Smart hub external ping response

[Jaggies]

I set up a new BQM on Thinkbroadband when I migrated from Plusnet (where I had a static IP address), but the Smart Hub doesn't respond to pings from outside my network, or at least I haven't found a setting where this can be activated.

I was going to try opening a firewall rule to direct inbound pings to my TP-Link router, which is now working as a WiFi and Ethernet extender, but setting up the rule requires Port numbers to be specified, and I don't want to open random ports.

Has anyone tried and succeeded (or failed...) and if so, what Port numbers worked?

Or can the Smart Hub be set up to respond to external pings and I've just missed the setting(s) I need?

TIA...

[XRaySpeX]

EE Smart Hubs Pro & Plus can't be made to respond to pings.

[JimM11]

@Jaggies There is no ICMP response on any off the EE Hubs/Routers or the BT versions, you will need to get a real hub if you wish to do a BQM from thinkbroadband.... Is there a reason that the hub from EE is connected, ie landline for digital voice , old fttc connection that the TP does not do? 

Your on a FTTC connection and require to use the EE supplied hub for your digital voice, 

Broadband Quality Monitor FAQ | thinkbroadband

Not Supported*

• BT Home Hub or Smart Hub
• PlusNet Hub Zero / Hub One (aka BT Home Hub 5a)

* These routers do not support responding to ping packets on the WAN port, however you can configure a Default or DMZ host which can respond to pings directed at your public IP address; we strongly advise you to only do this if you understand the security implications of running a publicly accessible host on the Internet.

[Jaggies]

Thanks both @XRaySpeX & @JimM11 

I'm using the Smart Hub in order to use Digital Voice, which is the reason I joined EE.

The TP-Link router worked fine with the BQM on Plusnet, and when I set up a new one for EE. I'll look in to adding it to a DMZ if I can't get the required ports to simply add a firewall rule.

Thanks again.

[JimM11]

@Jaggies IP assigned from the EE to the TP, that is all you need to place in the EE hub's DMZ.

[Jaggies]

@JimM11 

Thanks, I'll give that a try.

[Jaggies]

@JimM11 

Hasn't worked... ☹️

Tried setting up a firewall rule, leaving the port numbers blank, but when I clicked on Save it said everything was up-to-date, and didn't save, so I guess Port numbers may be required to complete the setting. Same issue when trying to set up a pinhole in the IPv6 settings.

Tried putting it in a DMZ as well, but in both cases TBB gave me an error saying Host unreachable.

I've deleted the monitor for now, but any further suggestions welcome.

[XRaySpeX]

ICMP is port-less.

[JimM11]

@Jaggies Take it that you have enabled the response also on the TP-Link router, it would have been the old plusnet that was responding when you had it set originally. From the TBB link and then the IpV4 address shown when setting the BQM but think you have done that before. Is there a reason you are needing to check. DMZ placed IP should be bypass and direct to the TP once that is saved on the EE.

• TP-Link
  (System Tools > Manage Control > Service Configuration > enable ‘remote)

[Jaggies]

@JimM11  & @XRaySpeX thanks again.

The TP-Link is configured to respond to internal and extra ICMP pings, but the Smart Hub isn't passing them through.

The "Smart" Hub won't even let me set up a firewall rule or DMZ to allow traffic through. Also, I don't know why the hub can't be set to respond to pings - they aren't really a security risk. This is one of the reasons I don't like ISP routers as a general rule - they are too tied down for use by anyone with a degree of understanding of the risks (or lack of them) involved.

I'm now wondering if connecting the TP-Link to the VDSL and placing the Smart Hub downstream of that instead might be the way to go? I imagine the digital voice would still work in that configuration, which would mirror the use of a FTTP NTE.

That's something to think about for another time.