Issues with buffering/lag

[#1]

I’ve done the quiet line test, and can’t hear anything other than “quiet line test” at regular intervals. However, I am hearing impaired so anything slight I could have missed. I am sure the line isn’t horrendous though. If there is anything there it’s very slight. I’ve asked a family member to listen as well and they said they couldn’t hear anything other than the recorded message. 

[#2]

OK. In that case, report a broadband fault via: https://www.plus.net/help/report-a-problem/ and let  us know the result.

[#3]

@GlitterChick 

Back to first principles, are you having speed/buffering problems when directly connected via an Ethernet cable? If not, you don't have a network issue, it's purely with your WiFi.

If it's WiFi then the first thing to look at is wireless channel congestion caused by other routers in your vicinity and other EMI emitting devices in your property. A starting point is to download a free WiFi sniffer app to an Android phone, such as WiFi Analyzer. This will allow you to at least check for competing transmissions. Check at both the hub location and where you use your devices.

[#4]

@Baldrick1 I suspect @GlitterChick is like me - an Apple user.

[#5]

We are fully Apple devices with no access to anything running Android (bar maybe the TV). We also don’t have anything with a working Ethernet port to test that way. I don’t think there’s a way to check for channel congestion on iOS.

[#6]

I don’t think there’s a way to check for channel congestion on iOS.

Neither  do I - but lets solve the obvious connection problem first.

[#7]

I’ve just found this & followed the iOS instructions. I already had the app but didn’t know it was possible to enable WiFi scan. 

https://www.howtogeek.com/197268/how-to-find-the-best-wi-fi-channel-for-your-router-on-any-operating...

From that I get the following results…

I think I need to pick channels manually as the automatic ones are picking ones used by our neighbours too (6 and 48).

[#8]

Yep - 2 and 52 look the best.

[#9]

Not 4 and 44? There’s nothing on those. 

[#10]

Absolutely not on channel 2 or 9 - at best it is anti social and will degrade the WiFi experience for everyone. WiFi has a +/-3 channel spread, thus for 2.4Ghz the preferred channels are 1, 6 and 11. Co-channel use is far preferred to overlapping channel use.

I would need to check the specifics but high channel numbers for 5Ghz can encounter issues with RADAR.

[#11]

You could use them and see if there is any improvement, but on 2.4GHz, the only true non-overlapping channels are 1, 6 and 11.

Try them and see, but quite honestly, until you get a response on the Openreach network issue you have, a lot of this is - IMO - rather pointless.

[#12]

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@Townman wrote:


I would need to check the specifics but high channel numbers for 5Ghz can encounter issues with RADAR.

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They do - and some routers will not attempt them. I don't think my Fritz!box does, for instance.

[#13]

I’ve changed the 5ghz to channel 44 and have been able to connect my iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 8 to it. That’s progress at least. Whether a different channel would be better is another question. I did get the alert about not manually picking 52 or above.

[#14]

Getting better, @GlitterChick 😀

[#15]

5 GHz bands - see A quick guide to 5GHz in the UK - Part 2