Total Pageviews to our blog

Sunday 27 February 2011

Using OpenDNS with BT HomeHub Broadband

Using OpenDNS with BT Homehubs Broadband

We would like to thank the original author of this review at www.punj.co.uk for granting us permission to publish this  particular blog content. The original contents of the review can be found at http://www.punj.co.uk/punjwebfiles/telecom/bbrouterproblems.html

On this page we are going to show you how to use the OpenDNS service on BT Broadband using the BT Homehub and some additional cheap hardware. BT has currently disabled their users from entering their own dns settings on the BT Homehubs using the current BT firmware. BT had adopted to disable certain features on their homehubs to close certain security vulnerabilities on their hardware.

So first of all lets briefly find out what the OpenDNS service is.

OpenDNS is a dns service which can help in providing the user in controlling and blocking Internet sites which the user deems as inappropriate. This can be useful if you have kids on your home network and you want to filter and block web sites which you deem appropriate for them to visit or use.
OpenDNS also provides anti-phising and  malware / botnet protection to further protect the Internet user. We do however advise strongly that the user still incorporates security software on each PC / Laptop and home  network devices that they currently use to ensure a high level of protection.

Now we will give a brief explanation of the BT Homehub.
BT provide all their customers exclusively using the BT Broadband product their branded wireless router known as the BT HomeHub. In providing this great piece of kit  BT can provide support for the BT Broadband customer. The latest BT Homehub version 3 includes the smart wireless N technology, provision of a gigabit LAN port and the USB port for connecting a printer or hard disk to your home network. This version of the home hub can also be used on BT's ADSL and Infinity product. Overall we have been very impressed with this latest BT Hardware and congratulate them in providing such an outstanding piece of kit.


          

By using some additional hardware and setting the home network correctly we can use the OpenDNS service and still get support from the official BT support channel as we are still using their provided piece of kit on the BT Broadband product.

In order to use OpenDNS we need to configure the dns settings on our home network to use the OpenDNS servers. This can be done in a couple of ways. The user can either at each computer or laptop  access the  network configuration and manually enter the OpenDNS server settings, or use these dns settings at the router  to globally use the dns service for all devices on the network. Entering the dns settings within network configuration at each device can be quite time consuming and can also be quite easily bypassed by someone  by just entering their own dns settings. By configuring the router correctly we can ensure that the chosen dns service is the only dns service used.

Our tip includes the use of an additional router which will be configured with the OpenDNS setting and provide DHCP to all devices on the network. In using our method the user is required to disable the DHCP on the BT Homehub for providing IP addresses to devices on the home network. In brief the DLink will be used as a slave router providing DHCP and DNS in lieu of the BT HomeHub.

In our method we chose the DLink DIR-615 version D2 router as our additional piece of hardware. We chose this router as it cost just £1.50 plus £3.50 shipping from eBay. The DLink DIR-615 is a wireless  broadband router with wireless N and four 100mb Ethernet ports.


The first thing we did with this router was to upgrade the firmware from the DLink to the DD WRT firmware.
The DD WRT firmware is a free Linux-based firmware offering a great number of functionalities. This firmware allowed us to setup this router as a slave router which provided all devices on our network with DHCP and the DNS settings for the OpenDNS service. In addition we configured this router to intercept the dns port to prevent users from using their own dns server.

The following setup configurations was used within the DLink configuration page. All other settings were left as the default settings.
Wan Setup
Wan Connection Type - Disabled
Network Setup
Local IP Address - 192.168.1.1
Subnet Mask - 255.255.255.0
Gateway - 192,168.1.254 (IP address of BT Homehub)
Local DNS - 208.67.222.222 (OpenDNS server)
Wan Port
Assign WAN Port to Switch - Tick check box (This enables the Wan port to be used as a LAN Port)
Network Address Server Settings (DHCP)
DHCP Type - DHCP Server
DHCP Server - Enabled
Static DNS 1 - 208.67.222.222 (OpenDNS Primary server)
Static DNS 2 - 208.67.220.220 (OpenDNS Secondary server)
Static DNS 3 - 208.67.222.220 (OpenDNS Server)
Use DNSMasq for DHCP - Tick check box
Use DNSMasq for DNS - Tick check box
DHCP-Authoritative - Tick check box

All other settings can be left in their default.
The final step was to disable the DHCP within the BT Homehub. All that is needed now is to connect the DLink router to the BT HomeHub via the LAN Ports using an Ethernet RJ45 cable and re-booting the two routers.

This is the basic setup to use the OpenDNS service using the BT Homehub within the network by using an additional slave router providing the DHCP and DNS settings. Additional settings can be entered into the slave router to prevent users on the network using their own dns settings. The DD WRT firmware offers other additional functionalities such as custom DDNS which can be very useful. We have not shown these  additional settings but may cover this at a later update.

We hope our readers have enjoyed our project and will come back to www.punj.co.uk for our views on more technological projects and products.

If you have enjoyed our latest tip or wish to discuss this further then please leave your comments and suggestions below.

Read this topic on http://www.punj.co.uk/punjwebfiles/telecom/bbrouterproblems.html 

Disclaimer :
There is a chance you can brick your router if something goes wrong, also this can then void your guarantee / warranty of your router.

So by flashing the firmware of your router you  do so at your own risk 

punj

91 comments:

  1. Ive been hunting the internet for a solution for using the BT HH and opendns. I carried out your recommendations. The only diference is that i have a Dlink version c1. I managed to get dd wrt fw. Just wanted to say thanks your advice worked like a charm. I do have kids and your setup is great

    thanks again
    JD - Birmingahm UK

    ReplyDelete
  2. Internet access is biggest issue for me.. after reading your post i tried it and found it helpful for me.. now my system and internet both working well..


    Router Issues

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for your feedback JD - Birmingahm UK

    We are glad that our tips were useful for you

    Kind Regards

    Punj Blog owner

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ashily - Thanks for leaving your feedback.

    We are glad you enjoyed our blog.

    Kind Regards

    Punj Blog owner

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi, Why using version D2 and not D1 ? Would it still work on D1 ? Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi fredsarran

    Thanks for you comments here.
    I can confirm that the DD-WRT firmware is also available for the D-Link DIR-615 version D1. So the answer is yes this will also work for the version D1. We based our blog on version D2 as this is what we had at that time which were also available very cheaply from eBay.
    Kind Regards

    Punj Blog Owner
    http://www.punj.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  7. Does the internet speed decrease if data has to go through 2 routers ?

    ReplyDelete
  8. fredsarran - If you connect the routers and configure as mentioned in our blog, there should be no decrease in internet speed.

    Kind Regards
    Punj Blog Owner
    http://www.punj.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  9. OK, and last question that came to my mind right now : Do I need to change the firmware DD-WRT or can I just use the router as it is (in regards to connecting it to the BT HH 3 for using OpenDNS) ? Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  10. fredsarran - You do not need the DD-WRT firmware for using opendns. Basically the BT homehub v3 is a good router but BT have locked a lot of configuration settings. To use OpenDns you need to set the dns settings to opendns. As we are unable to do this with BT HiomeHub we use an additional router to do this for us. So to recap we need to do the following:-
    1. Disable the dhcp server on the BT homeHub.
    2. On the slave router ensure that this router is setup as configured in the blog eg DHCP enabled, IP address and DNS settings as mentioned within the blog.
    3. Finaaly connect the to routers by using an ethernet RJ45 cable by the Lan Ports (NOT WAN).
    If you have any problems or need further advice please come back and we will help you.

    Kind Regards
    Punj Blog Owner
    http://www.punj.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thanks a bunch ! I hope the wireless signal of the D-Link is better than the BT HH3. Will buy this D-Link on Amazon and try.

    ReplyDelete
  12. fredsarran - The BT homeHub is a very good wireless router. If you are experiencing wireless problems then have a read here
    http://punj-technology.blogspot.com/2010/08/wireless-router-problems.html

    A lot of wireless signal problems are due to interference from external sources. Most home wireless routers are supplied on the same default channel and oftern interfer with each other eg the neighbours. You can change the default wireless channel and this oftern greatly improves the wireless signal. If you are having problems why not try a different channel oo your router. Change it from the default auto to say channel 2.
    Again if you need further help just ask and we will only be to happy to assist.
    Kind Regards
    Punj Blog Owner
    http://www.punj.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  13. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi, do I connect wireless to the BT HH3 or the D-Link ? Once all setup done.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hi fredsarran

    I would recommend connecting to the D-Link. Its upto you. OpenDNS should work on bothe routers if connected and setup as the blog Once everything is setup the BT Homehub will act as the gateway to the internet. The D-Link will provide the DHCP server for your clients connecting to your home network. The D-Link will also provide the DNS from opendns and give you the setup for using the OpenDNS filters.
    The BT Homehub should also now recieve its dns settings from the D-Link and you should also be able to have your clients filtered if you did connect wirelessly from the BT Homehub.

    Once again thanks for contacting us and remember if you need more help then we will only be to happy to assist. Please come back and let us no how you got on.

    Kind Regatds

    Punj Blog Owner
    http://www.punj.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  16. DNS may offer more faster lookups than your ISP DNS

    ReplyDelete
  17. Will this solution work just as well on the BT HH 2.0?

    Thanks,

    S.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Seanouk said...

    Will this solution work just as well on the BT HH 2.0?

    This should also work for the BT HH V2. Basically you will be allowing the secondary router to provide dns, dhcp etc

    Kind Regards
    Punj Blog owner

    ReplyDelete
  19. i have recently had a bt home hub 3 installed, and have now discovered that i can't change the DNS setting to use my opendns. Would this router work instead of the D Link one you used? TP-Link TL-WR841N 300Mbs Wireless N Cable Router with 4-Port 10/100 Switch (i'm not as technically minded as a lot of people doing this so want to check before i start messing with things!)

    thanks Louise

    ReplyDelete
  20. Louise - Thanks for your post.
    You will need to goto http://www.dd-wrt.com/site/index
    and check to see if your router is in the DD WRT database. If so you should be able to set it up as mentioned within our blog.

    Kind Regards
    Punj Blog Owner
    http://www.punj.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  21. Hi -

    I have a D-Link 615 D1, but it seems according to the dd-wrt website router database it is not supported. I do not want to render my router useless by installing firmware which will not work.

    Can you confirm that dd-wrt will work on the D1, and if so, where I can acquire it please?

    Or, am I better to proceed without dd-wrt on the router?

    Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Seanouk -
    Hi
    If you goto http://www.dd-wrt.com/site/support/router-database
    and type 615 you will see the DLink DIR-615 vD1 as supported.
    This version D1 router is supported.
    Please however use the "dlink-dir615d-factory-webflash.bin" first if your router has not had a DD WRT firmware before. You can then re-flash using "dir615d-ddwrt-webflash.bin".
    A word of caution - Any flashing of the router does carry risks whether this be the official from D Link or using third party firmware.
    Always flash the router via the ethernet LAN. Never do a flash upgrade via wireless.
    Also we advise you read rhe stickies here http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Installation

    Kind Regards
    Punj Blog Owner
    http://www.punj.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  23. Hi

    Thanks so much for the blog. I bought a dilink 615 on ebay for £3.50 and have now managed to protect all the devices in the household. i have one issue left: i want to track when facebook is used rather than banning it. Opendns provides summary reports of the domains accessed but does not list individual entries with timestamps. Is there a way to get at these - either via the dilink or the bthomehub 2.0?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hu GypsyFoot and welcome to our blog.
      Tracking and logging websites with DD WRT is complex to setup. We would advise you visit the DD WRT forum and ask for assistance. You can visit DD WRT forum at http://www.dd-wrt.com and then select the button for their forums.

      Kind Regards
      Punj Blog Owner
      http://www.punj.co.uk

      Delete
  24. thanks for this tutorial though a few mistakes, the local dns, you should leave it blank (0.0.0.0) & static dns 3 should be (10.0.0.0) so it forces to use open dns servers you have stated... though you can leave it blank (0.0.0.0) if you wish to fall back to isp dns servers if unresponsive.

    also i have the ddns updater working by simply by selecting 'no' on 'do not use external ip address'

    hope this helps

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Anonymous

      Thanks for your feedback.

      We chose to input an ip address within the local dns setting as without this we encounted issues with our VPN connection that we sometimes use.
      You are correct about the 3rd static dns setting. Again as long as the 3rd static dns setting is unique then the user should see no issues.
      If you did not want your isp's dns at all and wanted OpenDNS totally you could also enter the 3rd static dns address as 208.67.222.220 or 208.67.220.222. These are also OpenDNS settings and will ensure you now have total OpenDNS Web Content Filtering

      The example within our blog worked for us we therefore provided advice based on our experience.

      For those who are interested in further reading and greater control you can look at the OpenDNS - DD-WRT wiki at
      http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/OpenDNS

      Kind Regards
      Punj Blog Owner
      http://www.punj.co.uk

      Delete
  25. Hi, great guide so thanks for taking the time to construct it. I have successfully set up this configuration and it is working perfectly apart from one small problem. My main PC is connected to the D-Link router and I set up port forwarding in DD-WRT to forward a random port for a particular application to this machine. DHCP is switched off on the HH3 but do I need to switch off the firewall on it aswell? Also, I tried adding the D-Link router to the DMZ on the HH3 but it was not an option in the dropdown list. Any ideas chaps?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi JT
      Thats great news that we were able to help. With regards to the questions in your post we would advise as follows:-
      1. On our setup we have left the firewall on.
      2. Setting up DMZ on the BT Homehub will be tricky. BT see DMZ as a security risk so therefore its difficult to setup on the homehubs. From memory i think you will need to disable the firewall within the Homehub to setup DMZ. This in our opinion carries security risks so we would not recommend this. You are best to talk to BT support to ensure that your particular setup carries no security risk to your network.

      Kind Regards
      Punj Blog Owner
      http://www.punj.co.uk

      Delete
  26. Hi - thanks for posting this information. I am trying to replicate your setup with my HH3 and a Netgear N300. (I had hoped the Netgear would directly replace the HH3, but not been successful with that so far.) I notice that the Netgear N300 is not listed on DD WRT's page, so are you able to tell me where I can get onto the Netgear's router settings page to change my DNS settings etc?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Anonymous
      We don't have a netgear N300 to hand therefore we are unable to advise on your setup. You should however be able to go into the Netgear setup pages by entering 192.168.0.1 within your browser. This is usually the netgear default IP for accessing Netgear routers. You should first try this without connecting to the BT Homehub.
      Once you are able to access the Netgear settings you should be able to see where you can change the DNS settings.
      Don't forget that the BT homehub has a IP of 192.168.1.254
      You may have to change the netgear N300 Lan IP to 192.168.1.1 so that when you have finished settings on both routers they are then both able to communicate because they both reside within the 192.168.1.x range.
      Hope this helps.

      Kind Regards
      Punj Blog Owner
      http://www.punj.co.uk

      Delete
  27. This looks really. I plan to have a go with my BT HH2. I wonder, my PC is currently connected to the HH via an ethernet cable, not wirelessly; whereas all the laptops and so forth use wireless connection. Would I still be able to connect the PC into the D-Link router, or would I require a wireless adapter for the PC?

    ReplyDelete
  28. Hi Andrew
    The Dlink 615 has Ethernet ports as well as connectivity for wireless. So to answer your question you can connect your PC via an Ethernet cable.

    Hope this helps.

    Kind Regards
    Punj Blog Owner
    http://www.punj.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  29. I have on order such a router. Will give it a whirl. One other question, though, is why not simply drop the BT Homehub and replace it with the different router? Is it because the HH manager gives you access to a certain set of BT controls?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Andrew C
      You can drop the Homehub if you wish. This certainly is possible if you are on the BT Infinity product as this uses the wan port which is the same as the Dlink within our blog. If however you are on the ADSL product then the wan port is different.
      Please note however that BT will offer no support if you have problems on your broadband line if you are not using the Homehub. Our blog was to help those on limited budgets to be able to use the OpenDns filters by using some very cheap additional hardware. And finally the hub manager is quite limited and some settings locked by BT.
      BT have locked certain settings eg DNS etc.
      By using a different router you will have more access and control of the settings for your router and connection.

      Hope this helps.

      Kind Regards
      Punj Blog Owner
      http://www.punj.co.uk

      Delete
    2. Thanks, that makes sense. Thanks for your time and trouble for putting together an excellent blogpost.

      Delete
    3. Hi Andrew C
      Thanks for your post and kind comments. We are so pleased that you found our blog of interest.

      Kind Regards
      Punj Blog Owner
      http://www.punj.co.uk

      Delete
    4. Seems my D-Link router is vH2 which is not obviously supported by DD-WRT (it is on their list of supported hardware but doesn't have a .bin file directly associated, Maybe one of the older files would work?)

      My setup right now is:

      ADSL --> HH2 --> D-Link615 --ethernet--> PC

      So, I am trying to configure using the router's own setup page, accessed via 192.168.0.1 (can I change this to 192.168.1.1?) Here is where I am:

      WAN
      ===
      Connection type: Dynamic IP (disabling not an option)
      Hostname: DIR-615
      Primary DNS: 208.67.222.222
      Secondary DNS: 208.67.220.220
      MTU: 1500
      Mac address: cloned from PC

      This configuration certainly applies OpenDNS restrictions to my PC. So far, so good.

      Wireless Settings
      =================
      I set up a new wireless network, different from the Homehub's network, which is secured, WPA2, and visible from other laptops. Clealry, if I disable the HH's wireless network, we'll have to reconnect everything to this new network. Not too onerous.

      Network Settings
      ================
      This is where it gets awkward and I'm not sure what to do next... since I can't see how to do all of the other settings here, e.g. put in the Homehub as a gateway or assign the WAN port, or the UseDNS MAsq switches...

      Router settings
      ===============
      Router IP adress: 192.168.0.1
      Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0
      Device name: dlinkrouter
      Enable DNS relay: yes

      Enable DCHP server: yes
      DCHP range: 192.168.0.100 to 192.168.0.199
      DHCP Lease time: 1440
      Always broadcast: yes
      NetBIOS annuncement: no (disables various options)
      Primary WINS: ???
      Secondary WINS: ???


      Have I now done enough to disable wireless and DCHP on the HH2?

      In trepidation...



      Delete
    5. Hi Andrew C
      We will try to answer your questions. Please read our post in full and remember that any flash upgrade does carry risks.

      First of all your setup looks good. It would be advisable to change the dlink ip from 192.168.0.1 to 192.168.1.1 You can do this by looking at the configuration setup page and looking for something that says "Lan Setup" This will have the IP as 192.168.0.1 Change this to 192.168.1.1

      As for you wireless setup why not use both the HH and dlink wireless connections? Its up to you if you wish to only use the Dlink wireless connection.

      The Dlink firmware may not let you assign the HH as the gateway. This is why the DD-WRT firmware is better as this gives you access to more options.
      This setup with the Dlink firmware may be problematic because of the above.

      You are correct that DD-WRT do not currently support the version H2 router. However there are some unofficial firmware's for your router at this link ftp://www.dd-wrt.com/others/eko/BrainSlayer-V24-preSP2/2012/06-08-12-r19342/dlink-dir615h/

      These firmware's are created by BrainSlayer who is a very highly respectable admin guy from DD-WRT.
      You will also find some great reading for the version H2 router at the DD-WRT forums at http://www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=152939&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

      If you do decide to flash your router with DD-WRT do remember some very important rules.
      1. Connect your Dlink to your PC with an Ethernet wired connection with no other network devices and disable your anti-virus and firewall. This is to ensure that the firmware upgrade is not interfered with.
      2. You must flash using the dlink-dir615h-factory-webflash.bin first if your existing firmware is the Dlink. This is very important.
      3. Let the firmware complete. This may take sometime. Do not interrupt the firmware upgrade once started.
      4. If all goes well then re-boot your PC and re-configure the DD-WRT settings as per our blog.
      5. Once all the settings are applied only then disable the DHCP on the HH.

      Hope our post helps.

      Kind Regards
      Punj Blog Owner
      http://www.punj.co.uk


      Delete
  30. Thanks for your detailed reply, I shall try this later. You are extremely kind to help a perfect stranger in such a way!

    If I didn't disable the HH wireless network, would connecting a device to the HH get round the OpenDNS settings?

    ReplyDelete
  31. Hi Andrew C,
    I notice you say you are using HH2. I think you can change the DNS settings in HH2 and it is only HH3 where they are locked. Try before you spend money on another router.

    ReplyDelete
  32. ignore me... sorry talking rubbish in previous post.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Hi,

    Different topic but you might be able to answer due to your expertise : Is it possible to have the DLink router connected in addition to the BT HH 3, to share 2 different named wireless signals yet for the same connection/account ? So I connect to the DLink and my wife to the BT HH 3, yet it is the same broadband connection.

    Thanks,

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi fredsarran
      Welcome back to our blog.
      You can only have one main router connected to the BT Line. However you can connect the second router as a slave access point. Ensure that the second router is connected to the main router via the lan ports (NOT WAN). Then assuming that everything is setup as our blog you can connect by wireless to the main or slave router. We are assuming as per your previous comments that your setup is as shown within our blog.
      You can go in to the router setup pages and name the wireless connections to what ever you wish. This will also help so you no which wireless router you are connected to. eg BT or DLink.
      Hope the above helps.
      If you are unsure about anything come back and tell us what your current setup is and we will be more than happy to help.

      Kind Regards
      Punj Blog Owner
      http://www.punj.co.uk

      Delete
  34. Hi

    I have set this up as per your guide. Most of my devices are connected via ethernet. My problem is that I still have to use the homehub for port forwarding. Is there anyway that i can use the ddwrt router to control all port forwarding.

    Thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Danny
      You may need to totally remove the homehub and use the DD-WRT router if you do not want to port forward using the homehub. Pretty sure that port forwarding will only be controlled by the gateway router which in this case is the homehub.

      Kind Regards
      Punj Blog Owner
      http://www.punj.co.uk

      Delete
  35. Hi,

    My D-Link DIR-615 (D2) just packed in. Now I need to buy a new one but they are expensive, around £35 on Amazon UK. Which other router would you recommend me ? If there is a good router, I am happy to put up my budget. The DIR-615 is now a old model, so which one would be the latest version, that can work with the BT HH3 and OpenDNS ? As well (off topic), if a NAS could connect to it (sharing a hard drive with content over wifi) would be good.

    Thanks for your help,

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi fredsarran

      And welcome back to our blog.

      We will try our best to answer your questions.

      1. You say your D-Link has packed up. What do you mean when you say it has packed up. If it has died and you have no lights on then it is most likely to be a bad or faulty power supply. You can get these very cheaply from ebay. Just type a search in ebay as Dlink 615 power supply and you will see these very cheaply available.
      2. It is very difficult to recommend another router. This blog was created for the sole purpose of using a DD-WRT compatible router for use of the OpenDns service as this service is not possible with the BT Homehub. Also the D-Link 615 Version D were cheaply available on ebay. Indeed we got our second hand D-Link for £5 including delivery.
      3. We can at the moment only recommend the D-Link 615 as this is the router we currently support for the service mentioned within our blog.
      4. Also you may not no this but if you had a spare hard disk and you got a usb enclosure for this disk you could connect the usb disk enclosure with the hard disk to your BT HomeHub usb port.
      We currently have this very same setup here at our office. This setup is a cheap NAS.
      As an experiment do you have a spare usb flash drive or one of those cheap usb sticks. If so plug this into the usb port on the back of the BT HomeHub 3. Then go to one of your computers connected to your home network. Go to your computer desktop and create a shortcut to the following location \\bthub3\
      You will see that you will be able to connect to the usb device plugged into the usb port of the BT Homehub 3. You will be able to write and delete files/folders on the usb stick.

      Hopefully you will find our reply above of interest. Let us no if you need any further help.

      Kind Regards
      Punj Blog Owner
      http://www.punj.co.uk


      Delete
    2. Hi,

      When I say it has packed up, I mean that only the power light is on, not the other ones. I restarted it, reset it, nothing work. I will check eBay for a cheap one but not too keen on eBay.

      Thanks,

      Delete
    3. Hi fredsarran
      Really sorry to hear that the D-Link has failed in this way. Its really luck how some last for years whilst others fail quite quickly. Our test D-Link 615 has been trouble free for nearly over two years. It stays on for 24 hours / 7 days a week.
      Anyhow if you need any more help just comeback and we will do our best to help.

      Kind Regards
      Punj Blog Owner
      http://www.punj.co.uk

      Delete
  36. Hi,

    Replacement router arrived and installed. All back to normal :) About connecting external USB hard drive to BT HH3, is this possible with the above setup ? Or do I need to connect it to the D-Link ? Right now, USB HD is connected to my Mac, and I am sharing it through my home network, would performances be affected if directly connected to BT HH3 ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi fredsarran
      That's great news that everything is back to normal after installation of the replacement router.
      If you look at the back of the BT HomeHub 3 you will see a usb port. This port can be used for sharing usb drives. Why not plug in your usb hdd in the BT Homehub usb port and see if you can see this on your home network. I am not to familiar with MAC PC's but under windows the network map address of the BT home hub usb is \\bthub3\
      You can test for yourself if the performance is effected. This should work with your current setup of the BT homehub, and Dlink router as part of your home network.
      We would be interested for your feedback on this.

      Many Thanks

      Punj Blog Owner
      http://www.punj.co.uk

      Delete
  37. Static DNS 3 should not be filled with the router's IP address, e.g. 192.168.1.1, but with one of 208.67.222.220 or 208.67.220.222.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Hi
    Many thanks for that useful correction. Users should use 208.67.222.220 or 208.67.220.222 as the 3rd static dns entry to ensure that all dns requests are handled by OpenDns.

    Many thanks for your useful post.

    Kind Regards
    Punj Blog Owner
    http://www.punj.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  39. Hi
    I would like to know if the following is possible.

    I have a number of children and they have tablets/ipods/pcs. Is it possible to put the OpenDNS on the D-link router and force all of the kids to connect their devices to the D-Link router (since they only have the password for that router), whilst leaving the BT Hub without OpenDNS for the adults in the house to use?
    From the article, I get the impression that the BT Hub will no longer be able to allow devices to connect wirelessly to it, thus all the computers in the house will have to be via the D-Link router and hence OpenDNS.

    Thanks
    Peter

    ReplyDelete
  40. Hi
    In the setup shown in the blog you can use both the BT Homehub and the DLink for connecting via wireless. You can have two wireless networks and the choice would be yours to which wireless network you wish to connect to. Because the DLink is providing the DHCP and DNS both wireless routers would be filtered by OpenDNS.
    There is however another way to do the setup for allowing OpenDNS to the DLink and and using the BT Homehub as an unfiltered connection as requested by you.
    For the method you have asked for you need to do the following. Make sure the DLink is NOT connected to the BT Homehub.

    1. Re-set the BT Homehub to factory defaults and ensure you have a satisfactory internet connection. You will now use the BT Homehub for all NON OpenDNS internet.

    To setup the DLink do not connect to the BT Hub yet. Instead connect your PC to the lan port of the DLink.

    2. Now setup your DLink as shown below. We are assuming that you are using the DD-WRT firmware on the DLink.

    Wan Connection Type = Static
    Wan IP = 192.168.1.1
    Wan subnet = 255.255.255.0
    Gateway = 192.168.1.254 (IP of BT Homehub)
    Static DNS 1 = 208.67.222.222 OpenDNS)
    Static DNS 2 = 208.67 220.220 OpenDNS)
    Static DNS 3 = 208.67.222.220 OpenDNS)

    Network Setup

    Local IP Address - 192.168.2.1
    Subnet Mask - 255.255.255.0
    Gateway - 192,168.1.254 (IP address of BT Homehub)
    Local DNS - 192.168.2.1

    Network Address Server Settings (DHCP)
    DHCP Type - DHCP Server
    DHCP Server - Enabled

    Use DNSMasq for DHCP - Tick check box
    Use DNSMasq for DNS - Tick check box
    DHCP-Authoritative - UN-Tick check box

    Now save and apply settings to the DLink. The DLink will re-boot.
    To access your Dlink to the configuration page you will need to type 192.168.2.1

    Now connect an ethernet cable from the WAN port of the Dlink into the LAN port of the BT Homehub.

    You should now be able to have OpenDNS on the Dlink and a Non OpenDNS filtered connection on the BT Homehub.

    Hope the above helps - Let us no how you get on.

    Kind Regards
    Punj Blog Owner
    http://www.punj.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  41. Thanks, I will try that this weekend when the DLink router which I bought on ebay arrives. Will let you know how I get on.
    Surprised that there is no router on the market that has 2 transmitters to allow one to do this automatically.
    Thanks
    Peter

    ReplyDelete
  42. Hi
    Got the DLink router, upgraded the firmware as suggested and set all the setting as suggested. Router works fine. I can connect either via the BT Hub (BT Business Hub), or the DLink router. However, the OpenDNS settings do not seem to be enabled.
    There are no restrictions via the DLINK or BT hub.

    Do I have to do anything special for OpenDNS. I have registered for OpenDNS? Do I have to do anything more than set the Static DNS to the OpenDNS settings?

    Thanks for your help.
    Regards
    Peter

    ReplyDelete
  43. Hi Peter
    I assume you have a dynamic IP with BT your internet isp. Have you updated your ip with your OpenDNS account. Your OpenDns account will need your IP for your custom settings to work.
    Have a read of the OpenDNS-DD-WRT Wiki at http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/OpenDNS

    If you still need help comeback and we will try to help.
    Kind Regards
    Punj Blog Owner
    http://www.punj.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  44. Hi
    This is getting complicated...
    Using the wiki you referred to I used the info on the section "OpenDns with DNS-O-Matic for users with a Dynamic IP"
    I went to OpenDMS--> Setting and "Enable dynamic IP update" is ticked.
    I went to DNS_O_Matic and set up as per instructions.
    I applied changes to router and got the following message
    "Sat Aug 17 18:11:48 2013: INADYN: Started 'INADYN Advanced version 1.96-ADV' - dynamic DNS updater.
    Sat Aug 17 18:11:48 2013: I:INADYN: IP address for alias 'all.dnsomatic.com' needs update to '192.168.1.1'
    Sat Aug 17 18:11:48 2013: I:INADYN: Alias 'all.dnsomatic.com' to IP '192.168.1.1' updated successfully. "
    It appears all is working, but OpenDNS still doesn't filter.

    I notice you can get a windows exe which will inform OpenDNS of your IP, but then it won't protect the ipods and tablets.

    I could send images of the set-up screens in DD-WRT, but I am not sure how to send them to you.

    Thanks

    Regards
    Peter

    ReplyDelete
  45. Hi Peter
    Go into the router DDNS settings page and look for a setting shown as "Do not use external ip check" make sure this is set as "no"
    Then save and apply settings. This time the INADYN service will show your external ip and not the internal ip 192.168.1.1 in the ddns status log

    Come back and let us no if the OpenDNS filters are working now.

    Kind Regards
    Punj Blog Owner
    http://www.punj.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  46. Perfect. Filters are now working.
    Thanks you very much for your help.

    Out of interest, a few extra questions
    a) was it necessary to do the firmware upgrade in order to do this or would the original firmaware have been good enough? I appreciate the DD-WRT is more powerful (but so complicated).
    b) Was the DNS-O-matic option entirely necessary?

    A summary of the configuration of OpenDNS as a slave router with separate protection would be a fantasic blog!!!

    Thanks
    Peter

    ReplyDelete
  47. Hi Peter
    That's great news that you have the filters working.
    Now that you have everything working we will try to answer your questions.
    a) You can get opendns to work without the DD WRT firmware. However depended on the firmware this may or may not work. You currently have a custom setup which the DD WRT firmware has helped in making your custom setup work.
    b) The DNS-O-matic was necessary if your isp allocates you a dynamic IP address. OpenDns needs to no your current ip in order for your custom filters to work. If how ever you was with an isp who offer a static ip than the DNS-O-matic service would not be required.

    Thank you for your time in updating us on your results.
    Hopefully we were of some help.
    Kind Regards
    Punj Blog Owner
    http://www.punj.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  48. Hi
    Sorry to still be a nuisance.
    I would like to add another OpenDNS protected DIR-615 router on the network to extend the wifi coverage to a part of the house which it currently doesn't reach. I would be using homeplugs to get the signal to the router.
    I have attempted to set a second DD-615 router up but I am getting the system all confused.
    I used the same set-up as advised above except for the following changes for the second router
    a) the WAN IP address to 192.168.3.1
    b) the router IP local address to 192.168.4.1
    c) the router IP local DNS address to 192.168.4.1
    However, the second router doesn't connect to the BThub (the homehub just flashes red)
    What am I doing wrong??
    Many thanks
    Peter

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Peter
      Try setting the WAN IP address as 192.168.1.2
      So to recap on this this additional protected DIR-615 try the following settings. When you have applied the settings as below ensure that the DIR-615 is connected from the DIR-615 WAN port into the BT Homehub Lan port.

      Wan Connection Type = Static
      Wan IP = 192.168.1.2
      Wan subnet = 255.255.255.0
      Gateway = 192.168.1.254 (IP of BT Homehub)
      Static DNS 1 = 208.67.222.222 OpenDNS)
      Static DNS 2 = 208.67 220.220 OpenDNS)
      Static DNS 3 = 208.67.222.220 OpenDNS)

      Network Setup

      Local IP Address - 192.168.3.1
      Subnet Mask - 255.255.255.0
      Gateway - 192,168.1.254 (IP address of BT Homehub)
      Local DNS - 192.168.3.1

      Network Address Server Settings (DHCP)
      DHCP Type - DHCP Server
      DHCP Server - Enabled

      Use DNSMasq for DHCP - Tick check box
      Use DNSMasq for DNS - Tick check box
      DHCP-Authoritative - UN-Tick check box

      Now save and apply settings to the DLink. The DLink will re-boot.
      To access your additional Dlink to the configuration page you will need to type 192.168.3.1

      Kind Regards
      Punj Blog Owner
      http://www.punj.co.uk

      Delete
  49. Thanks for the explanation, but no luck. Still no internet connection via the 2nd router and the homeplug flashes red when connected to the WAN plug of the router.
    Out of interest, whenever I set up the DLink router and cannot connect, I have to reset the router and re-enter all the data. Is there a way of connecting back to the router once you have modified the setup. Obviously, once it connects the router I can connect via wireless and then goto 192.168.3.1 but it is not connecting to the network. When I connected it back directly to the PC, I am unsure what IP address to use.
    Thanks
    Peter

    ReplyDelete
  50. Hi Peter
    The problem seem to be the homeplugs. You will need to check these first. Plug your laptop ethernet into the homeplug and see if you have an internet connection.
    This will establish if the homeplugs work satisfactory.
    The homeplug may also need the ip address range changing ?
    Try the router without the homeplugs to confirm that the router has been correctly setup. You can do this by using a short RJ45 cable plugged from the wan port into the lan port of the Homehub.
    Also if you are unable to access the router setup page try 192.168.1.2

    Kind Regards
    Punj Blog Owner
    http://www.punj.co.uk




    ReplyDelete
  51. Perfect, after applying the settings and restarting the bt hub and all home plugs it works perfectly.
    Thanks for you patience and help.
    Peter

    ReplyDelete
  52. Hi Peter
    That's great news you have everything working now.
    Many thanks for coming back with your results.

    Kind Regards
    Punj Blog Owner
    www.punj.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  53. Hi
    the problem i have is when the bt router is reset the ip changes.
    opendns then doesnt update and know my changed ip address unless i log in manually or if i use the auto updater software on a computer (which i dont have).
    what i actually want to do is block some sites from a user with an andriod tablet.
    if they simply reset the bt router they can then access the blocked sites because opendns isnt filtering the sites until it is manually updates.
    is there any way round this or have i not set it up correctly?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi jimsters
      Have a read at the dd-wrt OpenDNS wiki as linked below.
      http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/OpenDNS
      This may help with the dynamic IP update.

      Kind Regards
      Punj Blog Owner
      www.punj.co.uk

      Delete
  54. Great this worked a treat - and also doubles as a way to extend your wireless into the house. A couple of things: you need to make sure you have an account with opendns to see the change. If your browser has previously resolved a website, it won't be blocked so you to test it you have to put a new website in. One gotcha was that the DIR 615 D5 didnt support the DD-WRT flashing.

    ReplyDelete
  55. Turns out I had a DIR 615 D5 and that was supported. The DD-WRT has a full list of supported routers.

    ReplyDelete
  56. Sorry the D5 is not supported but I had another D2 that was.

    J

    ReplyDelete
  57. Hi
    With regards to the D-Link 615 version D5 and supported DD WRT firmwares we advise as follows.
    You should be able to use BrainSlayer's firmware for version D5. BrainSlayer is a site Admin member from the DD WRT forums. You can find his firmwares at this link
    ftp://ftp.dd-wrt.com/others/eko/BrainSlayer-V24-preSP2/2013/

    And many thanks for your comment and contribution to the blog.
    Kind Regards
    Punj Blog Owner
    www.punj.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi,

      I'm trying to setup the DNS-O-Matic as per http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/OpenDNS so I don't have to rely on an OpenDNS updater, but am running into some problems applying the settings: the log I have is:

      INADYN: Started 'INADYN Advanced version 1.96-ADV' - dynamic DNS updater.
      W: DYNDNS: Error: device has no WAN Address
      W:'RC_ERROR' (0x1) updating the IPs. (it 0)

      Apart from that everything is working fine.

      Do you have any suggestions?

      Many Thanks

      J

      Delete
    2. Fixed with your previous advice!

      Go into the router DDNS settings page and look for a setting shown as "Do not use external ip check" make sure this is set as "no"

      Not sure why it works but hey...

      Best

      J

      Delete
    3. Hi
      The DD WRT DDNS service can be buggy dependent on the firmware version. If you have it working now without error's that's great news.
      Thanks for your comment and update.
      Kind Regards
      Punj Blog Owner
      www.punj.co.uk

      Delete
  58. Hiya, useful info, thanks! Will this work with the Home Hub 4?

    Cheers

    Mike

    ReplyDelete
  59. Hi,

    Thanks this sounds like just what I am looking for, will this work with the Home Hub 5?

    Sorry to ask a silly question but is the BT HH disconnected from the broadband and then connected to the D-Link router via ethernet and then the DLink connected to the broadband connection?

    Thanks,

    Chris.

    ReplyDelete
  60. Hi Chris
    We don't have a homehub 5 but this should still work providing you can disable dhcp. You are basically getting the dlink to provide the dns settings. Do the setup as discussed in the blog. Give it a go and let us no how you get on.

    Kind Regards
    Punj Blog Owner

    ReplyDelete
  61. Hi,
    Thanks for the quick reply.
    Could you please clarify the physical connection as there are some misleading comments?

    Is the BTHH still connected to the telephone/broadband connection (with the DNS settings changed etc) and the slave router simply connected to the BTHH via one of the ethernet sockets, and the pc/tablets still connected to th BTHH via wireless?

    line->BTHH->DLink/Slave

    pc's/tablets->BTHH (Wired or wireless)

    Thanks,

    Chris.

    ReplyDelete
  62. Hi Chris
    It is important that you set things up as stated in the blog. The comments also detail other methods which maybe confusing you.
    So to recap the home hub connects to the telephone line. The slave router is connected with an Ethernet cable from the Lan port of the slave router to the Lan port of the home hub.
    The BT router is locked down and therefore you will be unable to put in custom dns settings. This is why we use the slave router. We will setup the custom dns settings in the slave router. We will also enable the dhcp in the slave router. The BT router will have dhcp disabled. Your PC's / laptops etc can connect to either router. The BT router will connect to the internet however the slave router will provide the pc's / laptops the dhcp settings eg ip address, dns etc.
    Kind Regards
    Punj Blog owner

    ReplyDelete
  63. Unfortunately I was not sucessful at the first attempt.

    I am using a Netgear DG834PN router as the slave and appeared to have it configured correctly.

    I was unsure about whether I need to enable login with user name and password or not on the slave and if so which account details (Opendns or BT) but tried both ways and with all possible combinations.

    The netgear appeared to be configured and I could access it and the BTHH5 but not the internet, even though the BTHH siad internet connection OK.

    I did notice that the OPendns updater complained of a mismatch between the DNS IP and the HTTP IP but I believe that this should only affect the opendns filtering not web access.

    Any ideas appreciated.

    Regards,

    Chris.

    ReplyDelete
  64. Hi Chris
    We don't have your netgear to hand therefore we are unable to advise on your setup. You should however be able to go into the Netgear setup pages by entering 192.168.0.1 within your browser. This is usually the netgear default IP for accessing Netgear routers. You should first try this without connecting to the BT Homehub.
    Once you are able to access the Netgear settings you should be able to see where you can change the DNS settings. Most likely on a menu setting for Lan settings. (NOT WAN)
    Don't forget that the BT homehub has a IP of 192.168.1.254
    You will most probably have to change the netgear slave routers Lan IP to 192.168.1.1 so that when you have finished settings on both routers they are then both able to communicate because they both reside within the 192.168.1.x range.
    So to recap your netgear ip address we assume is 192.168.0.1 You need to change this to 192.168.1.1
    This will put the netgear slave in the same ip range as the BT Home hub.

    Then go to the home hub. This should be connecting to the internet. You will now need to disable the dhcp server on the bt homehub. This will probably now disconnect you from the internet.

    Now connect the two routers between the LAN ports.
    Switch the slave router on first and then switch on the bt home hub.
    You should be able to connect to the internet regardless on which router you are connected to.

    If your setup fails you should be able to reset both router to factory defaults. See your routers manual.

    Hopefully the above will be of help.

    Kind Regards
    Punj Blog Owner

    ReplyDelete
  65. I think I had the netgear setup correct as it issued an ip in the correct range to my pc and I could ping and talk to both it and the BTHH5.

    The one thing I was really unsure of was the netgear account login option and whether this should be disabled or enabled and set to what (OPenDNS or BT etc), otherwise how does opendns know it is my account?

    As a seperate question I have noticed that the BTHH5 supports DDNS and I wondered whether an option could be to point to DNSomatic and then to Opendns?

    If not I may just buy the Dlink?

    ReplyDelete
  66. Hi Chris
    I am not really sure on what you mean when you say netgear login option.
    Your IP would be updated to your OpenDNS account by the DDNS service or by running the OpenDNS updater on one of your PC's. The best option is the DDNS service on you router. However your BT Homehub will be limited and unable to offer a custom DDNS service.
    With a DD-WRT router as mentioned within our blog this would be possible. You would simply setup the custom DDNS service to update your DNS-O-matic account which would in turn update your OpenDNS account with your IP address.
    The wiki here http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/OpenDNS
    will help in setting up a router with DD-WRT firmware for opendns.
    Hope the above helps.

    Kind Regards
    Punj Blog Owner


    ReplyDelete
  67. Hi

    I have this set up working fine for a couple of years.

    I am installing Windows Home Server and remote access, but cannot get it work on the existing set up with opendns and Dlink and BTHH3. when I disconnect the Dlink, and run on BTHH3 it works OK.

    On the Dlink I have opened the ports (80, 443 4125 but no luck,

    Do you have any work round suggestions? would be much appreciated. Thanks is advance,
    midhal

    ReplyDelete
  68. Am I missing something here, I just changed the DNS settings for the relevant LAN connection & it works like a charm. I appreciate this has to be done for each device where that's possible but this might be suitable for some.

    ReplyDelete
  69. Thanks for these excellent instructions which work very well. However, I suspect many people will arrive here having googled how to monitor /stop their teenagers playing games 24/7. In this respect the D-Link Dir615 may not be the best choice as only the C1 and C2 hardware versions fully support DD-WRT. Access restrictions do NOT work on other versions.

    I only found this out after finally managing to get a Dir-615 on eBay and setting it up as per your instructions.

    I have now bought a new Netgear N750 router and hope to have better luck with this and be able to ensure my seventeen year old can't spend all night playing League of Legends :)

    ReplyDelete
  70. Hi, I now have a new black Sky Hub, how do I set it up for the Dlink and OpenDNS? Many thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  71. Hi fredsarran
    We don't have a sky hub and therefore are unable to help.
    You should be able to carry out the same procedure as per the blog to get the Dlink working with OpenDns and the sky hub.
    However we dont have enough information about the sky hub eg sky hub lan ip address etc.
    Therefore we are sorry for not being able to help further.

    Kind Regards
    Punj Blog Owner
    http://www.punj.co.uk

    ReplyDelete