Whats the point in the TalkTalk router?

Hi All,

Had talktalk fibre broadband installed a week now (which was a story in its self) but anyway when the engineer was here installing it we ended up pluggin my laptop directly into the openreach modem to test a few things and we had internet access.

So we now are all linked into through the talktalk router and the wireless signal is shocking, i've tried leaving the channel as auto and manually changing it but doest really help. So is there anything stopping me pluggin in a wireless aceess port instead of the talktalk router?

Thanks in advance

Any router that supports PPPoE should work

A Wireless Access Point is actually just an ethernet to wireless converter, so would only support one machine at a time, so you need a wireless router.

NOTE: The wireless signal may be shocking with other devices too, if the problem is interference or solid walls that are blocking the signal.

The router is establishing the pppoe connection to the exchange (WAN side), and then passing it on (wired and wireless) to your devices, giving each device an appropriate local IP address (LAN side).

If you only have one device and want it wired, the device can do the pppoe connection (as your laptop did during test). A wireless access point could probably do some or all of the LAN side work. It might not be able to doll out the appropriate IP addresses. It probably won't be able to do the WAN side pppoe connection. If the access point can do all of that, it is just an alternative router, which you can use ok.

Options: You could use your own alternative router. You could unlock the modem and get it to do the pppoe connection and DHCP, and use a suitable wireless access point.


As Dr Saffron says, the wireless may be bad anyway. You could install inSSIDer on the laptop. That will help you sort out the best channel, and the best position for the wireless router (be it the TalkTalk one or an alternative one).

Edited by StephenTodd (Wed 14-Nov-12 13:39:14)

The OR modem is an EC-1 and I think you need to open it up and flash it to unlock it, dont really want to be doing that as this stage.

The house is a new(ish) build so walls are paper thin, but i suppose itcoudl be the baby monitor or something else causing interference, but I dont remeber it being as bad as this before.

I was under the impression that the OR modem did all the pppoe otherwise how can I have an internet connection when plugged straight into it? as I don't have to enter any details on my laptop to connect....

I'm still trying to understand this so all help and advice is greatly appreciated

Post deleted by omnius

I was under the impression that the OR modem did all the pppoe otherwise how can I have an internet connection when plugged straight into it? as I don't have to enter any details on my laptop to connect....

It may be a difference between the HG612 and the ECI modems, though that seems unlikely.

Did the laptop direct connection give full broadband access, or only access to certain TalkTalk or Openreach diagnostic sites?

Maybe there is no need for login details,as the system at the exchange knows which the incoming line is. For example, I don't think BE routers use a login for ADSL. I have always seen people always quote FTTC pppoe connection details; but perhaps TalkTalk operates like BE and use the line as the login confirmation? I'm sure Dr Saffron can clarify.

Looking at http://www.talktalkmembers.com/forums/archive/index.... it appears that guess was right. Nope, authentication on TT is done via CLID so no username or password is required. AFAIK all BTOR supplied modems are only supplied in 'pure bridge' mode and the differences in authentication are either handled by settings in the router behind it (BT) or by CLID (TT). Don't know how SKY authenticates, but it'll be one of the methods already given.

Edited by StephenTodd (Wed 14-Nov-12 15:21:17)

Yeah I was able to browse google etc....

So does this mean that PPPOE isn't done by the router and done by the OR modem in this case?

Edited by deleted (Wed 14-Nov-12 16:02:01)

I'm pretty sure the pppoe is still done by the router/laptop and not the modem. It means that the router/laptop don't need to be given any credentials to be able to make the connection.

In reply to a post by StephenTodd:

I'm pretty sure the pppoe is still done by the router/laptop and not the modem. It means that the router/laptop don't need to be given any credentials to be able to make the connection.

Which would be unique to TalkTalk - but not surprising. (Sky showed its possible, but Sky need the UserID in the DHCP request).

Have you still got your old router, and was the wireless on that OK?

If so you can change the IP address of it from what it is to a one on the same subnet as the TT router, (192.168.1.nnn is a subnet and 192.168.0.nnn is another), making sure the address you give it is outside the range the TT one is set to allocate, turn off DHCP in the old one, connect the two using ethernet, and bingo!

If they are close together, turn off the TT wireless. If they are in separate rooms, with a bit more twiddling you can use both at the same time and (I believe) walk around with a device - then it swaps between them as necessary, like your mobile does between masts.