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[NewtronStar]

I am still digging around on the WWW for info into BB2 it's not locked down like the HH3 and HH5 i've had so far there should be plenty of attributes to change.

Don't see any mention of ITU-T G.998.4 (G.INP)   

http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2013/07/full-spec-for-new-ee-brightbox-2-home-fibre-broadband-isp-router.html

[Chrysalis]

nstar BT migration probably wont happen for at least a year tho.

let us know how things get on after you moved.

[NewtronStar]

let us know how things get on after you moved.

I'll do that i am just glad to have made the move to another provider there is no point staying as you will never become a new customer as they always get a better deal.

Always remember the guys on the old talktalk forum saying to haggle with customer services to get a better deal it's never worked for me but then i was not LLU'ed and still don't have any, its a great life here in the sticks 

[NewtronStar]

The Bright Box 2 has arrived and got stuck in it won't connect to the internet at the moment due to line authentication we have not transfered yet that's not until under 2 weeks.

But was able to navigate into the router gateway and changed the DCHP so that both BB2 and HG612 are accessable, the Wi-Fi signal strength is 2X higher than the HH3A and HH5A.

The Firmware is showing as A2pv6F039c.d24j-AnnexA

[jack21]

I recently got myself one of these to try out on my Plusnet FTTC service. I was very impressed with the sync rate it achieved, and the low CRC and ES counts, but I could not get it to accept a non-EE broadband username .... it insisted that a username ending in @fs be used. Neither could I set it to work in bridging mode so I could get another router to handle the username/password (and other session details).
Does anyone know of a way to get round this drawback? I can find those details re the Brightbox 1, but not Brightbox 2.

[NewtronStar]

Does anyone know of a way to get round this drawback? I can find those details re the Brightbox 1, but not Brightbox 2.

Yeah there is plenty of hacks for the BB1 on the net but the BB2 because of security issues within the previous (BB1) they had to change quite a few things.

And yes as you have noticed you get quite a large gain in sync rate compared to the HG612 as the guts are similar to a Billion 8800NL it's just a lack of firmware updates that lets the BB2 down.

Though it would be very easy to solder two pins onto the ports and extract data from firmware or even a customized firmware could be uploaded with help from coders.

[kitz]

afaik I dont think this router has been fully hacked yet.  As already mentioned by NS, a couple of people have been able to extract data by soldering pins on to the com port, but there isnt any easy (or known?) way of being able to configure it for another ISP and things appear to have come to a halt as every things gone rather quiet from those who were attempting to hack it.

If its working well on your line then it may be easier to get hold of a Billion 8800NL or Zyxel WMG8324/WMG8924 which also contain the BCM63168

[NewtronStar]

If its working well on your line then it may be easier to get hold of a Billion 8800NL or Zyxel WMG8324/WMG8924 which also contain the BCM63168

Billion 8800NL thats the direction i'll be taking once i get the wonka it's been a hard few months on the wallet £400 to get car though MOT and then the wipers failed another £80 but was able to get a repair kit on the net for £5 and DIY saved £75 just under the cost of a new 8800NL.

[kitz]

The price of the VMG8324 is also very competitive if you purchase from Eclipse.  Its currently only £54.17 plus VAT & PP which is a huge discount from its usual retail price - I paid about £110 for mine.   Its got decent wifi and an awful lot of advanced configs straight from the web-gui.   Some f/w versions can be a bit iffy, but Im sticking to AAKL.6b1 which I find very stable.
Just something else to consider whilst its at that price.

---
ETA - The Zyxel also has full GbE ports (5).  The lack of GbE is the main reason why the Billion 8800NL was unsuitable for my purposes.
Plus IMHO the Zyxel is a much sexier router than the Billion 

[NewtronStar]

Yes indeed nice specs though one thing is missing 5GHz wireless AC the tablet is makeing good use it at the moment.

http://www.eclipse.net.uk/media/1385/zyxel-vmg8324-b10a-data-sheet.pdf

[kitz]

>> missing 5GHz wireless AC the tablet

The Billion 8800NL doesnt have AC either - you're normally looking at around £150 for AC, so you'd have to go up to the 8800AXL which is around £140

I dunno about 5GHz, or perhaps just disappointed with it on one router I tested because unless I was in the same room and sat practically next to the router then I didnt see much benefit.   

The Zyxel VMG8924 is same as the VMG8324 but it has AC.  I couldn't justify the additional expense, which were at the time £50-£60 more.  kcom (who own Eclipse) are currently about the cheapest for a VMG8924.  £99 inc VAT for wireless AC is a damn good price.

[loonylion]

oddly enough I've been using 5ghz for years and never had a problem with range. (802.11a originally, then moved on to 5ghz n/ac)

[jack21]

Thanks for the info, folks; I suspected there was no easy hack (as yet) to make the BB2 more cooperative. I've had an 8800NL for 12 months on ADSL2 and it has been probably the best performer, in terms of sync rate/stability/low-errors, of the very many routers I've tested. On VDSL it also performs excellently, high sync, no bit-loading decay, low error rates, and it is my router of choice. The BB2 performed as well as the 8800, at least over a couple of hours, whereas an unlocked HG612 gave a 10% dip in sync rate (over 2 separate test hours)......the advantage of the BB2 would have been its low cost!

In view of the advice, I think I may treat myself to the suggested  Zyxel to see how it does.........though I've no need for wi-fi, being entirely ethernet based ( if anyone visiting needs wi-fi, I switch on an attached Netgear WGR614 for them).

I think maybe the BB2 could suit Talktalk users as well as EE, as I have noticed that Talktalk seem to allow non-Talktalk usernames - I helped one chap whose router I found had been set with his Gmail details, and had worked for years like that! My own test router worked straight away using a made-up ISP account. I wonder if there are any other such 'relaxed' ISPs?

[Chrysalis]

for me AC is definitely better than N.

However the question is how much benefit will AC give you.

Do you have AC capable clients? if no then in the short term it gives you no benefit.
Do you need AC levels of throughput? probably no with your sync speed unless you need it for high LAN performance.

AC devices do tend to also have better N capabilities as well but I expect the 8800nl will be perfect for you newt.  It has a form factor similar to the hg612 and has a very nice gui as well.  The zyxel is an alternative but I feel the quality of the firmware is superior on the 8800nl.

[jack21]

Quick update: today the BB2 worked perfectly on a Talktalk ADSL line, and connected to the internet using a dummy EE username ending in @fs which was then accepted by Talktalk authentication. However there was no sync rate improvement from the existing 2700HGV setup....but no decrease either.
Promising tho, it does open up the BB2 to use by Talktalk users.