How to Configure Livebox Mini

**Snake08** · 05-02-2009

Several months after its official announcement, the Livebox Mini has finally made its appearance at Orange. Succeeding the first Livebox, the Livebox Mini, also called Livebox 1.2, is more compact and more environmentally friendly because it consumes less energy by Orange. Technically, its characteristics are more or less identical to the first Livebox except that Bluetooth has this time gone for good. There is a better resistance to storms, a Wi-Fi coverage improved and a greater quantity of onboard memory.

Yet equipped with Wi-Fi circuit type i802.11g, the Livebox Mini undergoes profound changes in its configuration interface. It has been completely revised and has nothing in common with the old interface of the first Livebox. While there are two distinct types of Livebox Mini, with a model manufactured by Sagem another by Inventel, Orange had the good idea to unify the interface configuration as your Livebox Mini is a Sagem or Inventel, presentation and the options are identical. But what is the difference between the model and the model Sagem Inventel? The use of a different chip, the Mini Inventel Livebox using a Broadcom chip. We should therefore for our purpose here are to present in detail the configuration options of the Livebox Mini: small tour for owners!

Attention, the purpose of this article did not explain in detail what is a router.

A new homepage

The home page of this new Livebox Mini consists of two tabs and a box "state of your home network." This lists all the devices connected to your network and even without you having to identify yourself. Access to the configuration tab requires login as an administrator.

Networks and services

Once connected to the interface, all functions are accessible from customizable menu present on the left side. In the box "networks and services" we find the possibility to consult the list of devices connected while customizing the display, for example, assign an icon representing a game console to your Playstation 3! The most interesting for us are in the "livebox".

The sub-element "internet access" is used to enter your login, password or possibly reset the connection. When first connecting the Livebox, which is this page that defaults by connecting to the configuration interface.

The "hotel" is used to simply change the default password assigned to the administrator, which we advise you to secure your connection (provided of course to remember the password!).

The heading "security" makes it possible to adjust the sensitivity of built-in firewall, with the addition preset levels (low / medium / high), a level where you can custom create your own rules by protocol, port or IP address. By default, the Livebox is set to the "average" and only the most discerning of you will probably use the custom setting of the firewall.

Also in the "security" tab "WiFi Settings" includes, as its name suggests, options for the wireless network. Here you can enable or disable WiFi, change the SSID name of the network, set the mode of operation (i802.11b, i802.11g, mixed signals), or choose the channel. Naturally, it is possible from this page to choose the WiFi security (WEP, WPA, etc.) and change the security key. The activation (or deactivation) of the "Easy WiFi", which would involve just two WiFi devices, is also from this page. Note that since this place, it is possible to see the wireless devices currently connected to the Livebox.

A word on Easy WiFi

We were talking just now, WiFi is easily one of the new features of the Livebox Mini. This is to simplify the procedure for first connecting a computer wirelessly to the Livebox by avoiding the manual entry of security keys. To use WiFi easy, especially when you try to connect a laptop to the Livebox, you use the software supplied by Orange CD-Rom and press for five seconds on the "WiFi" on the back of the Livebox. This causes a rapid flashing of the LED WiFi and allows the computer to interact with the Livebox keys secure without having to enter anything.

**Snake08** · 05-02-2009

Advanced settings

The last menu item called Livebox "advanced" and this is where the most interesting options are grouped under 7 different tabs. The first tab called DHCP allows you to enable or disable the DHCP server built into the Livebox and change the address ranges that will be assigned to your network devices. Little more valuable, it is possible to set an IP address for a network. You just need to click "Add Line", select the name of the computer or device in the list and type the IP address you wish to assign permanently.

Tab NAT / PAT the advanced settings page to activate the port forwarding necessary for the proper operation of certain programs, whether for games or programs for exchanging files. Orange reviewed here fully how to redirect ports and above all we must ensure that a rule exists for your application. Take the case of Windows Home Server that requires redirection of three ports. To do this, select the link "Click here to add a rule to an application or game." It begins with the rule name in the "Application Name" then click on "Save" and "Add a line": it selects the protocol in our TCP, then the external port ranges here in 4125 and the internal port.

Valid on clicking register and you can add one or more lines, depending on whether the application needs to have one or more ports redirected. Once the ports listed, it must return to the previous page, click "Back" and then associate the rule applying to a device on the network. To do this you click on "Add a line, we select our standard Windows Home Server, then in the dropdown" Equipment "is clicked the server to validate record.

The DNS tab allows for its part to change the DNS server settings so that the NTP tab allows you to select the time zone and whether or not to apply daylight saving time. The page offers UPnP to enable or disable the UPnP server (it is enabled by default) when it displays the ports currently open in UPnP.

Finally, DNSDyn tab allows you to automatically publish the IP address that is allocated to your Livebox on a dynamic redirection service to send while the DMZ last tab allows you to create a demilitarized zone on a device that you select in a list box. Note that DMZ opens on equipment, all the ports: practice to quickly solve a problem of port forwarding but dangerous for the safety of the equipment.

Services: a brief overview

The configuration interface offers in the services component, adjust or view some options related to the Livebox. You can see the IP phone number assigned to you, enable or disable the digital TV service and activate (or not) and video services livezoom.

The tools of the Livebox

End with sidebar "Tools" from the main page of your Livebox. This display, by clicking on "info system", statistics and features of your ADSL line. Clicking on "repair / maintenance will take you to the options to reset the Livebox: Clicking on" Reset "will erase all your settings (make sure the process is long). In this same section there is the possibility to manually check if there is a new version of firmware or firmware of the Livebox.

The "Remote Administration" is used simply to enable or disable the remote control of the Livebox with the possibility to set this option on a temporary or permanent.

Devices Corrected

Among the small changes in the Livebox Mini, there is greater clarity of the diodes on the edge of the device. They have a brand new screen printing: the sides of the diode operation is the diode @ indicates that the status of the connection in three color: red blinking rapidly for a lack of detection of the line, flashing orange slowly to a synchronized but waiting login and green for a working connection.

There are then the LED that illuminates telephony green when the line is available and blinks, still green, when the line is busy. Then the LED traffic on the Ethernet port and WiFi diode. The last blue LED illuminates when resetting the Livebox or a firmware update.

Stability Concerns?

The current version of the Livebox Mini, whether manufactured by Sagem or Inventel, has serious concerns for stability in its configuration interface. Therefore it is requested so a little push, different bugs occur: sudden shift of some lines of options in English to replace configuration values (including port forwarding) by "null" customize the configuration of its Livebox Mini can quickly become a real headache. Because what if you need to forward port 80 and 80 that the field is suddenly replaced by "null"? The worst ... is probably the outright blocking of the interface that occurs from time to time with the message "An internal error has occurred, please reboot your Livebox" when you try to access it. In this scenario must be electrically disconnect the Livebox to reconnect a bit later in the hope that it works: attention, several tests may be necessary.

Imagining the outset that this was a defect of our Livebox Mini, we exchanged it several times, to see that these problems ... In fact, Orange is well aware of the problems of stability of the configuration interface with firmware 7.1 but they have existed for more than six months now ... What is ISP? Mystery ... Interviewed on numerous occasions, his press service merely following terse statement: "There are instabilities of the interface configuration in the current version of firmware, the latter is not related to the manufacturer ( Editor's note: the Livebox). Finally, the constant improvement of our products is our priority and a new version of firmware, improving inter alias of the stability of the Livebox, is under development. "

We of course asked the ISP about the release date of this firmware, apparently the firmware 7.2, without a policy response since the Orange seems not to communicate about problems. Sorry, all.

**Crazeuk** · 23-03-2011

I have come across this page as a user of the Orange Live Box 1.2.

I previously had the Orange Live Box 1. Which after 4 years of service gave up.

I have only had the OLB1.2 for 1 Week.

And i am already having the problem with accessing the Live box.
I am wondering if it will be easier for me just to use a Netgear router.