Network cable unplugged

[EllsBells]

Could really do with some help as the language barrier between me and the overseas call centre is doing my head in.

A couple of weeks ago the V6 box in my bedroom started disconnecting from the WiFi and refusing to reconnect for ages. It said the Network Cable was unplugged. I have never used an ethernet cable with either of my boxes, it's always been WiFi. I checked the signal strength where the box is and it was over 200mbp. I went through the online tech support and they booked a technician. This morning I was called by tech support and they went through a load of stuff with me and said it was probably the box. They cancelled the tech appointment and are sending me a new box.

After the call I thought about it and decided to see what happened if I took my other V6 box from my lounge and put it in the bedroom instead (wish I'd done it before the call tbh). I got my neighbour to do this for me as I'm disabled. Once it was connected it had a banging 100% signal but then a while later just like the other one it disconnected and gave me the same error. I called Virgin to ask to reinstate the technician appointment, but then it got so complicated because of the language barrier. 

Firstly because my neighbour was helping me the call handler thought that I'd connected his box to my services. Took ages to get her to understand that it was my box from another room. then she thought I was talking about the same box being moved to a different room and still doing it. Took ages to explain (again) that I was talking about my other box.....Then she said I just need to wait for the other box to arrive, and not to swap my boxes round again because of the MAC address (really don't understand why I can't swap it back)??? So I said are you telling me both my boxes are broken, she just kept repeating to wait for the new box and not to swap them back again because that could have caused the problem (bearing in mind I only did it long after the problem started). She could not explain to me why they're persisting with the new box when the same thing happened on a different box. By the end of the call she seemed more worried that I was going to give her bad feedback, than the actual problem itself. Can anyone help explain this situation to me, especially as to why they think a new box will help, and why swapping my boxes back is a bad move. Thanks in advance.

[japitts]

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@EllsBells wrote:

I checked the signal strength where the box is and it was over 200mbp.

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This is your broadband speed, and not the signal strength. There is nothing wrong with swapping V6 between multirooms within the same home.

[EllsBells]

So the other box arrived, and did exactly the same thing. They finally sent a technician out, who tested everything and said there was no issues with signal etc. He said he thought the problem was arising when the boxes were changing from 5 to 2.5ghz. He said that even if you set it to 5ghz in the settings it doesn't always remember that. So he isolated my 5ghz in the hub settings (which is what I wanted to do when all this started, but was told not to by the overseas call centre as it would mess up my hub).

It worked for about a day, then I started getting another error message. This time the new box would lose connection and when I went into the settings to try and reconnect it to Wifi it said that there were no networks available ( when usually there's a huge list of nearby connections on various networks from my neighbours as well as my own). When this happens my other v6 box is still connected to the internet with no issues and between 90 and 100% signal strength. I called again and they refused to send a technician and said I needed a Wifi booster. Could not get through to them that it wasn't registering any networks and the signal strengths and speeds from my Wifi were fine. Then luckily for me the new box started to make a really loud clicking noise and got very hot, so they finally agreed to send another technician. He checked everything again and gave me yet another new box. It was fine for a few days, then it started randomly disconnecting and saying there were no networks available. My other box was still fine and connected with 90 to 100% signal strength as was my laptop which are the only other devices on the 5ghz connection. Rebooting does not always solve the problem, and even if it does the same thing can happen within about 15 minutes of a reboot. It has done it 3 times so far in the last 45 minutes. I have messaged the technician and he will be returning, but he is off work at the moment. I was wondering if anyone has any ideas on this as I am totally bewildered by the whole thing.

Sorry forgot to add that when this is happening I can literally sit my laptop on top of the box and see all the surrounding networks as well as my own, but the box still shows no available networks.

[Paul_DN]

Hi EllsBells,

Thank you for reaching back out to us, sorry to see you are still facing the same issues with the box dropping off the Network, from what you have advise in regards to this it does sound like a WiFi issue, other than the box swaps has the Router also been changed?

Regards

Paul.

[EllsBells]

Hi Paul,

The router is brand new superhub 4 which was installed in the last couple of months. It's all been tested by the previous technicians. Every other device has no issues whatsoever, just whatever v6 box is attached to the cable in that particular position. I can sit my phone or laptop on top of the v6 box and will get a full list of networks to connect to, but the v6 box will show none. Speed and signal strength are excellent. When these drop outs occur, the v6 box shows no networks at all. Not mine, not my neighbours. There are none. In normal circumstances there are 10+ networks showing on the connect to WiFi list in network settings. The list is completely empty.

[Paul_DN]

Hi EllsBells,

Thank you you advising you have already had a new Router, is there anything close by which could be blocking the WiFi from the box, have you looked into our WiFi Max?

Regards

Paul.

[EllsBells]

Hi again Paul. Thanks for the prompt reply. There is nothing anywhere near it that could be blocking the signal. I can literally sit another device on top of it and it will show 10+ possible connections and will stay connected with excellent speed and signal strength. V6 will show nothing. The last person I spoke to in the overseas call centre tried to sell me the boosters/wifi max and a higher speed connection (I'm already on 200mbps). I can't afford to pay anymore than I already am, and to be honest I don't see why I should even if I could afford it. 

[Paul_DN]

Hi EllsBells,

It does sound like an intermittent WiFi issue and is really frustrating, the fact you don'y have issues with the other box, is your 2nd box connected Via WiFi or wired?

Regards

Paul.

[EllsBells]

2nd box is connected via Wifi and has no issues in its usual position. I have checked it as soon as the connection drops on the other box.  If I swap the boxes over, I get the same issue whichever box is connected in that particular position. But if I put any other device exactly where the box is, the other devices have no connection issues, do not drop out, and show a full list of available networks at all times, even when the v6 box says there is nothing.

[Paul_DN]

Can you try switching them over just to see if that one then loses connection, if this then happens we then know it is the location rather than the box.

Regards

Paul.