@blueblood1872 well yes it is confusing sometimes and really that’s because, behind the scenes IP networking really isn’t that easy and ISPs such as Virgin Media know they have to simplify things as much as possible and provide equipment that just works out of the box. The problem is that although this might be fine for 90% of users, when it doesn’t work for a particular case, then all bets are off!
So from first principals (and some of this is deliberately over simplified), think of the VM hub as actually being three separate devices or boxes all in one. Firstly you have the cable modem, this converts the incoming connection from the cable into a form that network devices can understand. Secondly we have the router, this is the device that allows more than one device to ‘share’ the single connection you have coming in, and lastly there is the WiFi access point which broadcasts a signal and allows wireless devices to connect.
And when all three work together properly, then fine. The issue often is that the VM hubs are really good as cable modems, reasonable as a router, but often hopeless as a WiFi access point, and the reason is cost, they are built to a budget and spending, say an extra £10 on a better chip or component doesn’t seem much but multiply that up by, say ten million units……
So you have a choice, the VM hubs allow for ‘modem mode’ in which they disable everything other than the cable modem part itself, so you have to supply your own router and wireless provision - usually this is the better option, it gives you the most control but, naturally the hub isn’t broadcasting any wifi and will only allow one device to connect to the internet - sorting all that out is up to you and usually that would be your own router which can allow multiple devices to connect.
There is a sort of halfway house though, in which you leave the hub in its default router mode, but just turn off the WiFi provision and have your own kit to do wifi. What you are looking at here is a wifi access point, often though, just to confuse things, a third party router can be set up in, what’s called access point mode so all of the router functions are disabled just leaving the wifi working. The VM hub does all the routing features own device sorts out the wifi. What you don’t really want is both the VM hub and your own device working as routers, yes it does work and you probably won’t experience any issues but oddball and apparently weird stuff can happen and unless you know how IP networks and routing work, it can all be a bit baffling.
