topic Plusnet One router and strange wifi effect in Tech Help - Software/Hardware etc

Plusnet One router and strange wifi effect

neiltownsend — Tue, 21 Dec 2021 18:20:34 GMT

Now that the core issue in XXXXX is resolved, I have been tracking the behaviour of my router, as it still has wifi "quirks". I said in that thread that I would provide updates. My router has the recent ".1.3" firmware.

For a while, I was simply ran the 2.4GHz wifi (5GHz explicitly turned off), and that was reasonable, although anecdotally got a bit "lumpy" after two weeks without a router reboot. But I haven;t really any data on this one.

At @bobpullen suggestion, I put a couple of devices onto 5GHz using a different SSID for it so only a couple of devices would use it to start testing it. (my phone and then the amazon Fire Stick). Initially is seemed fine.

Then (Saturday 18th), two children returned from university, and so the number of devices increased. It seemed ok, but very quickly I was getting reports of poor wifi, laggy connections, etc.

Sp, today (21st Dec, 1pm ish) I turned off the 5Ghz wifi again. I asked for feedback a few hours later. The feedback was that the connections were definitely better, less laggyness, faster response times, etc.

Note: the devices being used were on the 2.4GHz all the time. They didn't get given the new SSID for 5GHz.

On my iPad (which I suspect had acquired the 5GHz SSID via the magic of link apple devices) I noted that one application got much quicker when it accessed the internet once the 5GHz was turned back off.

I realise thesis odd, but then these things often are.

Anyway, this is the update I promised, happy to do some more tests and feedback (within the bonds of not creating internet warfare at home 🙂 )

Re: Plusnet One router and strange wifi effect

bobpullen — Wed, 22 Dec 2021 12:31:13 GMT

Thanks @neiltownsend - very interesting.

The 2.4GHz and 5GHz radios are operating on completely difference frequencies so one can't in theory have any impact on the other (in terms of radio transmission).

It suggests having both enabled is taxing some other aspect of the hub. It would be useful to check memory consumption during a period of time when this happens. Might be difficult to co-ordinate over the Xmas period but an avenue worth exploring none-the-less when I'm around. If things get flaky again then post here and if I'm around I'll take a look. Important that they are in a 'bad' state when I do though.

Another thing I wonder, is whether or not the 2.4GHz channel assignment is refreshed when the 5GHz is disabled, as that may also explain the behaviour with the kids devices.

Re: Plusnet One router and strange wifi effect

neiltownsend — Wed, 22 Dec 2021 20:06:45 GMT

Currently, things are running on 2.4 only, and I could switch the 5 back on if we could find a way of planning it, which may be hard over Christmas! I quite get that you need to look at the router’s internal situation when it is behaving badly. Your suggestions both have some logic to them and I agree, there is no direct reason why having both on should cause a problem, so presumably some other resource issue (memory, channels) is causing issues.

i now have an even bigger dilemma: a PlusNet hub 2 appeared in the post today. not sure why, but not complaining at all. Thank you to whoever did have something to do with it, whether @bobpullen or another of the hidden heroes who keep PlusNet running.

I will probably turn it on and give it a good run over the next couple of days, but I’m amenable to experiments with the old hub if that helps.