BT Broadband - Replacing Router with TP Link AX1800 Dual Band Wifi 6

fr33zy

I took the plunge and bought a TP Link AX1800 Dual Band Wifi 6 Router to replace the standard one from BT after reading amazon reviews that this device was significantly better.

I thought I was quite techy but i'm having a little trouble setting it up. I can't get an internet connection on the new router. I assume I have to add in some settings to the router.  If anyone can help it would be appreciated.

I assume I can just use the new router standalone, rather than bridging off the BT router, which would be ideal if thats possible.

https://www.tp-link.com/uk/home-networking/wifi-router/archer-ax1800/

400ixl

That doesn't have a modem in it, it is just a router / wifi unit. You would ned to run it behind the BT modem you have, assuming you are not on full FTTP fibre.

You would have been looking at something like this for a full replacement I believe. https://www.tp-link.com/uk/home-networking/dsl-modem-router/archer-vx1800v/

Newcad

Which model BT hub do you have, and is there a particular problem with it?

(Or did you just fancy a not-BT one?).

fr33zy

I have "Fibre 2" Broadband with the BT Smart Hub 2 - which I find absoutely sh*t for coverage, speed and reliability.

Newcad

Mmm, I have a SH-2 and have no issues with it. (FTTC).

Admitted I'm in a one-bed flat so wifi coverage isn't an issue for me, but the speed is as advertised for what I pay, and the only reliability issue I have is that they seem to do their maintenance on Sundays and the broadband can sometimes repeatedly drop out for a number of seconds.

My previous router before I switched to BT was faster, but I was paying extra for that speed and I don't really need it.

Money saving tip:
Many people are paying for broadband 'speeds' that they don't need and will never fully use.
Mbps is actually a figure for 'Capacity' not 'Speed', it's a bit of a marketing trick from that respect.
For example a big water pipe can carry more Litres per second than a smaller one - still 'per second' but that's Capacity not Speed, water doesn't comes out of any one tap any faster, it just means just that more taps can be open at once without it slowing down at each tap - Capacity not Speed.
And it's the same with broadband data rates, the more Mbps your connection is the more people can us it at once without it slowing down for them all. But if you are the only one using it then it doesn't magically go any faster than your machine (tap) can handle or needs it to go.

So unless you have a familly all using the broadband at once, or you play online MPGs, then 100 Mbps or even 40 Mbps is probably all you need, and more than you need most of the time.

cerebus

You will have to explain that again... if my Internet is throttled to half a meg a second in the day (which it frequently is) and in the evening it goes up to 15 meg a second using your analogy that means my downloads speeds are the same (I can assure you they are not!)

[Deleted User]

fr33zy said:

I have "Fibre 2" Broadband with the BT Smart Hub 2 - which I find absoutely sh*t for coverage, speed and reliability.

Unless you've got full fibre (you'll have an ONT box somewhere if you have) then you'll need something to act as modem with the TP Link AX1800 as it's a router only.

Your problems sound like a problem with the underlying connection rather than the SH2 itself. Have you tried something like turning off the 2.4GHz network and using the 5GHz one only?