Horizon Box Wifi issues - is it possible to use wireless router?

deravarra · 13-01-2014 7:08pm #1

Hi all - I got a UPC Horizon Box, and despite the wonderful TV service (even if the UI does take a good bit of getting used to), the WiFi is woeful. The service does not reach where it did before, and it has slowed down considerably for most devices.

My question is: Can I connect a wireless router to the horizon lan port and use that as my wifi hub?

Failing that, I will have to resort back to the old modem they made me hand back...

srsly78 · 13-01-2014 7:10pm

Try changing the settings on it first. But yes you can just connect a second one to it.

deravarra · 13-01-2014 7:20pm

srsly78 wrote: »

Try changing the settings on it first. But yes you can just connect a second one to it.

I've changed the settings all over, checked which channels were being used locally, etc. and no matter what I did, nothing improved the signal. Just a bit disappointed with the box tbh. But glad I can connect and work with a decent wifi router.

Any recommendations?

srsly78 · 13-01-2014 7:25pm

Pretty much anything is better than upcs wifi. You can get a wifi-N router for £20 on amazon.co.uk. Get someone that knows about networks to set it up for you, there are some things that need to be done like turning dhcp off etc. If running long cables is a problem you might look into powerline adapters so you can place the second router in a more central location.

who_me · 13-01-2014 9:24pm

I replaced mine with a N750 (model number: TL-WDR4300), and it's a huge step up. It's simultaneous dual-band meaning you can use the 5GHz network for much better speed, or the 2.4GHz network for better range and/or when using older devices, with both networks running at the same time. A bit pricier (probably about 100 euros), but well worth it IMO.

deravarra · 13-01-2014 10:37pm

who_me wrote: »

I replaced mine with a N750 (model number: TL-WDR4300), and it's a huge step up. It's simultaneous dual-band meaning you can use the 5GHz network for much better speed, or the 2.4GHz network for better range and/or when using older devices, with both networks running at the same time. A bit pricier (probably about 100 euros), but well worth it IMO.

To be honest, I dont mind the price too much ... as long as we get a decent wifi signal at decent speeds. Theres nothing worse than paying for a 200mb service and only getting 1-10 mb when in the room next to the horizon box.

who_me · 15-01-2014 2:20am

After trying several poor routers, I'd recommend that one! Running a speedtest (which I don't really rate as a good measure) it got 112Mbps. But just this evening I had to download several large files off Dropbox and they came down at 70Mbps up to 104Mbps. Pretty impressive for Wifi, even more so considering I'm only supposed to be on 100Mbps.

The "750" is the total bandwidth, 450Mbps via the 5GHz network and 300Mbps via the 2.4GHz.

deravarra · 15-01-2014 7:56am

who_me wrote: »

After trying several poor routers, I'd recommend that one! Running a speedtest (which I don't really rate as a good measure) it got 112Mbps. But just this evening I had to download several large files off Dropbox and they came down at 70Mbps up to 104Mbps. Pretty impressive for Wifi, even more so considering I'm only supposed to be on 100Mbps.

The "750" is the total bandwidth, 450Mbps via the 5GHz network and 300Mbps via the 2.4GHz.

Thanks

I am now considering getting rid of the horizon service and reverting back to the previous for the broadband and going for sky tv. The Horizon TV service is not all I thought it would be and is let down by a horrible GUI.

The only good thing I would miss is a decent enough Horizon TV app...

who_me · 15-01-2014 4:55pm

deravarra wrote: »

Thanks I am now considering getting rid of the horizon service and reverting back to the previous for the broadband and going for sky tv. The Horizon TV service is not all I thought it would be and is let down by a horrible GUI.

The only good thing I would miss is a decent enough Horizon TV app...

As far as I know, if you stay with UPC for broadband you should still be able to use the Horizon app (well, there are a few apps now. There's one for watching videos, and another which can also be used as a remote in conjunction with the Horizon box. You should still be able to use the former.)

Wabbit Ears · 15-01-2014 5:09pm

you need a TV sub to use the online features.

Benny Cake · 19-01-2014 11:53am

Apologies for hijacking the thread but am I correct in saying all I need to do to install a standalone wireless router is connect it to the horizon box via one of the LAN ports?

srsly78 · 19-01-2014 12:42pm

And disable dhcp on one of the devices.

Wabbit Ears · 19-01-2014 12:47pm

and disable wireless on the horizon box and/or ensure the new router is using a different channel (use inSSIDer, it's a free app)

Benny Cake · 19-01-2014 12:51pm

Wabbit Ears wrote: »

and disable wireless on the horizon box and/or ensure the new router is using a different channel (use inSSIDer, it's a free app)

Thanks wabbilt, how do I disable wireless? Is it done by switching off the access point?

Wabbit Ears · 19-01-2014 3:30pm

log into the web gui http://192.168.192.1 admin/admin on an internet browser.

You can enable and disable the wifi and set the channel in this webpage. You can also do it in the settings section of the main Horizon interface but since this is changed on the newest version I'm not sure where it is now.

Wabbit Ears · 19-01-2014 8:23pm

If the horizon box is connecting to the Internet then it should be in create network mode and it should have dhcp on and the external router should have it off.

If your external router is your Internet connection like if you kept your old upc router then you use join network mode and dhcp is off on the horizon box and on on your upc router

So for you the answer is dhcp horizon on, external Router off. External router connected via the lan ports on horizon.

srsly78 · 19-01-2014 9:31pm

I don't think it matters which has dhcp disabled, so long as only one of them has it enabled.

srsly78 · 19-01-2014 10:33pm

Ah right so, that must be some quirk of the horizon. It doesn't matter on other routers. Don't confuse the wan dhcp with lan dhcp tho

who_me · 20-01-2014 1:33pm

Mr.S wrote: »

If I have dhcp disabled on my Netgear WiFI router, and enabled on Horizon, the connect ****s up and won't work.

If its disabled on Horizon and enabled on my Netgear Router, everything works fine.

Currently, its enabled on both.

Does it matter if its enabled on both, everything is working fine!

Not certain if it matters if DHCP is on in both. If both routers are giving out IP addresses in the same range, there's a danger of IP address conflicts.

In my case I turned it off on one (can't remember which!), but that's all I had to do. Plus the WAN cable from my new Wifi router into one of the LAN ports on the Horizon box. Turn off DHCP on one of them. That was pretty much it.

deravarra · 20-01-2014 1:50pm

who_me wrote: »

Not certain if it matters if DHCP is on in both. If both routers are giving out IP addresses in the same range, there's a danger of IP address conflicts.

In my case I turned it off on one (can't remember which!), but that's all I had to do. Plus the WAN cable from my new Wifi router into one of the LAN ports on the Horizon box. Turn off DHCP on one of them. That was pretty much it.

Which router did you use? And do you find it good?

Wabbit Ears · 20-01-2014 4:38pm

who_me wrote: »

Not certain if it matters if DHCP is on in both. If both routers are giving out IP addresses in the same range, there's a danger of IP address conflicts.

In my case I turned it off on one (can't remember which!), but that's all I had to do. Plus the WAN cable from my new Wifi router into one of the LAN ports on the Horizon box. Turn off DHCP on one of them. That was pretty much it.

Horizon uses 192.168.192.X and netgear etc use 192.168.0.X or 192.168.1.X

You need to turn off DHCP on the 3rd party router to guarantee you don't mess up any additional or unforeseen Horizon box network issues.

refresh/restart any devices that have a 192.168.0.x or .1.x address and this should clear any conflicts.

You should never have 2 dhcp services on the same LAN.

who_me · 20-01-2014 6:38pm

deravarra wrote: »

Which router did you use? And do you find it good?

Already posted on the previous page

It's this one.

Very happy with it. Getting 50Mbps - 75Mbps (iPad Air), and 70Mbps - 105Mbps (laptop). My broadband is 100Mbps, so not certain if the limiting factor is the Wifi or broadband when testing on my laptop. To get the best speeds, you need a recent router AND recent devices; if either doesn't support 5GHz or MIMO, you're not going to get the full rate possible.

paulboland · 20-01-2014 7:22pm

Wabbit Ears wrote: »

log into the web gui http://192.168.192.1 admin/admin on an internet browser.

You can enable and disable the wifi and set the channel in this webpage. You can also do it in the settings section of the main Horizon interface but since this is changed on the newest version I'm not sure where it is now.

What Change ?

These settings below are still there (Checked at 18.20 on the 20/01/2014)
Horizon Box Settings

Settings
Home Network Settings

Wi-Fi Settings

Access Point on/off
Set Up With WPS
Network Name (SSID)
Password
Wi-Fi Channel

Remember to chose Save when you exit the settings Menu if you change any of the settings

deravarra · 20-01-2014 7:45pm

who_me wrote: »

Already posted on the previous page It's this one.

Very happy with it. Getting 50Mbps - 75Mbps (iPad Air), and 70Mbps - 105Mbps (laptop). My broadband is 100Mbps, so not certain if the limiting factor is the Wifi or broadband when testing on my laptop. To get the best speeds, you need a recent router AND recent devices; if either doesn't support 5GHz or MIMO, you're not going to get the full rate possible.

How big is your house (sq ft and apartment/bungalow/two story), and do you have much to contend with in relation to neighbourhood wifi connections? And finally

are you able to set up a guest network on that router?

who_me · 20-01-2014 8:52pm

deravarra wrote: »

How big is your house (sq ft and apartment/bungalow/two story), and do you have much to contend with in relation to neighbourhood wifi connections? And finally are you able to set up a guest network on that router?

It's a small enough apartment (800 sq. ft or so), all on one floor. Reception understandably is good throughout. Having a simultaneous dual band router is useful though, as the ('older') 2.4GHz networks have better range, while you can still use the faster 5GHz network when closer to the router for best speed.

I can pick up around 15 networks from my place, from the apartment block and neighbouring businesses. Nearly all the UPC networks on the same channel! With the 2.4GHz channels I can just about find a free channel, with the 5GHz it's all unused, apart from mine.

I'm not sure what you mean by guest network - do you mean allowing users to join the Wifi without a password? If so, I haven't tried. Can take a look.

deravarra · 20-01-2014 10:41pm

who_me wrote: »

It's a small enough apartment (800 sq. ft or so), all on one floor. Reception understandably is good throughout. Having a simultaneous dual band router is useful though, as the ('older') 2.4GHz networks have better range, while you can still use the faster 5GHz network when closer to the router for best speed.

I can pick up around 15 networks from my place, from the apartment block and neighbouring businesses. Nearly all the UPC networks on the same channel! With the 2.4GHz channels I can just about find a free channel, with the 5GHz it's all unused, apart from mine.

I'm not sure what you mean by guest network - do you mean allowing users to join the Wifi without a password? If so, I haven't tried. Can take a look.

No, it would be where you would have a separate SSID for them, and they could have access - duration to be determined by you ... so if they came along and parked outside your house they couldnt log in again

I have a 1600 two storey house and wondering if that would be sufficient enough for it? I was looking into going 802.11AC, but am unsure. I would love to go netgear because of the ease of setup etc ... but again, am unsure

deravarra · 20-01-2014 11:10pm

who_me wrote: »

I'm not sure what you mean by guest network - do you mean allowing users to join the Wifi without a password? If so, I haven't tried. Can take a look.

Just checked it out myself - and the answer is yes you can

Feature added in March/13 firmware upgrade .... this is now looking like a good one for me!

who_me · 21-01-2014 7:23pm

deravarra wrote: »

No, it would be where you would have a separate SSID for them, and they could have access - duration to be determined by you ... so if they came along and parked outside your house they couldnt log in again

I have a 1600 two storey house and wondering if that would be sufficient enough for it? I was looking into going 802.11AC, but am unsure. I would love to go netgear because of the ease of setup etc ... but again, am unsure

Interesting, thanks. That would be quite a handy feature actually. I just had to give one of my buddies my Wifi password the other day, and reckoned I'll have to change it now as they're notorious for practical jokes. I don't know what he could do by being on my Wifi network, but I don't wanna find out!

I looked around for AC routers, couldn't find many. I don't have any AC devices yet, and I reckon it'll be like N routers: they'll improve a lot over the years so the initial ones are perhaps best avoided. If you already have AC devices, might not be a bad idea. 1.3Gbps sounds very tasty - even if you "just" get about 200Mbps of that it's well worth while.

deravarra · 21-01-2014 7:29pm

who_me wrote: »

Interesting, thanks. That would be quite a handy feature actually. I just had to give one of my buddies my Wifi password the other day, and reckoned I'll have to change it now as they're notorious for practical jokes. I don't know what he could do by being on my Wifi network, but I don't wanna find out!

I looked around for AC routers, couldn't find many. I don't have any AC devices yet, and I reckon it'll be like N routers: they'll improve a lot over the years so the initial ones are perhaps best avoided. If you already have AC devices, might not be a bad idea. 1.3Gbps sounds very tasty - even if you "just" get about 200Mbps of that it's well worth while.

Just checked out a nice TP Link router for €99 on komplett - see link below. It's AC and looks good. Comes with an app too!

http://www.komplett.ie/komplett/product/zkb-03netw/80011099/tp-link-wireless-router-archer-c7/details.aspx

However ... since the price increase in UPC, I may be wangling my way out of a contract and finding another service provider - depending on what price the Broadband/Phone service from UPC will cost. So I may be looking to getting an e-fibre modem/router ... which in past experiences has been quite good.

Stench Blossoms · 13-03-2015 2:27pm

Sorry to drag up this thread.

Would this be any good for using for wifi instead of the horizon box?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00A122XG6/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

Wabbit Ears · 13-03-2015 6:40pm

What you want is a 'simaltaneous dual band wireless ac access point' but these are more expensive than what you list.

Easiest and simplest way to extend the wireless with these is Homeplug wifi extenders.

magentis · 14-03-2015 2:08am

Stench Blossoms wrote: »

Sorry to drag up this thread.

Would this be any good for using for wifi instead of the horizon box?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00A122XG6/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

That router would not work with upc internet.
I got a tp-link archer c7 recently on Komplett.ie and the difference it has made is incredible.

Stench Blossoms · 14-03-2015 9:51am

http://www.komplett.ie/product/zkb-03netw/80011099/tp-link-wireless-router-archer-c7/details.aspx this one yeh?

Wabbit Ears · 14-03-2015 10:46am

spend 20 quid more and buy the AC version

http://www.komplett.ie/product/zkb-03netw/80035876/tp-link-wireless-ac1750-router-archer-c8/details.aspx
http://www.komplett.ie/product/zkb-03netw/20483536/linksys-wireless-ac1200-router-ea6350/details.aspx

yurymal · 14-12-2016 12:12am

Same problem. Box behavior is inconsistent. Stop supplying such faulty hardware please. Could you make an answer public and do not force people send you same request numerous number of times.

Horizon Box Wifi issues - is it possible to use wireless router?

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