Hub One losing internet connection on 5Ghz WiFi only

[#1]

Thanks you for this advice. Can you tell me why I need this please and were I put these once I have them? I haven't a scooby about computers or tinternet things

[#2]

I will be reporting this to the communication ombudsman as this will be affecting a lot of customers that don't even know what 2.5 and 5GHZ band is. The equipment provided is not for for purpose. Especially when we can use a bt hub and the issue disappears considering BT is your owner why not look at how/why they don't have this issue

[#3]

Hi @Saber3811,

Thanks for getting back to us.

My colleague Gandalf included a link which I have copied in full here: https://community.plus.net/t5/My-Router/Use-a-BT-Hub-2-3-4-or-5-on-a-Plusnet-connection/td-p/1192234 . Assuming your BT Hub is not locked to BT, you should be able to follow the advice for your broadband, this is to ensure you have the relevant password information in your BT Hub to connect and authenticate your Plusnet login to our servers.

Thanks - LF

[#4]

LiveChat

Hi @Jimmypd,

Thanks for getting in touch.

I appreciate your feedback and apologise if this issue is affecting you.

Although this is an issue that is discussed widely on our forum, the vast majority of the routers we send out offer excellent coverage. Our Technical Support team are more than happy to talk through router settings with anyone who wishes to contact us if they have any problem with their broadband. They can be contacted on 0800 432 0200 between 07:30 to 22:00 daily, or via the Live Chat service on our website (subject to agent availability at peak times).

Thanks - LF

[#5]

Thank you for your advice, however I have ring before whilst I have had this issue bit because it clears once the router has reset was told there was nothing wrong and would have to ring back next time it happens. This would not be a problem if you could get straight through to you guys but in the time it takes to speak to someone it resets and is OK again. I agree the routers are not fit for purpose and cannot be guaranteed to provide WiFi all the time.

[#6]

This topic was first opened on the 10th of April 2019, 7 months later and still no fix, maybe plusnet need to recall the dodgy routers and send out something that works

[#7]

Hi @Saber3811,

Apologies for the wait times there. A router reset would normally resolve the issue however I appreciate your feedback about the frustration, it is noted.

Thanks - LF

[#8]

I cannot understand why Plusnet is not just sending out a BT HH6 to everyone who is reporting this problem and rebranding it as the default hub for new customers.  It would surely cost peanuts to do this rather than suffer the increasing bad publicity because of this problem.  I switched to a HH6 (at my own cost of course) months ago and it is a far better bit of kit with much better WiFi coverage and just solves the problem.

[#9]

I'm with Jerry on this one.
Switched to HH6 at my cost and no issues.

I reiterate my point that PN doesn't know the full extent of this issue as in default setting with both bands sync'd the end user wouldn't notice the 5ghz had gone as the end device would just hop back to the 2.4. Only if it was a busy household using high bandwidth would any average user notice performance issues. Especially since upon calling support they only look at speed to router and all other issues MUST BE YOUR END. Even doing a speed test support will tell you to disconnect all other devices, so you won't see the 2.4 is overcrowded.

And if you search the forum there are issues pertaining to this incarnation going back years.

[#10]

And I'm with you and Jerry, Mrg1981, totally.  I gave up on Plusnet addressing the issue with the urgency and application it merits at the beginning of September and bought a new BT Business Hub on Ebay, and haven't looked back since.  Everything just works - as it darned well should!  I agree that the likelihood is that probably everyone with a Hub 1 on the "new" firmware release has this problem, but the majority are unaware of it as they are using 2.4GHz exclusively and don't realise they're missing out on the benefits the 5GHz radio would offer them if it worked.   What I find incredible is Plusnet's insistence that they can't reproduce the problem "in the lab".  This so contradicts all our experiences that it beggars belief, and appears to be downright dishonest.  I hate coming to that conclusion, as I've been a Plusnet customer for 6 years, and while I've had various hassles at times Plusnet have addressed what problems I've had and my experience with them and their service has been basically positive. I can't understand their responses to this issue, and denial of responsibility for it. 

I still have an old Hub 1 piggy-backed onto my BT Business Smart Hub 6 as a range extender, and it gives perfect error-free 5GHz wifi - because it's still running the previous firmware release!

I continue to follow this issue on the forum out of a vicarious interest and sympathy for other victims, and still hoping that Plusnet will admit their mistake and take responsibility for it.  But perhaps the hole they've dug themselves is now too deep to ever climb out of. 😕

[#11]

I've not been back here for a while but have been keeping up-to-date as every time anyone posts I get an email!

I know this won't be a fix for everyone but just to re-iterate what my situation was and how this no longer seems to be a problem for me.

I got Plusnet to send me a new Hub 1 and initially I was getting the same problems as my previous Hub 1.

So after that I set manual channels on both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands and set the DHCP lease to expire after 21 days.  Still using a combined SSID.  I saw a drop in speed after a couple of weeks of no issues and assumed that the firmware was the culprit again.  Turned out that that was my phone's fault.  My Galaxy S10 continually showed a max WiFi speed of around 30Mb instead of the usual 78Mb.  After running speed tests on other devices in the house it looks like my S10 had the problem, not the router.

Ever since I've kept these settings (manual channels on both bands and 21 day DHCP lease expiry time) my router has been OK (no connection issues to any band and more importantly for me, no drop in WiFi speed).  The only difference I can see between my issue and everybody else is that Plusnet sent a new router out.

I'm not saying it will fix the issue but it might be worth asking Plusnet to send a new hub out and see if that's any better.

Annoyingly Plusnet charged me around £8 for postage for the new router and after that red herring with my stupid phone, I have a brand new BT Home Hub 6 sitting there doing nothing!

Hope this helps someone.  I can also appreciate why the technical support team are having trouble replicating the problem as my new router is also on the infamous .263 firmware but it seems to be fine.

[#12]

An update on my position, I had connected a WiFi access point to one of the gigabit ports on the Hub 1 and disabled the Hub 1 WiFi. All seemed good until tonight when I lost all WiFi again, on checking the Hub advanced settings it seemed that the access point had lost its IP address and wasn't connected. Not sure if it is coincidence but it is 21 days since I connected it, my DHCP lease time is currently set for 2 days. I restarted the access point and all the WiFi devices reconnected. Looking back through the router logs I could see the various WiFi devices report a "Device disconnected" status, firstly the AP followed by all others. When I switched off the AP the log shows "Wire lan port 3 down" followed by "Wire lan port up" on switching back on followed by all WiFi devices renewing their leases.

While checking the logs I also noticed quite a number of BLOCKED Remote administration attempts from a variety of IP addresses based in Korea and China. I take it this shows the firewall blocking attempted connections, as pasted below.

22:02:40, 26 Nov. IN: BLOCK [16] Remote administration (TCP [222.140.6.8]:44194-?>[146.200.103.138]:22 on ppp3)

21:58:44, 26 Nov. IN: BLOCK [16] Remote administration (TCP [104.238.214.42]:38530-?>[146.200.103.138]:22 on ppp3)

21:43:17, 26 Nov. IN: BLOCK [16] Remote administration (TCP [216.243.31.2]:39293-?>[146.200.103.138]:443 on ppp3)

21:21:57, 26 Nov. IN: BLOCK [16] Remote administration (TCP [191.193.242.45]:38896-?>[146.200.103.138]:8080 on ppp3)
21:19:11, 26 Nov. IN: BLOCK [16] Remote administration (TCP [185.153.198.211]:56373-?>[146.200.103.138]:443 on ppp3)
21:18:54, 26 Nov. BLOCKED 11 more packets (because of Remote administration)
21:18:53, 26 Nov. IN: BLOCK [16] Remote administration (ICMP type 8 code 0 3.90.248.168-?>146.200.103.138 on ppp3)
21:18:53, 26 Nov. BLOCKED 23 more packets (because of Remote administration)
21:18:52, 26 Nov. IN: BLOCK [16] Remote administration (ICMP type 8 code 0 3.90.248.168-?>146.200.103.138 on ppp3)
21:18:51, 26 Nov. BLOCKED 23 more packets (because of Remote administration)
21:18:51, 26 Nov. IN: BLOCK [16] Remote administration (ICMP type 8 code 0 3.90.248.168-?>146.200.103.138 on ppp3)
21:17:54, 26 Nov. IN: BLOCK [16] Remote administration (TCP [198.108.66.101]:39568-?>[146.200.103.138]:80 on ppp3)

21:07:26, 26 Nov. IN: BLOCK [16] Remote administration (TCP [167.172.246.115]:47879-?>[146.200.103.138]:22 on ppp3)

21:05:18, 26 Nov. IN: BLOCK [16] Remote administration (TCP [188.191.146.118]:57645-?>[146.200.103.138]:22 on ppp3)

20:54:14, 26 Nov. IN: BLOCK [16] Remote administration (TCP [77.159.93.143]:9916-?>[146.200.103.138]:8080 on ppp3)

20:43:04, 26 Nov. IN: BLOCK [16] Remote administration (TCP [87.0.76.202]:14579-?>[146.200.103.138]:8080 on ppp3)
20:39:31, 26 Nov. IN: BLOCK [16] Remote administration (TCP [37.49.230.17]:57107-?>[146.200.103.138]:80 on ppp3)

20:32:28, 26 Nov. IN: BLOCK [16] Remote administration (TCP [207.180.200.99]:54496-?>[146.200.103.138]:80 on ppp3)

20:23:20, 26 Nov. IN: BLOCK [16] Remote administration (TCP [71.6.232.7]:52691-?>[146.200.103.138]:443 on ppp3)

20:04:49, 26 Nov. IN: BLOCK [16] Remote administration (TCP [173.249.2.213]:61000-?>[146.200.103.138]:80 on ppp3)

20:00:49, 26 Nov. IN: BLOCK [16] Remote administration (TCP [179.180.3.254]:65180-?>[146.200.103.138]:8080 on ppp3)
20:00:20, 26 Nov. BLOCKED 1 more packets (because of ICMP replay)
20:00:19, 26 Nov. OUT: BLOCK [7] ICMP replay (ICMP type 3 code 3 192.168.1.94-?>157.240.1.18 on ppp3)

19:59:21, 26 Nov. IN: BLOCK [16] Remote administration (TCP [185.175.93.107]:55675-?>[146.200.103.138]:8080 on ppp3)

[#13]

Hi,

I have experienced the same issue starting from this weekend.

We do get wifi service, unlike others, but it appears that all the devices are connecting via 2.4Ghz.

When I return home my Samsung phone will not 'authenticate' until I tap the plusnet router in my wifi settings and then it connects. My amazon fire tablet is more temperamental and has a stuttering connection.

I assume my router was updated in some way as it has performed faultlessly for just over two years up to now.

I have not tried resetting yet - I suppose I should. Apart from that I don't really think I should have to split the frequencies, or buy another router, when it was previously working perfectly.

Can the router firmware be regressed?  

Regards,

james

[#14]

What is happenening with this situation?

I am still waiting for information?0

[#15]

From what I believe, nothing. They are aware there is a problem. They are aware their routers are not fit for purpose but can't or won't do something about it.