Using old PN TG585v7 router with fibre

The new router that PN supplied for use with fibre has erratic wifi. Wifi sometimes gives weak signal, sometimes won't give an internet conenction to my phone even when signal strength is good. Wired ethernet is rock solid.

I'm using Wifi Analyser (recommended!) to check for contention and chosen a channel that's clear.

My old TG585v7 router was rock solid for both wired and wifi. Can I use this with the OR modem? If so, how?

I know that PN supplied routers are not the finest on the planet but my old 585 never gave any trouble. The new one (supplied last month) has been a PITA.

As a router, no. It doesn't have a WAN Ethernet port.

What you could do is disable DHCP on it and connect it to an Ethernet port on the new router. (You may need to alter its subnet to the same as the new one). Then use it as a WAP. Probably best in your case also to disable the wireless on the new one. If that leaves you an Ethernet port short on the new one, the others on the old one will still work.

This technique is often used with a long Ethernet cable between the routers to extend wireless coverage, (with both having wireless enabled), but if your new one is so dodgy and the old one is fine then the way I suggest is perhaps the better.

Thanks. I think I understand that. I'll just be using the old 585 as an ethernet and wiifi router, rather as I use a simple wired ethernet router at the moment downstream of the main router..

I think I'll have to configure the 2 routers separately since if they are both connected, when I try to log into them at 192.168.1.254 both will respond and it won't work. Or I can change the IP address of one of them to something else in the same range.

Yes, give the second (and third?) fixed LAN addresses on the new ones' subnet, but outside the allocatable range.

It sounds like you are already doing as I suggest, but not for the wireless side .

I think I've got it all working. Moved the old 585 router from 192.168.1.254 to 192.168.1.253 and turned off its DHCP. Turned off wifi on the new router. Plugged everything up so that the new router is only acting as a bridge from the WAN port to one of its LAN ports. The old 585 is doing all the rest of the work.

As I understand it, the new router is doing DHCP and NAT. The 585 is doing wifi. What's specifiying DNS? Probably the new router but not sure that I care.

Lovely mess in my hall cupboard where all this stuff lives. Perhaps I should buy myself a high quality integrated VDSL modem/router and just have one box. Any suggestions?

PS: Have also raised ticket with PN. They'll probably swap the router but I have a feeling that the new one won't be any better. That's why I'm considering buying a decent modem/router.

Edited by ppppenguin99 (Sun 19-Apr-15 19:43:02)

Did they supply you with the Sagecom 2704N? I found it to be total junk as it failed to remember port forwarding, and that incoming ports would end up mapped to other machines, e.g. SMTP.

I ended up factory-resetting the previous and a bit better Thomson 582n and then reconfiguring it to use Ethernet Port 4 for the WAN connection instead...

Not sure what I've got as it's only got PN branding on it. Interrogating it via its interface gave this info which suggests it is a 2704N:

Plusnet Router, N7150211M004049, 7.273.1_F2704N_Plusnet

Fortuantely I don't any port forwarding or anythng else special but I get the impression that "cheap and nasty" is a reasonable description of the product.

While the old TG585v7 routers were never that highly regarded I've never had any reason to find fault with mine. It has just sat there for years quietly doing its job.

I sometimes wonder what non-technical users must think. I guess that PN are not alone in providing mediocre quality kit. My GF's old Virgin router had truly abysmal wifi, the replacement dual band one is a bit better. At least I've got it on a clear 2.4GHz wifi channel now so that between 2.4 and 5 GHz she usually gets a usable signal.

Some PN supplied routers > http://www.plus.net/support/broadband/hardware/index...

Definitely a 2704N

I've never used one so can't comment on just how bad it is