The BT HomeHub: AGAIN

Hmmm …

You know, I’ve GOT to admit, I’m going to indulge in a bit of speculating, here.

Based on what’s very much a very lay understanding of a bloody complicated subject.

The BT router: or HomeHub, as it’s known.

You see, I’ve been having trouble with mine.

Usually, what’s supposed to happen, if I connect to the router wirelessly, is the HomeHub issued to all BT customers connects me up to the ’Net.

Except, of course, when it doesn’t.

As I think I mentioned, earlier.

You see, BT’s HomeHub has two different wireless networks, on top of the one we, as customers, use to hook up to the ’Net.

BT’s own Openzone, and the BT FON it operates in conjunction with Fon Wireless Ltd.

Well …

I say generates …

If I’ve understood what it does correctly, each Hub is contributing a bit of it’s signal strength to the two ‘extra’ networks.

Anyone who can pick these up — and has paid to use them — can access the ’Net with them, with whatever mobile device they happen to be using.

Now, here’s where I’m going into educated guesswork, ok, so stick with me, while I try and explain what’s going on, and why I think it’s happening.

Because what I’m thinking’s happening is that the BT FON signal is rather strong.

Or has got stronger over the past few months, or so.

You see, it’s for about the past six months to a year, I’ve had a problem

What’s been happening is that — whenever I’ve turned on Bruce, in the morning’s — just occasionally, my ever trusty Mac Mini’s Wi-Fi signal get’s hijacked.

By the BT FON signal.

Which results in a couple of things.

Firstly … ?

Quite a bit of creative swearing from Your’s Truly*.

And secondly … ?

No connection to my router!

The work-around I’ve come up with involves me switching off Bruce, and doing a hard reset of the HomeHubº — as many times as needed — until Bruce can happily wirelessly connect through the Router, as he should.

It wasn’t until meeting Grub this afternoon, in Brentwood Library that I thought to have a look on their ’Net connection, to see if I could google for a solution.

I double checked when I got home: and even sent an annoyed email to BT, to see what they said. If I hear anything, I’ll let you know.

But, at any rate … ?

It seems BT had an answer — of a sort — on their website, ALL about it.

Basically, I’d have to go into my Network Settings — System Preferences>Network, in Mac OS X 10•6•8ª — then go to the AirPort section of the settings, and hit the Advanced button.

And then either re-arrange the displayed WiFi networks into the order I wanted Bruce to check for a signal.

OR — what I did — delete the BT FON from the list of network’s that Bruce would check on starting up.

»»·««

Now, hopefully … ?

Hopefully, that should resolve the issue for now.

I’ll probably start screaming my head off, if it doesn’t.

At any rate, one thing I think I WILL admit surprised me … ?

Well, it’s more of a customer service thing, really: given I’ve been doing some form of retail for most of my working career, I tend to spot these things.

The actual help page BT has up, that gave me the initial clues about what I should try, to try and solve this … ?

Only actually covers three operating systems: Windoze XP, Windoze Vista and Windoze 7.

I saw nothing, there, about how to resolve this problem under any of the recent versions of Mac OS X, nor any of the major forms of GNU/Linux.

GRANTED, they’re not as common as a version of Windoze: but from here, I can metaphorically chuck a brick to hit several OS X users, and a few Linux-heads.

Personally … ?

Not only am I surprised that the problem’s there in the first place — and surprisingly noticeable, even to non-BT customers, from what I can gather — but ALSO that BT haven’t issued the same advise for those of us NOT using Windoze.

Personally … ?

I’m blaming Bill Gates …

And BT …

* And frowning, temper tantrums and throwing things on ESPECIALLY bad days. I’ve got anger issues, what can I tell you … ? (And why have I got the feeling Dr Kevin’s reading this and planning to say something … ?)

ª You should be able to find the relevant Preference Pane in roughly the same sort of area in 10•4•x and upwards. I’m not too sure what the procedure is, in Ubuntu — or whatever flavour of Linux distro you use — is, but I’d imagine it’s not THAT different.

º Usually by pressing the Restart button: the bottom button of the four on the side of the HomeHub 2.