Hub One - 5GHz WiFi issue

[#1]

I am a new customer and believe that I am also having this issue. Would appreciate the firmware update to resolve this problem.

Plusnet Hub One | Software version 4.7.5.1.83.8.263 

1. Brief description of the problem, and how is masquerades itself. What are the symptoms? How frequently does it happen?
   Dropped wifi connection, unable to reconnect despite network being visible, 'authentication error' on phone. Happens every day, multiple times per day.
2. Do the devices having problems appear to be connected or associated with the hub?  Is the hub status indicator normal/blue when the problem occurs?
   Hub status indicator remains normal/blue during the problem. Other devices (connected to 2.4GHz channel) remain working fine, no loss of connection.
3. Do you have the 2.4GHz and 5GHz channels merged (default setting) or split (different wireless network names)? If the networks are named differently, does the problem only affect the 5GHz network?
   Default setting, merged.
4. Once the problem occurs is it persistent?  Do you have any devices wired to the router and does the problem affect them at the same time?
   Persistent, only fixed by restarting router. No devices wired to router.
5. Are you able to reproduce the problem reliably? Do you think you have a way of triggering it? [for example waking a specific device from power save mode]
   No clear trigger.
6. Is the problem always resolved by rebooting the hub?  If so, how long does it take before problems recur?
   Yes, seems to be. Variable but can be as little as an hour before problems recur. Have had to restart router multiple times per day.
7. If specific devices are always impacted when problems occur, please provide details of which devices are impacted and which aren't i.e. manufacturer, model, variant and operating system version.
   Phone (OnePlus 8 running Android 11) seems to be affected the most.
8. Have the devices experiencing problems recently received any patches that might correspond with the time the issue first occurred?
   No.
9. Please provide a description of your home network setup and all devices in use including whether or not you're using any additional switches, Powerline adapters or wireless access points.
   No additional switches/adapters/wireless access points. Current setup is 2.4 GHz: MacBook Pro, Chromecast. 5 GHz: OnePlus6T, Google Nest Mini, Google Nest Hub.

[#2]

Brief description of the problem, and how is masquerades itself. What are the symptoms? How frequently does it happen?

5ghz, although states connected through WiFi doesn’t allow internet or any traffic, it typically does for the first connection and I can’t be sure but feels like a time out disconnect ie - connects fine, leave phone off for 10 go back to it, WiFi says connected but no internet, renew IP no good, WiFi off and back on asks for password which it the. Refuses to accept it to be correct.

Do the devices having problems appear to be connected or associated with the hub? Is the hub status indicator normal/blue when the problem occurs?

Yes, only WiFi on 5ghz no I’ve separated the 2 and rules the 2.4 as good
Hub looks fine, admin page looks fine and device connected so visibility looks good too

Do you have the 2.4GHz and 5GHz channels merged (default setting) or split (different wireless network names)? If the networks are named differently, does the problem only affect the 5GHz network?

I split the 2.4 from the 5 to check the 5 was the problem, it is, I’ve created different ssid and also changed channels to test that but 5ghz still problematic

Once the problem occurs is it persistent? Do you have any devices wired to the router and does the problem affect them at the same time?

All wired devices are unaffected for me

Are you able to reproduce the problem reliably? Do you think you have a way of triggering it? [for example waking a specific device from power save mode]

Yes, I use iPhone and I can recreate it by connecting, then leaving phone for 10 mins then trying to connect, (only now I’m connecting to the 5ghz version, when I had merged it was hit and miss but I think I dropped onto 2.4 which obviously worked as it should.

Is the problem always resolved by rebooting the hub? If so, how long does it take before problems recur?

Yes, always resolved, you can recreate the problem within 10 mins, I’m sure if I stayed connected I could use it for 60 mins and this is why it feels like a timeout /
Reconnect issue

If specific devices are always impacted when problems occur, please provide details of which devices are impacted and which aren't i.e. manufacturer, model, variant and operating system version.

All wifi devices seem to be affected for me, iOS, android, windows

Have the devices experiencing problems recently received any patches that might correspond with the time the issue first occurred?

No, I’m 100% sure this isn’t a device patch issue

Please provide a description of your home network setup and all devices in use including whether or not you're using any additional switches, Powerline adapters or wireless access points.

Simple network, wired devices = sky q main, PS5, wired sky q box, power line main plug.
Wireless - phones (iOS and Android) WiFi extenders (2.4 only) sky q boxes (which actually connect to main sky WiFi not this hub) ring door, windows 10 PCs

[#3]

Hi Bob. That seems to have resolved the issue. Many thanks

[#4]

What’s resolved the problem please rickbeau?

[#5]

My firmware = 4.7.5.1.83.8.263

[#6]

The firmware being pushed out by @bobpullen. Hopefully they can roll it out fully at some stage but for now it seems to be on request.

[#7]

Glad it’s sorted, any chance of the pushed firmware ?

[#8]

Bob you're a star!

I owe you several post lock-down pints. I have waited to give a meaningful response to the pushed update.

Background:

You all know the random grief. I had a specific issue with a Samsung TV that had a new WiFi board and Motherboard under warranty because of....  that failed to rectify the issue. I THOUGHT a small MiiX Lenovo Windows based tablet was triggering the problem.

AFTER THE PUSHED UPDATE FRIDAY:

The router came up in the normal way.  The router shows the new update date correctly for Friday last.

It retained the login signatures and base setup. All devices accessed without problem. Except the Samsung TV. It went in but required a trip around it's internal Aps to "flush" data retained in it's sleep mode buffer. I thought this was a compounding issue with the router problem. Once up and running it was fine and has been so since.

I have tried to break the system to check the robustness of the current setup. There are now three devices on the 5G network. Including the recalcitrant Samsung TV. It has NOT REQUIRED A POWER OFF RESET SINCE!

I have this morning connected the MiiX tablet and checked that it has indeed, ONLY 2.5G WiFi capability. I suspected that this might have confused the router in it's earlier state and triggered the issue?

THE ROUTER WAS UNPERTURBED AND ALL REMAINS UP AND RUNNING.

I would be interest to know what the backroom coders have revised, if only to justify the lost days/weeks of my life!

THANKS BOB.... YOU WIN!

please thank the rest of the team.

[#9]

post script....

the internet speeds reported THROUGH the router are now FASTER and more closely resembled those up to the router into the property! Regularly almost reaching 30Mps

[#10]

Hi @bobpullen 

It's been 3 weeks and I've not had any repeats of this issue, and I have had no need to reboot my router (until the power went out today anyway!) 

Looks like this update has resolved the issue - very happy!

Thanks so much!

[#11]

@bobpullen - thank you so much. Now getting on for 48 hours since the update and absolutely zero problems since.

You're a star. 

[#12]

Well it's been a few days now and absolutely no problems so it seems safe to say that 4.7.5.1.83.8.289 fixes the problems I was having, 2 PCs can now connect seamlessly via 5Ghz (nothing else has the capability) and speed is back to what it was shortly after the line upgrade. Kudos to @bobpullen for rolling this out, though I am annoyed that Plusnet is offerring upgrades knowing that the new router has issues and this may welll cause some not inconsiderable inconvenience to customers.

Nigel W

[#13]

Hi all, I’m new to Plusnet and new to the community so looking for help, all my symptoms point to a new firmware and Bobpullen sounds like he has nailed the updated firmware, my question is how do I ask for the update ? I’ve responded with the 5 questions Bob raised but do I need to request specifically to Bob ? If so, how do I do that ?
Yours confused and thanks in advance

[#14]

As a way of an update @bobpullen   It's been 3 weeks now on the 289 firmware and all devices seem to be behaving themselves, some on 2.4 some on 5ghz. 

I did have one issue after about a week where nothing could connect at all, and I couldn't even reach the admin page of the hub (over wifi or with an ethernet cable) so had to hit the reset switch by hand which rectified the situation.  This hasn't reoccurred since though.

[#15]

I spoke too soon.  Another issue this morning with 5g connected devices, connection not possible.  Power cycled the device to resolve and will monitor.

Having done a quick google, I'm surprised that this issue has been around for > 2 years now https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2019/11/glitchy-5ghz-wifi-hits-users-of-uk-isp-plusnets-hub-on...

Inadvertently, I've been working around the issue for some time as we have a couple of wifi extenders that are only 2.4g compatable that we've generally been connected to.  One of these I purchased specifically because (incorrectly) I thought a new work laptop I got in Sept 19 had a crappy wifi card so I have an ethernet cable from the laptop to it in order to bypass the computer's wifi.  I now realise that the issue was nothing to do with the laptop.

I generally don't mind bearing with plusnet while fixing issues (I've been though the whole openreach engineer visits/multiple calls to support to address bandwidth issues rigmarole a couple of times over the years) but I think 2 years is far too long to knowingly leave customers with this type of issue unsolved.

I've been with PN for > 10 years now but I'm starting to consider my options.