Forum Discussion

andy4p's avatar
andy4p
On our wavelength
14 days ago

Hub 3 WiFi tips

Our system has been up and running for a day or so now, with the Hub 3.    The wifi signal is fine throughout the house and speed is good but now that our devices are connected we're getting dropouts.  There are 17 devices but only perhaps 5 are in active use at any one time.  I uninstalled the Connect app and turned off optimisation based on the advice on this discussion forum - to start with there was an improvement but this morning the dropouts started again, most noticeable on Google Home but also our old Apple iMac.   Is it necessary to go to modem mode or install mesh/boosters when the wifi strength is so good, or are there router settings worth trying?  Thanks in advance.

  • You would only use modem mode if you are using a standalone router/mesh system.

    I have split the 2.4 and 5 GHz band names so I can see which band each device tries to connect to in various locations around my home.

    The 5 GHz band has worse penetration through walls and floors so I ensure more distant devices only use the 2.4 GHz band.

    If you have close neighbours download a WiFi analyser and change the Hub channel to use the least congested.

  • Client62's avatar
    Client62
    Alessandro Volta

    The Hub 3 is a slow as a snail at changing Wi-Fi channels. 
    To avoid random dropouts during channel changes we fixed channels on both bands.

    For 2.4GHz use 1 or 6 or 11 only,  for 5GHz try 36 or 44. We avoid the 5GHz DFS channels this can also cause very lengthy dropouts.

    We have not spilt the SSID, this is more of a preference or convenience choice than a stability issue. I have disabled 802.11b and disabled 802.11a - we do not have any kit from that era.

    The ever tinkering Connect app is not installed on any device.

    In addition to the Hub 3 we have a pair of Wi-Fi Access Points, in a larger home one ISP Hub / Router should not be expected to provide good coverage alone.


  • andy4p's avatar
    andy4p
    On our wavelength

    Thanks @RetiredATCO and @Client62 - to start with I've fixed the 2.4GHz to channel 6 (it was 1 which looked a little congested) and 5GHz to channel 36, I don't want to split the SSID unless I have to.  Will see how that works out.  The engineer did a good job of installing the router where requested, based on wifi signal tests I did beforehand, hence I'm hoping to avoid any extra devices to boost the signal.

  • andy4p's avatar
    andy4p
    On our wavelength

    Thought it had helped but back to wifi connection problems today.  After trying a mesh setup and switching the hub to modem mode I'm now getting no broadband - "access denied" - with a green light on the Hub 3.  Engineer booked...

  • Client62's avatar
    Client62
    Alessandro Volta

    With the Hub 3 powered on...

    Press RESET for 60 seconds,
    then leave the Hub 3 powered on to perform a factory reset.

    It should revert to Router mode and reconnect to VM using the 
    SSID + Passwords from the label on the bottom side.

  • andy4p's avatar
    andy4p
    On our wavelength

    Thanks @Client62 - tried the reset during the call with first line support, I can log in to the router (after an enforced language selection and password change) and it's in router mode, WiFi is working but still have the green light on the router with access denied so no broadband.  Will see what the engineer says tomorrow.  Wifi was not acceptable anyway due to the dropouts, one minute I was getting 250 mbps, half an hour later pages not loading on the same computer, hence the attempt to improve it myself.

  • andy4p's avatar
    andy4p
    On our wavelength

    Update - the broadband mysteriously started working again overnight.  White light on the router.  The engineer checked everything over (including connections and the street cabinet) and could not find any issues.  Router replaced so fingers crossed...although I'd like to know what caused access to be denied yesterday.

    • Matthew_ML's avatar
      Matthew_ML
      Forum Team

      Glad to hear everything has gone fine for you andy4p.

      Let us know if anything does changes, this may of been the new router, what website was you trying to acess?

      • andy4p's avatar
        andy4p
        On our wavelength

        Hi Matthew - it was any website including bbc.co.uk.  But so far so good with the replacement router.  According to Netspot the 2.4 GHz band is still dropping in and out but maybe the devices are using 5 GHz as it's not been having a noticeable effect.