Forum Discussion

andy4p's avatar
andy4p
On our wavelength
2 months ago

How does the installation engineer ensure a good ongoing WiFi signal?

Hi, can anyone tell me how the engineer will ensure a good wifi signal throughout my home, and how the wiring will be done?  I'm awaiting installation and now concerned that the right placement for the router will be difficult.  Our current router position gives a reasonable signal throughout the home (I replaced the OEM router) but it will be difficult/impossible to locate the Virgin equipment in the same place without major and unsightly work as the cabling was put in when we had rebuilding work done.  I'm expecting the cable to come into the house via our front porch then through a new hole into the hall.  From there I'm struggling to see how the modem will be located anywhere but the hall, and the signal from there looks dodgy to many parts of the home.  I've used extenders / powerline adapters before without much success.  TBH, the installation delays due to the Virgin box outside that needs to be replaced or relocated, the work that will be needed to our drive to run the cable from the Virgin box to the house etc and being unclear about how good the wifi will be is giving me cold feet about going ahead with Virgin...I'd much prefer that we get a survey ahead of the work as I don't want a load of hassle for ourselves and Virgin only to have to cancel.

  • Adduxi's avatar
    Adduxi
    Very Insightful Person
    2 months ago

    The technician should put the Hub where you request it.  However if you are in a co-ax area, then you will need to be prepared to have holes drilled internally, or cables run around skirting etc.  You can get the Hub placed on "most" outside walls, as the cable entry doesn't have to be where the outside wall box is located.

    Other than that, depending on your contract, you are entitled to up to 3 Wifi Pods (extenders) for free, otherwise £8 pm.

    If you are XGS-PON it's similar but the internal cable is fibre, so about half the diameter.

    I would doubt if VM do any sort of Wifi checks, other than its working, and don't forget VM only guarantee 30Mb over Wifi on any speed tier.

    Personally, I would manage the Wifi distribution myself, and look at a good Mesh system, or Access Points.

    • -tony-'s avatar
      -tony-
      Alessandro Volta
      2 months ago

      start with the knowledge that all VM hubs are about at a level on WIFI that you would get from a pound shop - in other words rubbish - the best advice is put it into modem mode and use something decent - a mesh system or similar

      if you go down that path then site the hub where convenient to you site the main mesh unit next to it via a wired connection and nodes - 1 or 2 around the house - easy and neat and it will work

  • carl_pearce's avatar
    carl_pearce
    Community elder
    2 months ago

    I wouldn't expect the engineer to ensure a good Wi-Fi signal throughout your home.

    They'll connect the HUB to the VM network where you request it to be located, check for a stable internet connection, then job done.

  • Tudor's avatar
    Tudor
    Very Insightful Person
    2 months ago

    I think the best best would be to use the present router that you already have and just run an Ethernet cable to where the VM hub is installed. If your current router have a WAN port and it’s not an ADSL router then you can run the VM hub in modem mode. If it’s an ADSL router you can use it just as a Wireless Access Point. A lot of uses, myself included, run in modem mode and this alleviates most problems that users seem to experience. 

  • andy4p's avatar
    andy4p
    On our wavelength
    2 months ago

    Thanks for all the replies, I've done a WiFi strength survey so I'm confident about which router locations will work, at least with this router, a TP-Link AC2100.   Unlikely I can run a cable to the current router location so if I can't get the VM hub installed in a good location I may need a mesh system. I had a cheapish Tenda mesh system but (with this router) performance was better without it.  Hmmm...so I may have to pay out and not necessarily get better broadband.  By the way, the answers are all helpful but marking them as such marks the issue as resolved, which it isn't.