General : FAQ on Virgin Media's WiFi Sharing

[roughbeast]

Originally Posted by mmm

Currently in modem mode there is no wireless from SHUB1. Also SHUB1 is only single band either 2.4 or 5, and with internal antennas has pretty lousy range, so there's not be much opportunity to share it from outside your property. But I hope it can be enabled so you get the benefit of sharing when out.

Given the lousy firmware on SHUB1 in routing mode, I find it difficult to believe its going to be touched - wouldn't it be easier to give everyone a Fonera type device?

Using a Fonera-type device, such as mine, piggy-backed on the main router, would make it difficult to run the additional connection in the background wouldn't it? I put this as a question because I am not sure.

[Sephiroth]

I suspect that this is just an advertising gimmick so that the name Virgin Media pops up on an SSID list as often as BT. Never mind what it does to air wave congestion.

---------- Post added at 10:32 ---------- Previous post was at 10:28 ----------

Originally Posted by roughbeast

Using a Fonera-type device, such as mine, piggy-backed on the main router, would make it difficult to run the additional connection in the background wouldn't it? I put this as a question because I am not sure.

No - nothing is made difficult in this context by Fonera.

The Superhub 2 can have more than one service flow allocated to it (this was part of the recent firmware change). The new service flow is independent of yours and performs accordingly. So if you haven't opted out of public WiFi then whatever you're doing in your service flow continues and the public WiFi continues as well.

[mmm]

It would be better for the superhub to provide the open Guest Wifi with internet access by renote authorization, this is a mature function of many commercial routers, needs to be an isolated AP so no access to your local network, I guess VM could get it to use a second internet IP, but I doubt if they can afford to give everyone 2, so maybe some form of vlan tagging?

I don't see this working in modem mode!

A Fonera type device connected to a LAN would be double-nat with firewall rules to block local network access and it would difficult to isolate traffic accounting.

[Ignitionnet]

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

5GHz is not on offer for VM's "FON" service.

Cool, thank you for the information.

Will share the same 2.4GHz channel as the customer's home network, then

[Kushan]

Originally Posted by mmm

It would be better for the superhub to provide the open Guest Wifi with internet access by renote authorization, this is a mature function of many commercial routers, needs to be an isolated AP so no access to your local network, I guess VM could get it to use a second internet IP, but I doubt if they can afford to give everyone 2, so maybe some form of vlan tagging?

It is. It doesn't touch your LAN. I doubt they need to give the shared wifi points dedicated IP's, either. CG-NAT would be enough.

Originally Posted by mmm

I don't see this working in modem mode!

No reason why it can't.

[Sephiroth]

I've just opted out (temporarily) to see if my BQM graph improves and to see how long it takes for the service flow to be deactivated. Top graph is current snapshot; bottom graph is the live graph to see what happens.

[roughbeast]

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

I suspect that this is just an advertising gimmick so that the name Virgin Media pops up on an SSID list as often as BT. Never mind what it does to air wave congestion.

---------- Post added at 10:32 ---------- Previous post was at 10:28 ----------



No - nothing is made difficult in this context by Fonera.

The Superhub 2 can have more than one service flow allocated to it (this was part of the recent firmware change). The new service flow is independent of yours and performs accordingly. So if you haven't opted out of public WiFi then whatever you're doing in your service flow continues and the public WiFi continues as well.

OK. I get the bit about the additional connection. But in the case of additional kit, your normal connection and domestic WiFi would run in its normal way, but a Fonera-type gadget, presumably connected to a dedicated physical LAN port, would utilise the additional connection.

Originally Posted by mmm

A Fonera type device connected to a LAN would be double-nat with firewall rules to block local network access and it would difficult to isolate traffic accounting.

My pure FON is on a sub net. 192.168.10.1

[Sephiroth]

Originally Posted by mmm

It would be better for the superhub to provide the open Guest Wifi with internet access by renote authorization, this is a mature function of many commercial routers, needs to be an isolated AP so no access to your local network, I guess VM could get it to use a second internet IP, but I doubt if they can afford to give everyone 2, so maybe some form of vlan tagging?
[SEPH]: Somewhat overthought, imo.


I don't see this working in modem mode!
[SEPH]: Correct. Public WiFi is turned off when you are in modem mode. That's fairly obvious since the router functions of the SH2 are disabled.

A Fonera type device connected to a LAN would be double-nat with firewall rules to block local network access and it would difficult to isolate traffic accounting.

[roughbeast]

SEPH. Does that mean that VM would run the risk of upsetting those of us who prefer to use a fully-fledged router in modem only mode?

I would have to weigh up the pros and cons of opting into the WiFi scheme.

[Ignitionnet]

Originally Posted by mmm

It would be better for the superhub to provide the open Guest Wifi with internet access by renote authorization, this is a mature function of many commercial routers, needs to be an isolated AP so no access to your local network, I guess VM could get it to use a second internet IP, but I doubt if they can afford to give everyone 2, so maybe some form of vlan tagging?

Not sure I understand. How would VLAN tagging mitigate the need for 2 public IP addresses?

[Kushan]

Interesting. Given that the "opt out" is on MyVirginMedia, I wonder if modem mode is an easy way to bypass the wifi sharing while still getting to use it?

[Sephiroth]

Originally Posted by roughbeast

SEPH. Does that mean that VM would run the risk of upsetting those of us who prefer to use a fully-fledged router in modem only mode?

I would have to weigh up the pros and cons of opting into the WiFi scheme.

Not quite how I see it, Roughie.

I don't walk down the street Facebooking like many women I see are doing. But I get the point. Those who want to take advantage when out and about can't if they opt out.

As soon as the trial is over, I'm back in modem mode - especially seeing my BQM graph!

[roughbeast]

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

Not quite how I see it, Roughie.

I don't walk down the street Facebooking like many women I see are doing. But I get the point. Those who want to take advantage when out and about can't if they opt out.

As soon as the trial is over, I'm back in modem mode - especially seeing my BQM graph!

The network will also be good for VM's internet telephone calls.

Yes, your graph doesn't look great, but perhaps your area network isn't yet up to the standard required for the national WiFi network or 300Mb.

Originally Posted by Kushan

Interesting. Given that the "opt out" is on MyVirginMedia, I wonder if modem mode is an easy way to bypass the wifi sharing while still getting to use it?

In the case of the FON network your FON router has to be registered and actively sharing. FON detect from their Spanish base whether or not you are sharing. You get about 6 weeks grace before you lose roaming rights. Within minutes of reconnecting your roaming rights are restored.

[TAZMANUK]

Can't even see the opt in or out on my Virginmedia, where is it, I've looked where it shows cloud, tvanywhere, etc no sign of Wi-Fi buddy

[Kushan]

It's probably not active on your account yet.