I got 99 problems but my WiFi ain't one

Which other broadband providers are likely to be able to offer a service where Virgin is?

I know Hyperoptic don't cover this area. What other options might I have for broadband-only, no contract? (apols if I've asked this before I can't find it now)

Anyone heard of 4th Utility? They have an £18/month 100MBit deal with no contract.

Nevermind. Also not available here.

Any suggestions why my Unifi controller (on windows) is no longer launching?

Whilst adding another AP the other day I discovered it was massively out of date (nothing on the controller had told me that, I assumed it would update automatically like the device firmwares) and installed an update (which also involved some additional java thing OpenJDK or something).

It all went surprisingly smoothly, as did adding another AP, but on rebooting it won't start.

The old shortcut I have points here

Initially got an error message so I updated Java but now just nothing launches. I get asked what I want to open it with

but neither option does anything.

There also seems to be a couple of files in the bin folder start.bat and Unifi.exe but neither of those do anything either.

Presumably you can get BT Openreach copper and then service from any number of providers.

A&A have a 1 month minimum term contract, but you pay more for install as there are BT wholesale fees behind the scenes. eg https://www.aa.net.uk/broadband/home1/vdsl-prices/

Presume so. Never had xDSL stuff in this place. Always cable via Virgin but I want to ditch most of their services and they're saying broadband-only is £50 whereas with TV, SIM and landline it's 53 per month. So I'm calling shenanigans.

Ensure your marketing preferences are switched on, Give your 30 days cancellation notice and wait. They will call back after a few days with a better price.

I don't want a new contract though. I want to be able to cancel on a month by month basis. So I reckon I'll pay the extra until September when my contract is up and then kill off everything but broadband until I can sort out a better broadband supplier (hurry up Hyper)

Is everyone using Ubiquiti kit now?

What's do I need to replace an Asus RT-N66U that allows me to run a VPN on the router for all traffic (ie. Mullvad)?

Whatever this thing is, sounds like it does what I want...

https://help.ui.com/hc/en-us/articles/7951513517079-UniFi-Gateway-Introduction-to-VPNs

VPN Client
This VPN sends some, or all, of your network traffic through a third-party VPN server. This is useful for those that prefer to mask their public IP addresses while they access the internet.

VPN Client also allows devices that don’t natively support VPN usage to connect to one. For example, when configuring a UniFi VPN server, we mentioned that each connected client must be configured individually. This isn’t a problem for most smartphones, laptops, or PCs, but some clients, like IoT devices or smart TVs, are not designed to remotely connect to other networks. VPN Client circumvents this by allowing your UniFi gateway to send their traffic through the VPN, instead of the devices themselves.

Or to keep it simple, could I go for another Asus and flash it with Merlin to support VPN?

https://www.asus.com/uk/networking-iot-servers/wifi-routers/asus-wifi-routers/rt-ac86u/
https://www.asus.com/uk/networking-iot-servers/wifi-routers/asus-gaming-routers/rt-ax88u/

https://www.asus.com/us/support/FAQ/1011232/

I'm moving away from Unifi to TP Link Deco crap. I just wanted to simplify. Plug and Play and forget and don't worry about multiple VPNs, etc etc etc

I'll probably regret it at some point.

Meh.

Anyone want to buy a Unifi Dream Machine or an AP. Good price.

The Unifi Security Gateway lets you do it (and you can choose just to have one VLAN routed through the VPN so you can still access stuff outside of it).

I found that too many websites didn't work when I tried shifting everything through a VPN though so no longer bother with it.

Yeah, I don't have time to learn new shit, fiddle with complex config, etc.

I just want to plug in the router, configure it to run my VPN and leave it be, maybe upgrading firmware every 3 years or so when I remember :)

Really? I run Mullvad all the time on my PC anyway, but I wanted to run it at the router again.

I used to do this with iVPN on the N66u but disabled it for some reason - maybe when I moved to Mullvad?

https://mullvad.net/en/help/asus-merlin-and-mullvad-vpn/

I wonder if you can do that without running Merlin?

Looks like it:
https://www.asus.com/us/support/FAQ/1011232/

Ah, Mullvad provide openvpn downloads for their nodes:
https://mullvad.net/en/account/#/openvpn-config/?platform=android

The more expensive RT-AX88U supports WireGuard whereas the 86U does not. Looks like you can use Wireguard but might need to flash it:
https://mullvad.net/en/help/running-wireguard-router/

£250 on Amazon
https://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-Router-6000mb-RT-AX88U-AX6000/dp/B0BNYTFX9V/

With Nord I had stuff like streaming sites not working, being directed to the international homepage for the BBC, some CDKeys type website not letting me check out, etc

I guess I don't really do much streaming: Plex, youtube, soundcloud, mixcloud and a couple of the TV catchup sites.

Also you can normally change the exit node so as to appear in the country you need for a service at that time.

Just double checking...

This: https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/CACAT6slash10.html

Will be fine for running an ethernet cable behind my skirting boards, right?

The aim is per this post - will be run in addition to a coax incase we move away from Virgin.

Cheers

Should do the job but solid Cat6 isn't that flexible so I'd definitely test it before sticking/nailing everything down.

Agh! That means I'll need to get one of those little end crimp kits and work out how to test it. Used to be good at putting ends on cables back in the day, idk if I've still got the fingers!

@yafe - dropped you a pm on your kind offer of virgin cable.

I've used these for the last few cables I've done (admittedly they were a fair bit cheaper than this when I bought some). https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00I06EDHM/

Nice and easy to do compared to terminating into a plug.

Cheers. They look quite easy and I assume they are reusable if I want to recess the cable later.

Yep. I used a cheapo (couple of quid) punchdown tool to make it a bit easier to fit.

Anyone like to hazard a guess why my internet isn't working?

Virgin superhub in modem mode into USG.

Superhub is fine if I plug a laptop in direct. With USG plugged in I'm not even getting any flashing lights on the Ethernet ports (tried multiple cables).

Any suggestions on how to fix/troubleshoot?

It's suggests the USG isn't try to pull an IP or data from the hub. Can you reset the USG?

Had the same this week with an AP I dropped out of the window. Had to factory reset it to get any response.

Yes, I had resetting as a final option but the internet seems sparse on info about how I then get my old settings back on there. Whether I just adopt it with the controller and that's it or I need to track down a backup file (although I don't know if I have a backup for the USG or just the controller) or what.