BT Update bricked my Home Hub - TWICE

mcpeteg · 27-11-2006, 09:52

I have minorly reconfigured my BT Home Hub:

* Do not assign DHCP addresses
* Use a 10.10.10.254 IP address

and the remote BT Home Hub update (software version 6.1.1 R apparently) has caused my Home Hub to crash. All the lights are flashing on the front and it doesn't respond to pings.

BT have already sent me a new hub and that has suffered from the same problem when reconfigured and then updated remotely. I am now back to using an old Netgear ADSL router. (100% reliable and stable)

Tech Support offered me a Voyager router instead of the Home Hub but withdrew their offer when I said that I had 'Talk' too :-)

BT complaints department tell me that they can't help !! I've not managed to get through to the Watford Tech Support department yet to talk to somebody sensible rather than the India support centre.

If you have a Home Hub, I'd suggest that you don't reconfigure it - the remote software updates obviously expect a certain configuration to be in place.

PFC Hudson · 27-11-2006, 10:47

I'm sorry but I find it hard to sympathsise when you admit to having changed some of the Hub's configurations.

Did you make this topic to have a go at BT?

They clearly state in the hub instructions that, while they do tell you how to access the admin option, doing so is at your own risk and may damage the hub.

The fact you've done this twice, to me shows very good customer service by BT as they've replaced something you've buggered.

beerhunter2 · 27-11-2006, 11:33

I'm not a hundred per cent behind the last poster because using fixed IP on one's own LAN is a personal choice. Personally I use DHCP for most devices but have allocated a block of fixed IP addresses for things like Printers and Webcams.

However I'm not sure what the OP means by using a 10.10.10.254 address?

Finally I think that the last piece of advice about not reconfiguring a Home Hub is a bit broad.

flashflash · 27-11-2006, 14:42

Hello.... what planet are you living on (2nd poster). The router has been designed to be configurable. Just because BT has chosen the cheapest manufacturer and put no thought into the design of the UI why should anyone be forced to change their entire home network around the router. The HomeHub is a complete pile of junk and the fact that an update causes the unit to fail is shocking. I dread to think how many people are dumping BT on tha basis of homehub failures. The fact that you have to speak to a non technically trained support person is unbelievable. I am on number 3, however my 2 year old 3com router is rock solid and stable, never had a problem, I have even updated their firmware 3 times without a problem.

The sad fact is, the BT homehub is poorly designed and poorly manufactured and prone to malfunction. Alarm bells should of been ringing when they delivered 2 homehubs instead of one!!

Ian_F · 27-11-2006, 15:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by flashflash

Hello.... what planet are you living on (2nd poster). The router has been designed to be configurable. Just because BT has chosen the cheapest manufacturer and put no thought into the design of the UI why should anyone be forced to change their entire home network around the router. The HomeHub is a complete pile of junk and the fact that an update causes the unit to fail is shocking. I dread to think how many people are dumping BT on tha basis of homehub failures. The fact that you have to speak to a non technically trained support person is unbelievable. I am on number 3, however my 2 year old 3com router is rock solid and stable, never had a problem, I have even updated their firmware 3 times without a problem.

The sad fact is, the BT homehub is poorly designed and poorly manufactured and prone to malfunction. Alarm bells should of been ringing when they delivered 2 homehubs instead of one!!

Just curious, why did you ditch the 3com router for the homehub?

Kentishman10 · 27-11-2006, 16:16

That is not my experience. I had very customised settings on my Home Hub. When it updated to 6.1.1R all my customised settings came back wwithout a glitch. and the VoIP phone was connected as well without reset.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcpeteg

I have minorly reconfigured my BT Home Hub:

* Do not assign DHCP addresses
* Use a 10.10.10.254 IP address

and the remote BT Home Hub update (software version 6.1.1 R apparently) has caused my Home Hub to crash. All the lights are flashing on the front and it doesn't respond to pings.

BT have already sent me a new hub and that has suffered from the same problem when reconfigured and then updated remotely. I am now back to using an old Netgear ADSL router. (100% reliable and stable)

Tech Support offered me a Voyager router instead of the Home Hub but withdrew their offer when I said that I had 'Talk' too :-)

BT complaints department tell me that they can't help !! I've not managed to get through to the Watford Tech Support department yet to talk to somebody sensible rather than the India support centre.

If you have a Home Hub, I'd suggest that you don't reconfigure it - the remote software updates obviously expect a certain configuration to be in place.

KianD · 27-11-2006, 17:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcpeteg

Tech Support offered me a Voyager router instead of the Home Hub but withdrew their offer when I said that I had 'Talk' too :-)

Thats... slightly odd. There are two BB Talk compatible Voyagers - the 2500V does virtually everything the Hub does and its what is sent out when theres repeat Hub failures or a noisy line - its better than the Hub at handling this. And theres the uber-basic 220V.

flashflash · 27-11-2006, 19:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ian_F

Just curious, why did you ditch the 3com router for the homehub?

Well, I fell for the BT marketing ploy and thought BT VOIP free after 6pm and weekends was a way to keep the wife happy

I also thought BT vision (launching in the autumn!!! what a joke) looked interesting as well.

I guess i could use the 3com with some kind of VOIP adapter via Ethernet.

Ian_F · 27-11-2006, 23:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by flashflash

Well, I fell for the BT marketing ploy and thought BT VOIP free after 6pm and weekends was a way to keep the wife happy

I also thought BT vision (launching in the autumn!!! what a joke) looked interesting as well.

As did I. I firmly believe it'll be worth the wait tho. Whilst I appreciate you have had "issues" with your Hubs I have had none.
Obviously I don't know the stats but I believe people with problems are the minority, not the majority. There are something like 3 million BT subscribers? Whilst I appreciate that not all of them have a Hub, how many are here complaining? A hundred or so? Probably not even that.

Do I believe the Hub is more for people who will switch it on, follow the Quick Installation Guide, and leave it at that? Yup. Certainly the most "fun" I've had with my Hub is trying to tweak it. Which would explain why BT do not give you any guidance on how to mess around with it since this is where it shows it's flaws. I'd wager that the bulk of their "testing" was with it straight out of the box. They did not cater for "us nerds"

Re BT Vision, I await that with interest too!

If you're like me then you'll be giving BT until next year (when my contract expires) to get their act together. After that then the fun will start

Quote:

Originally Posted by flashflash

I guess i could use the 3com with some kind of VOIP adapter via Ethernet.

If you're just after free evening and weekend calls then Friends & Family Option 2 is only £3.95 per month. And it's no hassle at all. No broken Hubs no outlay on different kit no nothing!

PFC Hudson · 28-11-2006, 10:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by flashflash

Hello.... what planet are you living on (2nd poster).

I'm someone who's left the Home Hub settings completely alone.

I currently have 1 PC connected via Ethernet, one wirelessly and 2 laptops, also connceted wirelessly. I have a PS2 online, connected to the wireless PC via ethernet and internet connection sharing and apart from the initial 21 day settling down period with the 8Mb service and BT Talk sometimes being busy in the evenings I've had absolutely no problems what-so-ever with the set-up - With a constant 5.5-6Mb connection too.

frazamonz · 14-05-2007, 20:06

I am currently getting my 4th BT HomeHub sent to me now. I have waited a good 5 months before requesting this one hoping it would give BT time to:

A) Fix the problem with the HomeHub doing an auto update of the firmware and turning itself into a brick or...

B) Weed out the bad batch i had been receiving.

So here goes, fingers crossed.

I have many other routers but I want a working BT HomeHub as I have paid for it and am continuing to pay for it in expensive quarterly bills from BT for phone/broadband.

I have worked as an experienced computer technician for approx 15 years and have installed hundreds of routers and various other networking gear and I have never seen anything like the BT HomeHub. I am not taking about the bad design and crappy UI, I am more talking about the way that this router will automatically update its firmware over the telephone line and basically brick itself.

My 1st one did this within 24 hours so BT sent me another one.

My second one last approx 1 week before it bricked itself.

My 3rd one even though it arrived with 2 of the lights broken served me for a month before the auto-firmware update bricked it.

So I have waited 5 months now and got my 4th one sent to me.

The above routers bricked themselves whether the settings had been changed or not. Though I did find that the less settings you changed the longer the router may have lasted... Let me explain....

The 1st router I plugged in and all systems go, so I went on and changed my IPS, DNS, created forwarded ports etc, got everything the way I like it for my network and this only lasted 24 hours before it became a brick.

The 2nd router I only changed basic settings like IP (so not to use DHCP) and this router lasted 1 week.

The 3rd router I changed not a thing and it worked a treat for approx 1 month at which time I could only assume that the router is now working fulltime. So let’s start forwarding some ports and assigning some IP's at which point the router would have done a automatic firmware update and bricked itself.

I have spent hours and hours if not days now with the international call centre which is not much help, I spend the first 20 mins of the call telling them how everything will go how all the tests they are going to make me run will fail and how they will fail, but nevertheless the make me run every test over and over until they end up doing what I told them they would do at the start of the conversation and send me a new HomeHub. (It’s crazy)

Now this can not be good for business and I really don’t need the Hub but on the other hand you pay for it in your bills and why should I let them off the hook (i don’t get any reduction in my bills, or a replacement router)

Now BT think its understandable that you might have 1 BT HomeHub die but they say having 3 die on you is not right and so hence I have been passed to the slightly more technical department in India well they speak a little better English and actually listen to what you have to say instead of saying the same old "have you turned it off and on" etc etc.

So they will be giving me follow up calls after the router arrives every few days to make sure things are running smoothly.

I said the tech support when it goes to do a firmware update and all the lights flash what should I do if they don’t stop after 10 mins, they said wait. I said what about after an hour, a day, a week etc. They did not have an answer!

That is how my 3 Bt HomeHubs have bricked so far, you see a firmware update starting and all the lights flash so I wait 10 mins, 1 hour, 1 day etc (i have not waited for more than 2 days as of yet) and then I unplug it from the wall because that is all you can do..... and presto you have a bricked HomeHub, the lights come on but no one is home.
The Hub will not send out any data on any connections, the wired, wireless or internet just can’t communicate.

BT never wants these things back so if someone wants 3 bricked BT HomeHubs let me know.

I am looking for any feedback from anyone else with the same issues (like the previous posters) and what BT has said to you.

I have a feeling BT know about this issue and have done for a long time but they will never tell me this.

Sorry for bringing this post from the grave but hey someone has to.

whoever,hey · 14-05-2007, 20:20

er, wow frazamond, you've had a lot of bad luck there with all those bricked HHs.

beerhunter2 · 14-05-2007, 20:38

I have installed dozens of HHs and haven't had one fail in service yet. (I am sure that some must do so but I haven't come across one yet.) I have also 'fixed' 'broken' HHs - that were, in fact, not broken. I do not work for BT. I do however find it odd that some people on these forums manage to fet through multiple HHs.

This is not a go at anyone nor a post in defence of BT. It is just what I see in my part time job of a broadband installer.

27-11-2006, 09:52	#1
mcpeteg Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 1	BT Update bricked my Home Hub - TWICE I have minorly reconfigured my BT Home Hub: * Do not assign DHCP addresses * Use a 10.10.10.254 IP address and the remote BT Home Hub update (software version 6.1.1 R apparently) has caused my Home Hub to crash. All the lights are flashing on the front and it doesn't respond to pings. BT have already sent me a new hub and that has suffered from the same problem when reconfigured and then updated remotely. I am now back to using an old Netgear ADSL router. (100% reliable and stable) Tech Support offered me a Voyager router instead of the Home Hub but withdrew their offer when I said that I had 'Talk' too :-) BT complaints department tell me that they can't help !! I've not managed to get through to the Watford Tech Support department yet to talk to somebody sensible rather than the India support centre. If you have a Home Hub, I'd suggest that you don't reconfigure it - the remote software updates obviously expect a certain configuration to be in place.

14-05-2007, 20:06	#11
frazamonz Forum Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 1	I raise this thread from the dead I am currently getting my 4th BT HomeHub sent to me now. I have waited a good 5 months before requesting this one hoping it would give BT time to: A) Fix the problem with the HomeHub doing an auto update of the firmware and turning itself into a brick or... B) Weed out the bad batch i had been receiving. So here goes, fingers crossed. I have many other routers but I want a working BT HomeHub as I have paid for it and am continuing to pay for it in expensive quarterly bills from BT for phone/broadband. I have worked as an experienced computer technician for approx 15 years and have installed hundreds of routers and various other networking gear and I have never seen anything like the BT HomeHub. I am not taking about the bad design and crappy UI, I am more talking about the way that this router will automatically update its firmware over the telephone line and basically brick itself. My 1st one did this within 24 hours so BT sent me another one. My second one last approx 1 week before it bricked itself. My 3rd one even though it arrived with 2 of the lights broken served me for a month before the auto-firmware update bricked it. So I have waited 5 months now and got my 4th one sent to me. The above routers bricked themselves whether the settings had been changed or not. Though I did find that the less settings you changed the longer the router may have lasted... Let me explain.... The 1st router I plugged in and all systems go, so I went on and changed my IPS, DNS, created forwarded ports etc, got everything the way I like it for my network and this only lasted 24 hours before it became a brick. The 2nd router I only changed basic settings like IP (so not to use DHCP) and this router lasted 1 week. The 3rd router I changed not a thing and it worked a treat for approx 1 month at which time I could only assume that the router is now working fulltime. So let’s start forwarding some ports and assigning some IP's at which point the router would have done a automatic firmware update and bricked itself. I have spent hours and hours if not days now with the international call centre which is not much help, I spend the first 20 mins of the call telling them how everything will go how all the tests they are going to make me run will fail and how they will fail, but nevertheless the make me run every test over and over until they end up doing what I told them they would do at the start of the conversation and send me a new HomeHub. (It’s crazy) Now this can not be good for business and I really don’t need the Hub but on the other hand you pay for it in your bills and why should I let them off the hook (i don’t get any reduction in my bills, or a replacement router) Now BT think its understandable that you might have 1 BT HomeHub die but they say having 3 die on you is not right and so hence I have been passed to the slightly more technical department in India well they speak a little better English and actually listen to what you have to say instead of saying the same old "have you turned it off and on" etc etc. So they will be giving me follow up calls after the router arrives every few days to make sure things are running smoothly. I said the tech support when it goes to do a firmware update and all the lights flash what should I do if they don’t stop after 10 mins, they said wait. I said what about after an hour, a day, a week etc. They did not have an answer! That is how my 3 Bt HomeHubs have bricked so far, you see a firmware update starting and all the lights flash so I wait 10 mins, 1 hour, 1 day etc (i have not waited for more than 2 days as of yet) and then I unplug it from the wall because that is all you can do..... and presto you have a bricked HomeHub, the lights come on but no one is home. The Hub will not send out any data on any connections, the wired, wireless or internet just can’t communicate. BT never wants these things back so if someone wants 3 bricked BT HomeHubs let me know. I am looking for any feedback from anyone else with the same issues (like the previous posters) and what BT has said to you. I have a feeling BT know about this issue and have done for a long time but they will never tell me this. Sorry for bringing this post from the grave but hey someone has to. Last edited by frazamonz : 14-05-2007 at 20:20. Reason: when ranting for so long my spelling goes a bit =S

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27-11-2006, 10:47	#2
PFC Hudson Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: West Sussex, UK Services: Sky, BT Opt3, PS3, 360, Wii, PC, PSP, DS Posts: 413	I'm sorry but I find it hard to sympathsise when you admit to having changed some of the Hub's configurations. Did you make this topic to have a go at BT? They clearly state in the hub instructions that, while they do tell you how to access the admin option, doing so is at your own risk and may damage the hub. The fact you've done this twice, to me shows very good customer service by BT as they've replaced something you've buggered.

27-11-2006, 11:33	#3
beerhunter2 Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Hampshire, England Services: BT Broadband, BT Vision, BT Broadband Talk, Freesat Posts: 7,054	I'm not a hundred per cent behind the last poster because using fixed IP on one's own LAN is a personal choice. Personally I use DHCP for most devices but have allocated a block of fixed IP addresses for things like Printers and Webcams. However I'm not sure what the OP means by using a 10.10.10.254 address? Finally I think that the last piece of advice about not reconfiguring a Home Hub is a bit broad.

27-11-2006, 14:42	#4
flashflash Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: london Posts: 147	Hello.... what planet are you living on (2nd poster). The router has been designed to be configurable. Just because BT has chosen the cheapest manufacturer and put no thought into the design of the UI why should anyone be forced to change their entire home network around the router. The HomeHub is a complete pile of junk and the fact that an update causes the unit to fail is shocking. I dread to think how many people are dumping BT on tha basis of homehub failures. The fact that you have to speak to a non technically trained support person is unbelievable. I am on number 3, however my 2 year old 3com router is rock solid and stable, never had a problem, I have even updated their firmware 3 times without a problem. The sad fact is, the BT homehub is poorly designed and poorly manufactured and prone to malfunction. Alarm bells should of been ringing when they delivered 2 homehubs instead of one!!

14-05-2007, 20:20	#12
whoever,hey Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Services: A hoover or some other generic vacuum cleaning machine. Posts: 27,594	er, wow frazamond, you've had a lot of bad luck there with all those bricked HHs.

14-05-2007, 20:38	#13
beerhunter2 Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Hampshire, England Services: BT Broadband, BT Vision, BT Broadband Talk, Freesat Posts: 7,054	I have installed dozens of HHs and haven't had one fail in service yet. (I am sure that some must do so but I haven't come across one yet.) I have also 'fixed' 'broken' HHs - that were, in fact, not broken. I do not work for BT. I do however find it odd that some people on these forums manage to fet through multiple HHs. This is not a go at anyone nor a post in defence of BT. It is just what I see in my part time job of a broadband installer.

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