Wifi connection problems for no apparent reason

[#1]

@flamesong 

Having access to a Hub One would have it's benefits as this allows 'routerestats' to be used. This monitors Hubs One Help page and details how the DSL link is performing. Handy for identifying REIN on the physical connection.

Downside with the Hub One not supporting ICMP for BQM would need a wired (not WiFi) device assigned to the DMZ.

With regards to the powerline adapter, although moving the adapter away from the Hub has its gains, it must be remembered that every powerline in the house (lights, ring mains, cooker) is transporting the powerline RF signal.

The TL-WPA422 are 2.4GHz band device only, I found them to be reliable, for future reference; they only support up to 100Mbps speeds as the LAN port on the is hardware restricted, but with 2.4GHz band is not an issue, you'd only get a max WiFi speed of around 72Mbps, just the wired speed would be restricted.

[#2]

I'm setting off shortly but a quick reply.

It looks like the Powerline kit will not arrive until Monday do I'm not going to mess around with anything until I've tested it.

I may have a Hub One. There was a problem with the Netgear router which is why I don't use it but I can't remember what it was.

When I threw in ADSL, I was thinking only in terms of it being Asymmetric. For whatever reason, the dpecification

20-27Mb estimated download speed

18.2Mb minimum guaranteed speed

2.0Mb estimated upload speed

Yes, there are phone extension sockets.

The desktop is connected via WiFi due to it not being able to connect it via Ethernet.

[#3]

I know the limitations of Powerlines and 2.4GHz but they are academic when my download speed is a fraction of their capacity. I  tried to explain this to the Plusnet customer service person but they kept repeating 'but 5GHz is faster' like Nigel Tufnel.

The data coming down the phone line is limited to a maximum of 28Mbps. Until recently, it only ever reached 24Mbps (the Mac would show ~2MB/s).

[#4]

@flamesong 

"I used a TinySA and found that parts of the house which previously could download (on a Mac Mini) at over 2MB/s had a signal which was barely 5dB above the noise floor so it was unsurprising that there were problems."

So, seemingly, something has recently increased the background noise level.

What has changed in your enviroment recently? New electrical fittings? Any new devices? New LED lights? Anything using a plug in power adaptor? Smart meter installed?

Have you gone round turning off power to devices at the mains to see if any may be causing interference? When replacing the router did you also use the new power adaptor that came with it?

[#5]

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@flamesong wrote:

... the Powerline kit will not arrive until Monday do I'm not going to mess around with anything until I've tested it.

Once you have tested them, consider fitting one of them next to the desktop so that you can connect the desktop with ethernet.

When trying to fix your broadband buffering issues, we will need to reliably test latency on your connection.

Testing latency via WiFi is inconsistent - even if forcing use of 5GHz and standing next to the router.

To test latency properly, ideally you'd connect an ethernet connected PC directly in to a LAN port on the router.

As your desktop is the only ethernet device you have, and is located on the opposite side of the house,

the options (only for testing) are -

1. Buy a cheap and very long CAT5e ethernet cable, and run it across the house between desktop and router.
2. Temporarily move the desktop to the same room as the router and connect a short ethernet cable
3. Leave the desktop upstairs, but connect it via the powerline adaptors to the ethernet port - this isn't great for latency testing but would probably be adequate (and infinitely better than using WiFi).  Also you could leave the powerline adaptor permanently connected there, as the ethernet connection would likely be better than WiFi and the plug itself would provide WiFi to any other devices in that room.

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@flamesong wrote:

Yes, there are phone extension sockets.

That could easily explain why your broadband upload speed is so low, and even more reason to test your router's DSL line stats when connected to the hidden TEST socket behind the master socket faceplate.

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@flamesong wrote:

When I threw in ADSL, I was thinking only in terms of it being Asymmetric.

Fair enough, that is entirely understandable.

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@flamesong wrote:

There was a problem with the Netgear router which is why I don't use it but I can't remember what it was.

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It would be helpful if you could remember what the problem was, as using a Netgear router has a better chance of fixing your broadband connection issue than any of the Plusnet routers, without spending any money on new equipment.