Poor WiFi, best budget router available

[Liam1757]

Hi, 

Firstly I'd like to state the issue I'm having, I get terrible WiFi upstairs as Ive noticed this is a common issue with a lot of people, to the point I am connected but for instance YouTube wont load videos and says I'm not connected. 

I paid for a WiFi booster from Virgin to put upstairs £5 per month, might as well burn that £5 every month because it does absolutely jack s**t the worst £5 I've ever spent I think. 

I've now looked on here and Google etc and people saying to use change my modem/hub to modem only and purchase a decent router such as a Netgear Nighthawk or similar. I don't have hundreds of pounds to spend on a router but is there any budget router anyone can recommend that may help and some advice on this? Is it a simple set up? I've also seen mesh systems but ones I've looked at are way too expensive for my budget. Is there any budget alternatives of these and how do these work compared to a router? 

Ie attached a screenshot of the a speed test I've done whilst connected upstairs and I believe it's showing I have fast speeds so not sure why nothing connects upstairs or is very slow/limited. I'm presuming I need a good router. This router would need to located next to the virgin hub though downstairs as I'm not willing to drill holes in the walls/ceilings to run cables through to upstairs. 

All advice is appreciated and I'll continue to browse and search through the forums in the meantime before I decide to phone virgin and complain about it. 

Thanks 

[g0akc]

There are several review websites that highlight the 'best' routers on the market - for particular purposes/budget - it's worth having a read through those. Here are a couple of examples - There are others;

https://uk.pcmag.com/routers/8151/the-best-wireless-routers

https://www.expertreviews.co.uk/wireless-routers/1413942/best-wireless-routers

Some will be US focused, but most of the considerations will be the same for the UK.

Also see what's on offer on sites like Amazon.

If I were buying a new router today I'd likely look for an AX (WiFi 6) one with the latest technology available (depending on your device's capability) for the future - especially if in a congested area (lots of neighbours around me, big household, many devices).

It's worth looking for a good second hand one - sites like eBay for example can provide some bargains.

Benefits of a mesh system depend on the nature and layout of your property - coverage required.  A better solution is to use wireless access points, but that means more wiring and setting up.

It's worth noting that for use with Virgin Media you only need a router with Ethernet WAN port and DHCP - you don't the DSL connection and PPPoE that many routers offer as an alternative since VM don't use that method. Check the features.

[Tudor]

One point with VM pods that is often missed is that the pod should be appropriately equal distance from the hub and the device you are using. If it’s in the same location it will get exactly the same signal as the device and be useless.