BT Openreach Connection

[keithrev]

Hi, I have recently moved from BT to Sky Broadband. I am having issues with Q, Mini and WiFi/Broadband and a recent visit from a Sky Engineer he changed the Openreach socket from the top photo to the second one. He connected the cable to the SR203 router. 

My conundrum is that he moved the router in my house so it was near the Openreach socket rather than being central in my house. I have a CAT 7 ethernet cable running from near the Openreach socket to the middle of my house. Is there a replacement for the white box shown at the box I can use if I need to?

 

[TimmyBGood]

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@keithrev wrote:

My conundrum is that he moved the router in my house so it was near the Openreach socket rather than being central in my house. I have a CAT 7 ethernet cable running from near the Openreach socket to the middle of my house. Is there a replacement for the white box shown at the box I can use if I need to?

 

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That appears to be a rather antique Openreach Huawei HG612 (a VDSL modem) and I'm somewhat confused why it's still there: such hardware is obsolete if there's any current BT, Sky or other ISP router in use because these all have integrated modems.

Where is the Sky Hub in relation to it?

 

[keithrev]

HI @TimmyBGood 

The Huawei Openreach box was used for years to take the cable from my old Openreach socket (top picture) and then have a long Ethernet cable from it going to my Router on a different floor of my house to provide best WiFi coverage.

A couple of weeks ago the Sky engineer changed the Openreach socket and moved my Sky SR203 Router to be next to the Openreach socket (and near my Sky Q box but thats a different story).

To utilise my existing Ethernet cable going to another floor is there a different Openreach box or something else that will take the new cable connection from the Openreach socket and convert to Ethernet which will then go in the WAN port of the Sky SR203 Router?     

[TimmyBGood]

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@keithrev wrote:

To utilise my existing Ethernet cable going to another floor is there a different Openreach box or something else that will take the new cable connection from the Openreach socket and convert to Ethernet which will then go in the WAN port of the Sky SR203 Router?     

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If I understand you correctly, that wouldn't be a 'box' (as in a powered device), because such a link doesn't involve a change in signalling.    What you're looking to do, I think, is take the phone cabling pair coming from the wall socket over RJ11, jump this onto a pair within the ethernet cable (two of the eight copper strands there) and then back out onto RJ11 and so into the Hub.

RJ11 to RJ45 (ethernet) and vice-versa wiring adapters certainly exist, but I'm too rusty on that kind of cable configuration to suggest which are appropriate

[TimmyBGood]

@keithrev 

Alternatively there may be a way to use that Huawei box as the modem for the Sky Hub, but my mind's blank on that, I'm afraid.

[Chodley]

Can you just put a switch in where the router used to be, connnected to the existing ethernet and then run a second ethernet/ RJ45 to the router?

[TimmyBGood]

@Chodley 

A switch won't work between Openreach wall socket and ethernet though: that's why I'm wondering about using the Huawei as an external modem for the Sky Hub.

[Chodley]

No but it will work where router used to be.

[keithrev]

This is the back of the Huawei Openreach box, I am not sure if the cable that goes into the purple socket at the back of the SR203 router will go in the DSL port. If it does happy days, I will try tomorrow when there is only me in the house. 

[Chodley]

It will. RJ11. But the router needs a RJ45 ethernet WAN port as well as the usual 4 LAN ports (it has to treat "the internet", which starts at that modem, as a separate network from your home network. Does the sky router have that?

[rscott]

If memory serves (from about 8 years ago when I had to use one of those), the router needs to handle authentication, which I don't think the Sky router can cope with.

I'd also be wary about routing the analogue telephone connection via your home wiring off to the router - this has the potential to reduce the sync speed of the line.

[keithrev]

Thanks all, I will try today and post back. I dont use a landline phone and there are no phones connected so hopefully no distraction there.

[Chrisee]

@keithrev if you have the newer SR203 (the one with 4 ethernet ports) Sky hub you maybe able to use the Huawei modem near the phone socket and connects its ethernet output via the cabelling to the Sky hub's LAN port 4 which also can act as a WAN port. That wont work if your hub only has 2 ethernet ports.

Otherwise you could leave the Sky hub near the new master socket and use an ethernet LAN port to feed one of your Sky Q boxes in which can act as ethernet to wifi bridges. The wifi output from that Q box will be the same as your hub. 

[keithrev]

Hi @Chrisee 

Yep that is exactly how it was before the Sky engineer changed my Openreach socket and moved my new SR203 (with the Wan port in 4) next to the Openreach socket. He cabled the input to the SR203 via the purple DSL cable. This took out the need for the Huawei box I want to re-introduce.

[Eeeps]

When you are trying this make sure you connect the ethernet cable to the LAN port 4 on the Sky hub (marked faintly as WAN in red).

This is a dual function port that is normally used for FTTP conections.