Netgear ORBI with NowTV Broadband. Can it be made to work?

[Anonymous User]

Just switched to NowTV from BT today. All working with the NowTV Hub 2, but I have an elaborate setup with Orbi Router and Satellites that I'd really like to use (which worked fine on BT and also briefly on TalkTalk).

When the ORBI is looking for the broadband connection (easy set up mode) is says it has found a PPPoE connection and wants a username and password.

Any idea what those need to be.

Am *very* reluctanct to give up the ORBI as it works perfectly.

Alternatively, if I *have* to use the NowTV Hub 2 - can it be put in "bridge" mode and plugged in to the ORBI?

Thanks!

Pat

[Anonymous User]

OK....so not as complicated as some of these posts suggests. It's all here: 

https://kb.netgear.com/31218/How-do-I-configure-my-Orbi-router-to-act-as-an-access-point

[Anonymous User]

Just add to this - I did as it said above ie putting the Orbi into AP Mode and behold, the Orbi's worked as wireless access points HOWEVER the LAN connections to my two PS4s, one from the main Orbi router and one from a satellite, stopped working. 

I puzzled over this then I realised.  because it had become a wireless access point both the LANs had been turned off as I could no longer click on LAN settings in my Orbi dashboard.

SO - I restarted the Orbi router back into Router Mode - not AP Mode - then quite accidently I went to BASIC Settings and clicked on  > Internet and behold!!! Under Does, your Internet connection require a login? it still had the old internet username and password there.

So I set  Does your Internet connection require a login? to No - applied it and my LAN started working again and the or Orbi's became a router behind the main NowTV router and have worked fine ever since!

So the key is, have you deleted the OLD username and password from your Orbi that you used when it was first set up. The problem with the NOWTV box is it doesn't require you to put in a username and password and the Orbi seems to work with it, but when it's trying to apply the router settings it's using the old username and password from your previous provider.

[Anonymous User]

@Anonymous UserAre you still interested in Modem only mode for your ORBI? Is anyone else?

If your Netgear ORBI firmware has DHCP options 60/61 buried somewhere in the settings. (As the Netgear forums suggest), then you can swap out the NOWTV modem/router for a bog standard VDSL modem and have the ORIB handle the WAN connection.

[smokeyc]

I know this is an old post.  But its a good one which still comes at the top of a Google search.

Solved method 2024 (if Orbi doesn't auto detect in smart setup) -

I have 3 LANS on my Orbi mesh; and completely  understand wanting to use the nowtv hub 2 (a budget router with poor performance at best) as a type of bridge.  My LANS are as 192.168.2.1, 3.1, 4.1 etc 

I setup the now TV Hub as 192.168.1.1 with a subnet 255.255.255.0 and turned off DHCP.  (Default is 192.168.0.1 which would also work)

Orbi Pro (orbilogin.com) > Advanced > Internet Setup

Turn off "requires login"

Use static IP address: 192.168.1.100 (effectively can be anything except 1 this is the Orbi IP to connect to the nowTVHub);  set Subnet 255.255.255.0, set the gateway IP as 192.168.1.1.  Then in DNS use 192.168.1.1.  Then use default MAC address.

This effectively uses the Orbi as you have it setup, then routes internet traffic out through the WAN port to the IP Port of the NowTVHub, sort of manually bridging.

Once in the Orbi status Home page - internet shows as "Good" - then dial into the setup of the NowTV admin and disable wifi.  (Note if you followed the steps you can do this from your Orbi Wifi e.g. you dont have to disconnect the orbi wifi, just type 192.168.1.1 to access the nowtvhub via the orbi LAN).

Worked in 2024.  Though this is the pro Orbi router, the process will be effectively the same for most Orbi's or Netgears - so you don't have to put your Orbi in AP mode, and you can use your nowtvhub as a basic switch/bridge to the internet.

Hope it helps 🙂