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Hub One 5GHz dropout

EmilyD
Plusnet Help Team
Plusnet Help Team
Posts: 2,032
Thanks: 357
Fixes: 117
Registered: ‎26-03-2018

Re: Hub One 5GHz dropout

Hi @Foxmeak,

 

As the wireless signal can be affected by numerous factors within the local environment that are outside of our control, we're unable to waive the early termination fees if a customer decides to leave due to wireless connection issues.

If this post resolved your issue please click the 'This fixed my problem' button
 Emily D
 Plusnet Help Team
bobpullen
Community Gaffer
Community Gaffer
Posts: 16,869
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Registered: ‎04-04-2007

Re: Hub One 5GHz dropout

These 5GHz issues sound very much like an acknowledged problem we know to be affecting the latest firmware. We know there are folk experiencing problems, however we've struggled to replicate the issue in a lab environment which is really stifling progress. Logs collected from affected customers' devices don't tell us anything we don't already know, and a couple of pre-production firmware modifications haven't had the desired result.

As a temporary measure, disabling the 5GHz radio might make things less of an inconvenience, but I recognise that's not ideal.

By the way, if anybody affected has a MacOS device and fancies jumping through some hoops to try and grab some Wi-Fi traces then I'm all ears Wink

In way of an update, we have some scanning equipment installed in a customer location where we believe this problem is being observed and I'm hoping that provides some decent leads.

If this issue is making you consider leaving for another ISP, then drop me a message in private to discuss. You may be able to help us get to the bottom of things!

Bob Pullen
Plusnet Product Team
If I've been helpful then please give thanks ⤵

Moz
Grafter
Posts: 36
Thanks: 6
Registered: ‎25-04-2016

Re: Hub One 5GHz dropout

@bobpullen @EmilyD @TheMightyAJ Thanks for your intervention Bob, and it's good to read your acknowledgement that there may be an issue with the latest firmware. 

Your suggestion to disable the 5Ghz radio is not very convenient. I principally use 5 Ghz for my Amazon Firestick as I was experiencing buffering when using 2.4 Ghz. My router and Firestick are about 12 feet apart. When I first experienced the 5 Ghz dropout I identified the problem through my mobile phone failing to register at 2.4 Ghz. After a bit of messing about I eventually pressed the reset button on the router only to find the 5Ghz failed again. Powering down and restarting the router gave me a few days of stability. 

I haven't used the Firestick for a while and in the last 2 or 3 days I've been watching a series which I discovered the day before I lost the 5 Ghz to being downloadable in 4K resolution and so I watched that. Whether there is a connection with the intensity of use of the 5 Ghz radio and it's subsequent dropout remains to be seen. My next option is to go through that process again and see if I get a dropout again. 

I'm out of contract, apparently, and I was advised to ring up to restart my contract and obtain a new router. However, I don't believe another Plusnet Hub One is necessarily going to solve the problem. I haven't renewed my contract as I believe I have more options by not doing so. Having said that I'm not planning to leave Plusnet just yet but it will depend on how frustrated I get with this dropout issue. 

I'm quite happy to experiment to try and identify what events cause the 5 Ghz dropout, for a while at least.  

Foxmeak
Newbie
Posts: 3
Thanks: 1
Registered: ‎03-08-2019

Re: Hub One 5GHz dropout


@EmilyD wrote:

Hi @Foxmeak,

 

As the wireless signal can be affected by numerous factors within the local environment that are outside of our control, we're unable to waive the early termination fees if a customer decides to leave due to wireless connection issues.



Yeah, I see what you mean.

However, when the problems aren't caused by "numerous factors within the local environment that are outside of our control", and are caused by dodgy firmware, you're talking a whole different ballgame. In fairness, that's (another) conversation I'd be having with Andy Baker's senior team, and not a forum moderator. 

 

Have a great weekend! Smiley 

Moz
Grafter
Posts: 36
Thanks: 6
Registered: ‎25-04-2016

Re: Hub One 5GHz dropout

After yesterday's router reset, I find that this morning the 5 Ghz radio has stopped functioning again. Looking at the DHCP log a new lease of 24 hrs was granted to my Firestick at 7:26 and then just 36 minutes later it disconnected with the message that the lease had expired. I never used the Firestick since that last router recycle so that rules out any impact due my activity. Not good.  

gibbs2011
Dabbler
Posts: 17
Thanks: 4
Registered: ‎10-09-2019

Re: Hub One 5GHz dropout

Send me what you need and I'll get you logs. On the latest MacOS 

Moz
Grafter
Posts: 36
Thanks: 6
Registered: ‎25-04-2016

Re: Hub One 5GHz dropout

@bobpullen looks like you have a volunteer. 



Moderator's note by Dick (Strat): Full quote of preceding post removed as per Forum rules.

Mrg1981
Grafter
Posts: 39
Thanks: 11
Registered: ‎12-09-2019

Re: Hub One 5GHz dropout

Rather annoyingly this problem reared it's head a month after I renewed my contract! I am seriously considering spending some saving out on a third party router. The WiFi has always been weak and I'm in a flat! 

I have manually set the channel. I split the networks ages ago as the Win10 machines kept swapping between the 2 bands which broke the network stability on those devices. 

My firmware hasn't updated since March so it was fine for months after that update.

I have also tried slowing the 5GHz band down as well. I have Nintendo switch, 2x Google home mini and an Android phone attached to the 5GHz network when it's up. And one of the Google Minis is just the other side of the bed to the router, so it's not a signal strength issue. I have seen that there may be an issue with the Google products. There was an issue with the original chromecast I have where the internal WiFi of that device (for initial setup and google home awaredness) will switch to be the same channel as the network you configure it to (your router network). It seems that the Minis do this as well. I wonder if the Echos that others on this thread do the same.

Willing to do monitoring if required though my iPad1 doesn't have 5GHz, soooo..... 

 

1. Product name: Plusnet Hub

2. Serial number: +081441+NQ81822799

3. Firmware version: Software version 4.7.5.1.83.8.263 Last updated 13/03/19

4. Board version: Plusnet Hub One

5. DSL uptime: 1 days, 22:53:16

6. Data rate: 5542 / 39997

7. Maximum data rate: 5494 / 47873

8. Noise margin: 6.0 / 6.2

9. Line attenuation: 30.5 / 22.9

10. Signal attenuation: 30.1 / 20.4

11. Data sent/received: 417.8 MB / 4.8 GB

12. Broadband username:  

13. 2.4 GHz Wireless network/SSID: MrGwifi

14. 2.4 GHz Wireless connections: Enabled (802.11 b/g/n (up to 144 Mb/s))

15. 2.4 GHz Wireless security: WPA2

16. 2.4 GHz Wireless channel: 10

17. 5 GHz Wireless network/SSID: MrGwifi5G

18. 5 GHz Wireless connections: Enabled (802.11 a/n (up to 217 Mb/s))

19. 5 GHz Wireless security: WPA2

20. 5 GHz Wireless channel: 48

21. Firewall: Default        

24. Software variant: AA

25. Boot loader: 1.0.0

BigGibbo
Newbie
Posts: 1
Thanks: 1
Registered: ‎15-09-2019

Re: Hub One 5GHz dropout

Having upgraded to Software version 4.7.5.1.83.8.263 back on 20/02/19, I've "managed" the repeated dropouts manually through a router restart as we have a mixed estate of 2.4GHz and 5GHz capable devices and I fail to see why the supplied router should effectively downgrade 5GHz-capable devices.

I find it odd that since the firmware was applied (almost nine months ago in my case), this problem hasn't been resolved & is becoming increasingly common and frustrating but customers buying BT SmartHub 6 routers (usually second hand) out of their own pocket seems to be the only real fix when the problem lies within PlusNet's own device and they are a BT-owned company.

Perhaps a more logical & customer-focused approach would be to supply all BT customers with the same SmartHub router?

 

Mrg1981
Grafter
Posts: 39
Thanks: 11
Registered: ‎12-09-2019

Re: Hub One 5GHz dropout

@BigGibbo ever wonder if the BT hub is the next one they will supply (+net branded obviously) and those that have been tempted into getting one are the Beta testers? Only wonder this as no one ever suggests any other hub

Moz
Grafter
Posts: 36
Thanks: 6
Registered: ‎25-04-2016

Re: Hub One 5GHz dropout

On the 7th September at 13:29 I opted to do a reset from the router's GUI rather than physically disconnect the power supply. Well I hope I'm not tempting fate but all has been OK. Also in the intervening period I've taken my Amazon Firestick off a WiFi connection via 5 Ghz and opted for an Ethernet connection instead. So I've been up and running for almost 11 days without any hitch.  

Moz
Grafter
Posts: 36
Thanks: 6
Registered: ‎25-04-2016

Re: Hub One 5GHz dropout

This 5 Ghz issue has not been as big an issue since I started resetting the Hub One from the configuration GUI rather than recycling the Hub One . However, I've now got issues with power line adaptors only registering for a few minutes and then losing connectivity. I thought it was the adaptors that were going faulty and the only way to get them going again was to power down and up again. 

So I've now invested in a new BT Smart Hub (Hub 6) and set that up today. Well the power line adapters now all work correctly. 

It didn't exactly go smoothly installing the Hub 6 but there are a couple of foibles worth mentioning. 

It's important that a Factory Reset is performed before setting this up. So switch it on, with nothing attached, until you get a purple light flashing and using a paper clip to press the reset button just above the power socket until the light turns green (it took me about 30 seconds of holding this down before this happened) In my case not doing this made accessing the configuration pages impossible. Let the router boot through to the flashing purple light once more. I then attached an Ethernet cable to one of the Router ports and to a computer and then easily accessed the configuration pages. Do not connect any broadband cables to the port at this point.

Setting up your broadband user name and password is not very intuitive because after entering the details there's no option to actually save this and you just get a message to say it needs saving. If you move off the page it reverts to the default settings.What I had to do was press the Connect button.Clearly it's not going to connect but it does force a save of the username and password. 

When I did connect the router to the phone line it connected first time, you have to be patient and you will get a few drop outs whilst it downloads the latest firmware. 

If what I've read on here is anything to go by I'm not expecting any further issues with this set up. 

I really feel I shouldn't really have had to be doing this though.