Can I use Sky router before activation date? EDIT - and other questions

Wammer

Sky offered me 12 months free line rental, evening and weekend calls and broadband if I kept my TV package with them and it was too good to turn down.

I am intending staying with them for a year then checking my options.

I am also curious to see how the LLU service compares to ADSL.

GunJack

^^^ don't get me wrong, sky's LLU service has a very good reputation, however they won't take over an already-LLU'd line and even though £30-odd quid for a new line may be worth it for me, the router issue is a big sticking point....I tweak down to 3dB and don't know if they'll turn off the DLM (like TT do if you ask them).

Wammer

Changeover day is tomorrow. I'm assuming that when I lose connection with my current ISP that it is time to install the router.

Sky "recommends" that you use their installation CD. However I'm not keen in case it installs a load of crap I don't want. I certainly don't want McAfee.

Will I be able to install it without the CD and is so, any potential problems I should be aware of?

GunJack

you shouldn't need to use the cd, you're quite right that it'll install allsorts, the router should be plug'n'play

callistris

Wammer wrote: »

Changeover day is tomorrow. I'm assuming that when I lose connection with my current ISP that it is time to install the router.

Sky "recommends" that you use their installation CD. However I'm not keen in case it installs a load of crap I don't want. I certainly don't want McAfee.

Will I be able to install it without the CD and is so, any potential problems I should be aware of?

You don't need the cd, its only a manual on disc after all and also has the awful Mcafee crappy poo poo on there :rotfl:

Just connect the router up, switch it on and it will connect.

I connected via ethernet and logged into the router and made some changes to passwords and network key, and proceeded to then go through 10 days of DLM.

culpepper

We swapped to sky on Tuesday. It was afternoon before the sky router was actually able to access the outside net, up till then we just continued to use the previous companies broadband and when it cut us off, we swapped to the sky router and continued on.
The CD is not needed although I think it has a newer IE than I have on my computer but I never use IE if I can help it.
You just need to change the network to the new access SSID on your computer and type in the new security codes.

I bought a new wireless dongle so I could take advantage of the wireless n signal and it had to be set to AES not TKIP to be able to work above 54mbps (the router is set to use both of these so it only needed changing on my dongle properties).

Wammer

All installed on 3 pc's in less than 10 minutes and without the CD, including installing the new N wireless dongle.

Thought I would need the ethernet cable to make the first connection, but it wasn't need and they were all installed wirelessly.

I tried to change the password on the router. I managed to log into the route, but couldn't change the password. At the side it says

Use the Set Password page to change the password you use to access the Settings pages -- NOT your ISP account password.

Does that mean the Set Password page is just to change it from Admin and Sky to access the router details?

culpepper wrote: »

I bought a new wireless dongle so I could take advantage of the wireless n signal and it had to be set to AES not TKIP to be able to work above 54mbps (the router is set to use both of these so it only needed changing on my dongle properties).

I have been into the properties for the new dongle, but can't see AES or TKIP. How do I find this and how do I know if I need to change it?

callistris

Wammer wrote: »

I tried to change the password on the router. I managed to log into the route, but couldn't change the password. At the side it says

Does that mean the Set Password page is just to change it from Admin and Sky to access the router details?

You can change the password to login to the router, which is advisable imo and you can also change the your access key (the one you enter into your device to connect wirelessly)

You can't change the password that's installed as your login details by sky:)

Wammer

What's the difference between the access key and the password?

The only details I have are the password and PIN from Sky. I had to enter the password to connect the wireless devices, but haven't had to use the PIN yet.

Wammer

I know it is early days, but I have been running a few speed tests.

After doing a few tests on each I just got 4.7Mbps on one of the laptops, but only 1.35 on the other and 1.4 on the desktop with the wireless dongle. It is an N dongle.

Any idea why there is such a difference and how I can improve the desktop in particular?