Wifi issues

[Awol1981]

Hi.

Had services installed last Saturday. Have the 250gb wifi. Just moved from Sky fibre and Q products. The wifi has been a bit intermittent, but generally achieves 250gb in the lounge. We have a desk space approx 20ft away from the lounge Hub. We are struggling to get on laptops from this space. Earlier I couldn't even open a Web page, now it is working again, somewhere between 30-40gb on speedtest. Not strong enough for Teams calls etc?

I live in a 10yr old house, so no thick walls etc. Is this service not good enough to provide wifi in another room, is there an issue or do I need boosters? My wife works from home and this is a big concern. Neither of our laptops have ethernet ports. 

Many thanks 

[Adduxi]

VM will steer you to Wifi Pods as the solution to weak wifi, see below.  However, personally I would get an Ethernet adapter for your work laptops.  There is too much latency otherwise.

The Pods will either be free, if you are on one of the top tiers, or if a VOLT account.  Otherwise they are £8 p.m.

https://www.virginmedia.com/help/wifi-max - Wifi Pod information

[Awol1981]

I am on the bigger bundle + Movies. I am hoping they are not expecting me to pay to have wifi working in another room, when it has been fine for the last 10 years, with much slower speeds with Sky?

[jbrennand]

Good advice from Adduxi.  I would run a new Cat6a ethernet cable from the Hub to the desk space and put a "switch" like this (below) on the end of it and connect your laptops/pc's/consoles/etc to the free ports on short Cat6a cables.  You could also attach a good wireless access point to the switch to boost the wifi signal at the same time.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-TL-SG105S-Ethernet-Lifetime-Warranty/dp/B07HP5TN4S/

Or... a WAP like this.... configured in access point mode - so you get boosted wifi and also 4 ethernet ports to connect up to 4 devices  on ethernet cables as well

https://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-Dual-Band-Advanced-security-configure/dp/B0937B8TMB/

[Adduxi]

It depends on the ISP Router.  One of my family members was with VM and I had to put a wifi extender into the kitchen as the signal was weak.  They have since moved to BT (SmartHub 2) and the extender was not needed.  It's just how it is.  Personally I don't use any ISP's kit for Wifi as I have 3 of my own PoE wifi access points placed around the house. It's just not worth the hassle trying to get a single router to do the job.

[Awol1981]

I guess the benefit of Skq Q, with the Mini extenders was greater than I realised!

Could I not just get a booster like this, that has an ethernet option?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/QLOCOM-Extender-Blazing-Fast-1200Mbps-Wireless/dp/B0BV94HG2D/ref=sr_1_2_ssp...

Running Cat 5 from router is a pain and Mrs won't be happy!

[jbrennand]

Should do the job... get one and see - you should be able to return it to Amazon if it doesn't do it 😎

[Awol1981]

Extender I bought didn't help. Signal and speed is worse now. Was up and down and now around 15mb, but doesn't work on both laptops. Virgin Connect app shows over 50mb. What a con! How do I actually get any help from VM. 20ft from router, with paper-thin walls. This is so poor. Wish I knew it was this bad before they drilled two massive holes in my house! Spoken to someone in India, who just asks to reset router. Speed in lounge is fine.

[John_GS]

Hi @Awol1981 

Thanks for posting, welcome to both the community and indeed Virgin Media.

We're sorry to hear of any WiFi issues, though thank you to the community that have replied here.

You do need a tech visit from the checks ran, as your upstream power levels are not in spec.

I'll send you a PM now to book this in.

[John_GS]

Hi @Awol1981 

Thanks for joining me on PM and providing the details to book in the tech slot.

There will be no charge for this visit unless:
• The technician diagnoses the faults as not being caused by our network/equipment 
• The technician discovers that the fault or problem relates to your equipment
• The technician discovers that the fault or problem relates to any system that we are not responsible for
The technician will confirm during their visit if any of these instances apply, and if so, a £25 charge will be applied to your account. 
Please ensure there is someone over the age of 18 present at the time of the visit. If you need to change or cancel your appointment you can do this online or via the MyVM app by 4pm the day before the appointment.
If you do miss an agreed appointment for any reason, a £25 missed appointment charge will be applied to your account on the day of the appointment