Ordering WiFi Pods

[NHW]

Please can there be a simple way of ordering a first WiFI Pod?  We have 1 Gb broadband with Volt - and the mesh pods were a key reason for this as wi fi connectivity around our house has been persistently poor, especially in some areas (partially but not very satisfactorily mitigated using boosters).  However, the VirginMedia Connect app simply doesn't work (many attempts, simply giving Oops! Something went wrong. as a message) - and I cannot find a way to order a first pod other than using this.

[NHW]

Following up trying to use the Connect app again, it worked early this morning.  The readings seem to correlate with what I can obtain on my laptop, scanning for networks and checking the performance of the network I am connected to.

From 4 tests in 3 rooms, I got download speeds of 14, 5, 8 and 15 Mbps with corresponding upload speeds of 6, 0, 1 and 6 Mbps.  These are all described as "Great" with a green circle, and don't give me the option of ordering a WiFi pod.  It is not great - often the reconnections drop out or can't be made.This does not seem correct, given we are on 1 Gbps and Volt benefits.  Given these results, shouldn't this be a route to being able to order a WiFi Pod?

[Travis_M]

Hi @NHW

Thanks for your response

After scanning for blackspots via the Connect app, was an option to order the WiFi pods not displayed?

Regards

[NHW]

Dear Travis,

Thanks for the response.

No, the app just seems to have recorded all the results, describing them as Great in the overview.  There was no option to order the WiFi pods.  I was surprised, as all of these are below 20 Mbps, and the lowest ones particularly poor.

Best wishes,

NHW

[Steven_L · Accepted solution]

Thanks for coming back to us NHW, I will be able to get the pods ordered for you from here but first I would need to confirm a few details via private message, please look out for my message and we can get started.
Kind Regards,
Steven_L

[NHW]

Thanks for the help, Steven_L.  The WiFi Pod arrived today.

[Ryan_N]

Thank you for letting us know 🙂 

Cheers,

Ryan. 

[Gadfly1]

I am waiting delivery of a new hub5 and 1gb service shortly. Then I hope my Wi-Fi speeds will also improve especially in several black spots (several stories in house and concrete floors) I am worried that the 20mb threshold for getting a pod seems very low. If I am paying for 1g Ethernet surely the Wi-Fi speeds around the house ought to be much higher than this? It would be really perverse if Virgin refused to supply a pod if my speed was fractionally over the 20 mb hurdle. Is this actually what they do in practice?

[NHW]

Gadfly1,

It does seem perverse to have such a low fraction. I wonder if it relates to an absolute comparison with other providers rather than a reasonable fraction of the headline rate.

When I tried to get more pods, we were asked the same questions, so it does seem to be an algorithm that did not have a relationship to our 1 Gbps service. The first pod has helped significantly, if not completely resolving the issues. Apart from the rates, it has helped with the connections, which is much better than the switching between networks we had with boosters. This was also important to us in signing up to our deal.

For information, we had quite a lot of black spots with just the new Hub - hence the request on here as we couldn't find a way through to order the pods.  The WiFi pod has helped significantly, and we get similar WiFi rates near the pod as we do near the Hub.  This was about 450 Mbps this morning, compared to 950 Mbps through a wired connection to a desktop.  So the pod is very effective in passing though the WiFi performance, and you get service that is more in keeping with what you would hope for with 1 Gbps overall.  We would be very disappointed if we ended up just achieving 20 Mbps.

The moderators on here were very helpful in getting our first pod after being unable to find a way to achieve that elsewhere.  We have tried to get additional pods to cure the remaining issues, but this has not been successful so far - the online process has simply ground to a halt after 30 minutes first time (no response from an agent), and after about 2.5 hours the second time (a couple of non-specific responses but no action on the request).  When we have the time and energy to stay online or on the phone for an extended period, we will try again so that the last glitches can eb cured and we get the full benefit of a good mesh throughout the house.

[Gadfly1]

Thanks for replying, that is very helpful background from a fellow customer. I will wait for next week and see what actually happens before deciding what if anything I need to do. There seems to be some doubt as to whether a Hub5 will actually turn up at all (from other posts) But I did have a very specific “offer” to that effect before ordering. Then we will see what the technical performance is.

To be honest I have low expectations of anything beyond the basic internet speed. I am expecting to have to buy a separate mesh system/router and use Virgin just as a modem.  But I’d love to be surprised and will post either way in fairness.

I have had very reliable internet service from Virgin for 4 years and haven’t needed much support . It is only when making a change that one researches and the negativity around Virgin technical and customer support at present is concerning to say the least.