"Channel Optimization" doesn't work.

[crisjarvis89]

Has anyone managed to get this setting to actually work? According to VM marketing it is supposed to perform around 300,000 checks per day to see if the current wifi channels are congested and switch them around accordingly to get the best speeds. My experience is that it does absolutely nothing of the sort, did they just make this statement up out of thin air?

Last night my 5G channel was giving me around 0.1Mbps download speeds but as I'm trying to let the "smart" wifi do its thing I decided to leave it until the morning and checked again, it's the same. So after giving it another go I will simply have to turn off this "intelligent" feature and keep monitoring the speeds manually and changing channels when they get congested (after changing the 5G channel it goes straight back to normal speeds).

Just wondering if this feature is actually real or made up and if anyone else has got it to work properly?

[g0akc]

Such features, like most software, flawed and don’t always get it right, particularly in certain environments.

Have you used a WiFi analyser app to check which WiFi channels are in use in your location - neighbouring hubs etc. ?  

Use such to determine less occupied channels and set the hub for those 

Are speeds good/stable with a wired connection?

[Andrew-G]

As a rule, most of the regulars here turn off all smart, automatic and self optimising options on the hub because we don't think they add anything.  But that means you need to take responsibility for choosing channels and settings for yourself, and requires a bit of knowledge and investigation of what channels are in use around you. 

However, that tends to be just the first step before concluding that the wifi capabilities of the hub are mediocre, and investing in our own router or mesh setup.  I'm firmly in the mesh wifi camp, others prefer a single standalone router.  Curiously enough, my mesh system runs superbly well using all defaults, even with a single network name and automating all decisions on channels.  I suspect the problem with the hub's "smart" wifi is that the built in router is an old design in tech terms (Hub 3 underlying design largely finalised in about 2012?), and designed for really low cost.  All the "intelligent wifi" capabilities have been bolted on afterwards at the marketing bozos' request, rather than designed in by a manufacturer who's name is on the box and on the line.

[gary_dexter]

Never leave a device to configure itself.

Turn off channel optimisation and set your own channels after checking for congestion etc. 

[Corey_C]

Thanks for your post, crisjarvis89,

How has the service been since your post?

Cheers,

Corey C

[crisjarvis89]

As the others here have said, the channel optimization feature that VM seem to so proudly advertise is not fit for purpose. I, and it seems many others, are simply turning it off and monitoring the wifi channels for congestion manually.

[Molly_G]

Hi @crisjarvis89 - thanks for your feedback on this!