Forum Discussion

jmdm_1989's avatar
jmdm_1989
Tuning in
2 years ago
Solved

M125 - Suboptimal Performance

Hi,

I am looking for some advice - I am really very unhappy with the performance of my WiFi at the moment. On M125 package.

Been with VM for 4 years, my contract price has just gone up. I am finding that the performance of this WiFi is simply not justifying the cost of what I'm paying for it. It's recently gone up to £60+ per month and yet I am - on more than a regular basis, having to hotspot the 4G signal from my mobile to my laptop and devices upstairs in my house because the signal is so poor and the connection is slow. 

I have had to split my network into 2.4ghz & 5ghz as none of my smart home products are compatible on the 5ghz.

I've even gone to the trouble of buying a new router to use the modem mode on my Hub 3.0, but I have given up on this out of frustration and not knowing what I'm actually doing. I then realised I shouldn't have to be doing any of this in the first place, because I'm paying for something I am not getting. 

I live in a small house but there's a black spot in the upstairs portion of my house. It's been like this since I moved in but I've managed it. This is where I need to hotspot my laptop and other devices. My Google Home constantly disconnects. 

MY Hub 3.0 is behind my TV in my living room. 

VM Customer Services have not been helpful when I've e-mailed them, social media team were though and have pointed me in this direction. I really don't know where to go next, I'm not a networking expert but if someone could please help I'd greatly appreciate it. 

 

  • Just to add..I have downgraded to M125 on a new 18m deal. Was on M250 and got bumped to M350 Volt for free as I am also a O2 customer but it was not really being used.

    Below is my speed test in rear extended kitchen pass 2 brick walls using my own router. There are no dead upstairs in any 3 bedroom..lowest is 100Mbs+

     

    • jmdm_1989's avatar
      jmdm_1989
      Tuning in

      Hi mate,

      Meant to reply to your message yesterday, it was so helpful thanks very much! I did negotiate a new deal and got M350 Volt as I'm also an 02 customer and really decent price so really happy with it. 

      So what I have done is bought a mesh system, tpLink Deco. Put the Hub into modem mode and connected the Deco and has been working like a dream, full WiFi signal in every room.

      Only thing I'm struggling with now is a lack of ethernet ports on the base station, have you got any tips for this? Still thinking of buying a new router and then plugging the deco into that too, just to maximise the efficiency of the WiFi.

      Thanks again for your reply!

  • Like most people my VM socket is at the front wall of the house and getting Wi-Fi to the rear extended kitchen pass 2 brick walls about 40ft from Hub3 was pretty much hopeless. I could not even hold a Teams meeting

    It's clear you getting the full speed 135Mbs to the router but the supplied Hub3 is about usefull as dogs poo. The router is very outdated so you need to invest in your own Wi-Fi 6 router for £50 and you will never look back. I get close to full Wi-Fi speed in kitchen using a £50 TP-Link AX55. And both the Hub3 and TP link is sat behind my TV.

    Do you really want more drilling in the property to move the socket about?? Save that £25 and add another £25 and get a better £50 router.

    As for the price of £60 for M125 that is daylight robbery in current market. You should not pay more than £25 for that speed . You need to speak to retentions and negotiate a new contract and be firm.

  • Adduxi's avatar
    Adduxi
    Very Insightful Person

    jmdm_1989 wrote:

    <snip>  MY Hub 3.0 is behind my TV in my living room. 


    Herein lies one of the problems.  Pay VM £25 to get the Hub relocated to a more central location to allow the Wifi to propagate around the property.  

    • jmdm_1989's avatar
      jmdm_1989
      Tuning in

      Hi thanks for that. How do I go about asking for that? I'm kind of forced to leave the hub where it is because that's where the wall socket is located.

      • Paul_DN's avatar
        Paul_DN
        Forum Team

        Hi jmdm_1989,

        Thank you for reaching out to us in our community and welcome, sorry to hear you Wi-Fi connection isn't great when not near the Hub, I will be more than happy to arrange a relocation of the Router, as advised there would be a one off £25 charge, this would go on your following bill, so I can help I will send you an invite into a private chat, please look out for the envelope to accept.

        In the meantime I will try to help with the Wi-Fi connection, there are so many things that can influence a Wi-Fi connection that are beyond our control, some of which include (but are not limited to) a fish tank being in the same room, walls being built with concrete instead of brick, or it could even be that your next door neighbour's router and Wi-Fi connection is interfering with yours.

        Due to this, I'm afraid that we're only able to offer limited help. Please have a look at the troubleshooting and advice here

        The Hub's location could also be causing the coverage problem, so we do need to check the positioning of it. Can you please ensure the following.

        •    It's out in the open if possible.
        •    If positioned near the TV that it's next to it, not behind it.
        •    It's away from large bodies of water (e.g. fish tanks).
        •    It's away from baby monitors, cordless phones and radios.
        •    It's away from microwaves.

        Think of the Hub as a radio and Wi-Fi as the sound - the further away you are from the radio, or the more obstacles that are in the way (walls, electronic devices, etc.), the quieter the radio and, in turn, the poorer the Wi-Fi connection.

        If that doesn't help, if you have the Hub 3, Hub 4 or Hub 5, you can download our Connect App which will allow you to scan areas of your home and will offer help. You can view more support around the App here.

        Regards

        Paul.
         

  • jpeg1's avatar
    jpeg1
    Alessandro Volta

    And don't let VM talk you into a broadband speed 'upgrade'. That won't fix your WiFi. 

  • carl_pearce's avatar
    carl_pearce
    Community elder

    Remember you are paying for the connection to your HUB over the VM network. Wi-Fi is not guaranteed.

    First we need to establish if you are getting the speed to your HUB over the VM network:

    https://samknows.com/realspeed/

     

    • jmdm_1989's avatar
      jmdm_1989
      Tuning in

      Thanks. Attached my speeds below. Bear in mind though this is in my living room right next to hub.