Paid for Gigabit - Equipment sent by VM isn't suitable.

[Lexifir]

Bought into the Gigabit ethernet as I wanted the larger upload (pity I hadn't shopped around as there are now other providers which offer 1000 down and 800 up for slightly less and I'm tied into a contract for another 12 months :(... serves me right for not shopping around.)

My main issue is the WiFi on the Home Hub 4 is HORRIFIC!! I can be in the same room as the hub and all the WiFi connected devices drop off, yet the TV can still be used to watch netflix and browse the internet (not cached content) TV is on a CAT7 ethernet cable direct into the hub.

I've been constantly fobbed off by the 'support' team. Earlier this week one of the ladies I spoke to said she would have a Hub 5 sent out and had waived the £25 fee. By the end of the week, I phoned to find out where the equipment had gone (still having bad WiFi issues) and the next agent said there were no notes on my account saying anything about a Home Hub 5!!!

I was LIED TO!

More phone calls....

This next agent then told me that the 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz networks were causing the interference - because they had different SSID! 
I played his game and set the 2.4 to the same SSID and was absolutely shocked to find that it made no difference at all.... (That's sarcasm in case you missed it)

I'm getting REALLY annoyed that I can't make full use of the bandwidth I'm paying for, that the devices all suddenly drop and that the agents don't listen to me - is there any way to force them to provide me with functional equipment that doesn't randomly drop some or all devices?

I've even had a few instances throughout the last month where ALL devices (ethernet and WiFi devices) drop out - it's annoying, but spending 35 minutes each time to speak to someone that just makes up garbage is demoralizing.

Any advice??

[jbrennand]

You wont get a Hub5 for a while. They are saving stocks for new 1GB customers. It will change sometime in the future. TBH its not much better than the Hub4 - some claim its worse and "buggy"

re the wifi see this
_________________

Do you know if its a wifi only issue (ethernet connections are ok?), if it is - then on a Hub3/4/5, you could first try separating the SSID's of the 2.4 and 5 GHz wifi bands by renaming them in the settings At the same time switch off "channel optimisation/Smart wifi” and “ apply and save the settings. All wifi devices will now 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 Hub 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, Volt (or old Ultimate Oomph) packages - is that you? If so they are worth trying - they should work for you. VM Wifi is now “guaranteed” to 20 Mbps/room and it’s now called… Wifi Max see…….

https://www.virginmedia.com/wifi-max

You can call  0800 064 3850 to order the first one - or follow instructions on that website - or just wait here for a VM person to respond in a day or two and they will sort the first one for you . If you call dont get fobbed off by the offshore CS agents' saying you aren’t eligible it will be £5 or £8 month - you are… and it wont be - just look on the webpage.

If not free to you… you will be charged £8/month (note - BT charge £10/mo for their whole home wifi solution). It’s a simple solution and should work for you. However, you would soon pay off that cost by buying your own wireless solution that will be yours to own and use forever, although the VM Pods should be a simpler option.

If you do want to invest in better equipment, you would need to get either a… (1) Mesh System, (2) Wireless router, (3) Wireless access point (4) A combination of (2,3).

£30-100 (that’s ~4->12 months of Max Pod rental) should sort it for most customers with an average property and usage.

[legacy1]

Looks like your having a bad time with the hub and a bad line for your connection.

[Lexifir]

p - It's been bad for about 2 months, but as I've been home for the last month, I've noticed it so much more.
My wife works from home and has to occasionally use her phone as a hotspot for work - but that's not ideal!

Regarding the WiFi, that's been getting steadily worse...

[Lexifir]

I work in tech, so I'm fairly happy doing this - which is also why I was enraged by the agent telling me that the SSID not being the same for 2.4 and 5.0GHz was what was causing the interference.... None of it made sense, and I've no idea if he believed it or was just fobbing me off....

2.4Channels are busy with neighbours WiFi. Ch6 is often the least busy, but has been changing a little over the weeks, but not a lot.

5.0 GHz is almost empty, there is plenty of uncontested space - and it's a semi-detached property, so the other networks on the opposite side of the road don't reach into this house - even at the front.

The package I have is the 1Gig package (1000Mbps) - I get that at the router (samknows.com/realspeed) but it's difficult getting devices to stay connected.

I've no idea what causes the occasional drop of all services (WiFi & Ethernet) - I am at this point just assuming that the box is faulty despite me doing full resets, blowing compressed air in to clean dust etc...

Investing in better equipment would at this point be me putting in a 2.5Gb 4port switch (or more) near the router and running ethernet cables to various parts of the house and WiFi6 access points....
Or VM could send the Hub 5 and I'll mesh the rest of the house.

I've tried powerline extenders, but not really a fan of them and the WiFi mesh I tried earlier this year wasn't a WiFi6, which is the only one I'm prepared to invest time and money in now.

Any idea if their WiFi pod is actually any good?

[Tudor]

I would always recommend people to invest in their own networking equipment. While mesh systems are ok for some people, I much prefer using Ethernet cabled access points. Most mesh systems do not let you ‘tune’ any parameters like band or signal strength. My system has about 50+ parameters to tune, none of which are available on the VM ‘pound shop’ hubs and they allow for 8 SSIDs. As to powerline units I consider them a waste of money.

As you are getting drops in service, let’s take a look at your circuit.

How to get stats from a VM hub (no need to logon to the hub)

Open a web browser and go to 192.168.0.1 router mode or 192.168.100.1 modem mode

• Click on the “> Check router status” button
• Click on the “Downstream” tab, copy the text and paste into your reply, do not take a screen shot
• Click on the “Upstream” tab, copy the text and paste into your reply
• Click on the “Networking” tab, copy the text and paste into your reply.
• Do NOT post photos or screen shots they will be rejected as they contain MAC addresses. The board software will automatically change MAC addresses to **:** if done as above.

[Lexifir]

Downstream:

3.0 Downstream channels

Channel Frequency (Hz) Power (dBmV) SNR (dB) Modulation Channel ID

25	330750000	4.000000	38.983261	QAM256	25
1	138750000	5.400002	38.983261	QAM256	1
2	146750000	5.199997	38.605377	QAM256	2
3	154750000	5.199997	38.983261	QAM256	3
4	162750000	5.300003	38.983261	QAM256	4
5	170750000	5.099998	38.605377	QAM256	5
6	178750000	4.900002	38.983261	QAM256	6
7	186750000	4.699997	38.605377	QAM256	7
8	194750000	4.500000	38.983261	QAM256	8
9	202750000	4.400002	38.983261	QAM256	9
10	210750000	4.199997	38.983261	QAM256	10
11	218750000	3.900002	38.605377	QAM256	11
12	226750000	3.700001	38.983261	QAM256	12
13	234750000	3.599998	38.605377	QAM256	13
14	242750000	3.299999	38.983261	QAM256	14
15	250750000	3.000000	38.983261	QAM256	15
16	258750000	2.799999	38.983261	QAM256	16
17	266750000	2.000000	38.983261	QAM256	17
18	274750000	2.900002	38.983261	QAM256	18
19	282750000	3.400002	38.605377	QAM256	19
20	290750000	3.900002	38.983261	QAM256	20
21	298750000	4.599998	38.605377	QAM256	21
22	306750000	4.400002	38.605377	QAM256	22
23	314750000	4.599998	38.605377	QAM256	23
24	322750000	4.300003	38.605377	QAM256	24
26	338750000	4.099998	38.983261	QAM256	26
27	346750000	3.900002	38.983261	QAM256	27
28	354750000	3.900002	38.605377	QAM256	28
29	362750000	3.900002	38.605377	QAM256	29
30	370750000	4.000000	38.983261	QAM256	30
31	378750000	4.000000	38.983261	QAM256	31

3.0 Downstream channels

Channel Lock Status RxMER (dB) Pre RS Errors Post RS Errors

25	Locked	38.983261	0	0
1	Locked	38.983261	0	0
2	Locked	38.605377	0	0
3	Locked	38.983261	0	0
4	Locked	38.983261	0	0
5	Locked	38.605377	0	0
6	Locked	38.983261	0	0
7	Locked	38.605377	0	0
8	Locked	38.983261	0	0
9	Locked	38.983261	0	0
10	Locked	38.983261	0	0
11	Locked	38.605377	0	0
12	Locked	38.983261	0	0
13	Locked	38.605377	0	0
14	Locked	38.983261	0	0
15	Locked	38.983261	0	0
16	Locked	38.983261	0	0
17	Locked	38.983261	0	0
18	Locked	38.983261	0	0
19	Locked	38.605377	0	0
20	Locked	38.983261	0	0
21	Locked	38.605377	0	0
22	Locked	38.605377	0	0
23	Locked	38.605377	0	0
24	Locked	38.605377	0	0
26	Locked	38.983261	0	0
27	Locked	38.983261	0	0
28	Locked	38.605377	0	0
29	Locked	38.605377	0	0
30	Locked	38.983261	0	0
31	Locked	38.983261	0	0

3.1 Downstream channels

Channel Channel Width (MHz) FFT Type Number of Active Subcarriers Modulation (Active Profile) First Active Subcarrier (Hz)

33

96

4K

1880

QAM4096

759

3.1 Downstream channels

Channel ID Lock Status RxMER Data (dB) PLC Power (dBmV) Correcteds (Active Profile) Uncorrectables (Active Profile)

33

Locked

40

2.8

2878706949

0

[Lexifir]

3.0 Upstream channels

Channel Frequency (Hz) Power (dBmV) Symbol Rate (ksps) Modulation Channel ID

1	36600000	44.020599	5120 KSym/sec	64QAM	3
2	49600000	44.520599	5120 KSym/sec	64QAM	1
3	30100000	43.770599	5120 KSym/sec	64QAM	4
4	43100000	44.270599	5120 KSym/sec	64QAM	2
5	23600000	43.770599	5120 KSym/sec	64QAM	5

3.0 Upstream channels

Channel Channel Type T1 Timeouts T2 Timeouts T3 Timeouts T4 Timeouts

1	US_TYPE_STDMA	0	0	0	0
2	US_TYPE_STDMA	0	0	1	0
3	US_TYPE_STDMA	0	0	0	0
4	US_TYPE_STDMA	0	0	0	0
5	US_TYPE_STDMA	0	0	1	0

3.1 Upstream channels

Channel Channel Width (MHz) Power (dBmV) FFT Type Modulation

6

10.4

40.2

2K

QAM8

3.1 Upstream channels

Channel Channel Type Number of Active Subcarriers First Active Subcarrier (Hz) T3 Timeouts T4 Timeouts

6

OFDMA

208

53.4

0

0

[Lexifir]

Network Log

Time Priority Description

Thu Jan 1 00:01:29 1970	3	No Ranging Response received - T3 time-out;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.1;
Sat Nov 5 16:59:30 2022	5	MIMO Event MIMO: Stored MIMO=-1 post cfg file MIMO=-1;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.1;
Thu Jan 1 00:01:19 1970	3	Unicast Ranging Received Abort Response - initializing MAC;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.1;
Thu Jan 1 00:01:19 1970	3	No Ranging Response received - T3 time-out;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.1;
Sat Nov 5 19:11:28 2022	5	MIMO Event MIMO: Stored MIMO=-1 post cfg file MIMO=-1;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.1;
Sun Nov 6 10:07:43 2022	6	US profile assignment change. US Chan ID: 6; Previous Profile: 12; New Profile: 11.;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.1;
Sun Nov 6 12:36:44 2022	3	No Ranging Response received - T3 time-out;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.1;
Wed Nov 9 05:25:03 2022	4	DHCP RENEW WARNING - Field invalid in response v4 option;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.1;
Fri Nov 11 14:48:19 2022	6	US profile assignment change. US Chan ID: 6; Previous Profile: 12; New Profile: 11.;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.1;
Sat Nov 12 17:25:04 2022	4	DHCP RENEW WARNING - Field invalid in response v4 option;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.1;
Sun Nov 13 00:15:17 2022	3	No Ranging Response received - T3 time-out;CM-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.1;

[Lexifir]

BTW - prior to the Sat Nov 5th - that's probably the pin hole reset that has changed the date back to the Jan 1st..... 
It was a suggestion from the support staff that I attempt a pin hole reset in addition to all the other stuff I had tried...