DoubtLess2022
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Re: Hub 4 recommendations please
Hopefully I've got closure on this now! 😃 Just had a very productive call with one of the VM tech support. He listened to the history of the issues, the troubleshooting steps that have been performed and he has arranged for the hub to be replaced. I'm so happy and very optimistic this will resolve the wifi instability issue. Thank you to everybody in the community who has supported me with technical advice during this matter.Re: Hub 4 recommendations please
Hello John, Would you be able to let me know please about how to check the stability of the Wifi LAN connections or is it as Legacy1 says; simply not possible to do this? As you know, I have been having ongoing problems for quite some time, and even since I last wrote, this has not abated. Wifi losses on Christmas Day were a disappointment and there have been issues each day since affecting different wifi devices - Virgin 360 box, Google Home, phones, tablets... Everything else is working very well with my WAN, phone, ethernet and TV services. Since I have tried all the troubleshooting VM have recommended, I am convinced there is a fault within the wifi element of the router. Please can you tell me what VM are going to do to bring this to a conclusion? It has been going on much too long now and frankly, it is an unacceptable situation. Kind regardsRe: Hub 4 recommendations please
Hello John, Thanks for replying about my issue and looking at the test results. Could you please share with me which results you are looking at which confirm the wifi is not unstable? I have looked everywhere I can think in the router settings and nothing seems to answer this question. Is there a hidden menu that customers can't access? I can see in the settings that wifi connections are in place, but this is just a snapshot. It would be really helpful to see wifi disconnection logs especially where this affects multiple devices simultaneously. I ran the hub diagnostic to see if this showed anything: I appreciate your other recommendations, thank you. Yes, I have previously been sent a white wifi pod and this improved the speed of connections in rooms where it was reduced, but unfortunately it seemed to make the stability of the overall wifi incredibly fragile. It frequently led to multiple devices disconnecting simultaneously, often several times a day simultaneously. These problems extended to using ConnectApp. Opening the app caused lots of issues - hub not found, wifi not optimised etc etc. Allowing it to reconfigure the network often did nothing. Even when it was "working", it would lose it's details by the next time I logged in to it. Even going in to the app sometimes led to the wifi going down. While using the pod, my router was configured exactly as you described. Having removed the wifi pod, my speeds in some rooms are reduced but the stability has improved. Since removing the pod, I have gone back to hiding my SSID. (I know it doesn't offer any real benefit, just my personal choice). I mentioned this on the phone to one of the technicians and he said he'd send me a black wifi pod as these were apparently newer, but I don't know if it's been sent. Just to add, my WAN connection is really good and other users have commented on the BQM saying it shows no problems. Thanks for your ongoing suggestions, and if you can think of anything else, I would be happy to try.Re: Hub 4 recommendations please
Hi Matthew_ML. Thanks for your reply. If you could please read my correspondence or review my phone calls to VM Support, you will see my issue is not the 'odd drop out'. I have sometimes been experiencing wifi (not ethernet) drop outs several times a day. Often I notice a drop out each day in a situation where it would reasonably be described as 'unexpected'. On occasion, I have a flawless day where I can enjoy rapid, stable wifi access. To be honest, I am tired of continually explaining my situation. It feels like VM are engaged in a battle of attrition where you're waiting for me to give up out of sheer frustration. The lack of VM's actions in progressing a resolution, or even acknowledging an issue is in stark contrast to the generous, informed and expert knowledge that VM customers have shared with me on the forum boards. I have learnt a lot from people on here as opposed to the intransigence from VM. A case in point, if any more were needed, is that following my call to VM Support on Sunday, I was promised by the technician that a manager would call me back within 24 hours: I am still waiting. I was also told I'd be sent a black wifi pod which the techncian said was newer than the white ones. No sign of this as yet either. I hear the VM hubs are cheap, and one shouldn't expect too much from them. If this is the case, where is the issue in replacing it? Nevertheless, as per my last comment, it is not acceptable to have such unstable wifi, irrespective of whether it is guaranteed or not. PS, I've posted two recent BQM images.Re: Hub 4 recommendations please
Thank you Legacy1 for following my case. Your concise summary of my situation is right and I'm a little disappointed that VM haven't been quicker in seeking to offer a practical resolution. To be clear, I don't want compensation, I just want to have a replacement router. A Hub5 would be great for my WFH and Gig package but I'd be happy with a working hub4. Then, when I can afford it I'll put it in modem mode.Re: Hub 4 recommendations please
Hi Kath_F, Thanks for your reply and suggestions. I don't expect you to review the previous posts and phone calls as they are quite extensive. The advice you have given is of course relevant in the general sense, but my configuration / room set up hasn't altered but the issue has appeared and is deteriorating. There are no sources of interference near the router and the router is in the open. My neighbour hasn't changed their networking configuration. As I've said before, I can be in the same room as the hub with line of sight, and the wifi drops off for all devices, (LAN connection continues fine). The white light on the hub stays on and it looks like it is fine. Shortly after the wifi will come back on. I can see this happening on the network logs on my phone. Please can you point me to logs in the VM router that show if the wifi has dropped any connections which your engineer has examined? My router doesn't reboot unless I manually do it to try and get services back on line - like last night when the TV box and the 5Ghz went missing. Historically the hub used to be fine, recently the wifi has become very unreliable, although the speed (except for some of the furthest bedrooms is good). I absolutely agree that a third party mesh would be the best option for super wifi throughout the house as advised by fellow forum members. This doesn't mean that VM should avoid their responsibility to provide a router which does not drop users as frequently as mine is. At the moment, I feel it is falling below the reasonable expectation of stability and is not fit for purpose. I've tried the WifiPod and VM Connect App, and as mentioned before, it appears to exacerbate the instability on the wifi network. Many thanksRe: Hub 4 recommendations please
Just as an update, the wifi was particularly problematic today with frequent disconnections. I phoned VM Support and unfortunately it feels like there is no continuity of support from my recent call - it's as though I am explaining a new issue. I said that following the last call, I'd been asked to do a router reset (I did a 60sec pin reset), but the issues were continuing and this was supposed to be the trigger for an engineer visit. In fairness, I am perfectly able to connect up a replacement hub, but of course if VM want to send an engineer, that is their prerogative. The VM support technician said there was a fault in the local area. That may be, but I explained I'd not seen any WAN today issues and reminded the technician my issue is wifi based. Furthermore, the ethernet connected devices were not affected when the wifi dropped out today. He tested my line (which coincides with the red line on the BQM) and said there were issues which needed monitoring: Rather than continuing to monitor my line, which I know is good, I asked if he could please just escalate the issue of the router replacement. I am told I will get a call back within 24h. Sadly, this has gone on for rather too long, but it is a shame that the technical team are not empowered to book out a replacement hub. My main concern now is that all devices in the house are connected to the 2.4Ghz network, even though the hub shows the 5Ghz is active, (same SSIDs, auto-config enabled), so everything is running at a snails pace compared to normal. At this preceise minute, the Virgin TV box is now saying not connected to the Wifi network <sigh> Time for another hub reboot.... 🙂Re: Hub 4 recommendations please
Hello 89537kay3. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, and I appreciate your technical view of the logs. When I lose the wifi, all wireless devices drop off simultaneously across the house, and that is for the 2.4 and 5 Ghz connections. I can't manually reconnect during this time. All wireless devices come back around the same time - a couple of minutes later, but there are no hints from the Hub4's lights that anything has occurred. The wired connections remain on even while the wifi drops out. I spoke to the VM Technical Support team this evening and asked if they would replace the hub. Firstly, they want me to perform a factory reset. That's fine and I can deal with a bit of re-configuration. It sounds like I am on the pathway to a solution, and they will send an engineer if the reset doesn't resolve it. It was really helpful to refer to JBrennand's and your comments during the conversation with VM Support. Many thanksRe: Hub 4 recommendations please
Purely by way of recording an update on the issue, wifi was down again today. Unfortunately my son was at home on his own and found he was unable to connect to anything. (At least he wasn't working from home today). He didn't know what to do and it took a couple of hours til I saw his text. I told him to reboot the router and all was well again. More evidence that the wifi from the router is flaky. Will try to contact VM tomorrow if home in time.
