Superhub 3 internal network address

[gingfuzz]

I have currently just had virgin out into my address and to my dismay I have found I can not change my internal ip address for the network in the superhub 3. I have always detested using default setting in any router I have bought or have used. I have my whole network manually set with ip addresses, I don't like using the range 192.168.*.* is there anyway of changing the setting to match all of my already set ip addresses across my network?

many thanks

[andrewilley]

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@Sephiroth wrote:
Stupid as VM are for not allowing you to change the LAN IP range on the Hub 3, there is no "legally fit for purpose" aspect to that.  They provide modem mode for anything you want to do that they haven't provided for. If you think I'm wrong, please provide us with the legal basis for your assertion.

If Virgin are intending to supply a customer with a replacement wireless router that will not, by its design limitations, actually work (other than by operating in Modem Mode, which does not make it a wireless router any more) then how can it be said to be fit for the purpose of replacing an existing supplied wireless router?

Now if they provided a separate IP-configurable wireless router too, then that would be fine (which is what I wrote in my original reply that seems to have vanished). Otherwise it's like providing an Android tablet as a like-for-like replacement for an iPad - yes it technically works, but none of your existing addons or purchased apps would function.

Andre

[Sephiroth]

OK - that's a much better statement of the problem. They prolly have a get-out under clause Q5 of your contract with them. But you're right, they have omitted some important functions in the Hub 3 that were present in the SH2ac without considering the impact on their customers.

[maullah]

So, the bottom line is, if I'm not prepared to fork out for a decent router ( will certainly keep a look out for one in the upcoming Amazon Prime Day Deals) the way forward is to bend to the will of the mighty "Virgin" and reconfigure the whole network infrastructure just to accommodate one piece of kit?

[maullah]

By the way what is the benefit of running the network on 192.168.0.* IP range? Why is it Virgin's favorite?

[supermags]

absolutely no technical benefit... other than perhaps when they provide support to users, they can skip the step of finding out which IP the LAN is running on.

[Sephiroth]

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@maullah wrote:

By the way what is the benefit of running the network on 192.168.0.* IP range? Why is it Virgin's favorite?

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When the SH1 was introduced, a Netgear product, it replaced the VMDG300 standalone modem (192.168.100.1).  Most routers attached to the old modem had an IP address start of 192.168.1.1. 

So, VM must have thought to themselves, being stupid, how can we best annoy our customers?  Ah yes - 192.168.0.1.  Bad - isn't it?

The main complaint now is that those fools did not include in the Hub 3 the IP address choices offered in the earlier hubs.

Dear oh dear.

[andrewilley]

I do suspect the most likely reason for Virgin's crippling of their Not-so-Super-Hub-3 in this way (and it must have been a deliberate action, as I understand that the Arris model upon which these units are based supports IP address changing) is so that inexperienced users can't lock themselves out of the router and network which would generate extra work for the support teams in India.

But if you are savvy enough to get into the admin screen and edit the base IP address (which would no doubt pop up a warning message anyway) then if you really can't get yourself back in there's always the physical factory reset button, so no irretrievable harm done.

I've got 40+ devices on my LAN, all historically using the 192.168.1.x address range from long before the SuperHub3 arrived. Some are set to static IPs (e.g printer, networked media player, NAS, remote backup drive) while the rest pick up their mappings via DHCP. I control the DHCP from my NAS incidentally, as the SuperHub's own DHCP mapping editor was a complete joke which started to fail after about 10 MAC addresses were saved.

I have quite a few programs, scripts and batch files which run across multiple devices on the network using direct IP address mapping, so the thought of re-configuring my entire LAN to use a new range is not one that I wish to entertain. However it has become a real pain that Virgin's fairly recent firmware updates have locked me out from logging into the 192.168.1.1 admin panel, so I can't update some port mappings to the NAS that I really need to adjust. 😞

And yes, I know I could just buy a proper separate wireless router, and merely use the 'Super' Hub as a modem, but since I'm paying Virgin for the hire of this broken thing I really feel that they should shoulder any costs of doing that. I've asked here several times what they propose to do about it, but the silence is deafening.

Andre

[Sephiroth]

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@andrewilley wrote:
<SNIP>

And yes, I know I could just buy a proper separate wireless router, and merely use the 'Super' Hub as a modem, but since I'm paying Virgin for the hire of this broken thing I really feel that they should shoulder any costs of doing that. I've asked here several times what they propose to do about it, but the silence is deafening.

Andre

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That's the only place where you and I would part company on this topic. We are both in the same position; paying VM for the service and equipment they provide.  I accept that the Hubs (all of them) are get-you-going devices. I sort of spit on VM for then making the Hub 3 incompatible with previous practice.

BUT - I was in modem mode on all previous hubs so that colours my answer.  Router functions are too important to me and I cannot rely on the lame features allowed by VM.  So if broadband and LAN functions are important to you, standing on the "I pay VM" platform gets you nowhere.

I hope you don't mind that I've made the above points.

[andrewilley]

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@Sephiroth wrote:

BUT - I was in modem mode on all previous hubs so that colours my answer.  Router functions are too important to me and I cannot rely on the lame features allowed by VM.  So if broadband and LAN functions are important to you, standing on the "I pay VM" platform gets you nowhere.

I hope you don't mind that I've made the above points.

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Indeed, very valid points. I used my own wireless router for some time previously, but I found that the SuperHub 2/3 actually performed rather better than my aging Netgear so I started using them instead. Probably a bad move in hindsight, but as I said, wireless connectivity is one of the features that Virgin advertises and which I pay for and I really begrudge being forced into buying something else to do their job, but I suspect I'm going to have to.

I would really like some sort of sensible response from Virgin, but if I call India I rather doubt they'll even understand the problem.

Andre

[Sephiroth]

I didn't ever believe a word of what VM said about their wireless excellence. I have Powerline adapters that permeate WiFi through the house. There is no point in expecting VM to cater for everyone's house design! I took the situation into my own hands because it was important.