Forum Discussion

Mile5's avatar
Mile5
Joining in
11 months ago

WiFi Pods + Hub 5 = Useless?

Hi, 

I really need some assistance with this, I've been sent WiFi Pods to extend my WiFi (Obviously). However, Virgin in their infinite wisdom, seem to have set them up so they ONLY work with your default router settings.

The problem being, their default settings don't work properly as it is, which is why they get changed. If I leave the default channel optimisation I encounter one of the following issues on every device:

  • Unable to find the network on a few devices (Because they use reserved/military channels that some devices won't even show a network on)
  • Trying to connect to hidden networks using SSID manually also doesn't work
  • Constantly switching between 5Ghz/2Ghz causing unusable internet
  • Unable to make any changes to the settings as they revert straight after

How can I resolve this? I've tried to explain the situation to support just to be sent another pod for the same thing to happen, as expected.

4 Replies

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  • Client62's avatar
    Client62
    Alessandro Volta
    11 months ago

    Return the VM Pods and look for a Wi-Fi mesh to use with the Hub 5 in modem mode.

  • John_GS's avatar
    John_GS
    Icon for Forum Team rankForum Team
    11 months ago

    Hi Mile5 

    Thanks for posting and welcome to the community.

    Sorry for any confusion. There are a few requirements for the Pods to work with our Hubs:

    •    The Hub must be in 'Router Mode' and not have been changed to 'Modem Mode'.
    •    Channel Optimisation must be left on.
    •    The SSIDs must be the same and broadcast enabled.
    •    The SSID must be password protected.
    •    The Passphrases of the SSIDs must match.

    As long as all of the above points are all met then the Pod should automatically connect to your Hub's Wi-Fi and begin broadcasting. The wireless details from the Pod will be the same as the Hub's details, so no additional steps are required to connect the devices in the home.

    This link will help though if you do have any issues: https://www.virginmedia.com/help/setup/intelligentwifipod

    • Mile5's avatar
      Mile5
      Joining in
      11 months ago

      So yes, they're completely useless then? They only work when you're router broadcasts on a hidden military channel and most home devices have that channel hidden.

      • Adduxi's avatar
        Adduxi
        Very Insightful Person
        11 months ago

        The Hub should only broadcast 5Ghz on DFS channels where there are no existing DFS channels in use by radar etc.  If this is not suitable for your particular setups, then you should look at buying your own Wifi Access Points, and having control over the bands and channels.