WI-FI Boosters have ceased pairing/working

[borischelski]

Appx 5 years ago following repeated Wi-Fi connectivity issues Virgin Media sent me a pair of boosters - which immediately solved all problems.

Last week the downstairs booster stopped working. White light was on but no longer provided any Wi-Fi connectivity. Also worryingly was very hot to hold.

I tried all the VM recommended solutions multiple times including booster pairing and factory reset but issue not fixed. Coincidentally or otherwise the booster was again very hot to hold - to the extent I have now decided to keep it unplugged for safety.

The timing is a nightmare as this week I’m having a major medical procedure & was relying on the WI-FI downstairs to WFH whilst rehabilitating.

Does anyone have any recommendations as to what the problem is with my booster & how I fix or replace ?

Any advice greatly appreciated 

[Rosebush18]

"Coincidentally or otherwise the booster was again very hot to hold - to the extent I have now decided to keep it unplugged for safety."

And you have done the right thing. Electronic equipment does get warm, but not so hot that it is uncomfortable to hold! It would seem likely that the device has failed and needs replacing.

However there is a potential issue, these ‘boosters’ are they rectangular devices, one bigger than then the other? If so there have been a number of posts on here by customers who have reported that these have literally ‘burst into flames’, exploded, damaged the socket they were plugged in to, etc. In that case then disconnecting them all would be a prudent move!

VM no longer offer these things, instead they offer ‘pods’ which work similarly but on a different basis. However, they are only free to customers who are on a ‘VOLT’ tariff or a Gig One subscription, otherwise they will cost you £8 extra each and every month!

Your best bet, probably is to invest some money in purchasing your own WiFi mesh system - yes it will cost you money but is yours to take with you should you leave VM at any point. If interested then do post back on here as there are a number of posters who will be happy to make suggestions.

[jbrennand]

A VM person will respond here soon - but see this...as buying your own may be the quickest/best solution.   What Hub model do you have - what package are you on ?

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To address the wifi issues, VM now supply “wifi Pods” (no longer doing cheap and cheerless, poor value and "fire hazard" “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 - if you are - it is clearly stated on the webpage.

You can also text VM on 0753 305 1809 include account name/number and what the issue is, there is also a “Chat” option on their website - but note that replies usually take longer. Or you can speak to the team on WhatsApp by logging into your online account via a mobile handset and there will be a link to speak to VM by Whats App (the number is 0780 3089 684 ) - you can use the same number for their other social media platforms too (TwitX/Fbook. etc) - so try them all

If not free to you… you will be charged £8/month for up to 3 pods. 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(s), (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.

[David_Bn]

Thanks for reaching out to us @borischelski, and welcome back to our Community Forums!

Sorry to hear of the issues experienced with the Wi-Fi boosters, that are too hot to touch.

We would recommend replacing these, but would confirm the advice offered earlier in the thread would be correct - in regards to the terms and conditions of these being issued.

With this, we would also confirm that the download speed would need to be registered as below 30mbs to be eligible for Wi-Fi pods - regardless of whether these are issued without charge or for the £8.00 monthly fee.

Thanks,

David_Bn