A 2Wire 2700 HGV BT Business Hub Router Wireless

[LesD]

I have today purchase this item on eBay:

New 2Wire 2700 HGV BT Business Hub Router Wireless   

It is described as follows:
This auction is for a brand new 2wire BT Business hub.
It has wireless and has a port to plug a telephone in to use its inbuilt voip system.
The item does not have its original box, but has never been used as so is in perfect condition.
It comes with power adapter.


I have been reading Rik's thread gathering together information about these routers and found my way to The Scream where I downloaded this file: recovery_425.2sp that I believe can be used to "Un-lock" these Routers:   

When it arrives before I do anything as bold as this (I have flashed my Netgear a number of times but only with official Netgear updates) I will seek your guidance here on the forum. 

At present I am not interested in VOIP or right now in the Wireless aspect but I may be in the latter later on. What I fancy is the potential for an improved IP Profile with the 2Wire's reputation for better noise rejection.

Watch this space and I will post again when it arrives and I know more about it.

[Rik]

When you get it, Les, do a factory reset (paperclip in the hole for 20 seconds with the power on, then let it re-boot). Connect it to the PC but not the phone and log into the router interface. See what firmware you are running so that you can decide what you need to do. If you ever want to use the USB interface and don't have the CD, I am sure one of us can help you out.

[Sebby]

As Rik says, a factory reset is always a good idea with used items. Otherwise, there shouldn't be a lot to do, but post back once you've got it and we'll know for sure.

[Ted]

Hi Les
Good choice of router
One word of warning which you may already be aware of, make sure that the router only has a single SSID if you want to flash the firmware.
DO NOT Flash the router with the recovery firmware if it has Two or Dual SSIDs. The firmware will not be compatible and it will render the router unusable.

[LesD]

Hi Rik, Sebby & xild,

Thanks for the quick and positive responses. 

DO NOT Flash the router with the recovery firmware if it has Two or Dual SSIDs.

There I see it again and now I know why I had no idea what an SSID was because I have always been a wired LAN man, nothing like a length of copper if you want to connect things together now is there? 

Now, however, it seems that I have to take notice so I went a Googling and found this c/o one Bradley Mitchell at: http://compnetworking.about.com/cs/wireless/g/bldef_ssid.htm:

"SSID - Service Set Identifier"
Definition: An SSID is the name of a wireless local area network (WLAN). All wireless devices on a WLAN must employ the same SSID in order to communicate with each other.

So now, having furthered my education, I shall be on the look out to see if the Router I have bought has single or dual SSID for the cautionary on this one!

[Rik]

It will be on the label on the underside, Les.

[Lance]

Why bother flashing the firmware at all? Just use the DNS poisioning trick and it will work fine! 

[Sebby]

I did a bit of research today, and you can't actually flash the dual SSID model as there isn't a generic firmware available. Therefore, the DNS poisoning trick is the only option.

The recovery tool is for the single SSID models, which BT used to supply. There are also some non-BT-branded 2700s floating around (such as the ones Rik and I have) which don't need flashing at all as they never had branded firmware.

[Rik]

Actually, mine is BT branded but had been flashed before it reached me.

[Sebby]

Oh, I thought yours was a 2Wire-badged version, so it just goes to show.

[Rik]

No, it's the full BT jobby, box, manual etc, but pre-flashed with SBC firmware. They seem to come in all shades of 'originality' don't they.

[Sebby]

They do indeed. 

[LesD]

They seem to come in all shades of 'originality' don't they.

I still have no idea in any of the detail you guys are discussing what it is that I have actually bought! Maybe at £7.51 Plus p&p I don't have too much to worry about if I am honest but here's the link just in case anyone can add anything:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260220087353&ssPageName=ADME:B:EOIBSA:GB:1123

There is a picture for what it's worth.

BTW should this thread have been in the 2Wire 2700.... Issues part of the forum? 

[Lance]

I think it is a dual SSID version, as it has a phone 1 and phone 2 light on the front. I could well be wrong though. If it is this version, then it will have version 5 firmware and whatever you do, you must not flash it!

[LesD]

it will have version 5 firmware and whatever you do, you must not flash it!

Thanks for the warning Lance, I have it duly noted!

[Simon]

I'm starting to think you can't judge anything on eBay until you actually get it.  Hopefully it will be good for you, Les, and there are plenty of people on here who can offer support. 

[LesD]

I'm starting to think you can't judge anything on eBay until you actually get it.

I have been an ebay buyer on and off for years and on one occasion some years ago, badgered by my son, paid circa £900 for a Sony Vaio Laptop. I sweated blood till it arrived but it was a good one. He still has it and it is working great. Most items have been fine but I had a dead CPU once that I recall but I paid very little for it and as they say you get what you pay for!  So maybe my relative bargain 2Wire may not live up to my expectations!    Time will tell.

[Sebby]

You're right, Simon. Some auctions do state that it is the single or dual SSID version, but I suppose that depends on how much the seller knows about this router.

[Simon]

But I still maintain they shouldn't state that items are *new*, when in fact, they are old models, albeit unused.  How can you tell if it's been used anyway?  A *new* item should be just that, i.e. newly manufactured, the latest model, not something that someone's had stuck in a wardrobe for x number of years.

[LesD]

A *new* item should be just that, i.e. newly manufactured, the latest model, not something that someone's had stuck in a wardrobe for x number of years.

Quite right Simon. I guess you could always try asking the seller the question before you buy but I know from experience that answers are not always forthcoming!   

With the 2wire I have just bought it is a case of 

[madasahatter]

Don't know Simon - one of the dictionary definitions of "new" is "unused" or "in it's original state". Even an old model could still be described as either of them 

[Simon]

I suppose the key is, if you want something specific, don't buy it unless it's specified. 

Les, I wasn't doubting your purchase, it's just that there seems to be a haze of ambiguity around these, as there are several different variations.  Hopefully, yours will be a good one. 

[Sebby]

But I still maintain they shouldn't state that items are *new*, when in fact, they are old models, albeit unused.  How can you tell if it's been used anyway?  A *new* item should be just that, i.e. newly manufactured, the latest model, not something that someone's had stuck in a wardrobe for x number of years.

Point taken. I just always consider "new" to mean unopened/unused, especially where eBay is concerned.

[plugwash]

when using ebay if in doubt use the ask the seller a question option to try and tease out the information you want.

and as others have said new in most cases means unused, it does not say anything about how long the device has been sitting in storage. If you need a particular revision of something you need to explicitly clarify that with the seller.

[Sebby]

Even when buying off a website, though, we don't know how old stock is. I was confronted with this problem when buying my new mobile recently. I didn't want something that had been sitting around for ages, especially given that a lot of mobiles have hardware issues in the early days. In the end, I bought from Play.com as they were out of stock at the time of order and I knew that the likelihood was that the new stock would be new (as in recently manufactured). I was correct, and the build date of the phone was week 7 of 2008.

Buying from eBay can be a bit of gamble, but with a bit of common sense and caution, you can usually get a good deal.