Problems with broadband - do I need a booster?

[KK1]

Hi! I am a new customer to VM. Broadband M250. BIGGEST REGRET EVER.

Although I live in a small flat, I was told that 1) I had too many devices (that did not come up in the heavy sales calls and the engineers I spoke with) and 2) the walls in my flat apparently are a deterrent to WiFi working (who knew???).  The 'innanet' only consistently works in the room where the router is.  Everywhere else, patchy at best.

Question is: do I get VM's pods (also can't work out if it will come free or not.  The lady on the chat function said I had to but some people in this forum say no) and/or can I get a booster / router (what is the difference)? And if the latter, will it work?  Some in this forum say that it HAS to be a VM product.

Thank you in advance for your help!!

[jbrennand]

Start by reading this...

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Do you know if its a wifi only issue (are ethernet connected devices ok?), if it is - then On a Hub3/4/5, you could first try separating the SSID's of the 2.4 and 5 GHz wifi bands by renaming them in the settings At the same time switch off "channel optimisation/Smart wifi” and “ apply and save the settings. All wifi devices will now need reconnecting to the best SSID at each location. Also use a wifi scanning App to find the best wifi channels to use (just select and use channels 1,6,11 on 2.4GHz) - this often helps Hub users get better wifi performance - so its worth trying - but its still no substitute for getting better kit 🙂

To address the wifi issues, VM now supply “wifi Pods” (no longer doing cheap and cheerless and poor value “boosters”). However, their Pods are only free to customers on the 1GB, Volt (or old Ultimate Oomph) packages - is that you? If so they are worth trying - they should work for you. VM Wifi is now “guaranteed” to 30 Mbps/room it’s now called… Wifi Max
See if anything in here helps….

https://www.virginmedia.com/wifi-max

You call 0800 064 3850 to order the first one after scanning for blackspots using the connect App.- or just wait here for a VM person to respond in a day or two and they will sort the first one for you. If you do call dont get fobbed off by the offshore CS agents' saying you aren’t eligible - you are - it is clearly stated on the webpage.

If not free to you… you will be charged £8/month for up to 3 pods (note - BT charge £10/mo for their whole home wifi solution). It’s a simple solution and should work for you. However, you would soon pay off that cost by buying your own wireless solution that will be yours to own and use forever, although the VM Pods should be a simpler option.

If you do want to invest in better equipment, you would need to get either a… (1) Mesh System, (2) Wireless router, (3) Wireless access point, (4) a pair of good quality Wifi Powerline Adaptors, or a combination of (2&3).

£40-100 (that’s ~4->12 months of Max Pod rental) should sort it for most customers with an average property and usage. Spend more for additional advanced“features” - if required.

[Tudor]

Too many devices is a cop out by customer services, they are just trying to sell you a higher speed internet tier. They also use this excuse to try and cover the inadequacies of their hubs.