I am perplexed as to why BT released this router as a plug and play pc modem via USB with another lead for ethernet for xbox etc...

For a start anybody without technical knowledge isn't going to be able to telnet into the router to allow ports 88/3074 for xbox live. Neither are they going to be able to update the commitedcfg.cfg file on the router to store the settings.

Furthermore, the router out of the box has no stealth rules set up, and basically no security.

Also, no port forwarding rules are setup for any P2P application or game or mIRC.

UDPTimeout is set at a ridiculous 3600. Anyone who does manage to get a game working will soon realise that they have hundreds of open connections slowing game play down incredibly because the router keeps the connection alive to games even when you have left one game and entered another.

To top it all off, they have limited the max number of connections to 192 (max nbsize)....So basically if anyone is using Shareaza or similar they might aswell kiss goodbye to running anything else at the same time and achieving any kind of transfer rate.

After 2 months of persistent "hacking" I would call it of the commitedcfg file I have managed to get the router working perfectly with no DHCP server, static IP and all connections are perfect including Xbox and P2P programs, mIRC etc, you name it...(BT should also realise at this juncture not to change all the coding for Firmware 1.8 so that no rule works with v1.6).

BT's software also is configured to use USB for the PC and ethernet for the Xbox or PS2, this is pants because USB is inherantly poor. You need an NIC and a Switch in order to avoid using USB with the ADSL router (another

well thats BT for ya

I'm confused, Chris - is this a recommendation?

Chris

Standard advise I always give is to avoid anything that has USB on it as a routing device.

Totally agree with your post, and considering the absolute need to have some kinda firewalling going on these days, I dont really understand why they still insist on selling the blasted things.

Much better to buy a proper ADSL router, using ethernet cable, and then use a USB-ethernet adaptor to keep the userbase happy.

Funnily enough this is what NTL started doing with their set top box-based broadband, and it's vastly more stable.

A NIC is dirt cheap and often built in anyway, and if I get someone as a customer who hasnt got a NIC I tend to fit one, sometimes even FOC so I can grab the PC, drop it onto my network, update everything and then go back

I agree, i had a 205 with plusnet, basically everytime i opened a game browser for instance and refreshed the servers the router would shut down thinking it was being attacked.

kicked up merry hell with +net initially thinking it was them, sent me out another 205 router and again the same problems,

Now binned them both and bought a speedtouch 4 port with wireless and having no problems at all. BT sh!te

Without this very handy web site I would of pulled out my hair by now:

http://corz.org/comms/hardware/router/bt.voyager.205_router.how-to.php

I recommend everyone reads this site and uses his config file as it stealths the router if nothing else, meaning it's invisible to the outside world.