2Wire Dual SSID BT Business Hub and WPA

MisterW · Nov 18, 2009, 15:01:22

QuoteI have disabled the Fusion option as I don't currently have a use for it

Best thing if you don't need it.

As you've now discovered you can disable/enable the wireless, both normal and fusion, without resetting the router unlike most other makes.
I do find a use for the Fusion occasionally though :- I have a wireless Windows laptop which, when restarting from hibernation, seems unable to get an IP address via DHCP from the router. It reports an error in the event log , and my guess is that, having come from hibernation it thinks that it was still connected whereas the router has long since disconnected it when it went into hibernation. Anyway, short of waiting about 15mins whilst whatever is borked in Windows sorts itself out, I discovered that making a connection to a different wireless network and then disconnecting and going back to my home network sorts it out instantly. So I temporarily enable the Fusion ( from my wired desktop ), connect to that, disconnect and reconnect to the normal wireless and then disable Fusion.
So it can have it's uses...

Rik · Nov 18, 2009, 15:10:24

So could it also be used to give 'guest access' to the net, while keeping the guests off the main network?

MisterW · Nov 18, 2009, 15:24:03

Yep exactly Rik, it allocates DHCP addresses in a different subnet to the main wired ports and wireless network and it will only route Fusion network traffic to the internet and not to the local network. So anyone connected to the Fusion network can't see anything connected to the normal one.

Rik · Nov 18, 2009, 15:24:56

Making a useful 'feature' on the 2700.

Sebby · Nov 18, 2009, 18:06:24

It's a very useful feature. We get suppliers asking to connect to our wireless all the time when they visit, and it would be good to know they can't access our network.

LesD · Nov 18, 2009, 20:04:25

Maybe this thread should be on the "daughter board". Oops should that now be Sub-board or maybe in the sideboard!

Simon · Nov 18, 2009, 21:53:58

You're right, Les. Mooved.

(Yes, I know I'm milking that joke!)

LesD · Dec 22, 2009, 18:32:37

A question, most likely for MisterW and it is this with Fusion enabled does it connect with the same encrypyion key as the main connection or can it have one of its own say WEP as opposed to my main WPA one?

Rik · Dec 22, 2009, 18:34:34

I believe it can have a separate one, Les, but Mister W or Alan are the people you need.

LesD · Dec 22, 2009, 18:46:32

Thanks Rik I will hang a round and see if they drop by.
I am in no particular rush.

kinmel · Dec 22, 2009, 19:53:53

They each have their own default WEP, which is listed in square brackets on the side of the router

Rik · Dec 23, 2009, 08:42:37

Thanks for than, Alan.

JB · Dec 23, 2009, 09:00:04

I have both normal access and Fusion activated on my twin SSID 2700. I have the normal SSID and passphrase which I use that allows me to connect to any computer or device on my network.

The other, the Fusion SSID and passphrase, I give to people who visit or stay with us. This allows them to browse the Internet but isolates them from my home network.

Works well.

Rik · Dec 23, 2009, 09:03:52

It's ideal for anyone with guests, JB. Another good reason to buy the router...

MisterW · Dec 23, 2009, 19:56:09

Yes, as Alan says they each have their own key and default if the h/w is a dual SSID. If you upgraded a single SSID h/w to V5/6 f/w then the Fusion will still work but goodness knows what the default key is. You can of course change the keys and SSID's on both. The encryption type WPA/WEP etc is changeable on the normal SSID but the Fusion one is fixed to WPA-PSK I believe. Also the Fusion channel is the same as the normal channel.

I occasionally use the Fusion to help get my laptop out of a Windows DHCP bug. It seems that sometimes, when coming out of hibernation, DHCP doesnt want to get an IP from the router ( probably still thinks it sort of has one

). Connecting to another network, disconnecting and then reconnecting to the original, sorts it!. Temporarily enabling the Fusion for this trick saves waiting about 10 mins for DHCP to time itself out.

JB · Dec 24, 2009, 09:34:38

Quote from: MisterW on Dec 23, 2009, 19:56:09
The encryption type WPA/WEP etc is changeable on the normal SSID but the Fusion one is fixed to WPA-PSK I believe. Also the Fusion channel is the same as the normal channel.

Does anyone know how to change the allocated range of IP addresses on the Fusion channel? My normal DHCP range on the standard network wireless channel is set, by me, to 192.168.0.30 to 192.168.0.45 but the Fusion channel always allocates in the range 192.168.1.xxx. I know it should be a different range but haven't come across where it can be manually set.

MisterW · Dec 24, 2009, 10:27:45

I'm not aware of any facility to change the DHCP range on the Fusion network.

JB · Dec 24, 2009, 10:35:27

Thanks. I can't find a way either.

kinmel · Dec 24, 2009, 11:39:08

You can't change the range for automatic DHCP in Fusion, but you can assign an IP to Fusion devices in V6 routers, not sure about V5 though.

In V6, once the device has connected via Fusion and is listed on page http://192.168.1.254/xslt?PAGE=BT_FUSION, you can change the IP on page http://192.168.1.254/xslt?PAGE=C_2_4

If you allocate a fixed IP on the device's own network connection that will be used by Fusion

JB · Dec 24, 2009, 11:43:35

Sorry, I should have said my 2700's are flashed with V5.29.107.12 firmware.