Hub 3 - WiFi channels change back

[Yevhen]

I have the same issue
Was more than satisfied for a long 8 years with my Hub 2 and would still use it but that was a time to change my package previous Friday.
We agreed for a new price and finally new TV Box 360 as my Cisco TV Box, invented in 2010, doesn't look too fresh in 2023.
I didn't ask and didn't expect to have this, sorry for my French, rubbish VM Hub 3.
Excited was to playing around when received this Tue entire Kit and was surprised to have new router. I sincerely  believed that words "Our the most powerful router" may worth something, but that was just advertisement and nothing about Power.
Excitement very fast gone this Thu, then worked from home, as on Wed had to go into office and was not able to asses how this works.
Working from home, especially with 5 GHz became impossible.
Manual channel set worked once. After switching router off and on, it returned to channel 44 and that is it. Any playing around don't help anyhow.
You may forget about channels 100+ where power may be as big as twice than on channel 44.
even measuring in far located study room gives only -72 dbm, when connected back Hub 2 showed -68 dBm.
Listen, 6 DB differents, it is two times difference in Power,
5 DB is not 6 but very close. So, I may assume, that antenna there is much worse then.
From time to time, 5GHz stops working, and just disconnecting and connecting to it helps.
Preconfigured the same SSID name for both 2.4 and 5 GHz was a very smart idea to hide most of real problems from customers but doesn't improve their experience.
Attempt to return back Hub 2 unsuccessful, contacting to support... I suppose many know what it is.
if they don't allow me to use my old Hub 2 I will have to cancel contract as it is within of 14 days yet.

[Yevhen]

PS: I don't know what that "Smart WiFi" means in VM. I'm pretty sure it is just tick on a page but does absolutely nothing.
As WiFi Analyzer shows me from any side of our property, all SSIDs around that start from VM are on Channel 44.

[John_GS]

Hi @Yevhen 

Thanks for posting and welcome to the community. Please do make your own thread in the future 🙂 we've moved it this time for you.

I am sorry you're not happy with the Hub 3, we wouldn't be able to revert you to a Hub 2 however, as this router is obsolete/phased out.

Please try the Connect App which when downloaded, you'll be able to do a wireless scan in the property. This should help diagnose and fix any issues with the WiFi and if a Pod is needed, you'll be able to order.

Best wishes.

[Yevhen]

Hi VirginMedia Team and very big thanks for paying attention on my case.
1. To be honest, I can't understand how scanning of WiFi in my property may improve router's work.
if it is measured and compared, it show across my house that signal strength for Hub 3 is 5 Db lower than for Hub2.
Will scanning with APP improve antenna quality HUb3. As I'm pretty sure that both routers emit the same "Max. 50 mW/MHz" in channels 96-144, that I just used.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_WLAN_channels#cite_ref-N100600_55-12
2. this message was posted in this thread just confirming the same issue that initial your client expressed. "Router doesn't keep manual channels settings". As result it returns it on the channel 44. Where all other my neighbors are. For the same reason, I assume. Where emitting power is limited to "Max.10 mW/MHz" And everyone is unhappy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_WLAN_channels#cite_ref-N100400_49-15
I still have five days ahead when I can cancel my contract within of 14 days.

[Client62]

"Smart WiFi"  =   Auto channel selection and Auto bandwidth selection.

[Yevhen]

Sure. sounds so, but as I posted already, bold title may not mean it is.
Just because channel 4 and 6 is much-much less loaded across my property from any side, and because I left this "Smart" for a few days, and because it keeps channel 1, which is the most noisy.
may it be some bug, just because, as example, on Java True and false has opposite meaning comparing to other languages. And because router selects the most busy channel. I'm just joking, but don't fully exclude this.

[Client62]

The Hubs in this area on the 2.4 Band were most on channel 1 some on 6 seldom any on 11.

We are not close enough to other properties to see 5 Ghz channel overlap issues.

So we have come down on these settings for our Hub 3 & this is stable:   ( we also have 2 wireless access points )

Wireless >>> Security

[Yevhen]

This settings are inappropriate for reasons explained above.
It is not too difficult to repeat one more time
1. Channel 44. Most of neighbors around, have the same channel is set. So interference will be severe.It should be measured around router itself, but from other far ends not too big property.
2. Power level for channel 44 vs 116 is 10mW/MHz vs 50mW/MHz
3. Power level for Hub3 5 dB less vs Hub2
3. WiFi connection after a few hours of work (2-3, sometime half an hour) on 5GHz band just stacks and nothing works. Disconnecting and connecting helps only. And WiFi itself doesn't disconnect. And a level not too bad. So Laptop still believes it has WiFi channel.
It is even worse than Corporate VPN has to be used most of the time during WFH. Didn't have such behavior with Hub2.
VM975026-5G - Hub2
VM4866246-5 - Hub3
the same difference if identical channels are set

This entire conversation reminds me talk with VM support during Covid's lockdown. When schools were closed and everyone was at home. When my VM mostly didn't work due to lost of packets, but not inside of property but from thinkbroadband.com during 3 months. And I had to use SIM LTE module from my laptop as working VM was impossible. And I called again and again, and asked don't change setting for WiFi Please on my router. Tests that I did were via Ethernet port and cabled connection. None heard and just constantly reset settings for WiFi. I was loyal then, and even later on, when CNN disappeared.

[Adduxi]

I fully sympathise, but for the sake of your wellbeing, just use modem mode and get a decent 3rd party Router.  This will remove all your issues in one swoop.

[Yevhen]

Thanks for suggesting. Really, not my case.
Why do I have to buy something else?
If I didn't have such issue before tariff changing that lead to kit change.
just increase cable cluttering. I was thinking for a long time and talking with VM for 3+ hours, till we decided to remain TV+Broadband. But I really didn't ask and didn't' expect router change
Hub2 - it's Netgear underneath. And everything is told by this.
In reality, I have, as any other customer for something that is already included into price and is not used. Like Hub 3 router, that will be used as an Hub or let be precise, name it adapter between DOCSIIS and local Ethernet. But in this case I agree to have just simple adapter, that will be as little as any Fiber-Copper adapter, and even better if it is located outside.
Fortunately/unfortunately worked from the office today and didn;t have a chance to assess how WiFi worked.
but -75 dBm, comparing to -65-67 dBm for Hub2.
Not decent.