Chorus Hyperfibre XGS-250WX-A User manual

Hyperfibre Residential Gateway
User Guide
December 2020
Copyright
Copyright © 2020 Chorus New Zealand Ltd
All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the
prior written permission of Chorus New Zealand Limited.
This document is the property of Chorus New Zealand Limited and may not be copied without consent.

Hyperfibre Residential Gateway User Guide
December 2020
© Copyright Chorus 2020
Table of Contents
1. ABOUT THIS USER GUIDE....................................................................................1
2. XGS-250WX-A HYPERFIBRE RESIDENTIAL GATEWAY OVERVIEW ..............................2
3. HOME NETWORK AND CHORUS BROADBAND .........................................................7
4. GETTING READY FOR HYPERFIBRE...................................................................... 22
5. HYPERFIBRE INSTALLATION AND CONNECTION.................................................... 27
6. SETTING UP THE HYPERFIBRE RESIDENTIAL GATEWAY ......................................... 31
7. CONFIGURING AND MANAGING HYPERFIBRE WI-FI .............................................. 40
8. USING THE HYPERFIBRE RESIDENTIAL GATEWAY FUNCTIONS ............................... 48
9. TROUBLESHOOTING HYPERFIBRE ....................................................................... 54
10. GLOSSARY ....................................................................................................... 66

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1. About this User Guide
Hyperfibre is the next generation of fibre, dramatically increasing capacity and unlocking exponential
upload and download speeds. Its exhilarating speed allows you to immerse yourself in ultra-smooth
4K video streaming at ease, while gamers in the family can enjoy lower latency.
The rise in ultra-high definition video, cloud storage, video uploads, advanced gaming, working from
home, and connected devices in a single household means Hyperfibre’s speed and capacity are more
important now than ever.
The Hyperfibre ONT can be used as a Residential Gateway if requested by your Internet Service
Provider, bypassing the need for a separate 10 Gbps Home Router.
1.1. Purpose
This Hyperfibre Residential Gateway User Guide is intended to assist you in getting the most out of
your Hyperfibre Internet service.
The sheer speed of Hyperfibre means that the greatest bottleneck that limits your broadband speed
may be between your home devices (computer, tablet, smartphone etc.) and the Chorus Hyperfibre
Residential Gateway. This document provides guidelines and instructions on how to connect to and
configure the Chorus Hyperfibre Residential Gateway to get the best possible broadband experience.
1.2. About this document
This documentation has been developed by Chorus as a guide to using and configuring the Hyperfibre
Residential Gateway.
Chorus endeavours to make this document as comprehensive and technically accurate as possible.
However, it may need to be updated from time to time to include clarifications, errata or additional
content. Feedback on the content, technical accuracy or clarity is welcome.
This document describes using the Nokia XGS-250WX-A Hyperfibre ONT as a Residential Gateway
on a Hyperfibre Broadband connection powered by a Chorus XGS-PON Fibre Access. If your Internet
Service Provider provides a separate Residential Gateway or Router device that your devices connect
to, then aspects of this guide will not apply. If you are unsure whether this manual applies to your
Hyperfibre connection, please discuss with your Internet Service Provider.
This document does not constitute an offer by Chorus to provide Hyperfibre.

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2. XGS-250WX-A Hyperfibre Residential Gateway Overview
Hyperfibre Broadband includes a consumer-grade router (Nokia XGS-250WX-A Hyperfibre Residential
Gateway) that connects a home or small business network to the Internet over the Chorus Hyperfibre
Access network.
Figure 1: Hyperfibre Residential Gateway as a gateway between home and Internet
The Hyperfibre Residential Gateway is a free-standing unit that should be located on a flat surface,
such as a desk or shelf, close to the Chorus ITP, taking care to avoid any blocking of the Wi-Fi signal
from the television or other appliances.
The Hyperfibre Residential Gateway connects to the wall-mounted Chorus ITP using a robust fibre
cable as shown below.
Figure 2: Connecting the Hyperfibre Residential Gateway to the Chorus ITP
2.1. General Description
The XGS-250WX-A Hyperfibre Residential Gateway is designed to cater to residential and small
business requirements.
It features a 10 Gbps Symmetric XGSPON uplink and provides one 10 Gigabit Ethernet port, four 1
Gigabit Ethernet ports and two telephone ports as well as high speed Wi-Fi wireless access, that
allow multiple home devices to simultaneously connect to it. Also featured is an ‘on/off’ and reset
button and two USB 3.0 ports.
Separate On/off buttons are included for WPS, LEDs, and Wi-Fi.

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Figure 3: The XGS-250WX-A Hyperfibre Residential Gateway
The key specifications of the XGS-250WX-A Hyperfibre Residential Gateway are:
•1 x RJ-45 10 Gbps Ethernet port supports 100M/1G/2.5G/5G/10 Gbps auto negotiation
•4 x RJ-45 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet port with auto negotiation and MDI/MDIX auto sensing
•1 x XGSPON SC/APC uplink
•Two telephone ports for carrier grade voice services
•Two USB 3.0 ports, accessible to all LAN devices
•Concurrent 802.11n 3x3 MIMO in 2.4 GHz and 802.11ac 4x4 MIMO in 5 GHz
•WLAN (Wi-Fi) on/off push button
•WPS on/off button
•64/128 WEP encryption
•WPA, WPA-PSK/TKIP
•WPA2, WPA2-PSK/AES
•DHCP client/server
•DNS server/client
•DDNS
•Port forwarding
•Network Address Translation (NAT)
•Network Address Port Translation (NAPT)
•UPnP IGD 1.0 support
•ALG
•DMZ
•IP/MAC/URL filter
•Multi-level firewall and ACL

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© Copyright Chorus 2020
2.2. Physical Interfaces
The following diagram shows the physical interface capabilities and controls for the XGS-250WX-A
Hyperfibre Residential Gateway:
Figure 4: XGS-250WX-A Hyperfibre Residential Gateway Interfaces and controls
Interface
Description
On/Off
button
This button turns the Hyperfibre Residential Gateway on or off.
WPS button
The Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) button enables WPS2.4G and WPS5G.
WPS simplifies the connection of a device to a wireless network by skipping the
normal process of connection and password, which could be useful for Wi-Fi-
enabled devices without access to keyboards.
LED Button
This button turns the LEDs on or off. Turning LEDs off does not affect the
operation of the Hyperfibre Residential Gateway
WLAN button
Enables or disables Hyperfibre Residential Gateway Wi-Fi. This is only applicable
if the Hyperfibre ONT is acting as your Hyperfibre Residential Gateway.
Reset button
Pressing the Reset button for less than 10 seconds reboots the Hyperfibre
Residential Gateway; pressing the Reset button for 10 seconds resets the
Hyperfibre Residential Gateway to the factory defaults.
You should only use this button if explicitly by your Service Provider or a Chorus
representative.
Telephone
ports
Up to two analogue telephone connections can be supported through TEL 1 and
TEL 2 RJ-11 ports. Talk to your Service Provider over whether they support this
feature.
1G Ethernet
ports
Up to four 10/100/1000 Base-T Ethernet interfaces are supported through LAN1
- LAN4 Ethernet RJ-45 connectors. The Ethernet ports can support both data
and in-band video services on all four interfaces.
10G Ethernet
port
One 100M/1G/2.5G/5G/10G Base-T Ethernet interface is supported through the
LAN 10G Ethernet RJ-45 connectors.
If you are using an Internet Service Provider-provided Residential Gateway or
Router, then the WAN port of that device needs to be connected to this port.

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Interface
Description
USB ports
The Hyperfibre Residential Gateway supports 2 USB 3.0 ports, which allow
external USB hard drives to be made accessible to all LAN devices.
The following rates apply to the USB 3.0 ports:
• Rate current: 900mA
• Maximum continuous current: 1.5A
• Typical short-circuit current: 2.3A
UPS power
supply
This connection supports the power adapter. The Hyperfibre ONT supports
standard or UPS power adaptors, but only standard power adaptors are supplied
by Chorus.
2.3. Hyperfibre Residential Gateway Physical Dimensions
The XGS-250WX-A Hyperfibre Residential Gateway has the following physical dimensions:
Interface
Description
Length
290.3 mm
Width
190.3 mm
Height
76.6 mm
Weight (tolerance 0.23 kg)
1.24 kg
2.4. Power Consumption Specifications
The XGS-250WX-A Hyperfibre Residential Gateway power consumption specifications are:
Max power
(do not
exceed)
Condition
Minimum
Power
Condition
46 W
2 x telephone off-hook, 4 x
10 / 100 / 1000 Base-T
Ethernet, Wi-Fi operational
10.4 W
2 x telephone on-hook, other
interfaces / services not provisioned
2.5. Temperature Operating Specifications
The XGS-250WX-A Hyperfibre Residential Gateway temperature operating specifications are:
Max power
(do not
exceed)
Condition
Desk or wall
mounted
Operating: 23°F to 104°F (-5°C to 40°C) ambient
temperature 5% to 93% relative humidity, non-
condensing at 40°C
Note that the Hyperfibre Residential Gateway should not be installed in locations unsuitable for
electronic equipment, e.g. underfloor, roof cavity, or in areas that too hot or have exposure to dust
or moisture.

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2.6. Safety Information
Please note the following safety information for the XGS-250WX-A Hyperfibre Residential Gateway:
Danger
Fibre cables transmit invisible laser light. To avoid eye damage or
blindness, never look directly into fibres, connectors, or adapters.
Warning
This equipment is ESD sensitive. Proper ESD protections should be
used when removing the fibre access cover of the Hyperfibre
Residential Gateway.
Warning
Be careful to maintain a bend radius of no less than 3.8 cm when
connecting the fibre optic cable. Too small of a bend radius in the
cable can result in damage to the optic fibre.
Caution
Keep the Hyperfibre Residential Gateway out of direct sunlight.
Prolonged exposure to direct sunlight can damage the unit

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3. Home Network and Chorus Broadband
Modern homes contain a wide range of intelligent devices that have the ability to communicate with
each other and/or the Internet. If the interconnection within the home is slower than your broadband
plan then you will not realise the full potential of Hyperfibre’s blistering fast Internet speeds.
The home network enables this connectivity, and consists of multiple components:
Figure 5: The Home Network
The Fibre ONT (Optical Network Termination) connects the home network to the Chorus fibre access
network. It converts Internet traffic within the home to light and connects your home to your Internet
Service Provider and the Internet.
The Residential Gateway sits between your home and the Internet. It manages the internal home
network, allowing devices inside your home to talk to each other and to the Internet, and provides
basic border security. The XGS-250WX-A Hyperfibre ONT can act as both a Residential Gateway and
a Fibre ONT, or just a Fibre ONT (with a separate Internet Service Provider provided 10 Gbps
Residential Gateway).
The Home Network provides the connectivity between the home devices and the Residential
Gateway. It can be wired (Ethernet or Powerline) or wireless (Wi-Fi) or a mixture of the two. Wired
and Wireless connectivity can be extended through the use of switches, Powerline adaptors, Wi-Fi
access points, Wi-Fi Mesh, smart hubs and similar network devices.
home devices then connect to this network using Ethernet cabling or Wi-Fi, depending on the device,
where it is located and what kind of performance it requires. A good rule of thumb is “if it moves,
use wireless, if it doesn’t, use Ethernet.”
Although this sounds complicated, it usually isn’t. Most modern devices use plug and play options
that make it simple to connect them to each other and to the Internet, with minimal configuration.

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The Residential Gateway
The Residential Gateway forms the heart of the Home network. By default, it will automatically
allocate unique IP addresses to each Home network device that connects to it, to allow these devices
to talk to each other and to the Internet.
The Hyperfibre Residential Gateway has a number of ports that allow devices to connect to it, as
shown in the figure below:
Figure 6: Hyperfibre Residential Gateway Interfaces
Home devices can connect to the Hyperfibre Residential Gateway as follows:
•home devices with 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet port (RJ-45 connector) can be connected
to LAN1-LAN4 using a standard CAT5 Ethernet cable, supporting speeds of up to 1 Gbps;
•home devices with a 2.5G/5G/10GBASE-T Gigabit Ethernet can be connected to LAN 10G
using a standard CAT6 Ethernet cable, allowing the device to take full advantage of
Hyperfibre speeds;
•Wi-Fi-enabled home devices supporting 802.11n/ac can connect wirelessly.
•External hard drives can be connected to the USB ports and be shared with other home
devices connected to the Hyperfibre Residential Gateway.
The default ‘out of the box’ configuration will allow devices to automatically connect to the Hyperfibre
Residential Gateway and be able to communicate with other devices within the home, or to the
Internet. You can customise your network with advance features using the Hyperfibre Residential
Gateway web-based Graphical User Interface (GUI), such as change Wi-Fi settings, apply static
addresses or change firewall settings.
Things to note:
•The Hyperfibre Residential Gateway Web GUI URL 192.168.1.254, along with the default
username and password, is printed on a label on the ONT base;
•Check that the WLAN switch is on before trying to connect Wi-Fi-enabled home devices to
the Hyperfibre Residential Gateway;
•The default Wi-Fi name (SSID) and password is shown on the side of the Hyperfibre
Residential Gateway. It is strongly recommended that you change this password as soon as
possible, see section 0 below.
•If the LEDs are causing light pollution issues, they can be turned on or off without
impacting the operation of the Hyperfibre Residential Gateway.
Note that if you are using a separate Residential Gateway device, then this device needs to plug into
the LAN 10G port and the other ports, including LAN1-LAN4, TEL1-TEL2, WLAN and USB1-USB2 will
be disabled.

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Cable Ethernet
Ethernet cabling is the fastest and most reliable way to connect a Home device to the Hyperfibre
Residential Gateway. It provides the most consistent experience, with limited risk of interference or
conflicts.
Up to four 1G and one 10G devices can be directly connected to the Hyperfibre Residential Gateway.
Additional devices can be connected through the use of an Ethernet Switch, as shown below.
Figure 7: Connecting an Ethernet Switch to a Hyperfibre Residential Gateway port
An Ethernet Switch manages the efficient flow of data between devices connected to multiple
Ethernet ports (typically 5-8). This means that if a Hyperfibre Residential Gateway LAN port is
connected to one Ethernet Switch port, then all other devices connected to the switch effectively
share this Hyperfibre Residential Gateway port, with minimal impact on performance.
Ethernet cabling can be expensive to deploy, particularly over longer distances. Modern homes often
include CAT5 star-wiring that will support speeds of up to 1 Gbps but retrofitting older homes could
be prohibitively expensive and in practice 10 Gbps Ethernet cabling may be limited to devices near
the Hyperfibre Residential Gateway.
Due to its speed and reliability, Ethernet Cabling is optimised for devices that require reliable and
consistent speed, such as personal computers, smart hubs or media players –particularly if Wi-Fi
coverage is uncertain. It can also be used to connect Wi-Fi Extenders or Wi-Fi Mesh nodes more
reliably.
Things to note:
•Ethernet cables connect two Ethenet ports. The speed of the Ethernet connection will be
the slowest of th se ports, i.e.if you connect a Home Device with a 100 Mbps Ethernet port
to the Hyperfibre LAN 10G port, then the Ethernet speed will be 100 Mbps. Only the port
the device is connected to will be slowed in this situation –devices on other Hyperfibre
Residential Gateway Ethernet ports will be unaffected.
•If you use an Ethernet switch, then all devices share the maximum throughput of the
switch, and the speed between the switch and the Hyperfibre Residential Gateway. This
normally won’t be noticeable, but you could get some congestion if multiple devices on the
switch want to use the connection at maximum speed at the same time.
•Most Ethernet Switches use 1 Gbps ports. 10 Gbps switches are currently expensive, and
you need multiple devices with 10 Gbps Ethernet ports to take advantage of them.

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Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi is a series of wireless network standards that are commonly used for local area networking
using publicly assigned spectrum. Wi-Fi is one of the most common ways to connect to Residential
Gateways due to its reach, flexibility and low cost to connect new devices. In particular, it is the
preferred method for connecting portable devices such as laptops or smart phones or for Smart home
devices that cannot easily use Ethernet cabling.
Figure 8: Connecting Wireless devices to the Hyperfibre Residential Gateway
Wi-Fi is also easy to connect devices to, due to its ubiquity and common standards approach. Most
home devices can be easily connected simply by entering a local password.
Wi-Fi networks have a name, also known as an SSID (Service Set Identifier), which allows you to
identify which network you are connecting to. The default SSIDs are displayed on a label on the
Hyperfibre Residential Gateway, but you can change this to something pertinent using the Hyperfibre
Residential Gateway Web GUI. The Web GUI URL, including default username and password, is
printed on a label on the Hyperfibre Residential Gateway base.
The primary disadvantage of Wi-Fi is that speed varies depending on the location of the Home Device
in relation to the Wi-Fi access point, and the topology of the house. Wi-Fi is generally slower than
Ethernet cabling, and speed is not as consistent. Ensuring good, uniform Wi-Fi coverage within the
home is key to a good experience but may be hard to fully optimise and maintain this optimisation.
Wi-Fi Standards
Wi-Fi is actually a series of wireless network standards that have been explicitly designed by the
industry to interoperate, with new standards being added as technology evolves. The most common
standards used today are shown below:
Version
Standard
Year
Frequency Bands
Typical wireless speeds*
Wi-Fi 4
802.11n
2009
2.4, 5 GHz
288 - 600 Mbps
Wi-Fi 5
802.11ac
2013
5 GHz
346 - 1733 Mbps
Wi-Fi 6
802.11ax
2019
2.4, 5, 6 GHz
1.1 - 4.8 Gbps
* Under optimal conditions and position of home device to access point. Speeds can vary significantly depending
on the band and number of streams the access point and home device supports.

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Higher speed access points will generally require more sophisticated hardware and thus will be more
expensive, particularly early in the standard’s lifecycle, but will get cheaper over time as the
standards become more mainstream.
About Wi-Fi
The good thing about Wi-Fi is that generally it just works, but if you want to get the most out of your
Wi-Fi connection it can help to understand a little about how it operates.
Wi-Fi is a wireless networking standard that can operate in three frequency bands, 2.4 GHz. 5 GHz
and (new) 6 GHz bands. Within each band are smaller bands known as Wi-Fi channels, and it is
within these channels that wireless networks send and receive data.
Your Wi-Fi access point will be configured to use a specific frequency band and channel. Some
channels may be better than others due to interference –if a large number of devices are trying to
use the same channel then the channel is considered “crowded” and your home device might have
to wait to use it. Wi-Fi channels are half-duplex, which is a fancy way of saying only one device can
actually transmit at the same time.
A second source of interference may be nearby Wi-Fi networks, such as your next door neighbour’s
network, trying to use the same channel as your Access Point or using an adjacent channel that
overlaps your own. While your Access Point will try to select a good channel, this is not always
possible and neighbour channels can also change over time.
Channel overlap, where an adjacent channel that shares the same frequencies as your selected
channel, is particularly a problem in the 2.4 GHz range. There are only three 2.4 GHz channels, 1, 6
& 11, that do not overlap with each other and it is recommended your access point uses one of these.
Band
Channels
Channel
Size (MHz)
Notes
2.4 GHz
13
20
Only 3 channels (1,6,11) are non-overlapping and
thus have lower risk of interference
5 GHz
24 (20MHz)
20,40,80,160
Wider channels combine 20 MHz channels, i.e. there
are only twelve 40MHz channels, six 80Mhz or three
160 MHz.
6 GHz
24 (20MHz)
20,40,80,160
The Wi-Fi Alliance has proposed using the 6 GHz band
to extend WiFi frequencies, but this is subject to
regulatory approval. MBIE is monitoring overseas
trends and will consult with the industry before
deciding if this band is available in New Zealand
Speed is a direct function of the Wi-Fi standard and the width of the channel , so 2.4 GHz channels
are generally slower than 5 GHz. However, higher frequencies degrade faster with distance, and are
more susceptible to obstacles such as walls, furniture, concrete, steel reinforcing etc. As such, the
2.4 GHz band channels tend to provide better coverage.
Wider channels (40, 80, 160 MHz) provide better throughput, but there is increased risk of crowding
from adjacent networks.
Most Access Points, including the Hyperfibre Residential Gateway, are dual band, which means they
can support one 2.4 GHz band channel and one 5 GHz band channel simultaneously. Each Home
device can only access one band at a time, but dual band Access points allow you to separate your
devices. Devices that require speed should use the 5 GHz band, and devices that might be further
from the Access Point, or do not require as fast a connection, should use the 2.4 GHz band.
Dual band devices show up as two distinct Wi-Fi signals when trying to connect devices. Band
Steering is a technique used to allow a Home device to automatically select the best band, where
the dual band router has the same SSID, password and encryption settings on both 2.4 GHz and 5
GHz Wi-Fi channels. Band steering is a set of protocols that then directs devices that are close to the
Wi-Fi Access Point to use the 5 GHz Wi-Fi channel, and to devices that are further away to use the
2.4 GHz Wi-Fi channel, i.e. devices use the optimum channel at their location. Alternatively, you can
set the 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi channel and 5 GHz Wi-Fi channel as completely independent networks and
manually assign devices to each band.

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Tri-band Access Points support one 2.4 GHz band and two 5 GHz band channels. Although each
home device can only connect to one channel at a time, tri-band Access Points can avoid 5 GHz band
channel crowding.
Most modern Access Points use MIMO (Multiple input, multiple output), which is usually described
as 2x2 or 4x4 or similar. This is an extremely clever wireless technology that allows the Access Point
to use multiple send and receive antennas to effectively multiply the wireless streams, and thus the
send/receive speed. This is complicated technology but the simple rule here is that more streams
provide more speeds.
One thing to be aware of, however, is that the speed of the Wi-Fi between your home device and the
Hyperfibre Residential Gateway is not the speed your home device will be able to access the Internet.
Wi-Fi includes a number of protocols and overheads to manage the Wi-Fi, and thus your usable
Internet speed may be 70-80% of your peak Wi-Fi speed.
The Hyperfibre Residential Gateway is dual band, supporting concurrent 802.11n 3x3 MIMO in 2.4
GHz and 802.11ac 4x4 MIMO in 5 GHz. However, these are set up as separate SSIDs
Locating the Residential Gateway or Access Point
The position of your Wi-Fi Access Point(s) is critical for good performance as Wi-Fi signal strength
diminishes with distance and can be affected by walls, furniture, concrete, steel or other physical
barriers.
To get the optimal Wi-Fi performance, consider:
•Placing the Access Point in a location central to the devices using it. Note that this might
not be the centre of your home.
•Ensuring there is a good line-of-sight between the home devices and the Access Point, or
close to it, particularly if those devices require good performance. Positioning the Access
Point higher is often better because getting a clear line-of-sight is easier as obstacles tend
to be closer to the floor.
•If you have devices dispersed around the home and Wi-Fi coverage is patchy, consider
using or Wi-Fi mesh nodes or Extenders to extend your Wi-Fi coverage, see below.
Basically, place the Wi-Fi Access Point where you want the fastest speeds.
You should generally avoid:
•Placing your Access Point in a cupboard, behind multiple internal walls, or behind objects
such as telephones or steel cabinets.
•Placing the Access Point in a kitchen, near wireless telephones or close to other devices
that might interfere with the wireless signal.
If there are physical or aesthetic constraints that prevent you from placing the Wi-Fi Access Point in
the optimal location, then you may want to consider Wi-Fi mesh nodes or Extenders to improve your
Wi-Fi coverage around your home.
Maximising Wi-Fi Coverage –Extenders or Mesh
Recent studies show that about 80% of New Zealand homes can get good Wi-Fi coverage from a
single Wi-Fi Access Point. Another 15% of homes require two Wi-Fi Access Points and the remaining
5% of homes might need three Access Points for full coverage.
Of course each home is different and this assumes optimal positioning of the Wi-Fi Access Points. If
optimal placement is not possible, or is too costly, then you may need more Access Points to
guarantee good coverage. This is why it is important to test your Wi-Fi coverage within the home.

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There are two ways to add additional Wi-Fi Access Points to improve Wi-Fi coverage:
Wi-Fi Extenders
Wi-Fi extenders connect wirelessly to your main Access Point, and then re-
broadcast a (new) wireless signal from their location. home devices can
either connect to the original Access Point, or to the Wi-Fi extender,
whichever is closer.
Wi-Fi extenders are ‘dumb’ devices, i.e. simply relay data between your
Home Device and the Residential Gateway. Although it expands coverage, it
can increase channel crowding (by requiring data to be sent twice, once
between the Extender and your home device and once between your Access
Point and the Extender), which can slow your connection.
Wi-Mesh
Wi-Fi mesh are more sophisticated devices. They usually replace the
residential Wi-Fi solution and consist of two or more interconnected Access
Points that intelligently communicate with each other to optimise the Wi-Fi
experience. This is described in more detail below.
Unlike extenders, Wi-Fi Mesh have the same Network name, making
interconnection more seamless. They usually come with a Smart Phone App
that allows you to monitor and configure your Wi-Fi network.
Home Mesh systems use multiple Wi-Fi Access Points that are aware of each other. They continuously
communicate with each other to determine the best way to send data around the network, and only
send data if they need to.
A Mesh System comprises two core elements to manage data flows:
•A controller, which manages the whole network and talks to all the agents. It provides the
intelligence for radio resource management, channel selection, band steering and network
self-healing.
•The Agents –clients within the Access Points that tells the controller what is going on and
communicates with other agents. It controls the radios within each Access Point, according
to the controller’s instructions.
Wi-Fi Mesh systems are specifically designed to be easy to setup and can interconnect seamlessly
using wireless or, for better performance, Ethernet cabling or Powerline.
The following diagram shows a typical WiFi mesh solution:
Figure 9: Example Wi-Fi Mesh solution

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In this example:
•The non-Mesh Residential Gateway Wi-Fi Access Point has been turned off. While some
Residential Gateways are mesh compatible, the Hyperfibre Residential Gateway is currently
not;
•Access Point A is directly connected to LAN1 10/100/1000Base-T Ethernet port. This has a
maximum throughput of 1 Gbps, with an effective throughput (due to Ethernet overheads)
of ~ 920-940 Mbps;
•Access Point B is directly connected to Access Point A via Ethernet Cabling, and thus can
send/receive 920-940 Mbps;
•Access Point C is wirelessly connected to Access Point A and Access Point B. This makes it
easy to install and place the Access Point, and it has the option of dynamically choosing which
Access Point to send or receive data from, depending on the best performance.
•The three Access Points continuously communicate with each other to determine the
optimum way for each Access Point to send and receive data from home devices and the
Residential Gateway.
•Current Mesh systems may be proprietary, so you may not be able to mix and match different
vendor devices within the Mesh network. The Wi-Fi alliance has developed a new standard,
EasyMesh™, for mesh interoperability that will allow compatible devices to seamlessly
interconnect. Chorus is looking at introducing this technology into our Residential Gateway-
compatible ONTs in 2021, which will make extending Wi-Fi coverage within the home much
simpler.
•Although the Hyperfibre Residential Gateway Wi-Fi is turned off in this example, other devices
can be directly connected to the Gateway using LAN 10G, LAN2, LAN3 and LAN4 Ethernet
ports.
The big advantage of Mesh is that they are intelligent devices that constantly communicate with each
other and therefore provide optimum performance in a plug-and-play manner. You can add additional
nodes seamlessly without additional configuration. However, this intelligence means they are more
expensive than Wi-Fi Extenders.
Wi-Fi Mesh systems usually include a Web or Smart Phone management application that talks to the
controller, allowing you to monitor and configure your Wi-Fi network. While Wi-Fi Mesh is designed
to take advantage of multiple nodes, it can be useful even for small deployments as the embedded
intelligence and accompanying app makes it easy to monitor and identify potential problems.
Key things to note:
•Wi-Fi is incredibly convenient, useful and generally easy to connect devices to. However, it
can also be one of the biggest sources of frustration if coverage within the home is patchy.
•If you notice that you are unable to achieve the full benefits of your broadband experience
then Wi-Fi might be a root cause and you should consider upgrading your wireless standard,
improving coverage within the home or switching to Ethernet cabling or Powerline.
•However, there can be many other causes of sub-optimal speed and Wi-Fi is an easy
scapegoat. Most Wi-Fi devices are portable, so temporarily moving a Home device closer to
an Access Point should help you identify whether it is Wi-Fi that is the problem, or some
other cause.
•If performance is important or you have a lot of devices, it is worth spending some time and
effort to get your Wi-Fi right. Even simple things, such as changing channels to avoid
interference from neighbouring networks, can make a huge difference.
•Check what Wi-Fi standards your Access Points and home devices are using. Wi-Fi will default
to the lowest common denominator, so an older device will not get the full benefits of modern
Wi-Fi systems;
•It’s important to keep your Access Point and home devices software and firmware up to date,
both for performance and security considerations.
•If you still have patchy coverage after installing a Wi-Fi Extender or Wi-Fi Mesh Access Point,
then try moving the device around to see if that improves coverage.

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•Don’t neglect security. Wi-Fi coverage often extends well beyond the home and you do not
want external parties to connect to your network without your knowledge. Change your
SSID (network name) and password from the default and potentially use temporary guest
passwords for visitors.
Powerline
Powerline is an alternative to Ethernet cabling that uses your existing home power cables. Specialised
devices plug into home power sockets, allowing Ethernet signals to be exchanged with other
Powerline devices inside the house. This can be a cheap and fast way to extend Gigabit Ethernet
within the house, particularly older houses where Ethernet cabling might be more expensive.
You need at least two Powerline adapters for Powerline to work, but you can have more.
Powerline solutions typically come with a 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet port (RJ-45 connector),
allowing devices to connect to the Hyperfibre Residential Gateway at speeds of up to 1 Gbps. It can
be a great solution where Ethernet cabling is prohibitively expensive or aesthetically undesirable, but
it has several limitations.
•All Powerline devices within a house share the existing home power cables, which means
multiple devices can try to communicate at the same time, causing ‘collisions’. Ethernet has
several techniques for managing these collisions, but it can slow communication down.
•Powerline typically supports 1-2 Gbps between Powerline adaptors but, like Ethernet cabling,
the maximum speed a device gets will be the slowest speed of the Ethernet between the
device and the Powerline adaptor, or between the Powerline adaptor and the Hyperfibre
Residential Gateway.
•Home power cables are generally not shielded, so are more susceptible to radio frequency
interference, such as microwaves and wireless telephones, particularly from noise-generating
devices on the same mains circuit.
•Powerline is impacted by distance and while it can pass between different circuits within the
home, the interconnection or circuit breakers can significantly degrade performance.
Despite these limitations, Powerline is a useful tool to reliably extend the home network within your
home. It is particularly useful to support Wi-Fi Extenders or Wi-Fi Mesh node, or to support a home
office at the far end of the house.
Things to note:
•For optimum performance, put the Powerline adaptors on the same mains circuit. Home
power cabling can be more complex than it appears, so experimentation may be required.
•Don’t use surge protectors or power strips, as these can degrade the higher frequencies that
Powerline uses;
•Beware of the proximity of noisy devices, particularly laptop or tablet power adaptors. Many
Powerline adaptors include filters to protect against this, but it is still something to look out
for.
•Higher speed Powerline adaptors are more expensive but provide a better experience.
•Don’t mix and match Powerline speeds or standards, as this may lead to incompatibilities or
default to the slowest denominator;
•Don’t be surprised if the speed is less than what is on the box, which is based on optimal
rather than real-life conditions.
The speed and convenience of Powerline can make it a useful way to extend your home network,
particularly if you have patchy Wi-Fi coverage. Powerline adaptors usually work seamlessly out of
the box, although you should test using different power plugs to get the optimum performance.

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Home Devices
The following is a general guide as to the best way to connect home devices to your home network.
Home Device
Description
Preferred
Smart Phones are Wi-Fi only and will typically
select the best band available (depending on their
location).
5 GHz Wi-Fi
Laptops are portable devices and may move
around the house, so Wi-Fi is usually the best
option.
However, many laptops have an Ethernet port and
if you use a laptop at a fixed location for long
periods, such as a home office, then Ethernet
should be considered.
5 GHz Wi-Fi
Like Smart Phones, Tablets are Wi-Fi only and will
select the best band available at their location
5 GHz Wi-Fi
Personal Computers tend to remain in one location
for long periods and can take advantage of the
higher-performing Ethernet.
However, if cabling to the location is difficult or very
expensive, Wi-Fi can be a suitable alternative,
depending on what the Personal Computer is being
used for.
Ethernet
Media Players require performance, so Ethernet
cabling is preferred. Note that media streams are
often buffered, making them less susceptible to Wi-
Fi channel crowding so good Wi-Fi connectivity may
be sufficient.
Ethernet
5 GHz Wi-Fi
Ethernet cabling for performance, but 5 GHz Wi-Fi
may be sufficient if Ethernet cabling isn’t practical.
Ethernet
5 GHz Wi-Fi
Smart home devices, such as lighting, locks,
doorbells, fridges etc., generally require reliability
over performance.
Wi-Fi
Home Offices usually involves a collection of
devices and can be particularly challenging because
these devices require a combination of speed,
reliability and spatial separation. Ethernet cabling
is preferred, but if cabling is prohibitively expensive
then good quality Wi-Fi is an alternative.
Ethernet
5 GHz Wi-Fi
Security cameras tend to be in fixed locations but
are typically hard to cable. Good quality, stable Wi-
Fi is preferred.
Wi-Fi
Smart Watches either use Bluetooth to connect to
a Smart Phone or tablet or use Wi-Fi. 2.4 GHz
should be sufficient.
Wi-Fi

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Smart Speakers are generally in fixed locations but
are often positioned in placed that are difficult or
costly to cable. Stable Wi-Fi is more important than
speed.
Wi-Fi
Robot vacuum cleaners require stable Wi-Fi
coverage across their cleaning zones, but speed is
less important.
Wi-Fi
Monitored alarms can be a mixture of wired and
wireless sensors, and usually include a smart hub
that talks to the Internet to report alarm status
changes. They may include a combination of fixed
and wireless.
Wi-Fi
Ethernet
NAS drives can take advantage of the better
performance of Ethernet cabling, but Wi-Fi may be
sufficient if cabling isn’t feasible.
Ethernet
5 GHz Wi-Fi
Many smart devices, such as smart lights, security cameras or monitored alarms, include a separate
smart hub that also acts as a Wi-Fi Access Point. This Wi-Fi should operate on a different channel
than your home network to avoid channel crowding.
The above should be considered a guide only, as it may depend on what the specific device is doing,
its location within the house and how expensive it would be to connect it to the network. For example,
while Ethernet or 5 GHz Wi-Fi is preferred for media players, if the position of the Media Player is
close to the Wi-Fi Access Point and the 2.4 GHz channel is not very crowded, then 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi may
be perfectly fine.
Example Home Network
A key characteristic of New Zealand homes is that we like them to be different from each other,
which means that there is no one solution fits all, even if we all wanted the same Internet experience.
This section looks at a typical two-bedroom New Zealand home, to show how you might go about
installing and configuring a home network.
The following floor plan shows the most common locations of Internet devices. Some of these are
fixed, such as home security cameras, personal computers, media centre, smart lighting and fridge.
Other devices are more portable, such as smart phones, tablets and computers, but tend to be used
where people congregate, like bedrooms or the main lounge area.

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Laundry
4 sq m
Figure 10: Devices within a home
Depending on the house construction, the ONT location may not be able to be installed in the
optimum location. In this example, however, the Hyperfibre Residential Gateway is installed in the
lounge, near the media centre. The television, personal computer, gGaming console and media
players/streaming devices all have Ethernet ports and are close to the Hyperfibre Residential
Gateway, so Ethernet cabling makes sense. As there are more than five devices, one of the Hyperfibre
Residential Gateway LAN ports is connected to an Ethernet Switch.
Laundry
4 sq m
RGW
Figure 11: Ethernet cabled connectivity