Hub 3.0 - Poor Wi-Fi - Do Boosters work?

[mikewalker20]

Hello

I've just been upgraded from my old VM Hub to a Hub 3.0. Previously there were areas of the house where Wi-Fi was poor and you would get buffering on any videos you were watching. This now seems to be significantly worse with the new hub, rooms downstairs where this was not previously a problem is now a problem.

I also noticed that when I tried to stream something on catch up last night it kept buffering and  freezing, it never did that before. I was using Wi-Fi for the VM box downstairs but have now switched the Smart TV ethernet cable to the VM box and at least the TV is now ok.

However I was reading about Boosters, etc. and wondered whether these are worth considering, there seem to be mixed reviews on the internet and I'm unsure what the cost is?

Grateful for any help you may be able to provide.

[rockgeek]

They do but I went for a new router instead as that will offer more advantages over boosters such as improved security, not needing to change any device config as you can set the router to the original SSID and password etc

I also found using one more plug behind the TV or wherever the current router may be was easier than sourcing another plug elsewhere that the kids, pets or partner could take out accidentally (or purposefully)

[jbrennand · Accepted solution]

Firstly, connect anything that can be - on Cat5e/6a ethernet cables to maximise speed and stability

Then See this....
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If it is a wifi only issue, then on a Hub3/4, you can try separating the SSID's of the 2.4 and 5 GHz wifi bands by renaming them in the settings and at the same time switch off "channel optimisation" apply and save the settings. All wifi devices will need reconnecting to the best SSID at each location. Also use a wifi scanning App to find the best wifi channels to use (just select and use channels 1,6,11 on 2.4GHz) - this often helps Hub3 users get better wifi performance - but its still no substitute for getting better kit 🙂
To address the wifi issues, VM now supply “wifi Pods” (no longer doing cheap and cheerless “boosters”). However, their Pods are only free to customers on the 1GB, Ultimate Oomph or Volt packages - is that you? If so they are worth trying - they should work for you.

If not… you will be charged £5/month. Its a simple solution and should work for you. However, you would soon pay off that cost by buying a "better" wireless solution that will be yours to own and use forever but it isn’t the simple plug and play option of the Pod(s).

Get either a… (1) Mesh System, (2) Wireless router, (3) Wireless access point (4) Powerline adapters, (5) A combination of (2,3,4).

£40-100 should sort it for most customers with an average property and usage.