Late evening slow down

[#1]

I have seen similar posts so assume this is a "peak time" problem.

Almost every evening from about 5.30pm until about 11pm I have trouble with both emails and internet, sometimes its very slow but mainly it gives a message saying I've lost my secure connection.

I had similar problems with my previous provider (I voted with my feet and ended up with +net), I had a faulty line near the start of my contract and after 2 visits from open reach (first engineer didn't even inspect the junctionbox) fault was located on outside connection box.

All seemed fine for about a year, about 2 months ago the slowdown started, I can't call customer services as I'm hearing impaired, so used online chat... after being told it may be the router (go and buy a new one) the fault is an openreach problem, and as my line has no green boxes all the way to the exchange (approx 1 mile away), I was told my best option is to leave +net and find a fibre provider in my road.

I have been using comparison tools and found 128 "deals" however only virgin have fibre in my road.

I live in a London postcode less than a mile from my local exchange, too near to get fibre and too many users to get reliable "standard" broadband.

I'm seriously considering ditching my service (phone and broadband) and just using my mobile, as the service is more reliable

[#2]

Hi @LeeBean, thanks for your post.

We're sincerely sorry to hear of your connection issues.

On checking the line, we can't actually see any disconnections at all for at least the last 14 days which would indicate a wireless issue - Can you confirm whether or not the issue is also affecting your wired Ethernet connections?

[#3]

I will try my desktop this evening which is hard wired to the router.

I dismissed a wifi problem because the speeds are always good during the daytime.

[#4]

That's great, thanks @LeeBean.

I'm in the office until 19:00 this evening and will run a few tests after 17:30 to see if we then detect anything.

[#5]

OK, The hard wired PC connected when the wireless one wouldn't, so I installed interference detecting software. (inSSIDer).

It shows that during the daytime most of my neighbors are using  different channels or are too far away to "over-power" my routers (hub zero) signal. However early evening to late night it detects around 15 routers/tv sticks, (mainly virgin) most using alternate channels (1 + 11) However there are two using my channel (6), and one in particular seems to be a stronger signal than I get unless I'm in the same room as the router.

I have moved the router a few feet (as far as leads would reach), and although the signal is slightly better it's not strong enough all the time.

So decision time:   Do I try a newer router (Hub One)?     Easiest option (Hub Zero is only single channel)

                              Do I get longer leads and move the router ?   (3 RJ45 leads, RJ11 and power lead)

                              Do I use the router as a modem and invest in a MESH network ? ( £250.00 )

I think I already know the answer, but as most of my stuff is hardwired, do I really want to spend loads just to use one laptop and a smart phone.

Anyone know how I can get a Hub One to try ?

[#6]

Hi @LeeBean,

Thanks for coming back to us.

I can see you have a few questions there but I'm glad you've found the cause of the issue.

I'm sure you'll make the right decision for your circumstances however if you decide you need a new Hub One feel free to contact us on 0800 013 2632 between the following hours:

Monday - Friday: 08:00 - 20:00
Saturday: 09:00 - 19:00
Sunday: 09:00 - 18:00

There's many similar routers available online too so you may save some money there. One thing you could also consider is a powerline Wi-Fi extender set that plugs into your mains socket near your router and then to a part of your property that you're finding suffers from a low Wi-Fi signal, this may be of help if you were considering moving your router anyway.

If you need any further assistance, do come back to us.

Thanks - LF.

[#7]

@LeeBean 

If you have a Hub Zero then that says it all. For an independent review see here: https://www.expertreviews.co.uk/plusnet/1403635/plusnet-hub-zero-2704n-review

Note especially this paragraph: 

The router's 2.4GHz performance was lacklustre at best. With our test laptop’s built-in 802.11n wireless adaptor we saw speeds of just 3.9Mbit/s at 10m, dropping to a positively crawling 2Mbit/s at 25m. These are some of the worst speeds we’ve seen from any router.

My advice is to go onto Ebay or other similar site and buy a BT Smarthub 6. They go for around £20 or less. They work on both ADSL and fibre. Setting instructions are here: https://community.plus.net/t5/My-Router/Using-the-BT-Smarthub-6-on-a-Plusnet-Account/m-p/1587673#M85...

[#8]

Thanks for all the advice, I have ordered a very long lead so I can try the router in a few locations (away from obstacles and higher up).

Depending on signal readings (using inSSIDer) I will rerun all my network cables to the new location, and possibly get a new dual band router.

Its been an eye opener seeing how many wifi signals I can detect (15+ routers) considering I live in a semi with quite a gap between houses... can't imagine the problems I would get in a block of flats 🐵

[#9]

Thanks for the update, Lee - you're absolutely right that it can be surprising as to how many wifi signals travel to within the radius of your premises.

Let us know how you get on with the ethernet cable.

Best wishes

Dave

[#10 · Accepted solution]

OK everthing seems to be running smoothly now 🐵

Here's what I ended up doing:

Relocated router, (moved it about 15ft towards center of the house and raised it 6ft up from the floor).

Connected router to main phone socket with a new/longer ADSL2+ cable (Kenable 10mtr, less than £2).

Routed all ethernet cables to new location, which made the cable runs shorter and neater.

Replaced plusnet zero router with a BT HUB6 (business) router ( brand new £18 inc delivery off ebay), set up as described on here.

Used inSSIDer (free version) to choose the best channels, separated channels (you have to if you want to pick your own channels) can always link channels if required afterwards.

Plusnet guys tweaked my SNR (remotely apparently).

Previous readings:    wired D/L 16.9   U/L 0.67  Ping 4181          wifi (2.4GHz) D/L 1.28  U/L 0.14  ping 40632

New readings            wired D/L 16.43  U/L 0.76  Ping 34             wifi (2.4GHz) D/L 16.7  U/L 0.76  ping 33

                                                              No results for 5GHz yet as laptop had old type wifi network card.

Thanks for all the help and advice, not had any connection problems so far (fingers crossed) 

[#11]

Cheers for getting back to us @LeeBean 

I'm glad to see you've managed to sort this out and got everything working smoothly now. 

Hopefully things stay like that but if you need any further assistance please do feel free to let us know.