on 03-08-2023 21:21
I have been experiencing repeated signal dropouts on the 5.2 Ghz wi-fi band on my Hub 3 for some months now.
For most of the time, my signal quality is 100%. But there are spells when the quality drops to as low as 55% and all my devices switch to the much slower 2.4 Ghz band.
I recently renewed my contract and I was told that I would receive a set of wifi boosters to address the issue. But nothing appeared. I have tried to order pods on the Virgin Media Connect app on my phone but it claims that everything is perfect even when the 5.2 Ghz signal has collapsed.
I can find anyway of contacting Virgin about this. To be honest, I want to cancel my contract if this continues. I haven't had any similar problems with routers from other companies in the past.
04-08-2023 15:00 - edited 04-08-2023 15:00
Have you actually separated the 5 & 2.4 GHz bands by giving each a unique SSID - or are they on the same SSID (stock situation)?
Try separtaing them if they arent - and then you (not VM's firmware") can decide which band each device should preferentially connect on. It will be much more stable.
RE boosters see this for info...
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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 - so its worth trying - 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 and poor value “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 30 Mbps/room it’s now called… Wifi Max
See if anything in here helps….
https://www.virginmedia.com/wifi-max
You call 0800 064 3850 to order the first one after scanning for blackspots using the connect App.- 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 do 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 pair of good quality Wifi Powerline Adaptors, or a combination of (2&3).
£40-100 (that’s ~4->12 months of Max Pod rental) should sort it for most customers with an average property and usage. Spend more for additional advanced“features” - if required.
on 11-08-2023 18:17
I've been looking into the issue further. My dropouts appear to be happening on both the 2.4 Ghz and 5.3 Ghz bands, though not at the same time. In both cases, the signal quality drops suddenly to around 50 and remains there for up to 30 minutes. It seems to have happen primarily in the evenings.
on 11-08-2023 19:09
That reads like the Hub 3 is Auto changing the Wi-Fi channels. It is far from an instant process.
Try these settings we find this is fine for extended Zoom / Skype video calls and an evening of TV streaming.
11-08-2023 19:23 - edited 11-08-2023 19:24
The word "Wi-Fi" and "Hub 3" should not be used in the same sentence. The only job the Hub 3 can manage is modem mode.
Get yourself a TP-Link Archer AX55 Wi-Fi 6 AX3000. You can get a refurbished unit for £59.95 from Amazon with 1 years warranty and never look back. Give it a try for 1 week..if you don't like it just return back to Amazon
I have this in 3 bed room house and covers every room so well.