Alternative Modem

If you move to BT Broadband do you have to use their modem or can you continue to use your existing one.

If you use theirs what is the advantage?

Thanks

It depends on whether you are going to Infinity or not. If not, there shouldn't be any problem. (But why would anyone go to BT broadband except for Infinity?)

If you are going to Infinity or any competitor's FTTC, you must have a VDSL modem. Most modems are ADSL only, with a couple of expensive devices such as FritzBox being integrated VDSL modem and router.

Anyone will be OK - provided it is reasonable up to date and not an old basic ADSL modem.

If BT supply one to you it is always worth keeping hold of it as they will prefer to fault find and diagnose using their own modems rather than one of the hundreds of alternates.

Thanks

We can't go to Infinity, not available in this area. maybe going for 2 reasons, Combined Broadband & Phone, cheaper than Plusnet. Also the free WiFi hotspots.

It is new, Linksys X3000. That is why I want to keep it

That will be fine ...

For the free WIFi hotspots don't you have to have the BT Home Hub providing the same service from your connection?

Not exactly. You have to sign up to BT Wifi but you don't have to offer it on your connection.

You do on the BT Business packages _ I would have thought that Residential would have been similar.

I am opted-in to BT Wifi and I use it out and about, but I'm no longer using the HH3. However, if I wanted to use the HH3 but not offer BT Wifi, I would have to opt-out to get it disabled on the HH3.

At some point, even for a few minutes it was offered! Changing out the hub does get round it but if/when BT push a software update there is a possibility that it will find your hub missing and remove the free WiFi link. I have one installation where it may have been the case.

Mine is turned on, but someone would need to be in my house to use it! My roof offers wonderful screening and the signal can only be seen indoors and on the side terrace - even 5 metres from the front or back doors, it is not visible.

I think the idea of making some of your bandwidth available to fellow users, is a good one. I am with Virgin Media and have bought a FON Access Point so that I can make use of the BT Hotspots out there. I can limit the amount of bandwidth that is available to other users but with 100/10 theres plenty to go around!

In reply to a post by BatBoy:

Not exactly. You have to sign up to BT Wifi but you don't have to offer it on your connection.

That wasn't very clear until I read the later conversation between you and MHC.

From that, am I right in thinking that to use the service elsewhere, you have to have it enabled on the HH, but unless its (enabled) absence is detected by a pushed firmware upgrade you can get away with it not being available from your connection?

No, in order to sign up you have to be opted-in. But BT connections are opted-in by default so you just use your primary BT email address to sign-up. Now, if you don't want your Homehub advertising BT Wifi, you have to opt-out and then I think you lose access to BT Wifi yourself. But, if instead of opting-out you dump the Homehub, then you will retain access.

Alternatively, if you have a Vodafone account, you can get access to BT Wifi as part of that.

On the Business Accounts, at various times, the hubs have come with BT Openzone enabled or disabled. Mine is there for anyone to use - not an issue for me and it does give me plenty of access elsewhere.

Vodafone account, you can get access to BT Wifi as part of that

That is what i thought, but you cannot connect to this type of openzone wifi. Even though my neighbour has an openzone that i can connect to using my bt business login details, i cannot connect using my vodafone details. It reports that my nearest wifi hot spot is 10 kilometers away.
screenie
Ian

In reply to a post by BatBoy:

No, in order to sign up you have to be opted-in....

That's what I was trying to say.