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Connectivity issues

White59
Tuning in

I have had three remote technicians try and resolve my issue, totalling 7 hours of waiting, holding, resetting, signing in etc  - namely my PC won't connect to the WiFi, despite only being in the adjoining room to the hub. One technician assured me 100% he'd be able to fix the issue. He didn't. The next one started to remotely check my PC, then just disappeared! No message, no call back to my mobile. The third technician, same thing! How on earth am I supposed to resolve my issue with this poor level of support?

12 REPLIES 12

jbrennand
Very Insightful Person
Very Insightful Person
Firstly VM dont actually guarantee wifi connections - only ethernet cable ones. The fact that the Tech's left everthing "suggests" all was fine when connecting on their own devices and they felt the issue was your PC.

So, is the PC's wifi card broken or inactivated perhaps? What make model of PC is it and If you trail an ethernet cable from the Hub out to the PC and plug that in - does it connect?

Do other devices (phones/laptops/etc) connect on wifi ok?

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John
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I do not work for VM. My services: HD TV on VIP (+ Sky Sports & Movies & BT sport), x3 V6 boxes (1 wired, 2 on WiFi) Hub5 in modem mode with Apple Airport Extreme Router +2 Airport Express's & TP-Link Archer C64 WAP. On Volt 350Mbps, Talk Anytime Phone, x2 Mobile SIM only iPhones.

My PC us in good working order and less than a year old. My son had it built especially so I could help him with his business, so it's a top notch one. It worked absolutely fine with BT WiFi in my last home. When I moved here, and broadband was first installed, I showed him where my PC was, and he said there'd be no issue with connection.  To start with, the WiFi wasn't too bad, but it's slowly got worse and worse. Now, it doesn't connect at all! I'm tearing my hair out as I have pretty urgent work to do for my son, and am part way  through on online course! I can't leave and go to another provider as, from what I understand, Virgin Media will charge me over £200.

jbrennand
Very Insightful Person
Very Insightful Person

You can leave VM for free if you are still in the first 14 days post-connection, cooling off period.

For any urgent immediate work just get a 10/20/50 meter run of Cat5e/6 ethernet cable and lay it over carpet/up stairs etc and plug the PC directly into the Hub for the duration of that work - then unplug it and put it away in the bits drawer until next time.

Re the wifi - I will assume its a wifi only issue - if so see this...
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If it is a wifi only issue, then on a Hub3/4/5, you can try separating the SSID's of the 2.4 and 5 GHz wifi bands by renaming them in the settings and at the same time switch off "channel optimisation/Smart wifi” “ apply and save the settings. All wifi devices will 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 - 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 “boosters”). However, their Pods are only free to customers on the 1GB, Ultimate Oomph or Volt packages - is that you? If so they are worth trying - they should work for you.

You do have to call in to order them (cant do it online) - 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 not free… you will be charged £5/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, but it isn’t the simple plug and play option of the Pod(s).

You would need to get either a… (1) Mesh System, (2) Wireless router, (3) Wireless access point (4) Powerline adapters (+/- inbuilt Wifi,) (5) A combination of (2,3,4).

£40-100 should sort it forever for most customers with an average property and usage.


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John
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I do not work for VM. My services: HD TV on VIP (+ Sky Sports & Movies & BT sport), x3 V6 boxes (1 wired, 2 on WiFi) Hub5 in modem mode with Apple Airport Extreme Router +2 Airport Express's & TP-Link Archer C64 WAP. On Volt 350Mbps, Talk Anytime Phone, x2 Mobile SIM only iPhones.

Thanks for all your help - albeit being all far to technical for me to get my head around!! Will copy the info and send it to my son-in-law, see if he knows what it all means, if so, he can then talk me through what to do!

It's just so frustrating after specifically checking a suitable place for the hub with the installation engineer, to ensure I got wifi on my PC as I didn't want an ethernet connection! It doesn't help that you can't email anyone, or speak to anyone without going round the houses, and if you do speak to someone, it's often a struggle to understand their accents!  

I do know that when my contract is up, I won't be renewing it! 

you could have the virgin media hub access point moved upstairs if its downstairs to give upstairs a better wifi signal which would cost you £25.

if your dead certain you don't want a lead through the house which would be the cheapest option. start looking at third party routers.

money isn't a problem?

£200 - ASUS ZenWiFi AX Mini (XD4) Whole Home Mesh WiFi System (3 Pack)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-ZenWiFi-Whole-Home-XT8-Life-Time/dp/B08JTN52Y9

£300 - ASUS ZenWiFi AX Whole-Home Tri-Band Mesh WiFi 6 System(XT8)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-ZenWiFi-Whole-Home-XT8-Life-Time/dp/B083QS8ZFQ

https://twitter.com/SeriousFamily

Gig1 | Hub 5 Modem Mode | Asus RT-AX86U | Asus RT-AC86U

Thank you for your response, however, unfortunately, money IS a problem, a very large one  - which is why I don't just leave and pay the extortionateearly exit fee! Also  I don't need the WiFi upstairs, my hub is in the lounge and my PC in the very next room - which is where I DO need it! It works fine on my phone throughout the house - although stops the minute I go outside!

My coaxial lead is very short - again, because I trusted the installation engineer when he said that I wouldn't need a longer one because the hub would serve both rooms perfectly where he placed it.  

I have just ordered myself an ethernet cable, and a longer coaxial cable  - as Virgin has been both blasé and  inept at resolving my issue, I'll see if I can sort it out myself. 

 

the vm hubs are known to have bad wifi. with the pc being that close its not much of an hassle getting a cable to it.
if your going to cancel over bad wifi that your choice but me personally think that's a bit overboard.
the third party routers (along with many other brands) have better tech inside and better wifi coverage a lot better the vm hub.

its possible the wifi card built into the computer needs an update (just guess work here) or a possible upgrade.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/NICGIGA-5400Mbps-Bluetooth5-2-Ultra-Low-Windows10-Black/dp/B08TBJXKW5

if your looking for VM to offer any support outside of your connection your out of look they don't support any third party. they will throw you over to gadget rescue.
They charge an extra £5 a month or a one off £60 for a fix.

https://www.virginmedia.com/help/security/gadget-rescue


https://twitter.com/SeriousFamily

Gig1 | Hub 5 Modem Mode | Asus RT-AX86U | Asus RT-AC86U

jbrennand
Very Insightful Person
Very Insightful Person

Cancel the co-ax cable order immediately - and dont think about fitting it, Firstly, its against VM T&C's to change them... but more importantly they are never made to the correct spec to work properly. I know this because of the anecdote below.

It really should be a simple wifi fix - with our and your son-in-law's help.   Just use the ethernet cable temporarily until we sort it for you. If he or you can make that run of cable "permanent" and not unsightly for you then that has sorted it already   You can add a wifi device onto it as well if needed for other wifi devices nearby. 

But also what I posted might do it for £0.   Moving your Hub and a longer co-ax cable will cost £25 for VM to do. And/or a new good wireless router, or powerline adapters, can be £30-40 rather than the more expensive (but better) Rolls Royce options that Sonar linked too  Here are cheaper (£26 or a £36) examples..

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tenda-AC8-Wireless-Supports-management/dp/B07Z7NY23Q/ref=psdc_429888031_t2_...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tenda-AC10U-1200Mbps-Dual-band-Power-saving/dp/B07C7Y9G96/

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For example, a year or two ago, my neighbour was having "noise" problems on her BB connection and the investigating VM tech team just happened to knock on my door and ask to see our connections.

Long story short... her noise problem was caused by MY daughter (unbeknown to me) moving her V6 box and using some cheap tat co-ax cable she got from Amazon! - they changed the cable in her room to proper VM cable and connectors and hey presto, the neighbour was totally sorted - lesson learned !

Fortunately we werent charged by them for damaging their network - I think the Tech's were so relieved to have tracked the issue down and sorted it so quickly 🙂


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John
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I do not work for VM. My services: HD TV on VIP (+ Sky Sports & Movies & BT sport), x3 V6 boxes (1 wired, 2 on WiFi) Hub5 in modem mode with Apple Airport Extreme Router +2 Airport Express's & TP-Link Archer C64 WAP. On Volt 350Mbps, Talk Anytime Phone, x2 Mobile SIM only iPhones.

Already been to Gadget Rescue - three remote technicians later, still nothing resolved! Looking at TrustPilot reviews for Virgin Media has not helped my faith in this company!

It's paying for broadband, for WiFi for a PC,  that I was assured I'd get/that would work fine. If I'd wanted to go down the using an ethernet route/having to buy a booster/having to use a WiFi dongle, I wouldn't mind. I had no trouble connecting to the WiFi where I lived before, and I was easily three or four times the distance from the hub than I am here!

My PC is less than a year old; my son had it built for me, to his specifications, so that I can help him with certain aspects of his business - which obviously, I can't do at the moment.

Well, I'll do the obligatory telephone call in the morning and tell them that 7 hours, three telephone calls, two Gadget Rescue team members, and three Gadget Rescue "remote technicians" later, the issue is still unresolved.