# Dodgy home WiFi - suggestions please



## siadwell (7 Sep 2020)

At home we have PlusNet broadband that should provide up to 36Mbps download speed but in reality ever gives about 25Mbps, which is largely sufficient for our needs (family of four with various laptops, iPhones and other internet-connected devices such as smart plugs, speakers and Fire TV Stick). We have the PlusNet Hub One in a cupboard under the stairs.
However, we are sometimes driven nuts by the iPhones in particular grinding to a halt on WiFi. This seems to happen anywhere in the house and I haven't managed to discern a pattern. In contrast the Fire TV Stick and my work laptop vary rarely seem to suffer from dodgy WiFi.
In looking into this in more detail, I've noted that speeds drop off as I move away from the hub, and in the corners of the house WiFi may even disappear. What has really puzzled me though is that the hub supports both 2.4 and 5 GHz using 802.11ac, but all devices are connected to 2.4GHz, which I guess may be becoming congested. Even when I got my iPhone to connect to 5GHz by resetting the network settings, the next time I checked it had reverted to 2.4GHz. I know this has a longer range, so is it simply that all the devices are ignoring the faster band because the signal is too weak?
So I'm looking for the panel to advise what I can do to improve the situation. I'm considering a WiFi extender upstairs, plugging a new wireless access point into the existing hub, or simply replacing the whole thing (the same device would probably do either of the latter options). Any ideas?


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## Grant Fondo (7 Sep 2020)

siadwell said:


> At home we have PlusNet broadband that should provide up to 36Mbps download speed but in reality ever gives about 25Mbps, which is largely sufficient for our needs (family of four with various laptops, iPhones and other internet-connected devices such as smart plugs, speakers and Fire TV Stick). We have the PlusNet Hub One in a cupboard under the stairs.
> However, we are sometimes driven nuts by the iPhones in particular grinding to a halt on WiFi. This seems to happen anywhere in the house and I haven't managed to discern a pattern. In contrast the Fire TV Stick and my work laptop vary rarely seem to suffer from dodgy WiFi.
> In looking into this in more detail, I've noted that speeds drop off as I move away from the hub, and in the corners of the house WiFi may even disappear. What has really puzzled me though is that the hub supports both 2.4 and 5 GHz using 802.11ac, but all devices are connected to 2.4GHz, which I guess may be becoming congested. Even when I got my iPhone to connect to 5GHz by resetting the network settings, the next time I checked it had reverted to 2.4GHz. I know this has a longer range, so is it simply that all the devices are ignoring the faster band because the signal is too weak?
> So I'm looking for the panel to advise what I can do to improve the situation. I'm considering a WiFi extender upstairs, plugging a new wireless access point into the existing hub, or simply replacing the whole thing (the same device would probably do either of the latter options). Any ideas?


Not heard good things about PlusNet. I checked my Mums speed when she had it...12mbs. YGWYPF?


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## 13 rider (7 Sep 2020)

Contact Plusnet and ask them if they provide WiFi discs (boosters) . Plusnet routers are basically Bt hubs in a different colour and Bt definitely do WiFi boosters


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## fossyant (7 Sep 2020)

You need Mesh boosters. It can be done cheaply (someone will be along) - we just upgraded our BT hub. It works, that's it. Hammered with Working from home, streaming , the lot. No problems here. 

You can do it for less than £100 - so await the replies. It works better than the older wifi boosters as you don't need to switch between a 'booster' - mesh is automatic.


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## netman (7 Sep 2020)

siadwell said:


> <snip> in a cupboard under the stairs. <snip>



This is possibly the problem - try putting it outside the cupboard and repeat your testing...


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## aferris2 (7 Sep 2020)

Try putting the router somewhere out in the open so that the wifi doesn't have to go through walls or other obstacles. See this. You might have to "forget" the 2.4GHz wifi connection on your phone to persuade it to use the 5GHz connection otherwise it will just grab the strongest channel that it finds when you return home.


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## HMS_Dave (7 Sep 2020)

Yes another plus for boosters. The trouble we've found with ours is the further away the user the more it affects everybody else. Moving your router to a location where the bulk of the users are may improve matters without boosters. Worth a try if not for testing purposes...


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## Slioch (7 Sep 2020)

Not a solution to your problem, but the "Netgear Wifi Analytics" App is a useful tool to have on your phone to measure the varying wifi strengths around the house.


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## DCLane (7 Sep 2020)

We've just moved from BT to fibre optic but their wi-fi boosting discs were good.

As part of the move we've installed the PowerLink wi-fi and network boosters which run through the mains system. A bit fiddly to set up (we've 6 across the house - 4 chat away to everything fine, 2 only talk to each other) and overall they work well. Cost us about £200 to purchase though.


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## chris-suffolk (8 Sep 2020)

Our Sky hub has difficulty reaching the far end of the house, especially upstairs, so I've added an old router, configured as a relay, connected via ethernet. Solves the issue for me - cost zero (as I had an old router kicking around)


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## fossyant (8 Sep 2020)

I can't move our BT hub from the corner of the house where the phone socket is as we have 4 lan cables in use also. BTs mesh option is great as we have extra discs to boost signal.

Someone here did it for less than £100 using an other manufacturer. With Mesh, there is no manual switching to the nearest booster. Its one connection as far as the device is concerned, and even if you move a phone or laptop, it latches on to the nearest disc. Clever stuff, and a doddle to set up.


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## siadwell (9 Sep 2020)

Thanks for the replies.
Moving the hub is not really an option, so I'm looking into mesh systems.


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## siadwell (12 Sep 2020)

I opted for a TP-Link S4 triple pack for £109.99 from Amazon. Ordered Thursday, delivered Friday and took less than half an hour to get the network fully up and running. Connecting some of the smart devices is proving a bit more problematic! We now hit close to the max speed all around the house and family all very pleased.


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