point within the settings, so you can save power (you'll still be able to access the web interface via the BT Hub)
    • This way you will also benefit from the power save option on the BT Hub.

    ** Next... using you BT Hub phone... ***

    This is easy, I just discovered it by experimenting...

    Simply plug the phone cable into the (unused) 'Broadband' port on the back of the BT Hub.

    And it just works!

    Hi. I saw this method a couple of time of the internet. But as far as I know the hub phone doesn't have phone cable coming out from the back (may be I am wrong because i haven's seen a hub phone before and planning to get one). So how do you attach the hub phone to the back of the home hub? Thanks
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 7,207
    Forum Member
    Hi. I saw this method a couple of time of the internet. But as far as I know the hub phone doesn't have phone cable coming out from the back (may be I am wrong because i haven's seen a hub phone before and planning to get one). So how do you attach the hub phone to the back of the home hub? Thanks
    You don't. BT Hub phone are actually DECT phones and connect via DECT to the HH's built-in DECT Base Station.

    The OP went to a lot of trouble to use the Hub phone. In fact he/she could have carried on using the Hub Phone without an ADSL connection. However, no matter that one does unless the BY HH is attached to BT's ADSL and is registered with BT BB Talk, it will only act as a POTS connected DECT phone. That is so say it will NOT connect to BT BB Talk VoIP system.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 121
    Forum Member
    Sorry to drag up an old thread but I've been searching for ages and working on my Hub 2.0 for over an hour.

    I can get the Hub to work via my non-BT router and non-BT broadband but the hub phone won't work.

    The hub phone WILL work when the hub is connected directly to the broadband socket on the telephone line.

    Any ideas or do I need to flash the hub to unlock it?
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