topic Re: Frequent loss of WiFi signal strength in Broadband & Landline

Frequent loss of WiFi signal strength

PhilipD — Sat, 30 May 2026 20:43:59 GMT

Ever since I renewed my broadband contract and upgraded to a higher speed, I am frequently, every day or two and sometimes more than once a day, having to restart my EE Smart Hub 6 Plus as it loses WiFi signal strength and my devices further away from the hub drop out.

I have tried buying and installing a Smart WiFi SW30A WiFi Extender but although it improved the signal strength at the distant devices while the hub was working properly, it did not cure the problem when the hub goes wrong. The distant devices still drop out and when checked on the EE App, the WiFi Extender appears to be disconnected with a prompt to "Setup WiFi Extender 6 Plus".

The problem can only be fixed by restarting the hub, either by powering it off then back on again, or by restarting it via the EE App on my iPhone. However, when restarting it via the EE App, although the hub does restart and work normally again, the restart progress indication on the App gets to 95% or 96% completed then sticks there. I have to manually close the restart indicator to get back to the App.

What can be done to fix this hub WiFi signal strength problem?

Re: Frequent loss of WiFi signal strength

JimM11 — Sun, 31 May 2026 07:15:32 GMT

@PhilipD Just in case, there are a couple off post's with customers having issues, this may or may not be down to a FW Firmware update that was pushed to that particular hub, week ago now, so see the version info below. What package speed increase did you get from EE and do you know that it was applied correctly, App if working gives you the dual speed information Hub/Device but really should not be causing you drop off distance issues... It's hard to measure the signal strength requires a wifi analyser app, not sure if you can get IOS one but there may be something you have on the phone that can indicate, lower the -db number the better. You used to be able to see with the web manager interface not sure if you still can, if so advanced wireless network device connection's manage Extenders Connected devices not sure about the app showing info but it may do.

FW: r3.8.24-R-1531355-PROD-83002 and the gui is at App version 3.1.3 10/10/2025 Now https://
FW: r3.8.29-R-1627298-PROD-83002 Op Posted
FW: r3.8.30-R-1627300-PROD-83002 and the gui is at App version 3.1.18 05/12/2025
FW: r4.26.1-R-1860948-PROD-83002 and the gui is at App version 3.14.5 25/05/2026 OP Posted

Re: Frequent loss of WiFi signal strength

PhilipD — Sun, 31 May 2026 10:03:20 GMT

Yet again, I've had to restart my EE hub this morning. Most of my devices that are further from the EE hub are EIGHTREE smart plugs controlled by Alexa linked to the SmartLife App. The SmartLife App has the ability to show the device's signal strength and the worst one, which usually drops out when the hub goes wrong, is my hall light switch which admittedly is embedded in a wall. When connected to the EE hub directly, its signal strength is around -82 dbm, but when connected to the Wifi Extender it's about -49 dbm. When the Hub goes wrong, its signal strength drops again to about -82 dbm.

Re: Frequent loss of WiFi signal strength

StevieM78 — Sun, 31 May 2026 20:37:08 GMT

Just came across this thread. Very interesting... I am having the exact same issue. I have the SmartHub 6 Plus, and a Smart Wifi Extender 6 Plus and the 4G back up Wifi.. In the past couple of weeks or so, my wifi is dropping out frequently, and can only be resolved by resetting the hub and re-pairing the additional devices.

Not ideal - regularly left without connectivity throughout the house.

Re: Frequent loss of WiFi signal strength

PhilipD — Sun, 31 May 2026 21:32:48 GMT

StevieM87. I don’t have to repair my WiFi extender but it does take some time to show as connected in the EE App.

Re: Frequent loss of WiFi signal strength

Daniel_G — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 16:31:07 GMT

I have exactly the same issue. What did work was connecting my own TP-link router via cable to EE router and setting up wifi on my own router. When I connect to my own router wifi, the connection works fine.

Clearly an issue with the EE router wifi signal. Fortunately cable connection seems to work fine.

Re: Frequent loss of WiFi signal strength

JimM11 — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 16:41:59 GMT

@Daniel_G What EE smart Wireless device are you using in your setup?

Re: Frequent loss of WiFi signal strength

Daniel_G — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 16:51:59 GMT

SH35A

Re: Frequent loss of WiFi signal strength

JimM11 — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 17:00:42 GMT

@Daniel_G What, the EE Smart Hub 7 Plus version? See the link below about current EE Hubs.

https://ee.co.uk/help/broadband/getting-started/compare-our-range-of-broadband-hubs

Re: Frequent loss of WiFi signal strength

Daniel_G — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 18:27:40 GMT

Yes, that's the one.

Re: Frequent loss of WiFi signal strength

JimM11 — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 18:36:17 GMT

@Daniel_G Is there also then a smart wireless extender involved that would be the SW35A device? Link to that...

EE WiFi Extender 7 Plus Device Guide | Device Help

Re: Frequent loss of WiFi signal strength

JimM11 — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 18:58:28 GMT

@PhilipD Have you considered only using the Compatible 2.4Ghz network and the WPA2-Personal on it for your Eightree smart plugs, i do think they are all just 2.4Ghz only products so better suited on the Comp network off that EE Smarthub 6+

Sorry just looked they do also have a 5Ghz branded product so you would need to say, all the Tapo ones i have and use are only 2.4Ghz devices and no issues at all with them.

Re: Frequent loss of WiFi signal strength

PhilipD — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 19:01:02 GMT

JumM11

Yesterday, I browsed to the hub from my PC, entered the admin password & changed the 2.4Ghz network from channel 1 to channel 11 and so far today, it’s been behaving itself. I think it’s too soon to say it’s fixed though.

Re: Frequent loss of WiFi signal strength

Daniel_G — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 19:04:00 GMT

No, didn't buy the extender. I plan to purchase them on my own.

Re: Frequent loss of WiFi signal strength

PhilipD — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 08:27:43 GMT

Well I thought I had fixed it by changing the 2.4 Net to channel 11 a few days ago but I’ve just had to restart the hub again.
the first thing I noticed was the signal strength at my Hall Light switch had dropped back to -82dbm again then asking Alexa to turn off the hall light produced the response from Alexa "Hall light is not responding ". The WiFi Extender was showing good in the EE App but with such a lousy signal strength , I suspect my Hall Light was not connected to it but connected to the hub instead. I restarted the main EE Hub & that fixed it. The Hall Light signal strength is now back -49dbm and working via Alexa.

Re: Frequent loss of WiFi signal strength

JimM11 — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 08:36:59 GMT

@PhilipD Is there anyway that the connection shows what the EE Router or the EE Smart wireless extenders are at, the Hall Light device may indeed be latching on to the wrong part off the mesh, what is the relationship distance device to Hub/Mesh, is there anyway to just reset the Hall Light device without doing the Hub and seeing what it is like when it powers back on -db wise....

Re: Frequent loss of WiFi signal strength

PhilipD — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 09:18:30 GMT

JimM11: I checked the devices that were connected to the WiFi Extender in the EE App and it did say that the Hall Light was connected to it, but with a -82dbm signal strength I doubt that was true. I also checked a few other items that should have been connected to the WiFi Extender and they also had bad signal strengths. The Extender is only about 4 feet away from the the Hall Light switch and about 24 feet away from the Hub, but when I set it up, google said that the device chooses where to connect to, hub or extender, and you cannot set that yourself.

The EightTree sockets are not difficult to reset individually as they are just plugs plugged into power sockets, but the Hall Light is a BSEED WiFi Touch Switch and is wired up to the house's Downstairs Light circuit, so the only way to reset that is to turn off the main power switch in my fuse box for the downstairs lights, then back on again, so that it loses power for a while.

Re: Frequent loss of WiFi signal strength

JimM11 — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 09:43:49 GMT

@PhilipD Got that now, wonder if the Extender is dropping the 2.4Ghz signal power down at that is pushing the -db up higher to your light switch instead, being so close and as you have said the app does think it is connected to the Smart Wireless and not to the hub, has an Extender off/on kicked it back down lower if you have tried, or is it just the Hub that brings it all back to life... True way might just be turn the Extender off and see if they can hang on and connect to the Hub, if so do they automatically give you the higher -db reading's that you are seeing....

The Asus hub i use, i can chain link my Tapo devices to a particular node on the mesh, so i have two on one node, full strength and two attached to the dinning room node, those have to kick through a brick wall so the 2.4Ghz is just a little weaker to reach them and Asus display's that as a dropped bar, will keep looking but have not found a rssi value yet for any off them and the Tapo app does not show it either.

~~Going to re read the whole post as spotted you are using a 6 Plus hub and a 7 Plus smart wireless extender, that may NOT be a good combo for operation....~~

Was another OP on the post, your devices are matching EE wise Hub/Smart Wireless....

Re: Frequent loss of WiFi signal strength

PhilipD — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 09:48:33 GMT

JimM11: Next time it happens I'll try restarting the Extender.

I've just discovered that in the EE App, if I go to Manage, Broadband, then See all connected devices, then look at each individual item that is connected to the WiFi, it tells me where it is connected to. Either the WiFi Extender or the Smart Hub 6 Plus. That's another thing to look at if/when it goes wrong again.

Another 2 things on a different subjects that might help people:

Some time ago, my Hall Light Switch (BSEED WiFi Touch Switch) stopped responding to touch, It still worked via the SmartLife App and Alexa commands but not to touch. After a couple of weeks of that, I eventually flipped the Downstairs Lights trip switch in the fuse box off then back on and that fixed it.

I have also discovered that this community page does not work on my PC unless I turn off the VPN in McAfee. When it is on, I get Edge opening with the message "403 Forbidden". Aren't computers wonderful!!!!

Re: Frequent loss of WiFi signal strength

JimM11 — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 10:04:06 GMT

@PhilipD They sure are, i always 99% of the time looked at the EE Hub with the web manager and my laptop, in the WiFi extenders tab, you could see the rssi figure displayed, have no idea what the app did, hated it with a passion as 50% off the time stupid issues with it work today, not the next day or so etc etc !

Hub manager is https://192.168.1.254 now with some applied securities.....

Re: Devices connect to WiFi but is assigned no IP address - The EE Community At least the BT version showed what it thought the rssi signal was from the link, does the EE do the same, or not, have nothing to look at!