Forum Discussion

JamesB1's avatar
JamesB1
On our wavelength
2 years ago
Solved

Hub 5 and Alexa

Hello,

Today I received my Hub 5 and have connected to all my devices apart from my Alexa Echo and Show. Does anyone know why I cant connect these devices to Hub 5 when theey easily connected to my previous Hub 3?

Thanks for any help/advice.

Regards,

Jim

  • In fairness I can’t fault VM for moving forwards with new AX WiFi. All IoT will be left behind at some point, it’s just the way technology moves. I know some of my kit will need to be replaced, you can’t stop advancement. 

18 Replies

  • legacy1's avatar
    legacy1
    Alessandro Volta

    Go back to the old hub

    But VM cause problems in router mode why not use modem mode and get your own router with 1Gb ports or better

    • JamesB1's avatar
      JamesB1
      On our wavelength

      Thank you, both, for your help and advice. I have to say that I object to have to pay out more money due to being given a new Virgin Hub 5 when the old hub worked perfectly well, albeit at a lower BB speed. I have now connected my Echo show, just the basic Amazon Echo to get working. Unfortunately I cannot access the Hub home page on 192.168.0.1. I'm trying to find out why. It has been a real pain to reconnect everything -3 laptops, 3 PCs, ring doorbell, multiple smart plugs that I don't think I'll change router again! I haven't even looked to see if my WiFi pods are working but I bet they are not.

      Thanks again, Jim

      • JamesB1's avatar
        JamesB1
        On our wavelength

        Hello again,

        To summarise the current situation following installation of a Hub 5, I have managed to connect most of my devices. 

        However, my two WiFi pods and my Amazon Echo will not connect.

        In addition I cannot access the Hub 5 web page (I enter 192.168.1.0 and nothing happens!)

        To be fair to VM 14 of my devices are connected.

        I am fairly tech savvy but not an expert by any means and I am intensely irritated at the time and effort it has cost me, particularly since I am wheelchair bound at the moment, to try and resolve these problems.

        If anyone has a definitive solution, I would be more than glad to receive it!

        Thanks & Regards, Jim

    • JamesB1's avatar
      JamesB1
      On our wavelength

      Hi, I disabled 5GHz and was able to connect my (probably 1st generation Echo) to the Hub 5 . I then enabled 5GHz and the Echo still worked. I then opened the VM Connect App on my phone to look at the status of my pods, the app wanted to optimise my WiFi and I lost the Echo again. However I got it back by repeating the above. I will now try to connect to the Pods by the same method. I need to do this because I can't connect my  smart TV to the internet this may be due to a weak signal!! I have a WiFi extender bought some years ago so if I can't get pods to work, I'll try that.

      Until Virgin manage to make a Hub that will seamlessly transfer all the setting from a previous Hub I doubt I will be getting another.

      Thanks again for your help

      Kind Regards, Jim

  • legacy1's avatar
    legacy1
    Alessandro Volta

    Its only going to cost you more time by not getting your own router

  • Adduxi's avatar
    Adduxi
    Very Insightful Person

    In fairness I can’t fault VM for moving forwards with new AX WiFi. All IoT will be left behind at some point, it’s just the way technology moves. I know some of my kit will need to be replaced, you can’t stop advancement. 

    • JamesB1's avatar
      JamesB1
      On our wavelength

      Agreed, but I would have liked to have been warned!

  • Client62's avatar
    Client62
    Alessandro Volta

    The VM Hub is at http://192.168.0.1/      ( you can click on this link )

    If you can not use this link when connected via the VM HUB disable your VPN / Apple Private Relay / Android DNS Changers and try again.

    • JamesB1's avatar
      JamesB1
      On our wavelength

      Thank you I am aware of this address. If VPN is enabled, I will try to disable it. Stop Press; I can't use the like on my desktop PC but I can on my lap top Which I am using now so, I'll see what I can find out. Thanks, Jim

  • JamesB1's avatar
    JamesB1
    On our wavelength

    They say it never rains, it pours! Having got my Amazon Echo to connect to Hub 5. VM connect refuses too admit that I have two Pods, My smart TV cannot connect to the internet, maybe -but unlikely, because of a weak signal (the router is two floors above the TV and finally my V6 box downstairs has lost it's connection to my TiVo box upstairs - in fact I have managed to delete the TiVo box altogether from the network. Any suggestions before I pull what little hair I have left, out?

     

  • Client62's avatar
    Client62
    Alessandro Volta

    If a Hub 5 is issued to us, we shall operate it in Modem mode with a 3rd party Wi-Fi Router.

    We do not have the time, or any desire to fool about with the ever growing list of Hub 5 Router mode issues.

  • Client62's avatar
    Client62
    Alessandro Volta

    Hub 5 Router mode, current reported issues:

    1. Wi-Fi & DHCP Fail when both SSIDs are changed. (in the setup Wizard or in the Menu)
    2. Wi-Fi SSID changed in the setup Wizard reverts to factory settings after a few weeks.
    3. DHCP Fails with multiple DHCP devices.
    4. DHCP Reserved IP list may fail to accept entries.
    5. DNS All queries are being intercepted by the Hub 5.
    6. DNS Queries for AWS hosts time out with both VM DNS & Public DNS.
    7. DNS DNSSEC queries fail.
    8. Port Forwarding may not work.
    9. RTSP stream / VRChat crashes & reboots Hub 5. (Sonos via Wi-Fi may be a trigger)
    10. Wi-Fi 6 / 802.11ax Fails to be visible to many 2.4GHz only devices.
    11. A laptop / mobile / tablet connected via 5GHz Wi-Fi may be unable to access a printer connected by 2.4GHz. May also mean mobile on 5GHz is unable to detect / manage IoTs on 2.4GHz.

    Wi-Fi 6 / 802.11ax

    Hub 5 has Wi-Fi 6 / 802.11ax on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands.

    This is proving to have poor or no compatibility with some 2.4GHz only devices like IoTs and older main brand laptops + printers.

    Symptoms are the device does not see the Wi-Fi service from the Hub 5.

    If the device does not have updated drivers available, a workaround that has worked is to use a TP-LINK RE450 / AC1750 Wireless Repeaters as a bridge from the Hub 5's Wi-Fi 6 to the more compatible 2.4GHz Wi-Fi 4 & 5GHz Wi-Fi 5 that the IoTs / Laptops can use.  Other brands and models of Wi-Fi equipment that can perform a similar task may be equally suitable.

    For laptops / desktop a USB dual band Wi-Fi adaptor is good option.

    • Luap's avatar
      Luap
      Tuning in

      Hi Client62 and Virgin Media support, are Virgin Media aware of these issues and the grief they are causing to users? 

      I'm looking to upgrade - need to renew my contract and am being offered a Hub 5 - but have lots of 2.4GHz devices including printers, Alexa, Smart plugs and devices, cameras and others which needless to say have to remain functional. I need to change the SSIDs and use port forwarding. Wifi-6 is supposed to be backwards compatible, so how come this apparently isn't?

      This is a definite show stopper for me. Do Virgin Media have a programme of rectification?

      Thanks, Paul

  • JamesB1's avatar
    JamesB1
    On our wavelength

    Hello again, some better news:

    I phoned customer services and spoke to Adrian. Not only was Adrian English which was very gratifying if, like me, you are hard of hearing, he was extremely knowledgeable and patient as I explained my problems. Over nearly an hour, he told me what to do and was able to help me reconnect my V6 box to the Internet and to my TiVo box upstairs. It took a while because I am recovering from a knee operation and I had to go up and down four flights of stairs between the two boxes, which was difficult. I still have to connect my smart TV to the internet, I'll try that tomorrow. With regard to the pods, there does seem to be an issue and Adrian is sending me a new pod which should connect to H5. If it does, I can apply for two more to cover the whole house. I'm glad to be able to say Full Marks to Adrian and Virgin in this instance.

    Regards, Jim

    • JamesB1's avatar
      JamesB1
      On our wavelength

      Further to the above, I have now received a new pod which does connect to Hub  5 🙂

      • Joseph_B's avatar
        Joseph_B
        Forum Team (Retired)

        Hey JamesB1,

        Great to hear you have your new Pod and it is working, do let us know if you need anything further or have any other questions.

        Joe

  • Hello I recently got my hub 5  and echo studios and my exho 5 (2nd generation) connect flawlessly via WiFi