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Current WiFi dongle advice

makem

makem

Member
I use a VPN and due to that I am unable to use my Humax to watch or save programs via the Humax Portal.

I have found this page thanks to a post by Black Hole:

WiFi dongle (click)

and

Expensive (click)

I ask if anyone is using a WiFi dongle with the HDR-FOX T2 which they can recommend. I can then use my S8 phone as a mobile hotspot to avoid turning off the VPN.

Tia.
 
makem said:
I use a VPN and due to that I am unable to use my Humax to watch or save programs via the Humax Portal.
Click to expand...
What does this mean? Are you confusing the Custom Firmware Web Interface (WebIF) with the Humax TV Portal (what you get when you press the TV Portal button on the remote control handset)? Assuming you mean WebIF, why does a VPN stop you accessing it (assuming the VPN is implemented in the router)?

makem said:
I ask if anyone is using a WiFi dongle with the HDR-FOX T2 which they can recommend. I can then use my S8 phone as a mobile hotspot to avoid turning off the VPN.
Click to expand...
EP's wiki link summarises the information available in forum discussions. There is recent advice here:

https://hummy.tv/forum/threads/getting-dongled.8268/post-116941

I use a dongle on my "supported user"s HDR (where there is no broadband), and when I turn on my phone hot-spot I can use my iPad (also linked to the hot spot) to access the WebIF, and also the CF has simultaneous access to the Internet for package downloads etc via the phone's 4G. IIRC it's an Edimax dongle.

The key is to ensure you get the right chip set in the dongle, and IIRC these are now becoming difficult to obtain. The wiki article is explicit on this point. If you can't get a dongle with the right chip set, there is an alternative in the form of something like the TP-Link WR702n (which provides a WiFi connection via the Ethernet port).
 
Black Hole said:
Assuming you mean WebIF, why does a VPN stop you accessing it (assuming the VPN is implemented in the router)?
Click to expand...
I think he does mean the Humax TV Portal and I believe a lot of VPNs are blocked by the likes of iPlayer to try and enforce the restriction that the content is for UK residents only.
 
MartinLiddle said:
I think he does mean the Humax TV Portal and I believe a lot of VPNs are blocked by the likes of iPlayer to try and enforce the restriction that the content is for UK residents only.
Click to expand...

That appears to be correct.

I meant the Humax TV Portal but it also includes the BBC iPlayer accessed via my Panasonic smart TV.

The VPN is applied via a RT-AC86U router. Even if I choose a UK VPN server it is still choked off.

Thank you all for the detailed information.
 
I just realised that a mobile hotspot, certainly mine, does not provide an IP address for connections. Instead it uses a name. It's IP address can only be obtained if the S8 is on the LAN.

As the HUMAX uses an IP address, is there any way to input an a name instead of an IP address? Or can the 'name' be converted somehow (sniffed)?
 
makem said:
I just realised that a mobile hotspot, certainly mine, does not provide an IP address for connections. Instead it uses a name. It's IP address can only be obtained if the S8 is on the LAN.
Click to expand...
I assume you mean the SSID for the hotspot. When you make a wireless connection you choose the SSID and the Humax will obtain an IP address by DHCP automatically.
 
MartinLiddle said:
I assume you mean the SSID for the hotspot. When you make a wireless connection you choose the SSID and the Humax will obtain an IP address by DHCP automatically.
Click to expand...

Yes, I was getting a little confused (level of knowledge showing).

Using my smart tv which has WiFi capability I was able to connect to the S8. The connection showed an IP address of 192.168.43.150 (my LAN is 192.168.2.1). I thought, ah, why do I need a dongle? just input that IP, DNS and hey presto...........

No such luck and I don't know why, even though the TV is not using WiFi at the time. When I input the correct settings it exits saying, "network connected"

It tries to connect but fails with an error, "cannot connect to network". So one machine can, one cannot using the same IP. It would be interesting to know why, but as you say, the dongle will deal with it.

Vodafone, my provider said they do not give out the IP address which is normally dynamic for security reasons unless you are a business and pay for the service, v6? Apparently it changes even if you are stationary at home.

The dongle arrives in 2 days so we shall see if it all works out as I hope. BTW, it does hammer the battery so would only be connected when needed. Luckily I have 2 boxes one can be WiFi, one wired.
 
makem said:
Using my smart tv which has WiFi capability I was able to connect to the S8. The connection showed an IP address of 192.168.43.150 (my LAN is 192.168.2.1). I thought, ah, why do I need a dongle? just input that IP, DNS and hey presto...........
Click to expand...
Where are you inputting the IP address?
 
MartinLiddle said:
Where are you inputting the IP address?
Click to expand...

settings > system > internet setting > configure LAN > configure IP Manual:

IP Address 192.168.43.150
Netmask 255.255.255.0
Gateway Address 192.168.43.150
DNS Address 192.168.43.150

Apply

Network connected

As I typed that I wondered if I should use DCHP instead of manual for DNS

EDIT: Cannot. Would it be possible to try a range of IPs until the correct one is found? It may change next time though? 192.168.43.xxx

EDIT 1: The hotspot needs a password! I must leave it open but maybe could fix the MAC address. No, although the box says it is connected it does not show up in the S8 settings to add the MAC address. In fact it seems any address may show as connected on the box!

Found I can add the HUMAX with no password as a permitted machine with it's MAC address in another way. But still, the box does not connect although is says it is.
 
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makem said:
settings > system > internet setting > configure LAN > configure IP Manual:
Click to expand...
I may be completely misunderstanding what you are trying to do but aren't those the settings for the wired network interface? You won't see the settings for the wireless interface until you have a compatible wireless dongle.
 
MartinLiddle said:
I may be completely misunderstanding what you are trying to do but aren't those the settings for the wired network interface? You won't see the settings for the wireless interface until you have a compatible wireless dongle.
Click to expand...

These are the settings I see when the TV is connected by WiFi. But it is not my network which is 192.168.2.xxx not 192.168.43.150, hence I thought I could use that IP on the HUMAX. It seems I cannot. I always thought an IP address was an IP address no matter whether you connected to it via WiFi or hard wire.

EDIT: Can I delete the last few posts? Of course, the HUMAX is connected to my LAN with a wire so of course the IP address cannot be changed. Thank you ML it finally sank in, sorry for getting carried away whilst concentrating on snooker.
 
makem said:
IP Address 192.168.43.150
Netmask 255.255.255.0
Gateway Address 192.168.43.150
DNS Address 192.168.43.150
Click to expand...
This (and most of the rest of what you've written on this subject) is just ridiculous. You appear to be just picking numbers at random at sticking them in anywhere. I suggest you go and read up about how networking works, because you are never going to get anywhere like this.
Monkeys, typewriters and the works of Shakespeare come to mind.
 
makem said:
Thank you ML it finally sank in, sorry for getting carried away whilst concentrating on snooker.
Click to expand...
I think you will find with the correct WiFi dongle it all just works (but unplug the hard wired connection when plugging in the dongle to be sure what is happening).
 
I've only skimmed the above, so apologies if I am repeating:

To use the HDR-FOX via a USB WiFi dongle to connect to the Internet via a mobile phone, all you need to do is turn on the phone's hot spot and then go into the WiFi config screen on the HDR to scan for it. No LAN config is required. The WiFi config is not available until you plug in the adapter.

If you want to access the WebIF using the phone as a router, use the IP address automatically assigned to the HDR-FOX, as displayed at Menu >> Settings >> System >> Internet Setting >> Configure LAN(Wi-Fi) (again not accessible unless there is a WiFi adapter). Do not try to change the setting from DHCP to Manual, just accept the numbers that are there.

Note that we now have a much better way of downloading video from iPlayer, YouTube, et al, in the form of youtube-dl.

makem said:
Of course, the HUMAX is connected to my LAN with a wire so of course the IP address cannot be changed.
Click to expand...
It can, but you have to know what you are doing. See Configuring IP Address (click).

makem said:
I always thought an IP address was an IP address no matter whether you connected to it via WiFi or hard wire.
Click to expand...
It is. The WiFi link behaves like a wire replacement (it has its own set of protocols that operate underneath).
 
Hummy, HDR-FOX T2 Freeview Recorder, still running well. Occasional retune and all those problems I had with the remote not working years ago have just gone away.

Anyway, my wifi dongle, a Edimax 7711 just packed up. No wifi for me.

Managed to find on eBay a Ralink WTXLF 150N Lan USB shipped from UK, (you will need to search eBay for a hummy compatible dongle, I am not allowed to post a link).
Listing said Humax RT3070 and it’s working for me atm after couple of days in the post and half a day scratching my head.

Had a slight problem with my Vodafone router being channel 4, dongle saw all my neighbours wifi but not mine !!! Worked on desktop computer but not my Hummy etc. Had to use a Vodafone broadband app on my phone to change the channel to 8 and bingo as they say. Unable to change channel on the Vodafone PC software.

I am posting in this old thread because I like the title and it was near the top when I searched.
 
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MickJack said:
....Had a slight problem with my Vodafone router being channel 4, dongle saw all my neighbours wifi but not mine !!! Worked on desktop computer but not my Hummy etc. Had to use a Vodafone broadband app on my phone to change the channel to 8 and bingo as they say. Unable to change channel on the Vodafone PC software.
...
Click to expand...
You found this problem, which can be fixed with a script using CF, or even by fixing a file in the CF itself; the issue is in the original Humax firmware, at least for HDR 1.03.12. The WiFi driver configuration file specifies CountryRegion=7 which means that only channels 5-14 are enabled. This is particularly weird since I haven't been able to find any country that doesn't allow channels 1-4.

Ezra Pound said:
Here is a quote from the Wiki link in post #2 above :-
"It has been reported that channels 1 to 4 can't be used in some cases"
Click to expand...
I would be very surprised if channels 1-4 could be used unless something has configured the driver's CountryRegion to a sensible value, say with this command (if CF is in use) iwpriv wlan0 CountryRegion=31 (there's no evidence from inspecting the Humax software that it does this). The latest driver source for Linux 2.6 is available from the (now) manufacturer's site; apparently later kernels include RAlink drivers. As well as the documentation of the driver configuration, the source contains code to support a whole range of (formerly) RALink chipsets.
 
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