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Any quick and easy way to set up a new router with existing devices?

DSM10000

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We have just moved our BT broadband to Sky due to BT being highly uncompetitive (now £65 per month!) and the Sky broadband went live this morning and all seems to be working fine although we still have the BT hub installed.

I have a couple of questions for the IT savvy.

Is there any advantage to installing the Sky provided hub? We are not on fibre.

If so, is there a way of copying all of the currently connected devices to it without the laborious task of setting up each individual device individually?

We have 2 Windows laptops, a Chrome book, an Android tablet, two mobile 'phones, 6 smart bulbs two smart plugs, and 4 security cameras, a storage device for the cameras , two TV's, a Sonos system, Sky puck and a Nest heating controller. I have possibly forgotten some!

Or is it a two bottle of wine task? 🍷🍷✌️✌️😂.
Thanks!
 
If the devices connect to the router via Wi-Fi and you want to use the Sky router then just set the SSID and password to be the same as they are on the BT Hub. All your devices will then connect quite happily with no further intervention.

One caveat: you can’t have both the Sky and the BT routers powered simultaneously if you do this.
 
If the devices connect to the router via Wi-Fi and you want to use the Sky router then just set the SSID and password to be the same as they are on the BT Hub. All your devices will then connect quite happily with no further intervention.

One caveat: you can’t have both the Sky and the BT routers powered simultaneously if you do this.
That was my thought but it seemed too easy!
 
Good idea but note that I tried to do that when I moved from Sky to Virgin and it didn't work because the Wifi password that had been configured on the Sky router was not allowed (too short/insecure) on the Virgin router. So I ended up having to reconfigure all my devices anyway....
The good news is that @DSM1000 can trial that very quickly.

I didn’t have that issue when I went from BT Homehub to ultra highspeed Hyperoptic
 
Good idea but note that I tried to do that when I moved from Sky to Virgin and it didn't work because the Wifi password that had been configured on the Sky router was not allowed (too short/insecure) on the Virgin router. So I ended up having to reconfigure all my devices anyway....
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Very interesting and helpful replies, thank you! Would anyone know if the Sky hub might be better in terms of overall performance?
 
Very interesting and helpful replies, thank you! Would anyone know if the Sky hub might be better in terms of overall performance?
It really depends upon the spec of the hub you’re moving from. If there are no issues with your existing hub and it works with Sky then stick. If you have some areas with weak signal or other potential issues then try the new hub, you can always switch back very quickly and easily.
 
I have no direct experience of the Sky hardware, but in general most of the ISP-supplied devices are much of a muchness in terms of performance. Where it’s placed in the house probably has more effect on WiFi signal performance than which device it is.

One thing that may make a difference is that ISP's tend to be easier to deal with if you run into line stability or line performance issues if you’re using their supplied modem/router as they can more easily run remote diagnostics.

For the effort involved in swapping them over, it’s fairly easy to make your own performance comparison.
 
It really depends upon the spec of the hub you’re moving from. If there are no issues with your existing hub and it works with Sky then stick. If you have some areas with weak signal or other potential issues then try the new hub, you can always switch back very quickly and easily.
We have a couple of extenders due to weak signals and iPlayer tends to be temperamental. Unsure if that is the signal or the App!
 
I intend to plug in the Sky router and test it with one known device and go from there but my feeling is to have the Sky router as the primary device in case of any technical issues.

Can I set up the BT router as a WiFi extender /access point?
 
Had a sky router with a booster, never had a problem with either TV ( Q boxes ) or Wi-Fi with iPads and iPhones, actually the best service compared with previous houses with BT and then PlusNet. Currently in rented short term with Sky and will get a Sky package when we move into our new home at the end of August
 
Had a sky router with a booster, never had a problem with either TV ( Q boxes ) or Wi-Fi with iPads and iPhones, actually the best service compared with previous houses with BT and then PlusNet. Currently in rented short term with Sky and will get a Sky package when we move into our new home at the end of August
Q boxes also act as WiFi extenders, including the small "extra room" boxes.
 
Our Sky set up doesn't use a Q box. It's using a Sky Puck so just a receiver /decoder.

The Sky and Netflix part are just a bonus with the broadband and are of little interest to us. We certainly will not be paying for any additional packages such as Sport or Movies.
 
Good idea but note that I tried to do that when I moved from Sky to Virgin and it didn't work because the Wifi password that had been configured on the Sky router was not allowed (too short/insecure) on the Virgin router. So I ended up having to reconfigure all my devices anyway....
The Sky password is a mix of 12 characters including letters in upper and lower case plus numbers which is the same format as the BT Hub 👍
 
I have no direct experience of the Sky hardware, but in general most of the ISP-supplied devices are much of a muchness in terms of performance.

Agreed. Where they seem to vary the most is in terms of access control functionality e.g. the ability to restrict connection times by device. Of no interest if you don't have kids, but potentially very handy if you do!

The router we have currently (Plusnet Hub Two ... they are part of BT so this is likely to be used by BT as well) is the best I've seen, with the ability to give devices meaningful names, assign them to groups (e.g. all devices for a particular child), then set access control schedules for groups (and/or individual devices) by day of the week. So later internet access allowed on non-school nights etc.
 
Well the change over of router didn't go smoothly.

I decided against changing the password and SSID on the new router to that of the BT one.

All seemed OK, mobile 'phones, laptops etc all happy on the new router with three notable exceptions.

The Sky puck resolutely refused to recognise its own router until switched off and on 5 times and my Sonos system needed a factory reset before any of it's components would be recognised. I still cannot get the Alexa voice assistant to work on the Sonos Beam and the Alexa in the kitchen took a lot of time and effort before it agreed to join the party!
 
I still cannot get the Alexa voice assistant to work on the Sonos Beam
Maybe this SONOS Support article will help in getting a resolution?

 

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