Superhub : R36 Firmware Beta Test (was R35)

[sniper007]

Originally Posted by boroboi

Channel hopping is exactly the way it sounds. Restoring the hub to factory defaults makes it search through the list of available channels, and (the way it should work) you should be put onto the least congested one, though that isn't usually the case, it takes multiple reboots usually. BTW, this only refers to upstream, because all the channels that are available to you on the downstream are usually bonded. Each area has a different amount of channels, which is why some people are on 6 7 or 8, some may still be on 4 or 5.

The reason there is only 1 upstream channel is because upstream isn't yet bonded, hence the channel hopping to find the least congested channel. An area will usually have at least two channels.

Channel ID's are just ID's, they aren't an indication to how many channels are available to you.

Your IP and route through the network remains the same, it's just the channel which serves bandwidth which is different. There are differing amounts of users on each channel available to you, so one can be more congested than another.

Power level wise, you are fine, though you are on the upper end of fine. Any higher than +7 dBmV on the downstream and that's classed as out of spec.

Very informative and helpful post. Thankyou kindly. Rep given.

So to extend my understanding of this, can you tell me what "bonded" actually means? I assume when the downstream channels are "bonded" this means they are locked permanently during installation by said engineer to ones superhub? Where as upload channel as you say is possible to change to different ones. Why is the upload not bonded? Why do we have more than one channel for download at all? Do we need them? What does additional channels do? Why also only one for upload? Are they looking to improve the upload by adding channels?

Finally, is there anywhere else I can read about what all of the signal to noise ratio, power levels and modulation stuff all mean? Not that I can affect it, just interested really.

Thanks a lot

[adduxi]

Originally Posted by sniper007

Finally, is there anywhere else I can read about what all of the signal to noise ratio, power levels and modulation stuff all mean? Not that I can affect it, just interested really.

Thanks a lot

Try this posting. I've found it interesting to say the least!

http://community.virginmedia.com/t5/...ER/td-p/148068

[robf]

One thing I've noticed with my Shub is that it needs rebooting every few days to get the performance back and allow all wireless devices to continue connecting properly.

Please tell me that the new firmware has the ability to schedule reboots...?

[kwikbreaks]

Originally Posted by sniper007

So to extend my understanding of this, can you tell me what "bonded" actually means? I assume when the downstream channels are "bonded" this means they are locked permanently during installation by said engineer to ones superhub?

It just means that your data packets can arrive on any of the channels you see in your modem stats. The engineer fixes nothing - the hub negotiates the connection (ie which channels will be used) each time it reboots.

Originally Posted by sniper007

Why is the upload not bonded? Why do we have more than one channel for download at all? Do we need them? What does additional channels do? Why also only one for upload? Are they looking to improve the upload by adding channels?

A single downstream channel can provide 50Mbps but that is shared with all the other users in your local area (probably > 200 users) so to get any sort of performance multiple channels are essential. Upstream bonding is needed and will be coming. Eventually. An upstream channel can only deliver 18Mbps.

Originally Posted by sniper007

Finally, is there anywhere else I can read about what all of the signal to noise ratio, power levels and modulation stuff all mean? Not that I can affect it, just interested really.

Thanks a lot

Seph wrote some good stuff here - http://community.virginmedia.com/t5/...ER/td-p/148068

---------- Post added at 09:30 ---------- Previous post was at 09:25 ----------

Originally Posted by robf

One thing I've noticed with my Shub is that it needs rebooting every few days to get the performance back and allow all wireless devices to continue connecting properly.

Please tell me that the new firmware has the ability to schedule reboots...?

It doesn't.

You may find that you don't need to reboot of course which is what you should really be hoping for. I don't need to reboot R36 but I only use WiFi for phones and tablets so ymmv.

[robf]

Good point. It's mainly phones and tablets that stop connecting, so hopefully it will be more reliable once I get the upgrade

[kwikbreaks]

I did have one really strange problem after powering down the hub for a while then back on. My phone was showing connected and an app I have on it was showing the normal IP but there was no internet. I checked the hub and it was showing the phone connected but in a totally different private address range - I use default 192.168 and the phone was showing as a 10.n.n.n address. After a bit of fiddling around with the phone it was OK but the hub was still showing the 10. IP. Eventually the hub showed the correct IP again. I tried to recreate it but had no issues the next time.
original.jpg

In the main R36 has been OK for me but TBH the only issues I had with the Superhub before (back on R25 iirc) were the abysmal wifi range and the fact that any sizeable network transfer using WiFi (especially in 300 mode) would simply hang the thing. I haven't given the WiFi any serious bashing on R36 but others seem to think it's OK now.

[iliyan]

Originally Posted by bunglehaze

I have sat idly by and read umpteen different threads on the Superhub since getting mine just over 10 days ago. Disappointed does not begin to cover it really.

Once upon a time you got something from Telewest, it worked 100%, no messing about and usually beyond expectation, as my old modem was going on the fritz and I was due a contract change I thought I would renegotiate for a TiVo as well as get my networking brought into this generation. As a result I got lumbered with a gnats hair of cable, leaving my superhub able to only go in a single position and the removal of my old Dlink router which would have come in quite handy.

What gets me is that I am on my second superhub and it has only been 10 days, surely by rolling out bad hardware, bad firmware and an inability to fix it quickly VM have created not only a huge negative view on their service as a whole, but surely a ton of extra work for CSR's and Tech Support that was not really needed.

Fingers crossed that R36 allows me to use my wifi in the room above or below my router (a few feet and wooden floor) without dropping out or such a low signal that my mobile network is faster and more reliable...

On a related note, have any of you managed to setup a wireless repeater using the superhub and another router (DD-WRT perhaps?) I have been trying for a while and cannot get an external net connection

Hi bunglehaze,

I have managed to set a repeater of the "superhub" by using an Edimax BR-6428NS router ( http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/n...br-6428ns.html )
In all the fairness - I have tried several others, claiming they support universal repeating option, but I had no luck with them.
The Edimax works like a charm and extends the network to the range where my old netgear did ( at G band ) and where the "superhub" firm. R30 cannot get ( same channel, G band )!?!?!
However, there is no much use for multimedia purposes via the wireless as the superhub drops the wifi 3-4 times an hour ( at least ) so, watching live TV is just pointless.
Waiting to see how the R36 will behave and then will have a final verdict on Virgin.

---------- Post added at 11:21 ---------- Previous post was at 11:07 ----------

Originally Posted by qasdfdsaq

1) Figure out your IP
2) Change the last number to 1
3) If that doesn't work www.subnet-calculator.com

Sure......, as long as VM are running just one C class network ......
But they are not.......... so .......

[qasdfdsaq]

That's why I put 3) there.

[Bushuu]

Originally Posted by kwikbreaks

In that case you must be very unlucky as I set all mine up just fine. Only one issue - it doesn't retain a name which I set. Note the 4 reserved IPs in my lease table - I had no problems at all setting them up.

As I said - read the help.

.......

Oh Guess What?

I DID EXACTLY WHAT IT SAID IN THE HELP!!!!!!

And ... As I said..... I'm not a retard!!

Don't assume because something is working for you that it works for everyone!!!!

[sniper007]

So I got my R36 just come down and apply to my router. I was on 50mb XXL and at about 3pm my router rebooted itself of its own accord and after about 5 minutes it came back up with a) R36 firmware and b) upgrade to 100mb. I had an engineer install today for my new contract including TIVO box and he said the new phone and internet package would apply by itself later. Appears it has done so.

I noticed that it came back up 100% keeping all my setting intact. I did not have to change anything except re-enable the DMZ so that my thinkbroadband monitor continues to work. It disabled this and is now not called "respond to ping on wan port" but simply enable/disable DMZ.
I also had to re-set the wireless channel to be my chosen one as it set itself to AUTO and enabled OBSS although also greyed it out so not sure this was applied.

I have noticed serveral other things with the new firmware.

- When I go to set the user interface timeout to be more than 300 seconds (5 minutes) which is now possible with this firmware - and an excellent addition might I add - it complains that the admin password (set on the same page above this option) must contrain only numbers and letters. However, it is still allowing me to logon to the superhub interface with my old complex password with various characters including special. I'm not sure why they have made the password requirements be LESS complex.

- There is now an ability to have 2 additional guest wireless networks? The previous firmware I thought only allowed one, not that this matters. Just an observation. I do not use this.

- The security section has now been split into different section headings, although the amount of selectable features remains the same. The only difference is that the "Firewall features" can not only be turned on, but a level selected, i.e. LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH. I have left this turned off from previously ages ago when a lot of us had problems with youtube and stuttering with it turned on.

- Ability to reboot the device from within the menu in addition to restore to factory defaults.

- Network, firewall and parental logging and download counter looks improved, and the ability to send smtp emails on logs/events, although I can't remember how much of this you could do before. It looks like it might be better, but reading this thread it appears some of the logging is broke, especially the download counter?



As for any noticable improvemebnt in latency/jitter graphs using thinkbroadband monitor, only time will tell. At the moment it appears the same despite the double wammy of R36 AND 100mb. Reading above, it seems channel hopping to a different upstream ID is likely to make the most difference which is a shame. When mine all came back online, I got the exact same upstream channel ID. Nothing really changed.

I will leave it for a few days, then try hopping to a different channel as a test.

[kwikbreaks]

Originally Posted by Bushuu

Don't assume because something is working for you that it works for everyone!!!!

And ... As I said..... I'm not a retard!!

Strangely enough nobody in the beta trial reported any problems with this.

[mattysouthall]

Any chance of getting an option to change DNS servers? I really would like to go back to using OpenDNS without the need of setting each device individually...

[adduxi]

Originally Posted by mattysouthall

Any chance of getting an option to change DNS servers? I really would like to go back to using OpenDNS without the need of setting each device individually...

I don't use a SH, but one of the posters over at the VM Help Forums, said he was able to do this by setting the SH WAN IP as static and this allowed him to input different DNS Server IP addresses. ??

[General Maximus]

Originally Posted by mattysouthall

Any chance of getting an option to change DNS servers? I really would like to go back to using OpenDNS without the need of setting each device individually...

can't see it happening dude, VM are all about control and they want you to use their own DNS servers. I would love to see the numbers on the amount of data which goes across (and potentially outside the) network for DNS requests.

[Harryn9000]

i losed complete internet access at 4am this morning ready and top light where constant flashing aswell as tivo light