Unlocking BT 2Wire 2700HGV Business Hub (wireless router)

 

Contents > BT v6.1 firmware:

 

 

 

Setting up the 2700HGV (BT v6.x firmware)

+ It appears 'BT v6.1.1.48.1-enh.tm' firmware can be unlocked for use on any ISP network.  Enhanced Services including Time of Day Access Control and Content Filtering.  

- Wireless Power output cannot be hacked.  Cannot be downgraded once BT v6.x firmware is installed.  Be warned that this BT engineered firmware appears to have a few bugs.

 

(9 Nov 11):  There are a few bugs in the new v6.3.9.41/.63 firmware. Modified MTU values and non-PPPoA connection type settings will be lost when hub is power cycled.





Brand new BT 2700HGV hubs with BT v6 firmware (or hubs which have undergone a factory reset) are actually very easy to set up for use with any ISP offering BT IPstream broadband services out of the box.   The difficulty arises if you need to modify the ADSL connection parameters for use with a non-IPstream ISP.  Similar difficulties may also arise if you need to subsequently modify the ppp username and password if you are unaware of how the v6 firmware behaves with non-BT usernames and passwords.

Simple instructions for BT 270x models to be used on OpenReach 20CN/21CN broadband connections.

This procedure involves factory resetting the hub which will wipe all previously stored settings. The hub should have BT v6.1 or v6.3 firmware installed. It may also work with BT v5 firmwares. These instructions will work with any UK ISP which resells BT Openreach broadband including Plusnet, Zen, Idnet and a few others. It will not work for Sky/o2/BE LLU broadband connections. TalkTalk broadband LLU connections do not usually require a username and password.

1. Power on and wait 5 minutes for the hub to be fully up and running.

2. Insert a pin and hold down the Reset button found on the rear of the hub. The Power LED will start to blink red. Release the Reset button when the Power LED changes to continuous Red light.

3. Wait 5 minutes for the hub to power up.

4. Connect a computer to the hub and navigate to either of these URLs:

http://home/xslt?PAGE=HURL13
192.168.1.254/xslt?PAGE=HURL13

5. Type in your PPP username and password provided by your ISP. The System Admin password is the S/N serial number found on the label attached to the hub.

6. When you see 'Re-attempting' message appear on the screen, this confirms the hub has successfully saved your PPP username and password. Restart the hub, and when both the Broadband and Internet LEDs turn Green, you are successfully connected to the internet.

7. Disable 'BT Openzone' service, and 'BT Fusion' wireless if present.





Credit has to go to 'Simon' who came up with the unlocking solution to enable to hub to be configured for use with any ISP. A text-only summary of the following instructions can be found near the bottom of this web page.

 

               



The System Password

Before you can configure your router to connect to your ISP, you will need to know the 2700HGV's system password.  If your hub was automatically upgraded from BT v5.x to new v6.x firmware, you may already know the password.  (The password on BT v5 firmware  is usually blank by default if the owner has not changed it so ought to have been carried over following the upgrade)   

Otherwise, according to this BT webpage , the default system password for 2700HGV hubs installed with BT v6.x firmware since January 2009 is the serial number of the hub.  The serial number can be found on the label attached to the underside of the hub.



You can therefore skip this section and proceed directly to 'Setting up New Connection' below if you have already previously configured your own system password.

From my own observations, I strongly recommend you change the default System Password, otherwise, you may experience problems when trying to save any configuration settings.

 

Changing System Password

Here are general instructions for setting  your own system password if no other password appears to work:

                                       192.168.1.254/                or                home/

                       

                            

 


Add static routes to block communications to BT provisioning servers

Click here for instructions.

This hack will also block upgrades and Enhanced Services (Content Screening, Access Control, Firewall monitor) will also not be enabled.



Setting up New Connection

If your 2700HGV hub with v6.x firmware is brand new straight out of the box, or you have performed a factory reset, and your ISP offers BT IPstream service, then go to 'A - New Connection for BT IPstream service' for simple set up instructions. 

Otherwise, go to 'B - New Connection for all ISPs'.

 

 

A - New Connection for BT IPstream service (eg. BT, Zen, PlusNet, IDnet, Entanet etc)

 

B - New Connection for all ISPs 

These are more detailed instructions for users who may need to customise their ADSL settings.

                     192.168.1.254                                    or type                         home

                   

 

           
           
           

Note there is an issue when using PPPoE.  See here

 

               

(New 24 Nov 09): If you do not see the above message and all the settings displayed on the 'Link Configuration page' appear to return instantly to their former settings after pressing the 'Save' button with no error or warning messages, please check you have correctly set up a new System Password as described at the top of this page - use the 'I've forgotten the password' procedure.

 

 

Entering your ISP supplied username and password

(NEW - 21 May 09):  Now click on either of the two URL links below to take you straight to the  'PPP Authentication' screen described further down this page. (Thanks to IanW who came up with this tip)

http://home/xslt?PAGE=HURL13     or 
192.168.1.254/xslt?PAGE=HURL13
 

           

If you do not see the above  screen message and you see this alternative screen message below, I recommend you pull the power cord out temporary to reboot the hub (Do Not use the 'Reboot System' button).  When the hub restarts and you attempt to access any website, the above screen message with the 'Set Up Now' button should hopefully appear.

                                    

 
If you encounter this alternative screen message below, please check your ADSL cabling.




(NEW - 21 May 09):  Alternatively, if you wish to go direct to the 'PPP Authentication' screen, use your web browser and simply go direct to this URL. (Thanks to IanW who came up with this tip)

http://home/xslt?PAGE=HURL13     or       
192.168.1.254/xslt?PAGE=HURL13
 

           

You can use this URL: http://home/xslt?PAGE=HURL13 to change the ppp username & password at any time.
 

 

           

 

               

The 'Internet' LED on the front of the hub should also change colour from red to green as shown below to confirm you have a valid connection to your ISP.  You should now be able to access the internet.

                                                       

 

 

       

(If you perform a factory reset of the hub, BT OpenZone always defaults to 'Enabled')
Note: On some hubs, I have observed it may take several days for OpenZone to become disabled once you click the above 'Disable' button.

 

           

 



 

Text only BT v6.x Quick setup procedure

updated 10 Nov 2011

 

Keep this URL handy. eg save to notepad file or bookmark it.


Http://home/xslt?PAGE=HURL13
 
Http://192.168.1.254/xslt?PAGE=HURL13


Wait for the hub to boot up.  It may take a good 3-5 minutes and you may only witness a solid green power light for first minute or two with no other apparent LED activity.
Wait for a solid green Broadband LED to appear.
(The Internet LED will eventually display solid red)


Do not use the hub's factory default system password. To change the system password:
Go to Home > Settings > System Info > Password > I forgot the Password > I still can't remember the password
Set up a new System password.  You will need the WEP key when prompted.

 


Starting Point for establishing new ISP connection


Go to Settings > Broadband > Link Configuration
Use fake BT username such as: me@btbroadband.com
Also edit ADSL/ATM, DNS and MTU parameters as required.
Choose 'Disabled' for ATM PVC Search if you want the hub to use the displayed ATM parameters.
Save these settings. You should be prompted for the admin password.
"Configuration Successful" message should appear.




Adding own username & password

Now point your web browser to:          

http://home/xslt?PAGE=HURL13 or

http://192.168.1.254/xslt?PAGE=HURL13
 

If you witness an 'unknown error' message, check that Broadband Status Notification check box is ticked and try again. (see next section)

Now enter your PPP Username, Password and Admin password when prompted.
(If you are using BT v6.1.1.22 and do not see a box for entering the admin password, use the Opera method described elsewhere
to reinstate it.)


Re-attempting message will appear on screen to confirm your PPP username & password has been saved. The hub will now try to establish internet connection.


Review the Advanced Firewall and Broadband Status Notification settings. I recommend using these Firewall Attack Settings to avoid problems.





Establishing internet connection

The Broadband LED should be solid green colour if the ADSL cable is attached and the hub is communicating with the exchange.

If the Internet LED does not change from red to green after 2 minutes, power cycle the hub.
Wait for solid green broadband LED to re-appear.
Internet LED will start off solid red but within a minute or two, it should now turn green to confirm you have an internet connection through your ISP.
 


If internet LED remains red, navigate to home > Settings > Broadband > Link Configuration  and check your username is displayed.

If the username and ADSL/ATM settings are correct, you are most probably using invalid settings.
Return to start of "Adding own username & password" and try just re-entering your username & password again.

If you have already gone through "Adding own username & password" at least twice, then
Return to beginning of 'Starting Point for establishing ISP Connection' and make sure you are using correct ADSL/ATM settings.
 

 

Finally, don't forget to disable the BT Openzone service.



Troubleshooting v6.x setup procedure



Q. The hub doesn't seem to save my settings after I enter the hub's system password as prompted. There are no error messages.
A. There is an issue where the default system password won't permit settings to be saved. Change the system password and try again.


Q. I get 'an unknown error has occurred' message when trying to load the http://home/xslt?PAGE=HURL13 page.
A. Tick the check box shown below and try again.




Q. Broadband Link settings like MTU and Connection Type change back to 1500 and PPPoA respectively when the hub is power cycled.
A. This is a known bug introduced in BT v6.3.9.41 and v6.3.9.63 firmwares at time of writing.


 

Additional notes

 

 

Previous Page: BT v6.x Technical Issues and Bugs                Next Page: Wireless Power cannot be adjusted on BT v6.x firmware

Use 'Back' button to return to previous page or click here to return to main menu