Forum Discussion

inminorchords's avatar
inminorchords
On our wavelength
10 months ago

Virgin Hub 5 + Eero Pro + Virgin WiFi pod

Hi Guys.

I live in a small garden flat and the Virgin media modem comes in via the bedroom at the back. Most of our internet access is done from the front room and sometimes the garden but all it takes is to have a door or two shut between the router and the front room for my speeds to drop incredibly, 

I have 1gig internet and with both doors open I can normally get 3-400 meg downloads on my Mac and phones etc, however when I close either of the two doors between the room and the router it drops right down from 5-30meg. 

it’s an old Victorian terrace so the walls are very thick, I recently got sent a WiFi pod which I have put in the hallway, this has helped a lot but we still get low speeds with the door closed and even intermittent internet with the doors open sometimes. 

I see today that Amazon have a prime deal on the Eero pro. If I connect this to my Hub 5 do you think it will improve my signal. Will I need an extender or will the Eero pro connect to the Virgin WiFi pod? 

has anyone if experience with swooping the hub 5 with a single Eero pro?

btw, my current home home hub is in a clear unobstructed area fairly high up. 

10 Replies

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  • legacy1's avatar
    legacy1
    Alessandro Volta
    10 months ago

    pods will not work with Eero pro

    run ethernet cable to the room

    • inminorchords's avatar
      inminorchords
      On our wavelength
      10 months ago

      Ok, thanks, but is the Eero pro a better replacement for the Virgin Home Hub 5

       

  • Client62's avatar
    Client62
    Alessandro Volta
    10 months ago

    We are required to use the supplied VM Hub as the first device connected to the coax cable. It is the the VM Hub that is authorized to connect to the line and it loads a speed profile that is equates to our (M50 to Gig 1 etc) subscription.

    After that we can either use the VM Hub in Router mode with Hub Wi-Fi enabled + VM Pods + a Wi-Fi Mesh in Access Point mode or with retail Wi-Fi repeaters or Wireless Access Points.

    Or we can use the VM Hub in Modem mode with VM Hub Wi-Fi disabled and use our own choice or 3rd party Router & Wireless Access Points or use Wi-Fi Mesh in Router mode (like the Eero etc).  With the Hub in Modem mode, VM Pods can not be used and thankfully the flaky VM Connect app also can not be used.

  • inminorchords's avatar
    inminorchords
    On our wavelength
    10 months ago

    Thanks I do understand that, but do you think the Eero pro would be a better way to distribute my WiFi rather then the virgin modem alone. 

  • inminorchords's avatar
    inminorchords
    On our wavelength
    10 months ago

    Ok, so I have it all setup and have moved my Eero away from my modem and a little closer to the door of the back room. 

    So far its nowhere near as good as the Hub 5, My Mac which is in the far corner of my front room and the one I have most issues with normally gets 100-200 meg with the Hub 5, but is spotty as it will drop to 1-5 meg sometimes, now with the Eero Im only getting 20-30 meg but seems more stable.

    So at the moment it looks like the Hub 5 is a better option, Im going to give the Eero a few days before I send it back as I read that it takes a few hours/days to set in and configure. 

    BTW, I did test my phone in the same room as the eero and I was getting 599 download, if I walk a few metres into my front room, I only get 30-40. I thought the transmitter would be way better on the Eero but it looks like the hub 5 was doing the best it can.

    Yes, I can get a 2nd eero to boost, but I think due to the disappointment of the single eero, I dont think I will bother. 

  • Sephiroth's avatar
    Sephiroth
    Alessandro Volta
    10 months ago

    There are possibly a couple of spinning plates here.  First, check to see whether the Eero is supplying WiFi to you on the 2.4GHz band; second, check the placement of the Eero.

    The Eero is a relay and maybe a different placement will receive a better mesh with the Hub 5.  Ideally, it should be c. half way between your Mac and the Hub 5 but not in a poor position as to signal.

  • inminorchords's avatar
    inminorchords
    On our wavelength
    10 months ago

    Quick update incase anyone was following this thread.

    I moved the eero into the hallway by running a Cat 6 cable across the side of the backroom (used some wood coloured cable tidy from amazon, looks great) Im now getting speeds of 650+ on my Mac and iPhone on the front room which was a dead spot nightmare, internet is very stable, best it's ever been.

    I think If you live in an old victorian house with an extension you are best only having a single door or room between your eeros and end points.

    Im now very happy with my purchase.