O2 Wireless Box working on Sky

Looks like the Sky network is accepting the O2 Wireless Box as a compatible router. Not sure if any of the automatic migrations have completed yet, but it's good news for those who are going that route.

O2_ADSL
Connection Information
Uptime: 0 days, 0:02:53
Data Transferred (Sent/Received) [kB/MB]: 272.61 / 2.74
Username: [email protected]
Password: ********
Remember Password: Yes
IP Address: 46.64.176.xx
Primary DNS: 90.207.238.97
Secondary DNS: 90.207.238.99

In reply to a post by Oliver341:

Looks like the Sky network is accepting the O2 Wireless Box as a compatible router. Not sure if any of the automatic migrations have completed yet, but it's good news for those who are going that route.

Can you tell if its using PPPoA or IPoA ? I assume as you posted a capture that included a username that its using the PPP login. If so I guess Sky are allowing PPP on their LLU lines at last.

This would be a breakthrough for alternative router users; but might be a performance disadvantage, and can limit the MTU available.

Edited by jchamier (Thu 21-Nov-13 20:54:15)

In reply to a post by jchamier:

Can you tell if its using PPPoA or IPoA ? I assume as you posted a capture that included a username that its using the PPP login.

It's PPPoA, same PPPoA login as O2 Access used on O2 WBC connections.

In reply to a post by jchamier:

If so I guess Sky are allowing PPP on their LLU lines at last. This would be a breakthrough for alternative router users; but might be a performance disadvantage, and can limit the MTU available.

MER was used on ADSL2+ lines for a while, and seemed to run concurrently in most cases with PPPoA. So PPPoA on Sky has been the norm over the years despite the brief foray into MER.

There's no MTU disadvantage on PPPoA, it's PPPoE which loses MTU.

Fibre is always MER.

In reply to a post by Oliver341:

In reply to a post by jchamier:

Can you tell if its using PPPoA or IPoA ? I assume as you posted a capture that included a username that its using the PPP login.

It's PPPoA, same PPPoA login as O2 Access used on O2 WBC connections.

Ah-ha, that makes sense and means the router can be used without any firmware changes. It won't be as easy for the BE routers though.

MER was used on ADSL2+ lines for a while, and seemed to run concurrently in most cases with PPPoA. So PPPoA on Sky has been the norm over the years despite the brief foray into MER.

There's no MTU disadvantage on PPPoA, it's PPPoE which loses MTU.

Good point, I'd forgotten that, having been away from PPPoA for a long time. Yes the BT HH router can do the necessary magic to get 1500byte MTU through PPPoE but most third party routers don't.

Fibre is always MER.

Okay - my friend was MER on his Sky LLU ADSL, and I think he still is, but I'll check this weekend.

In reply to a post by jchamier:

It won't be as easy for the BE routers though.

This ties in nicely with the news from the BE forum that BE routers are having the O2 PPPoA login remotely added to their BE routers.

In reply to a post by jchamier:

Okay - my friend was MER on his Sky LLU ADSL, and I think he still is, but I'll check this weekend.

My exchange/area migrated Sky ADSL LLU from MER back to PPPoA a long time ago (although PPPoA worked throughout). It's possible not all exchanges are migrated yet though.

Nice to know, I've kept my o2 router just in case this would happen, so I can use it as backup if my skybox were to fail. Thanks !

In reply to a post by Oliver341:

In reply to a post by jchamier:

It won't be as easy for the BE routers though.

This ties in nicely with the news from the BE forum that BE routers are having the O2 PPPoA login remotely added to their BE routers.

Okay, hopefully they'll publish the info before cutover for those who don't use the BE router.

My exchange/area migrated Sky ADSL LLU from MER back to PPPoA a long time ago (although PPPoA worked throughout). It's possible not all exchanges are migrated yet though.

I suspect that is the case here.

On investigating further, it looks like the user/pass details for O2 PPPoA (which also works on Sky) are:

User: [email protected]
Pass: install

This could be used by O2/BE migrants using their own router, and in fact could probably be used by anyone on Sky wanting to use their own router.

In reply to a post by Oliver341:

On investigating further, it looks like the user/pass details for O2 PPPoA (which also works on Sky) are:

User: [email protected]
Pass: install

This could be used by O2/BE migrants using their own router, and in fact could probably be used by anyone on Sky wanting to use their own router.

Useful to know!

Well it seems sometime during the night I was moved over to Sky as part of the automatic transfers. I had been told it would be Nov/Dec but had no further information as to when. Wireless Box 2 seems to be working fine logged in with the PPP connection. My username has a number in front of the o2broadband.co.uk bit instead of 'install'. So migrations are now happening...

Since I have had no update from Sky I have not been supplied with any login information for the MySky page, hopefully that will arrive soon.

In reply to a post by dsergeant:

My username has a number in front of the o2broadband.co.uk bit instead of 'install'. So migrations are now happening...

That's interesting. Perhaps the username in front of the o2broadband.co.uk bit doesn't matter, and it can be anything.

Slightly off-topic Could anyone moved from O2 LLU to SKY let me know what SNR is set by Sky. I was on 6db and I requested a drop down to 3db (for more speed) where my line remains stable for at least 2 weeks before a re-train by the Technicolor O2 router supplied by O2 last year. This SNR /Line speed/ Re-train rate/ is acceptable by me.

I have been told that Sky puts everyone on a 12db SNR regardless of line quality and a 9db change will badly reduce my line speed and is needed nor necessary.
Current values:
Line length about 3.1 KM SNR 3db Download speed 6.3 Meg-bits-second:

What margin you end up on depends on the DLM.

I am on a 41dB line and managing 7 Mbps out of speed tests. Line length around 3.5 to 4.5km depending on how wobbly the ducting is.

Sky set the SNR to 7dB against O2 with 6dB. That is what mine is connecting at, giving a slightly slower rate (currently 8.9Mbs against the 9.5Mbs it had on O2 for a record 105 days up time). I don't think you can ask Sky to change it like you used to on O2. I see the upload rate has dropped to around 900kbs as against the usual O2 1.1Mbs, whether this is normal or not I don't know.
After all the chatter about when and if migration would happen it was all pretty painless. Since it occured at 3am I was not even aware of it until mid morning when I happened to visit the beuser site (which has had useful information about the takeover) and saw it showed me with a Sky connection and IP. VERY painless.

Typically Sky DLM sets noise margin to 6 dB, 3 dB if you're lucky, above 6 dB if your line is very poor.

Manual staff intervention is hard to achieve these days, and in most cases they cannot set it to a lower target SNRM than DLM can anyway (usually 7 dB).

In reply to a post by dsergeant:

I see the upload rate has dropped to around 900kbs as against the usual O2 1.1Mbs, whether

It's normal, Sky usually cap the upload speed to 1Mbps.

In reply to a post by simon194:

It's normal, Sky usually cap the upload speed to 1Mbps.

DLM is more generous these days, my upload stands at 1,212 kbps. Upload speeds are artificially tethered to the download speed profile though, which is a shame, since in many cases it leaves the upload with too much noise margin.

In reply to a post by Oliver341:

That's interesting. Perhaps the username in front of the o2broadband.co.uk bit doesn't matter, and it can be anything.

I just tried this PPPoA user/pass on Sky:

username: [email protected]
password: apple

Works just fine.

I've "hacked" my O2 box to pass through all the data straight to my separate router (ASUS RT-N16), turned off it's wi-fi and all the unneccessary stuff, any views on whether that's likely to work as it does now when migrate to Sky??...asuming they do it before Feb 2014 when i might be off somewhere else anyway.

In reply to a post by ianfuture:

I've "hacked" my O2 box to pass through all the data straight to my separate router (ASUS RT-N16), turned off it's wi-fi and all the unneccessary stuff, any views on whether that's likely to work as it does now when migrate to Sky??

If the O2 router is handling the PPPoA authentication then it will work fine.

In reply to a post by ianfuture:

I've "hacked" my O2 box to pass through all the data straight to my separate router (ASUS RT-N16), turned off it's wi-fi and all the unneccessary stuff, any views on whether that's likely to work as it does now when migrate to Sky??...asuming they do it before Feb 2014 when i might be off somewhere else anyway.

If its doing PPPoA then no problem, if its doing IPoA (as on BE) then you may have to reconfigure.

Hi,

After receiving countless letters and emails about sky and o2 I haven't heard since. 2 months later my broadband speeds have dropped from a stable 10.00 D 1.2 U. I don't know if this has anything to do with the switch over or not and maybe its my router messing up (i have a o2wireless box IV).

Edited by deleted (Mon 20-Jan-14 15:19:12)

Also I wanted to add that I want to use a DSL-2740R router instead of the rubbish O2 Wireless Box IV. When I plugged in the router the internet light was red signalling an error with the DSL connection settings. When I went to the O2 site there was a thread about how to set up your own router and for the user name, password, domain name etc. to leave it blank, which I cannot do on this router because it says to enter the information. I tried "[email protected]" and the password "install" but the same thing happened, the red light. Could anyone here please shine some light into this dilemma please.

Are you still on the original O2 network or have you migrated to Sky now?

Got transferred over from O2 today, only difference is a new IP address (obviously), and a lower upload speed, gone from 1.05 Mb/s, to 0.69 Mb/s, download speeds the same as before, but speedtest.net, also says im still on Be Unlimted.

Edited by deleted (Fri 24-Jan-14 22:01:47)

Had the e-mail about the move over now being completed, so set my Sky ID up now.

Hi

I have a netgear dg834g router working fine using new settings ([email protected] etc) but when netgear is in modem only mode and i plug another router with PPPOE connection, i can't get through to internet.

What am i doing wrong?

I have tried windows 7 with PPPOE settings (netgear modem only + windows 7 on PPPOE using [email protected] username)

No joy

Can you help please?

Sky use PPPoA for ADSL2+, not PPPoE.

Hi thanks for reply

What i'd like to do is to use Netgear in bridge mode (modem only, which handles the PPPOA) and my Linksys router as the one for doing the PPPOE connection using "install" user name and password

My linksys used to work in DHCP mode in this set up previously but now it does not work.

So i thought PPPOE would be the option to choose but not working unfortunately.

Edited by deleted (Sat 08-Feb-14 16:54:39)

In reply to a post by leony92:

What i'd like to do is to use Netgear in bridge mode (modem only, which handles the PPPOA) and my Linksys router as the one for doing the PPPOE connection using "install" user name and password

The DG834(G) doesn't have a PPPoE to PPPoA bridge. You'd need something like this: http://www.draytek.co.uk/products/business/vigor-120