Troubleshooting setting up 3rd party router Virginmedia Hub 3 in modem mode

patricia1066

I am trying to set up the Virginmedia Hub 3 as modem only.

I encountered a problem in setting it up, and since then, I have no internet access on modem mode, and VM tech on phone said that they see no service once hub 3 is in modem mode. Her next offer is to pass me on to a paid for service who can help.

Equipment
Virgin Hub 3
Router Linksys 1900acs (factory default)
Ethernet hub

This is how far I got;
I used the web admin page to choose modem only, with direct ethernet cable between pc and hub 3.
I got internet connection, and went on to connect the new router on it's wan port to port 4 on hub 3. This connected and gave IP addresses to all wired and wireless devices.

I then connected a 3rd party hub which had worked when hub3 was in router mode. The pc upstairs saw a unknown connection.
I unplugged the 3rd party hub.
Now, there was no longer any Lan or wan connection in the hub3. Nothing on IP address 192.168.100.1. The Linksys also had no connection on it's IP address 192.168.1.1

Even after power cycling and wired connection to PC, I had no internet.

According to the two support people I spoke to, my choices are
Return to router mode
Pay for the trained support.

Chino

Have you tried a factory reset of your Hub 3.0 to at least get it back to router mode?
How do I reset my Virgin Media hub?

OGR

A few questions based on what you have given us so far.

1. Which device is now the DHCP server?
2. You said that the Hub3 was on 192.168.100.1 and then the linksys is on 192.168.1.1, these are on different segments. Do you have the 2 devices on different segments on purpose? If so do you have one of the ports on the Linksys on the same segment so it can talk to the Hub3? You'll then need to create a static route to route all traffic looking for 0.0.0.0 to this port to hit the gateway.
3. The ethernet hub, is it dumb or is it managed? If managed have you changed its IP to allow it to talk to the Linksys? Is it still on the old range from when it was just talking to the Hub3?

There is no reason what you have wouldn't work. Based on what I think you are doing here because of the 2 different segments I have thrown together the below Visio. If you aren't doing it like this with one on 100.x and one on 1.x then ignore as you won't need to set up the static route.

patricia1066

Hi OGR

thanks for responding. I did double post as my appeal for help wasn't appropriate for the other thread.

I can't answer your questions. I followed the instructions on the Virginmedia and Linksys website. That is the extent of my understanding.

After resetting hub3 to router and back to modem, I managed to get it to work (create an IP address) and was browsing, wired direct to my PC.

When I connected the Linksys router it works for 30 minutes and then crashes.

I rang Linksys and over 3 hours I tested the connection. The router failed to show even WiFi network eventually. It was failing gradually so what he saw earlier was no longer possible.

We will return the router which is just purchased. It wasn't Virginmedia modem at fault, it was a weird gradual fall down of the router that confused things.

patricia1066

Is there a 3rd party modem that we can use instead of the hub3? That would simplify things, as Virginmedia don't give advice on any settings once in modem mode.

fiendishlyclever

patricia1066 wrote: »

Is there a 3rd party modem that we can use instead of the hub3? That would simplify things, as Virginmedia don't give advice on any settings once in modem mode.

You have to use the their modem/hub. I did many years ago use my own cable modem but now you have to use theirs. You can use any router you want with it in modem mode. I use a Netgear Nighthawk router with mine.

My hub in router mode needed regular restarts as it lost internal connectivity. My Nighthawk router needed tomato firmware installing before it stopped the same - needing daily reboots (is been up and running for two months as of today)

They come in a range of prices depending on features. If it's wireless range, I had an email about their app diagnosing WiFi dead spots (or try Virgin tech support)

patricia1066

Hi OGR, "You said that the Hub3 was on 192.168.100.1 and then the linksys is on 192.168.1.1, these are on different segments."

This was not about fixed IP addresses but on the webadmin address which is provided by virginmedia and linksys respectively.

Do we still need to have a static IP address on the modem? Or is it a matter of choosing a fixed IP address on the router which will talk to the Modem? That would require changing the adapter options I think.

chiny

Why are you wanting to use the VM hub3 in modem mode ? Is there a specific problem with the VM hub3 as a router ? Or do you want a specific feature in your router ? Operating the VM hub3 as a router does make setup easier (and VM freely support).

Looking at your questions re modem mode:

I'm not aware that you can change the LAN side IP address of the VM hub3 when in modem mode. There should be no need to do so.

Your router needs 2 IP addresses:

(1) One on the WAN side (to the VM network via the hub3 as a modem) which needs to be set to select dynamic IP address, probably the default. VM allocate you an IP address, you don't get to choose it on a domestic account.

(2) The second IP address on the LAN side (to your network gizmos like a PC, smartphone and so on). All routers have a default address, typically 192.168.1.1 which will be easiest to use. Your router will have a DHCP server (check it is enabled) to dish out IP addresses to other gizmos on your LAN.

Obviously there are many many options available on a router, all of which can be left untwiddled for it to work. As more features are required, twiddling can commence, preferably one item at a time.

patricia1066

Hi chiny,
OH is a network and electronic engineer, well used to setting up routers on vm hubs. He intends to use Openwrt.
He thought all that was necessary was to get hub3 into modem mode and hook up the router. That’s why I got the job �� and why it’s been a long learning curve for me.

It’s not easy - but if the next router fails also, that will tell a tale.
OH said he will flash openwrt first, then set up.

chiny

Your OH is an expert and leaving you to struggle ? Trade him in for a more user friendly model.

If you tackle your next router, re-visit my earlier comments. Router manufacturers want you to succeed and have made it possible even though networking is abstruse. Incidentally, OpenWRT is user hostile and best left to [STRIKE]nerds[/STRIKE] your OH.