Jump to content

Boosting Wi-fi


Konrad von Carstein

Recommended Posts

Konrad von Carstein

We have a Virgin Media hub and two plug in signal boosters, utter shit! We have dead spots all over the house.

 

Any recommendations for something to replace all of their kit as I've heard (from a VM technician) that their equipment is pish.

 

Had a quick Google but am completely bamboozled now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mesh Wi-Fi is what you need. Various brands available, I’ve used BT whole home and Eero from Amazon with both working great. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

mrmarkus1981_1

As above, mesh system. I got these when they were double this price. Excellent coverage

 

Tenda Nova MW6-3 Whole Home Mesh Wi-Fi System, 6000sq² Wi-Fi Coverage, Two Gigabit Ports, APP Control, Easy Set Up, Work with Amazon Alexa, Router and Wi-Fi Booster Replacement, Pack of 3 White https://amzn.eu/d/1H5voFG

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Konrad von Carstein
1 hour ago, mrmarkus1981_1 said:

As above, mesh system. I got these when they were double this price. Excellent coverage

 

Tenda Nova MW6-3 Whole Home Mesh Wi-Fi System, 6000sq² Wi-Fi Coverage, Two Gigabit Ports, APP Control, Easy Set Up, Work with Amazon Alexa, Router and Wi-Fi Booster Replacement, Pack of 3 White https://amzn.eu/d/1H5voFG

 

 

 

Morning, sorry for the following probably dim question , do these things complement or replace the VM hub? :)

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Konrad von Carstein said:

Morning, sorry for the following probably dim question , do these things complement or replace the VM hub? :)

 

You would still need your VM hub, the new kit would be used to supply wifi.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Byyy The Light

Just be careful if you don't know what you are doing.  I regard myself as competent with tech stuff and computers but it was all a step too far for me.

 

I got an Asus router, an Asus mesh system and I found the set up (putting hub into modem mode, sequence of turning it on etc all a complete faff.  I got better coverage but it completely throttled my speeds so I had obviously not done it right.  The app had options to prioritise devices, types of streaming etc and it was all too complicated.  Tried forums for help and everyone was banging on about Ghz, channels, guest networks and all sorts of nonsense.   I just wanted the WiFi to work all over the house at the speeds I was paying for! 😄

 

Complete pain in the arse.  A couple of weeks ago I got the Virgin Volt thing and put everything back to how it was.  Much faster speeds.

 

Not rubbishing these systems, they obviously work but if you are not sure what you are doing then I'd get someone who does to come in and set it all up for you.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some years ago I changed from a cable running from the wifi hub through to my dining room to a Devolo wi fi extender . One end plugs into an electrical socket beside the hub and is conected by a cable, and another plugs into an electrical socket anywhere else in the house and the signal travels through the wiring system. Probably old tech now but it's worked for me for years and continues to do so.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Byyy The Light said:

Just be careful if you don't know what you are doing.  I regard myself as competent with tech stuff and computers but it was all a step too far for me.

 

I got an Asus router, an Asus mesh system and I found the set up (putting hub into modem mode, sequence of turning it on etc all a complete faff.  I got better coverage but it completely throttled my speeds so I had obviously not done it right.  The app had options to prioritise devices, types of streaming etc and it was all too complicated.  Tried forums for help and everyone was banging on about Ghz, channels, guest networks and all sorts of nonsense.   I just wanted the WiFi to work all over the house at the speeds I was paying for! 😄

 

Complete pain in the arse.  A couple of weeks ago I got the Virgin Volt thing and put everything back to how it was.  Much faster speeds.

 

Not rubbishing these systems, they obviously work but if you are not sure what you are doing then I'd get someone who does to come in and set it all up for you.

 

 

Simple works for me to be honest. I had to disable to mesh system built into sky q as it was pissing me off. 

 

A few powerline adapters do the job fine for me now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

35 minutes ago, Taffin said:

Step 1 - leave VM 

Step 2 - join another provider

Step 3 - relax 👍

 

 

 

Some of us are stuck with Virgin. £130 a month and the Internet is always going down.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Konrad von Carstein
1 hour ago, Taffin said:

Step 1 - leave VM 

Step 2 - join another provider

Step 3 - relax 👍

 

I know I'm tempting fate here, but I've not had any real trouble with VM and when I have they've been very reactive.

 

Still dumped the TV package for IPTV though :)

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Konrad von Carstein
1 hour ago, Konrad von Carstein said:

I know I'm tempting fate here, but I've not had any real trouble with VM and when I have they've been very reactive.

 

Still dumped the TV package for IPTV though :)

 

Should've caveated this about the dead spots, but it is a Victorian house. 

Where there is a signal it's great.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Watt-Zeefuik

The most straightforward way to do this is always to run cable and install a wifi access point close to your dead spots, but the cabling may be too hard to do.

 

In that case, you might want a wifi repeater, although that can be a bit of a brain teaser to keep your network IDs straight.

 

Mesh systems are simpler to set up but more expensive. Google will sell you their Mesh system which will work but will also get you deeper in bed with Google, which can feel like a Faustian bargain these days. Linksys also has a mesh system which will do the same thing as Google but not quite as slickly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Konrad von Carstein
15 minutes ago, jonesy said:

Take pleasure in the places where you don't get signal. 

 

Read a book. Admire some artwork. Listen to music. Tell stories. All uninterrupted by the constant need to be connected to the information superhighway.

Trying to watch a film in the back room at the moment **** painful.

 

I read, a lot and listen to music too,me and Mrs KvC are always blethering pish to each other.

 

:)

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Konrad von Carstein
4 hours ago, Konrad von Carstein said:

I know I'm tempting fate here, but I've not had any real trouble with VM and when I have they've been very reactive.

 

Still dumped the TV package for IPTV though :)

 

Should have kept my thoughts to myself WiFi has been in and out all evening :vrface:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Konrad von Carstein
Just now, jonesy said:

Sorry, wasn't trying to be judgemental. Just quite happy when I find times in the day when I'm not connected to anything other than what's around me and think the world would be a better place if more people did the same. Some days, walking to and from work, I count the number of people who are either a) staring at their phones or b) have earphones in v c) those who don't appear to be connected to anything. the a)s and b)s always vastly outnumber the c)s. Even on the school run.

 

Even tonight, looking out the kitchen window at the beautiful sunset, the wife says she wished she had a better camera (she has a bloody year or so old iPhone, FFS) to capture it. 

 

Can you not download stuff to watch or listen to in the dead spots?

 

We did buy a wifi booster thing during Covid to help the signal when we were both online for work, but it honestly didn't help very much, so before parting with any cash make sure you can get a refund if it doesn't make things any better.

Hey man, wouldn't take your posts as that, sometimes annoying though :lol:

 

We have a dug and two cats that keep us on our toes so to speak, we generally sit down at around half nine to watch a film or the news...not tonight though :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, jonesy said:

Sorry, wasn't trying to be judgemental. Just quite happy when I find times in the day when I'm not connected to anything other than what's around me and think the world would be a better place if more people did the same. Some days, walking to and from work, I count the number of people who are either a) staring at their phones or b) have earphones in v c) those who don't appear to be connected to anything. the a)s and b)s always vastly outnumber the c)s. Even on the school run.

 

Even tonight, looking out the kitchen window at the beautiful sunset, the wife says she wished she had a better camera (she has a bloody year or so old iPhone, FFS) to capture it. 

 

Can you not download stuff to watch or listen to in the dead spots?

 

We did buy a wifi booster thing during Covid to help the signal when we were both online for work, but it honestly didn't help very much, so before parting with any cash make sure you can get a refund if it doesn't make things any better.

It's useless by it's very definition. You're basically reproducing an already weakened signal from a central point and sending out an even weaker one from that point. Powerline adapters make much more sense.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, hughesie27 said:

Spend £100 on a decent mesh system like Deco.


Yep, As been said mesh system is the only way to go. Powerline, Wi-Fi extenders or repeaters are a waste of money. A mesh system will create a single Wi-Fi connection covering your whole house & garden if required and are ridiculously easy to set up. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 minutes ago, Konrad von Carstein said:

 Bought this today, will report back...

Screenshot_2022-06-24-16-22-17-586_com.android.chrome.jpg


Got them sitting in garage doing nowt you could have tested to see how they perform. Worked great for me. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Konrad von Carstein
1 hour ago, Dazo said:


Got them sitting in garage doing nowt you could have tested to see how they perform. Worked great for me. 

:wow:

 

Guy in Currys was (or seemed) pretty knowledgeable, and said that they use them in the shop etc he also has them at home.

Edited by Konrad von Carstein
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Dazo said:


Yep, As been said mesh system is the only way to go. Powerline, Wi-Fi extenders or repeaters are a waste of money. A mesh system will create a single Wi-Fi connection covering your whole house & garden if required and are ridiculously easy to set up. 

😂 They really aren't

Edited by IronJambo
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Few years ago I just bought this little booster thing for about £20. Lived in a flat at the time which was in a sort of L-shape and had a long corridor with the router in it near the front door. My room was round the corner at the far end of the flat. Just plugged this little thing in a socket pretty much in the middle and it worked a treat.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, IronJambo said:

😂 They really aren't


If you’ve got kids who want to stream in hd and game online then yes they are. 😀

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Also, for online gaming Virgin Hub 4 can be atrocious.  That’s using Ethernet aswell, which is meant to be more robust and reliable. 
 

I’ve went through months of trawling the net for remedies, solutions etc..too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, SupaJT said:

For those using powerline setups - do you have multiple networks you need to switch between? 

Did when I first set it up but changed them use the one SSID about 18 months ago and works without an issue.

 

Have 3 old home hubs configured two in the house and one in the shed to cover the garden.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Dazo said:


If you’ve got kids who want to stream in hd and game online then yes they are. 😀

I've a 650mbps connection from my router and several devices feeding from it. Streaming UHD on 2 tv's and the Mrs using teams at the same time isn't an issue whilst using powerline adapters. The wi-fi is shite in a couple of rooms but this gets around it easily. We easily get 150mbps+ from each adaptor. I'm sure that's enough for most gaming but I can't say I've experience of it.

What you might be overlooking is that many devices are limited by the capabilities of their own ethernet port. A USB ethernet adapter can often get around this. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...