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I have a BT Home Hub 6 (as you may have guessed from the subject line). It keeps dropping off line. I had a couple of engineers (sent by BT) come round. They used the Ethernet port on the router to see diagnostic information. They confirmed that there was a problem and that it was not caused by anything on my side of the system but was external (i.e. on BT's side). Does anyone know what the commands they used were and / or how to access the diagnostic features, as it would be very useful. The documented Admin pages available from the router for normal users are, to put in mildly, somewhat underwhelming.
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Could this[^] explain your problem?
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You mean you have to urinate on the router? 
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BT are well known for taking the p..., but that is ridiculous.
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Thanks for the story; but unfortunately not the case.
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jsc42 wrote: They used the Ethernet port on the router to see diagnostic information.
[...]
Does anyone know what the commands they used were and / or how to access the diagnostic features, as it would be very useful.
How much did you see? Did they telnet in or do it via a web page?
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Unfortunately, I couldn't see what they were doing - they had some hand-held devices, somewhat bigger than a smart phone; a bit like those awful touch screen things that delivery drivers make you sign your name with a finger.
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Ah, in that case I've run out of suggestions. Sorry. 
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There isn't any commands, the diagnostic test is just for show.
What they are really doing is assessing you as a person. They are trying to identify how much of a PITA you might be and will ultimately weigh up the cost of dealing with your support calls vs the cost of just replacing your line...
sounds like the new line is cheaper! 
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Quote: how much of a PITA you might be and will ultimately weigh up the cost of dealing with your support calls vs the cost of just replacing your line...
I spent so long on hold I got cut off twice. I keep raising faults, they won't or can't fix...
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Yeah, I feel with phone/internet there seems to be a lot of "hope" from the provider that things just work and/or people don't complain.
I always get the impression they don't have a clue what they are doing when I raise a problem. Thankfully my current provider has be problem free (other than the initial install a few years back).
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When you connect a PC to the ethernet port you should be able get to the router's web page. On most routers you can also do this via the admin IP address. Once there you should be able to do whatever the engineers did.
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I can get to the router's web page by entering its IP address from any browser on the network (but not via its URI). I am guessing that what they did was some hidden page in the admin area because they borrowed the card with the admin password to access it. However, the things they were talking about - logs of line drops, histories of renegotiating line speeds etc - do not seem to be in any menued pages from the admin web page.
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As you say probably some hidden web page. I am not with BT but just had a look on my router and cannot see any page that contains logging information. But I am willing to be it is in there somewhere.
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Due to Covid restrictions I have been working from my Mums place, rather than Bristol (where I have Virgin fibre) compared to Virgin, BT are slow, won't repair anything as it's 'Open Reach' (most likely one if not both 'engineers' you had were Open Leech) responsibility the actual connection from the box to the premises, BT 'fine, no problem you have 45Mb/s' 'Well I'm getting 22Mb/s and it's intermittent', 'oh well we can turn on the Mini-Hub until an Engineer visits', 5Mb/s, BT as an ISP is a joke! I have openend on of the faulty Hubs they sent us and found three areas where the PCB was laid out poorly.
Unwillingness to fix a problem due to an upgrade that will fix the issue, which has since been postponed due to Covid!
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jsc42 wrote: Does anyone know what the commands they used were
If you didn't make a point of asking the engineer, when he was standing in your living room, what the password he was using to log into the control panel of the modem was, then it's too late now. That said, you could wait for the service to go south again (which from the tone of this post seems to be one of those pending inevitabilities which one savors like they savor a Korean stir-fry made of inshore hagfish) so be sure to ask then.
It's hit or miss these days. There was a time when the password was common knowledge and everybody could use it to actually set the appropriate up/down speeds. And being in contact with tech support you could brag in realtime how the modem was this or the modem was that. But lately, the password is more proprietary. If you ask for it from the guy in your living room he'll hem and haw and say something like "well, I shouldn't do this" then give it to you. Or, as was the case once back at the turn of the century, "where can I leave my laptop open to the multitab control panel app where the password is in the clear while I use your lavatory?". And you could ... well ... "see" it and write it down.
Good luck with all that. I'd say just go with an internationally renowned broadband service provider and ditch that small start-up "their copper" cable straddler. It's ultimately cheaper by the way AND more reliable.
modified 8-Apr-21 12:22pm.
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RedDk wrote: But lately, the password is more proprietary. If you ask for it from the guy in your living room he'll hem and haw and say something like "well, I shouldn't do this" then give it to you
I understand that the current method to get such things is to use hidden cameras to covertly watch all angles of the room and ensure that one is able to track everything entered into their device. Allegedly.
Security, innit.
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So, I have treated myself with a 5120 x 1440 ultrawide monitor, which for coding purposes works perfect. Loads of pixels available for VS2019 to use; toolboxes and 3 concurrent code files open next to each other. Life is great.
However... when screen sharing with a client during a Teams meeting, I can share either my "desktop" or a specific application. None of these works very well. Oftentimes, I need to swap between different windows during the meeting, and as such, I cannot use the "share an app" approach. Sharing the desktop is even worse, as my clients usually have standard 1920x1200 or that kind of aspect ratio, and would be presented with a very wide and very low image of my entire desktop.
So, I've reverted to quickly switching my windows resolution to 2560x1440 before starting screen share, and then back again after the meeting. It works, but is annoying.
A lot of people are requesting the "share a custom screen area" feature in Teams: https://microsoftteams.uservoice.com/forums/555103-public/suggestions/38834104-share-custom-area-of-screen
Have any of you come accross something that can mitigate this until MS decides to implement this feature?
I once found a winforms application that allegedly should be only the "frame" or "windows" around an application, hence allowing the meeting audience to see through that frame. that way, one could share that particular application and effectively obtain a custom area of screen sharing. However, I cannot find that again (my google-foo must be low currently) and I cannot remember if it was possible to click on the applications "behind" the one acting as presentation area.
Other alternatives include
- use two inputs on the monitor simultaneously, hence having two 2560x1440 monitors in the windows display options, and you can share only one of them. Not suitable for me, due to "gaming requirements" on the same setup.
- use screen splitting like PowerToys FanzyZones or DisplayFusion, but those virtual "splits" are not recognized by Teams as indivisual desktops. So, no-go as well.
Any ideas? Or maybe someone knows the application or one like it?
/Jan
Do you know why it's important to make fast decisions? Because you give yourself more time to correct your mistakes, when you find out that you made the wrong one. Chris Meech on deciding whether to go to his daughters graduation or a Neil Young concert
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Would getting a second monitor be an option?
You could also use that monitor as a test monitor to see what the UI looks like on a typical screen.
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Fueled By Decaff wrote: Would getting a second monitor be an option?
it's his only option with Teams, I think. Great suggestion.
OP, get a second monitor that you use with screen shares. Or, get rid of the obnoxious monitor size.
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Hacksaw? I dont have room for another monitor next to this monstrous thing...
Do you know why it's important to make fast decisions? Because you give yourself more time to correct your mistakes, when you find out that you made the wrong one. Chris Meech on deciding whether to go to his daughters graduation or a Neil Young concert
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I had the same issue with my UHD 3840 x 2160 monitor that I run at native scale. No one could see anything clearly.
So, I bought a 1920 x 1080 monitor and mounted it to the wall (making sure I hit a wall stud) with a VESA articulating arm so I can move it in or out of the way as needed.
The great thing is that most phones and even people with older equipment can handle that res.
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what about above it? I have seen monitor arrays 3 wide and 3 high that worked ok. Although that was in the days of smaller displays.
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