Forum Discussion

AdS4's avatar
AdS4
Tuning in
24 days ago
Solved

Worse connection with white WiFi pod (Hub 5)

Since Virgin installed 500MB broadband with a Hub 5 towards the end of last year we have had multiple issues with loss of connection and big drops in speed when only a short distance from the router.

Lots of back and forth, some helpful in the call centre and some not so much but the connectivity issues appear to have been fixed by doing a simple hard reset of the Hub. We reset the Hub the evening on the advice off the call centre the day an engineer came to try to address the issues as were still experiencing connection issues that evening so not sure why the engineer didn't try this himself.

However, on a previous call at the end of last year we decided to try a WiFi pod to see if that helped with the speed loss (and connection loss, though that appears to have been fixed now). Strangely, when having the pod switched on, the connection is actually worse. For example, in one room without the pod switched on there's no loss at 500MB but with the pod switched on actually goes down to 200MB. Virgin are charging £8 a month for this pod which the call centre said would include support if it wasn't working, however in subsequent calls they don't seem to be acknowledging that there's an issue that needs to be fixed so am a bit stuck on where to go from here.

Has anyone else had the same issue? I also need to know how to potentially cancel this if there's no fix but ideally want to make that decision once I know whether or not it's actually working. Basically, there's a room next to the room which has the router in it where I'm getting a loss from 500MB to around 180MB and would love for this booster to make a difference. Unless it's the Hub itself?

Any thoughts much appreciated!

connection loss
Hub 5
wifi pod
  • jpeg1's avatar
    jpeg1
    24 days ago

    Two points.

    If you get more remote signal from the Hub than the Pod, then the Pod is in the wrong place. It can't amplify the signal, only extend its coverage. The Pod must be mounted where it gets a good signal from the Hub, usually half way between the Hub and the room where the Hub signal is weak.

    Secondly, you are wasting money by paying £8 a month to rent the Pod from VM.  For much less than a year's rental you can buy a better device that will be yours to keep.

  • jpeg1's avatar
    jpeg1
    Alessandro Volta
    24 days ago

    Two points.

    If you get more remote signal from the Hub than the Pod, then the Pod is in the wrong place. It can't amplify the signal, only extend its coverage. The Pod must be mounted where it gets a good signal from the Hub, usually half way between the Hub and the room where the Hub signal is weak.

    Secondly, you are wasting money by paying £8 a month to rent the Pod from VM.  For much less than a year's rental you can buy a better device that will be yours to keep.

  • Client62's avatar
    Client62
    Alessandro Volta
    24 days ago

    VM Pods are Wi-Fi Repeaters which if placed well can improve the area of Wi-Fi coverage,
    but the downside is always speed is reduced by 50% or more, and latency + jitter are increased.

  • Adduxi's avatar
    Adduxi
    Very Insightful Person
    24 days ago

    ...... and VM only guarantee 30Mb speed over Wifi ......

  • jbrennand's avatar
    jbrennand
    Very Insightful Person
    24 days ago

    As already mentioned.. cancel the pod rental and return them and put the monies to getting your own wireless access point(s). router, or MESH.

    It can cost less than a years Pod rental and be yours to own forever.

    If you want advice on options - just ask on here.

  • AdS4's avatar
    AdS4
    Tuning in
    24 days ago

    Thanks all for the detailed responses, it's really helpful.

    So it seems clear I need to cancel the pod which I'll do shortly. It's my ignorance then there in terms of how the pods work as I was hoping it could extend the excellent 500MB wireless signal with minimal loss from the front to the back of the home (pod is placed in between). I know Virgin only guarantee 30MB over WiFi but we have struggled to get even that in parts of the home.

    Would really appreciate any advice on getting a wireless access point, new router putting Hub in modem mode or a MESH setup. Basically I have a gaming PC in the room next to the front room with the router in it but am losing a lot over wireless. Unfortunately it's not possible to have the router in the PC room. The speed I get is around 180 from a 500 connection and there is an adjoining house.

    Thanks everyone!

    • jbrennand's avatar
      jbrennand
      Very Insightful Person
      24 days ago

      First question is always ... are you comfortable running ethernet cables from the Hub ports to close to the various wifi dead spots?  That is the always the Rolls Royce solution - and isnt really that difficult.

      Is the gaming pc connected to the Hub by ethernet cable ? - or is that on wifi too

      EDIT: just re-read and realise the Hub is not in the same room as the PC - but in the next room -- so it shouldnt be too difficult to run an ethernet cable around to it?

    • jbrennand's avatar
      jbrennand
      Very Insightful Person
      24 days ago

      Just for starters and info... this is a copy of an old post I made a couple of years ago - so a bit dated but still valid (IMHO 😎)

      ___________________________________________

      WIFI OPTIONS

      The cognoscenti will always say (correctly) that the best thing to to do is connect Wireless Access Points directly to the Hub or your own better router by ethernet cables. However, for most average users who dont want/can't run ethernet cables most would say a good "Mesh" would be the simplest/most flexible solution.  A Tri-band Mesh system is better for providing the "backhaul" and for users on high speed packages and umpteen simultaneous connections. Also, Wifi6 is future proofing for getting speeds over 600 mbps on wifi.
      Another option is to extend the ethernet connections (and wifi) via powerline adaptors - they work well for lots of people - including (until recently) my "gaming son" in his bedroom - and they can be "cheap and cheerful".
      What it depends on is..... your requirements for... better routing features, your house layout, size, construction materials, your tech abilities, and of course, budget, ~£40 will get a decent introductory wireless router (TP-Link Archer C64) but 'may' not on its own solve the wifi in your house, but spending ~£3-500 will get the “Rolls Royce” solution of a high-end Wifi6 Router & WAP's or a top end Tri-band Mesh system with WiFi6. You'll probably want something suitable - somewhere within that range - I reckon ~£100-150 is around the “sweet spot” for most standard users, and where you would probably need to start for a standard 2/3-story house if it has brick walls. Less for a one-bedroom flat, more for a stone built 8 bedroom mansion
      Good options for Access points/Wifi routers/Mesh systems come from Ubiquiti, Asus, TP-Link Deco's M4/M5, Linksys Velop's, Netgear Orbi's (and others) – I would stick with these companies whose business this is - rather than “newcomer” and data-driven” companies like Google, Amazon, etc. Also be sure the router or Mesh specifically says that they have 1GB ethernet ports - some of the cheaper ones only have 100Mbps ports. WiFi6 is also future proofing for faster connections.
      Recently, just as an example... three of my friends who all live in brick built 3/4 bed semis, just got TP-Link Deco M5 3-packs (~£150) and all said it is - “absolutely brilliant with excellent wifi speeds in all rooms, the attic and the garden, and the App is a doddle to use”. The first Mesh unit becomes the new router - you need to check whether the one you look at has all the "features” you need. Ethernet ports are usually limited to 1 or 2/unit , so you “may” need to add in an unmanaged GB port switch (<£20) in there as well. My mates also get "full speeds" from the ethernet ports on the Deco's in the remote locations. Finally if you get a 2/3-pack of any Mesh system, which doesn’t cover dead spots everywhere, you can just add in extra unit(s).
      Take a look at what fits your needs, tech ability, house layout and budget. Use sites like Techradar & Techadvisor for reviews of "Best Routers" or "Best Mesh". Post again if you want personal recommendations from others on your short list

      • AdS4's avatar
        AdS4
        Tuning in
        24 days ago

        Thanks for this! I think I'm going to check out the mesh option as for various reasons is tricky to run an ethernet cable around. Will have a look into the TP-Link Deco M5 and see how that performs.

        Thanks again for all your help, really appreciated.

    • LEEST4R's avatar
      LEEST4R
      Joining in
      11 days ago

      I've got similar isssues to you. I've just upgraded from 250mb to 1gb. 

      My previous set up was virgin hub in modem mode with 3 TP-link Deco 4 mesh, capable of up to 1gb speeds. I would easily get 200mb across my whole house, so minimal drop of speed but always full speed whilst connected to main router. 

      Now with the new virgin hub 5 I tried exactly the same set up & only achieved 500-600mb max. My deco settings I upped to make sure the speed max 1000mb. 

      So I stripped everything back and just put the virgin hub in router mode, using nothing else. Now my speed increased to 1100mb. So I thought I'd try using my mesh in Ap mode & keep the hub in router mode as the speeds was what I should be getting. Everything dropped to around 500mb again so I contacted virgin for one of their WiFi pods.

      Now only using 1 WiFi pod from virgin & my virgin hub 5 in router mode my speeds are 700-800mb whilst connected to the router & 200/250 connected to the WiFi pod.

      Now unless anybody has an updated mesh system to say the speeds are better, I can only assume that the hub 5 gets drained the more WiFi pods you use. 

       

      • AdS4's avatar
        AdS4
        Tuning in
        11 days ago

        That's interesting to know. What I don't get it why you would need to upgrade to 1GB only to lose about half that or more using a decent mesh setup? Your setup sounds like mine so it appears that if I upgraded to a 1GB connection I'd probably get more over my own mesh system. I'm getting about 250MB over mesh with a 500MB connection so similar percentage loss to you, and we're both using a Deco setup. 

        The question seems to be why the Hub 5 is losing so much speed over WiFi over such relatively short distances? I get that Virgin only guarantee 30MB over WiFi, but if you're then using a decent mesh system I don't get why it should be losing so much?

        Having said all of this, my first Deco is in router mode and connected to the Hub 5 with an ethernet cable. When I connect to that first Deco it still has that 50% or so loss in speed so am really confused about what's happening. It is optimised for the network via the app though it's not possible to specify the broadcast channel, the app decides.

        Can Virgin advise on this? Would buying a separate router and putting the Hub in router mode give better speeds over WiFi and reduce speed loss to a minimum, as jbrennand helpfully advises earlier in the thread? Or is it possible to upgrade to a Hub that doesn't lose so much speed over WiFi/Mesh?