topic Re: Technophobe needs help in Broadband & Landline

Technophobe needs help

dave891 — Thu, 21 Nov 2024 15:03:27 GMT

Any suggestions welcome! I have recently moved home and had to change internet provider. After the usual sales spiel we went with BT who outsourced us to EE that required work from openreach. Long story short after over 2 months with nothing we now have full fibre broadband. Our experience so far as been hugely disappointing. We were on copper broadband before with a BT Wholehome mesh discs and had more stable internet. I don't think we are heavy users i.e. surf the internet and use a sonos system but have the usual multiple devices connected wirelessly to the internet i.e. tv's/ipads/iphones/sonos. I have managed to connect my BT Wholehome discs and have several devices connected to this, but my sonos system has defaulted to the ee router wi-fi and created a sonos mesh (if that makes sense). The sonos ceiling speakers in our kitchen has regular drop offs as does the ee wireless mini tv hub and our tv's regularly pixulate. An engineer said our house is big (approximately 2900 sqft) and may benefit from extenders? I see from other forums there are compatibility issues with the BT Wholehome disc system. Should i bin these and get some extenders or boosters? I just want a reliable wi-fi connection around my home? Any recommendations/help would be gratefully received my wife is at her wits end trying to speak to EE and get any help. Am i expecting to much from their basic full fibre package its just when we told the salesperson our usage was general surfing and there are only 2 of us they said the package would be more than adequate?

Re: Technophobe needs help

JimM11 — Thu, 21 Nov 2024 16:26:55 GMT

@dave891 There have been a few posting's about the wholehome wireless wifi disks acting out with the EE Smarthub+ but as i dont use any EE mesh cannot really comment, have linked the previous post if you wish to contact the OP to see if/what his thoughts are now.

(1) Broadband constantly dropping - Page 2 - The EE Community

Re: Technophobe needs help

JimM11 — Thu, 21 Nov 2024 16:34:20 GMT

@dave891 The installation of FF to the premises and the placement of the ONT unit, with subsequent that's were the ONT is, and here is where you need to put the router, because it has a short cable, is/can be all wrong....

The MOST important position is were the router is placed!

Re: Technophobe needs help

JimM11 — Thu, 21 Nov 2024 17:07:36 GMT

@dave891 If you would say, where have you placed the First and Main router of the BT Wholehome smart wifi, if as per the norm with it then it will be sitting next to the EE Router and connected by the Ethernet cable to EE Router, if this is so, then you would be better to have the wireless signal of the EE disabled for both bands and let the wholehome system take care of the wireless wifi around your property, the only slight down to this is that the older tech is wifi 5, and will be good to about 500mb/s as the rough max speed on a capable wireless device. Your description does sound like you have 2 separate ssid, may not be the case but you have not posted otherwise that i can work out from your posting.

Re: Technophobe needs help

dave891 — Thu, 21 Nov 2024 17:36:12 GMT

hi jim, you are correct the first bt wholehome wi fi is connected by an ethernet into the ee router. We then have 3 more placed around the property. I'm afraud you lost me when you mentioned "disabling the EE wireless signal" and "seperate ssid". Can you tell me how to do this so i can try it and see if it makes any difference? As i mentioned we are pretty technically inept and EE dont seem to want to help

Re: Technophobe needs help

JimM11 — Thu, 21 Nov 2024 17:54:50 GMT

@dave891 On a mobile device, can you see SSID, that is what the name of the wifi is at the property, EE is normally like EE-123456 etc, and then possible something different for your wholehome, do not want to turn off one and then you cannot get back on the other.

So if you see multiples, then http://192.168.1.254 gets to the EE hub manager, you need the card slot from the back of the router for the admin password, go to advanced settings, then to wireless you will be asked to enter the admin password, do so, then on the wireless when it opens turn off both the 2.4Ghz an 5Ghz switches. finally hit SAVE to apply those, and your EE-123456 will disappear and you are now on the wholehome wifi, you will have to reconnect the devices that were connected to the EE router. If it does not make sense stop and ask questions. Also lot easier to do with a laptop / pc etc, but you can via mobile, just not a huge mobile fan...

Re: Technophobe needs help

dave891 — Fri, 22 Nov 2024 17:34:40 GMT

Hi jim, thanks again for your help. I cant disable the EE because apparently i need to connect certain devices via by ee internet because specifically the mini wireless tv hub that EE provided isn't compatible with the BT Wholehome system. I looked at the EE package im on and its supposed to give me 150mbps download speed. when we bought this package i was told that provided we weren't big online gamers or using sophisticated video software this would be fine for us and we don't. i have tested this and generally i am getting this all over the house, yet certain devices are still showing a poor connection or in the case of my sonos dropping off. I'm wondering whether its the number of devices i have connected is the problem. So whilst there is only 2 of us in the house and generally we surf the internet and watch tv's we do have multiple devices connected to the internet (ring doorbell / multiple sonos speakers & amps/ 3 televisions / 2 ipads / 2 mobile phones and Hive heating system). In your opinion does this sound a lot of devices for the internet speed (obviously we don't use them all at once) and would having a faster internet speed or possibly an EE compatible extender be required?

Re: Technophobe needs help

JimM11 — Fri, 22 Nov 2024 17:53:46 GMT

@dave891 Is the mini TV system only able to connect wirelessly do not use so not know how they connect, when you look at the network do you have Two (2) wireless networks, one for the EE and one for the Wholehome?

You DO not have a lot of devices, my current count shown is 34, but i am shared across various router's and mesh little like you have,

When you setup the wholehome? did you give it a name and password that are different to the EE router name, the object is to have the same name for all, so no matter where you go in the home, if you connect to a disk, it bounces as it needs direct or disk to disk eventually ending at the one next to the EE router, shoves the signal down the cable connection and out from there to the internet.

If you have TWO separate names then it cannot work this way, EE connected devices can only connect to the EE router, and the further away you get the more chance of dropping the wireless signal. Will watch for your reply.

Re: Technophobe needs help

JimM11 — Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:04:57 GMT

@dave891 Quick look at the mini TV box, it has an Ethernet Cable connection, so no idea where you are using it, but is it possibly say to connect it to the back of the mini, and to a Wholehome disk if you have it remote from the router? You may have to go edit setting in the mini to say use wired connection.

Re: Technophobe needs help

JimM11 — Sat, 23 Nov 2024 08:38:54 GMT

@dave891 You posted "Hi jim, thanks again for your help. I cant disable the EE because apparently i need to connect certain devices via by ee internet because specifically the mini wireless tv hub that EE provided isn't compatible with the BT Wholehome system."

TV streaming etc, manufacturer's do try to block and optimise but i cannot find one reference to above where they do not play nicely with each other, so can you please point out where you have seen it, Jim.

Re: Technophobe needs help

dave891 — Sat, 23 Nov 2024 09:22:33 GMT

We have been told directly by EE over the phone and an EE engineer who came out after we complained that our mini wireless tv kept disconnecting, that the problem is that it is to far from the main router. Yet we have run a speed test in the kitchen where the mini tv box is connected wirelessly to the main router and we are getting speeds of 140-150mbps so I don’t understand why the connection would be poor.

After being talked through a “power cycle” by EE the tv issues have settled (pixelating has stopped and connection to mini box doesn’t appear to be dropping off). We have 2 main niggling issues left:

1. Our Sonos system which includes (beam and surround speakers wired to the main router/ then numerous other Sonos speakers connected wirelessly including ceiling speakers connected) these appear to have connected to channel 11 on the router. Most of the speakers all work no problem except the ceiling speakers which constantly drop off.

2. Then suddenly yesterday our “hive heating receiver” started showing a poor connection and going off line. The hive is connected to the main router via an Ethernet, the receiver is in the kitchen next to the boiler and the thermostat is located halfway between the two. The only thing we changed was added a couple of devices from our BT Wholehome Internet address to the EE Internet address. We’ve since changed these back but still get the intermittent poor connection message on our hive.

I’m happy to be pay extra for faster internet speed and an extender if I new this was the issue but I’ve been round the house and checked the speeds and are getting 140-150mbps. I’ve looked at the EE router hub and advanced settings but am nervous about changing these but imagine that someone who knows what they are doing could configure these to enable a consistent internet connection. No one from EE has ever mentioned changing these settings neither did the engineer when he came out.

Re: Technophobe needs help

JimM11 — Sat, 23 Nov 2024 09:58:19 GMT

@dave891 But is it connected to the main router or too the wholehome wifi that you set up, easy check, turn the wholehome off. If it stops working then that is how it is going. Your speed test is the same, furthest point away from the router, if you are getting the 150 good, switch off the wholehome, see what you get!

Advanced setting wise, things to look at, WPA would do WPA2 - Personal, 2.4ghz if auto, select either Channel 1,6 or 11.

The 2.4ghz is not as strong signal wise as i have seen on better router's 5Ghz you cannot do nothing with.

If you are an Android user, would download the Netspot app, it is free do NOT pay for anything though it tries hard to get you to do so, and it is excellent at showing how good the signal is, you just have to wait for the updates as it checks where you are, so have to be a little patient, low numbers are good, once you get up in the high 60's you are heading for slowdown.

The jury is out at present on how good the EE Smart wireless extenders are at present, DO not use EE in any format have Asus AI mesh, works well but can be little tricky for setup as did not do well out off the box, just did not want to take the router name, so had to jump in and set name/password to match for the seamless roaming, zero issues after that. Hive is a pain did it at the son's home, found best was ethernet connect the unit, move it as far away from the router as possible cable length wise, and it was happy and liked that position, remote thermo they just put it anywhere most of the time is go find, and boiler i would say is 20' away through 2 walls but seems not a problem to the remote control side.

Re: Technophobe needs help

JimM11 — Sat, 23 Nov 2024 10:16:38 GMT

@dave891 If you would like me to send you a PM, can do but you have it set off on your side. Or you can send one to me if that is better for you.

Re: Technophobe needs help

dave891 — Sat, 23 Nov 2024 12:09:07 GMT

If I new how to I would. I’ve looked in settings but can’t see anything it. It talks about finding the envelope can’t see that anywhere.

Re: Technophobe needs help

JimM11 — Sat, 23 Nov 2024 12:13:17 GMT

@dave891 You need to go top right hand side of your screen click on it drop appears My settings : Preferences then option for private messages.

Re: Technophobe needs help

dave891 — Sat, 23 Nov 2024 12:21:54 GMT

Re: Technophobe needs help

dave891 — Sat, 23 Nov 2024 12:22:33 GMT

Can’t see anything that says private messaging just privacy under preferences

Re: Technophobe needs help

JimM11 — Sat, 23 Nov 2024 12:29:12 GMT

@dave891 It's one more further right of the privacy if you are not seeing it all maybe your browser does not allow

Re: Technophobe needs help

XRaySpeX — Sat, 23 Nov 2024 12:36:52 GMT

@JimM11 It's not under Settings or Preferences. That's just for setting some Settings for it.

@dave891 : Just go to Private Messages - The EE Community

It's also under the envelope @ top R or if you can't see that Profile > My Messages.

Re: Technophobe needs help

JimM11 — Sat, 23 Nov 2024 12:31:20 GMT

@XRaySpeX Thanks👍