Router - Regular disconnect & reboot then very slow wifi

[#1]

I'm on Unlimited Fibre Broadband using a Plusnet router. I'm supposed to achieve a Minimum Guaranteed Download Speed of 34Mbps.

For well over a week now my router has been regularly disconnecting then rebooting itself following which my wifi is unacceptably slow. This happens during various times of the day and is particularly noticeable during early evening, around 7.00 - 8.00pm. About 20 minutes ago this morning the same happened leaving me with a useless wifi download speed of 9.53Mbps and upload speed of 1.56 Mbps (stats from the independent Speedtest app on my phone). Previous speeds have dropped to 15.8 Mbps, 21.6 Mbps and and now at best they average just 29Mbps. My Minimum Guaranteed Speed is supposed to be 34Mbps but I haven't achieved that for ages.

Nothing at all has changed since I signed up to my new contract - same router, same position, same number of connected devices. I need to achieve my Minimum Guaranteed speed to work from home effectively.

Over the last few days, according to various online reporting sites, Plusnet has been having outage issues and other problems all over the place but Plusnet's own Service Status checker has never confirmed this - it's just continuously been saying all's ok, no problems. 

Now I like think Plusnet's systems are reliable enough to confirm if there are any issues or not. Is this not the case any more? 

Is my problem connected to unresolved issues

[#2]

Stringman,

This seems to be a common fault with PlusNet. I am currently messaging on another forum about about the continual dropping out of my wifi which occurs sometimes during the day but mostly at night when my wife is watching television and I'm on my computer. All systems say everything is fine, green ticks and all.However, my wifi drops out for about a minute meaning that I have to reboot and miss part of a programme I am watching, or back into the internet and restart what I was doing. Although the speed is not affected, it is infuriating as there appears to be no answer to it according to PlusNet. All their helpful and polite CS staff say is have you done this etc.. Well all should be fine now but it's not, as you well know. If I wasn't in a contract I would definitely move because this is annoying.

[#3]

Hello Malc10

For me it hasn't so much been a common fault until recently. I've been with Plusnet for donkeys* years and have generally been satisfied with their service but lately these dropouts and slow speeds are getting really annoying. Interesting that you are getting the dropouts but no speed reductions. I'm getting only a quarter of my Minimum Speed Guarantee so if this issue persists I'll take my business elsewhere as they're in breach of contract. I've raised a ticket so we'll see what happens and I'll report back.

What's the other forum you are messaging on? And how come Plusnet are saying there's no answer to it? That just sounds like a cop-out.

(* I used to post under a different name but could no longer log into the Community with my original info so I've had to re-register, hence my "Newbie" tag).

[#4]

Stringman, hello to you and thanks for your reply.To cut a long story short I got rid of Sky to come to PlusNet as It seemed a better deal, cost wise mainly but also the fact that we didn't watch 85% of their television channels. So I went Freeview and bought a box which enabled me to record programmes if needed. I also purchased a NowTV stick so my wife could watch A couple of Sky channels as well as PlusNet for my broadband (full fibre) and landline telephone service. I must admit I have not noticed a slowing down of any speed just the aggravation of the continuous drop outs.

The other forum is wifi dropout. The answers that crop up on there appear to be a "do it yourself" job which is not very good to me as I am not particularly savvy in this field. One answer was change to a BT Smart Hub. Okay, but at whose expense, it isn't my problem.

Maybe I should raise a ticket, but then I have to get them to try and understand that I am a 69 years young person with arthritis and that they should speak slowly and in plain English so I can understand.

[#5]

@Stringman 

Can we try to understand your problem? When you have an outage are you seeing the lights on your router change? If so then Plusnet should be able to see the drop. What are Plusnet telling you?

Alternatively are you just seeing a drop in your wireless signal? If this is the case then you should try splitting the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands, see https://community.plus.net/t5/My-Router/2-4ghz-and-or-5ghz-best-practice/m-p/1351966#M840 Try each band and use the best.

When doing a speed test you must use a wired Ethernet connection between your router and a computer. Unless you do this it is impossible to tell whether you have a simple wireless problem or whether there is a fault on the Openreach broadband connection.

[#6]

@Malc10 

I'm afraid that this forum is largely supported by fellow customers trying to help so the accent is on helping customers to help themselves. However Plusnet staffers do come along, although they can be a bit thin on the ground. One might come along and help, even splitting the bands for you from their end but if you follow the link above you should find that it's not hard and if you have problems you only have to come and ask.

I must put my hand up as one who promotes the idea of changing to a Smarthub 6. Apart from the fact that they are a superior device and very cheap from auction sites the bottom line is that Plusnet is a budget ISP owned by BT plc and supply a budget modem/router. The BT plc premium ISP is the more expensive BT Retail product, who supply a Smarthub 6. The do it yourself option is to get the higher price ISP's better modem/router and use it on the budget service.

It is always better to start your own topic rather than piggy back on someone eeses. It's quite possible that your problem is different so suggested solutions might not help you.

For the record there are several regular contributors to this forum who I suspect could give you a few years so don't let age hold you back!

[#7]

Hello Baldrick1, appreciate your input.

I thought it might be best to give a little context to my problem as hopefully it'll show how this current issue and situation differs from before.

1. The last time I had reason to speak to Plusnet about my poor wifi speed was in July 2019. It was resolved in September that year. The issue was not my router (the same one I have now) but Plusnet said that my line had been banded. Once they had unbanded my line my wifi speed returned to how it should be and has stayed that way until a few days ago. (And just to clarify, during that issue my router wasn't dropping out as such: there were no light changes etc it was continuously connected but just giving me a consistently slow wifi speed).

2. During that issue I was testing via a wired ethernet connection and uploaded the numerous test readings to Plusnet.

3. My reason for (still) using a speed test app on my phone is merely as a "finger in the wind" indicator of the my wifi speed and because to do an ethernet test requires me to lug all my equipment downstairs. When my wifi speed is up to scratch the app will tell me that I consistently achieve a download speed of 35.5 and an upload speed of around 7.60. Conversely I use it as a rough gauge when I know my wifi isn't as it should be. I don't use the app as an absolute litmus test of my wifi speed or router condition.

4. My present problem differs from that which Ive mentioned in 1. above. This time I'm not always on a consistent connection: I'm getting daily dropouts, (sometimes more than once a day), where the router appears to disconnect, the lights go through their sequential change and the router reboots itself. The current problem is also that when the router does reboot to normal my wifi speed is hopeless. As I type this, my phone app indicates to me that my download speed is a mere 9.57 and my upload speed a useless 1.58. These figures are less than a quarter of what I should be achieving. This has been the case for a week or so. I've only reported it to Plusnet today as other online sites were telling me this week that many others across the UK were also reporting dropouts/slow wifi/ and disconnections so I gave Plusnet the benefit of the doubt (despite their Service Status indicator telling me that all was ok when clearly all was/is not ok). Plusnet have said they'll respond to my ticket within 5 days.

[#8]

Hello again Malc10. I've explained in some more detail my issues to Baldrick1 whose been kind enough to reply and offer some insight. 

I agree with your comment about changing routers. I'm using the original generic supplied router and at no point has it been the cause of any of my issues. My speed and router behaviour has been fine since September last year until very recently.

I think my issue lies either at the street cabinet or further down the line and as such it's Plusnet's responsibility to sort it hence me raising a ticket.

It's too much of a coincidence that when others from all over the country report all sorts of connectivity issues over recent days that these problems arise. For Plusnet not to admit to any problems via their Service Status checker is unacceptable and slightly suspicious. 

[#9]

Hello Stringman, and Baldrick 1. I can understand that this is a user forum more than a PlusNet help platform. But I would expect an IT person from PlusNet to Browse these forums occasionally to get some idea if the issues and problems their paying customers suffer. It’s great that we can bounce ideas off each other and hopefully utilise them for some good, if we can. However, the issue that seems to crop up again and again is WiFi dropping out at irregular times albeit only for a few seconds for no apparent reason. If I were a company interested in my customers I’d be thinking what can I do.  Instead, it appears, it’s down to us to try & sort it. As the “event” is totally irregular and random that makes it difficult.

Baldrick I thank you for your message and response to my plight. I will attempt the things you have suggested to me, and Stringman. Obviously little companies are owned by big ones but I didn’t think that BT owned PlusNet. If I did I probably would have gone elsewhere (long BT story).  My modem is wireless in one room and I use most of my WiFi in another so I cannot see if the modem light changes. I will try and keep you informed as to what happens when I have tried your suggestions and contacted PlusNet customer services again. I don’t see how it can be my fault as I follow all the instructions. Does anyone know if you can get a Plusnet WiFi wireless booster that I could plug in in my lounge room which would help? Thank you.

[#10]

If its a router problem or a line problem, then boosting your wifi won't help.

If its a wifi problem then a wifi booster (of some kind) might possibly help your wifi.

You need to find out exactly what the problem is first, before recklessly spending money.

[VileReynard,]

Thanks for your reply  VileReynard,

I understand that I need to find out where the problem is but that is the hard bit. My modem is in one room and I am in another when it happens, sorry but I can't be in both. I have "chatted" with PlusNet and they say try this etc. which I have with no luck. The online service tester is saying all okay, my phone app Speedcheck comes back as 32.48 Mbps download with 99.6% stability and 6.71Mbps upload 86% stability in front of my modem and computer. In my bedroom it's 32.62 @ 99.6% down and 6.4 @ 80.1% upload> In the lounge, on one side it is 21.9 @ 88.1% and 6.24 @ 75.1% and on the other side by the tele vision it is 27.8 Mbps download @ 955.6% download and 4.2 @ 21.9% upload. Hope this helps someone as I don't. A neighbour of mine reckons it happens to him but he gets error messages whereas I don't. But he only uses a desktop pc and his wife has a simple tablet. My theory is that if other people are having the same problem then it must be with the equipment not the speed. One also assumes that if you get an engineer to visit that he may not find PlusNet at fault.

[#12]

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@Malc10 wrote:

Hope this helps someone as I don't. 

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@Malc10 

??  Don't what?  

Understand?  

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My theory is that if other people are having the same problem then it must be with the equipment not the speed.

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You could be right, or you may be using over-subscribed WiFi channels, be suffering from interference or a number of problems.

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One also assumes that if you get an engineer to visit that he may not find PlusNet at fault.

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I'm not sure if an engineer would have solving WiFi problems in his remit, but if your problems are WiFi as I understand to be what you are saying, then other than supplying faulty equipment, PlusNet cannot be held responsible for something which is entirely out of their control.

Unfortunately not what you want to hear, but that's how it is.

[#13]

@Malc10 

Plusnet will tell you that they only guarantee performance when connected to your Hub using an Ethernet cable. WiFi is so full of vaguries due to local conditions it is impossible for Plusnet or any-one else to give any guarantees with wireless performance.

Having said that we need to be clear the nature of your problem. Earlier this was drop outs, now you seem to be concerned about speed. The one common element with both is whether or not your equipment can cope with having the two wireless bands synchronised. An earlier post points to how you should separate them. Have you done this? If not and you need further help with this then just ask.

[#14]

Baldrick 1,

                It seems I have gone off on a tangent regarding my initial post. To start with my problem is drop out intermittently of my internet signal. When this occurs it is not a major issue for my ipad or phone. However, I have a Now TV usb stick plugged into my television and when it happens we miss a part of the programme due to having to re log into it. Sometimes once, but sometimes more often. I have not checked the synchronisation of my hub but I will attempt this later today. Is it best to set everything at the lower level first? I only have about 6 or 7 items that use the wifi but not all at the same time.

Where I think I caused a diversion was when trying to explain a message I get on my Now TV onscreen settings which says "Signal Strength POOR". I must admit also that it is stick is very slow to load and work. So that, I believe, is where I then got going on speed.

If anyone can assist me in either of these two I would very much appreciate it. Thank you.

My apologises for the confusion.

[#15]

RobPN, Thanks for your post. However, I believe I have confused myself and have tried to explain in a post that I put up just now.