Broadband Internet & ISP Recommendations?

Yeah, that doesn't sound right at all and I totally empathise with your irritation over the speeds you're getting. We've got 1gb coming in soon (we only get 25Mbps at the mo) and I'll be damned if I'd settle for that!

Is it all devices that struggle with speed when 12m away from an AP?

Seems to be most / all devices. Ie the ones I can run speed tests on.

1. Work MacBook
   
2. iPad Pro
   
3. iPhone
   
   

Just tried a speed test in the top of the house (two floors directly on top of the router). There’s a node in this room that the app says has a “great” connection. 7Mbps.

Yeah been with 'em 18 months or so (Renewed to keep it at £28 for 80mb/s). No issues at all, maybe slightly more line drops than previously (Plusnet). Never phoned them, but had to IM Customer Service persons to disable Evangelical Christian type blocks on default setup, done promptly and politely. All good so far.

From memory, I think you can control the filters via their web control panel. Its pretty well hidden though, or at least it was a few years back. Might save you an IM chat in future...

YEah probably, I'd just got home from work after the switchover and my son was moaning about not being able to access some film streaming site. The IM chat was dead easy TBF.

My router has been packed away by the removals dudes. Can I just buy another router of the same type and plug it into the same line and it all work?

Nothing has been changed with the Vodafone account.

I'm on bt buisness broadband right now, apparently its fibre but its absolutely shite and the money im paying is wild with the service im getting too.

Whos everyone recommending rn, we have quite a lot of download and upload so that needs to be taken into account.

Thaks

Might be worth a read of the previous two pages. We've just had this discussion.

Anyone on BT been getting dog slow internet the past few days?

It's been fine for years but I've had my router start flashing randomly for the first time,and speed tests over the past few days have all been around 1 or 2 mb/s. I struggle to even watch YouTube...

It's not something I can really Google for as 'BT Broadband slow West London' brings up the kind of results you'd expect.

downdetector should show if it's just you. Has an outage history bit

https://downdetector.co.uk/

I would suggest not changing until normal daily life is resumed

Not worth the risk at the moment

+1 for Zen. My exp is the same as DanM's. Always up, always someone on the phone who can answer any questions. Once, when BT Openreach screwed up, the Zen tech support guy advised me on the qt how best to get it put right quickly, by passing on the private email of BT's general manager. Openreach oppo was round next day to fix it (and completely unapologetic, I might add).

Another zen +1 here.

Networkers.

I have Virgin fibre coming into the house. It's a mixed bag in terms of speed for value. Sometimes it's dire. When it's good it's better than any other provider I can get until Hyperoptic come down to my neck of the woods.

Virgin have claimed (after MUCH troubleshooting) that any slow speeds are a result of: the devices, or using wifi and the distance from device to wifi router. I've read variously that by using the router that came with from the ISP I may also be hobbling speeds and that buying a third party router could somehow 'unlock' available speed? Is that tinfoil or legit?

Currently I have the Virgin Hub 3 (through the front wall of the house and hidden from toddler hands in a thin wooden cupboard) and some sort of BT PowerLine adapter in the half-converted loft where I'm trying to set up an office. It's OK if I'm in the loft. A bit of a faff connecting between different devices. Speed a mixed bag.

Is an appropriate third party router plus some sort of 'mesh' system (a device in every room for example) my best way of getting the fastest speeds available to me up in the attic / elsewhere in the house without sending cables through the walls/floors/ceilings? Also with the minimum of fuss with connecting to different rooms?

As far as the attic goes, I'm interested in having multiple devices connected to ethernet up there - so presume some kind of PoE box could act as an interface from the attic 'mesh' unit?

So:

Virgin Hub 3 > Third party router > mesh system in every room > PoE sending out ethernet to 4 or 5 devices.

If that sounds a good plan, what's the best router and mesh to look for? It's a Victorian terrace with probably medieval electrics (which I presume may be what's hobbling PowerLine).

Virgin have claimed (after MUCH troubleshooting) that any slow speeds are a result of: the devices, or using wifi and the distance from device to wifi router

Have you tested that by actually plugging things into the router (laptop or whatever) and checking you get full speed?

My powerline adapter certainly didn't get me full speed and my wifi speed is faster at times using ubiquiti equpment (router and wifi access point) than it was using the virgin equipment (and definitely more stable).

Have you tested that by actually plugging things into the router (laptop or whatever) and checking you get full speed?

This is the first thing to do. Connect something directly to the router with an Ethernet cable. Then you know what speed you're getting and can figure out if it's the broadband or the WiFi

I have many times and I don't get the advertised speeds by a mile. Better than the PowerLine I get in the attic but fluctuates. Some days its dismal. (A few mb download instead of 300). Usually I use wi-fi direct from the router in the to next door to it. Same speeds.

Ethernet from the PowerLine is most stable funnily.

I have many times and I don't get the advertised speeds by a mile.

How have Virgin concluded it's the WiFi?
If you do all the testing with a cable directly from router to laptop then (short of a duff network card) you've eliminated every other variable and the only thing left is the broadband itself.
I'd go back to Virgin and argue that point

Once you've got a consistent speed direct from the router then you start introducing powerline or WiFi again.

Because virgin gonna virgin?

We had similar issues in Bromley; advertised as 200Mb, got 20Mb ethernet at the router. They said it was the distance from the street cabinet and over subscription in the area. Nothing they could do.

Now, where we've moved to, i can see the virgin fibre cabinet from my front door and it only serves the 19 houses in our cul-de-sac. I have consistently received 360Mb at the router since March last year.

Makes me want to move to Milton Keynes.

Also, just checked our 30 day usage... 742Gb down, 70Gb up. Oof.

Because virgin gonna virgin?

Yeah, they'll try and come up with the easiest explanation.
But if you run through the diagnostics with just a laptop connected directly to the Virgin Hub and WiFi switched off then they're going to struggle to blame it on either WiFi or 'devices'.

But to answer the other question

I've read variously that by using the router that came with from the ISP I may also be hobbling speeds and that buying a third party router could somehow 'unlock' available speed? Is that tinfoil or legit?

That's legit. Often the kit that comes from your ISP will be a bit crap and you can get better performance with better kit. The Powerline being flaky will almost certainly be a result of aging wiring.

My place was similar victorian terrace and powerline was a bit crap. I managed to run Cat6 under the floorboards when getting some work done so the TV and PCs were cabled with only phones needed WiFi.

The whole home, mesh stuff does seem to be well reviewed though.
Something like this - switching the WiFi from the Virgin hub off and connecting one of the new hubs directly with a cable then having the others on floors 1 and 2?
https://store.google.com/product/nest_wifi

But worth getting Virgin to come up with a better answer than 'WiFi/Devices' so that you're not buying fancy mesh kit to hang off a shit connection.

If Virgin is presented over ethernet like Hyperoptic (don't know if it is or not), you won't even need to use a Virgin modem at all. Just plug Google Wifi in.