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New router but much worse than before

insussex
Grafter
Posts: 51
Thanks: 5
Registered: ‎30-09-2016

New router but much worse than before

HI

 

Well I have stuck with it for a while but have to say the new router setn out to me seems worse than the very old one.

Wi-Fi is very poor compared and we have even had to buy one of those boosters which was never needed before.

Also, my main PC wired direct to the router often has no internet connection.

 

Are there any tips and track to try or is it just a duff one?

 

Many thanks

 

Mike

9 REPLIES 9
Baldrick1
Moderator
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Posts: 11,625
Thanks: 5,166
Fixes: 415
Registered: ‎30-06-2016

Re: New router but much worse than before

@insussex 

I can’t comment on the dropped wired connections, that should not happen, but WiFi wise:

If you have a Hub Zero then the WiFi is just poor by design, see. https://www.expertreviews.co.uk/plusnet/1403635/plusnet-hub-zero-2704n-review

If you have a Hub One then they currently have wireless problems. See the router board.

Solution: Go onto an auction site such as EBay and get a BT Smarthub 6 for very little money. You will find setting instructions here https://community.plus.net/t5/My-Router/Using-the-BT-Smarthub-6-on-a-Plusnet-Account/m-p/1587673#M85...

These work on both ADSL and fibre.

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insussex
Grafter
Posts: 51
Thanks: 5
Registered: ‎30-09-2016

Re: New router but much worse than before

Thanks, problems by design ! that sounds bad.

Thanks for the info I'll look at it.

BD
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Posts: 1,359
Fixes: 86
Registered: ‎24-04-2017

Re: New router but much worse than before

Hi @insussex and welcome to the Community Forums.

Having a check of your connection first of all I can see there looks to be an underlying issue with your connection as a whole as we can see the signal strength set for your line looks to be slightly to low resulting in errors occurring. This could be behind some of the performance issues you've been seeing recently. The good news is it's a fairly straight forwards fix and I've requested the signal strength be upped to where it should be which has taken effect.

If it's a new router then there's certainly steps I'd recommend on how best to optimise the wireless settings to best suit to property which should help improve things for you.

The guide below will show you how to log into the router and change the wireless channel as it's usually another router in the area on the same or similar channel that will be causing issues for both wireless frequencies. Before picking a channel I'd suggest downloading a free app called wifi analyzer which will scan your area for all the routers and show what channels they are on between 1-13. Although the above app isn't essential it helps you pick where your router would be best in terms of channels and saves a lot of time doing it via trial and error.

1) To connect to your Plusnet Hub Zero, you will need to open a browser and go to http://192.168.1.254

If you have any issues doing this via Wireless, we recommend trying to do it via Ethernet cable instead.

2) Once you are connected, you will see the option that says 'Wi-Fi Network' with the name of your network followed by the 'Settings' button.

3) Please select 'Settings' and you will be asked to log in with the 'Router Password'. This password is found on the bottom of the router and is case sensitive. This password can also be found on the plastic card that came with the router.

4) The Channel is the key option that we need to look for, If this is on Auto then we will want to change this to one of the 13 channels listed on the drop down menu. This stage is all down to trial and error to find the best channel for you.

If we are experiencing issues on wireless, then it is recommended to change this to one of the 13 channels listed.

Let us know how it goes.
 

insussex
Grafter
Posts: 51
Thanks: 5
Registered: ‎30-09-2016

Re: New router but much worse than before

Hi Ben and thanks for that.

 

Just did a speed test and it's slightly lower than normal to be honest.

 DOWNLOAD Mbps
15.59
 UPLOAD Mbps
0.79
 
Normally we see 17+ down and 0.98 up.
 
I'll leave it another day and see what happens.
 
OK, yes I can do a site survey and see what other signals are around.
I've left it on auto in the past assuming the router would intelligently select the best free channel.
Did I read somewhere there is really only three choices and all the others are limited?
 
Will give it a go anyway
 
Kind rehards
 
Mike
Gandalf
Community Gaffer
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Registered: ‎21-04-2017

Re: New router but much worse than before

Hi Mike, I've tested your line and the tests are showing your router to be getting a download speed of 20mbps and an upload speed of 1mbps although the setting on the line that Ben adjusted has reverted back to where it was previously by the Dynamic Line Management(DLM) software at the exchange.

Before I make any further changes, how have things been since Friday/over the weekend?

[edit]

There are 13 wireless channels you can choose from but the best ones are generally 1, 6 and 11 as they don't overlap each other as much as the other channels do.

From 31st October 2022, I no longer have a regular presence here as I’ve moved on to a new role.
Anoush Mortazavi
Plusnet
insussex
Grafter
Posts: 51
Thanks: 5
Registered: ‎30-09-2016

Re: New router but much worse than before

Hi, sorry for the delay am on late shifts again.

 

Survey showed channel 6 was optimum.

I discovered that the drop out for the wired computer was due to a defective socket on the router, I'd used the 1st one, since plugging into the 2nd no drop outs.

Wireless is a bit better.

 

Results from the wired connection at 00:36 were 

 PING ms
11
 DOWNLOAD Mbps
17.19
 UPLOAD Mbps
0.85
 
Many thanks
 
Mike
Gandalf
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Registered: ‎21-04-2017

Re: New router but much worse than before

Thanks for getting back to us Mike, no problem.

The speeds you're getting on a wired connection now are about where I'd expect. With regards to the wireless signal, it looks like we sent you a Hub One which has extra wireless capability (two frequencies, 2.4GHz and 5GHz) compared to the router (Hub Zero) we normally send out for a standard broadband service.

These frequencies are by default 'merged' into a single wireless network name for the router to do the work to allocate the devices you connect to it to whichever frequency it feels best.

With this router though, it's sometimes better to split these frequencies apart creating two separate wireless networks you'd be able choose from when connecting your wireless devices up. The 5GHz frequency is generally better the closer you are to the router and isn't affected by interference in the same that the regular 2.4GHz frequency is.

Can you try going through the steps here? Let us know how you get on. Smiley

From 31st October 2022, I no longer have a regular presence here as I’ve moved on to a new role.
Anoush Mortazavi
Plusnet
insussex
Grafter
Posts: 51
Thanks: 5
Registered: ‎30-09-2016

Re: New router but much worse than before

Thanks, I am going to need to think about this as our booster won't then see one of the networks.

I have a few days off and will do some tests then.

 

At the moment things are a little better on wifi.

 

Kind regards

 

Mike

Gandalf
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Re: New router but much worse than before

No problem, you'd likely need to reconnect your booster on to one of the separated wireless networks once you've split them up. No rush though if things are better for you at the moment, let us know how it goes once you've had a chance to do a bit of testing and playing about. Smiley

From 31st October 2022, I no longer have a regular presence here as I’ve moved on to a new role.
Anoush Mortazavi
Plusnet