Broadband Reach

mjkyorkshire240
Visitor

I recently moved into a three-storey terrace house and my broadband is struggling to reach the attic.  What are my options to help with this please?  Preferable affordable and not overly complicated.

8 REPLIES 8
JimM11
Community Hero
Community Hero

@mjkyorkshire240 Speak to EE CS and the addon with Extenders to match the particular EE Hub you are using currently.

Solved: Re: Poor WiFi coverage - The EE Community

jak26
Established Contributor
Established Contributor

The 2.4 band has reasonable reach if the router is placed towards the middle of the house - its possible to run a LAN cable from the fibre ONT to the hub if it needs moving.

Powerline devices (not WiFi extenders but work over mains wiring) can work OK

A LAN cable from the hub to a LAN switch or a router in WIFI Access Point mode at the floor or room where you have devices  gives good results - my current solution

YorkshireMidge
Skilled Contributor
Skilled Contributor

I have a couple of devices in far away corners from my hub, that aren't wifi capable anyway, and getting ethernet cables in would have been a right PITA, so I have TP-Link Powerline adapters feeding those.  As a fairly cheap last resort method, I've found them reasonably reliable.  There are just a couple of snags:

1.  Powerlines can sometimes have issues if the data path needs to cross an RCD in your consumer unit - though this won't be that common in a domestic setting as the ring mains will typically be on MCBs protected by just the one RCD, so the latter doesn't need to be crossed.  My Powerlines are several years old and I definately remember experiencing this issue because one of my devices I was trying to get to was originally on the non-RCD protected side of the consumer unit and that just wouldn't work at all, so I moved it onto the normal ring main with the other devices and it sprang straight into life. 

2. Beware the powercut!   I have some devices on UPS protection but you can't protect the Powerlines. 

Mine are just single ethernet port devices but there are Powerline products that can present a wifi point in a remote location too.  When you consider that EE charge an ongoing monthly fee for their Wifi extender, I can't help thinking that the Powerlines that can do this might just be worth a look.  Argos flog a TP-Link kit for £50 comprising a single port ethernet Powerline to plug in your hub, and a Wifi capable Powerline for the remote end that also has two ethernet ports on it for cabled connections to devices if needed.  

Also note that you might start with a couple of Powerlines to go point to point, but they actually mesh - so adding a device in a new location means you only need to buy one extra Powerline. 

@YorkshireMidge Have both types running Tp Powerline wise, covering various areas and devices, works fine for the required, and max speed around the 40Mb/s mark at a push...

Good to know @Jim  - thanks. 

Just out of curiosity, how do the TP Link Powerlines with wifi of the type I described from Argos work?

They are described as a "booster" but I seem to remember trying a similar class of product a number of years  back made by Devolo and the remote end presented as an entirely separate access point with it's own SSID.  Fine unless you have a device that moves around the house such as Smartphone or laptop.   But maybe things have moved on.....

The EE Extender seems to be a genuine signal booster. 

@YorkshireMidge So i have a four node Asus Ai mesh in wired/wireless wifi backhauls, supplement to that the Tp-Link WPA4220 one Front door for a Ring doorbell and a Ring Camera, whitelist controlled mac wise to keep both on that 2.4Ghz connection and to reject other devices connection wise, the wired one in Living Room, connects my Sat controller box back on the wired network, third unit is WPA4220 and out in the remote garage, it's also a 2.4Ghz unit but with the 5Ghz ssid on it so when the good lady exercises or does the garden etc her mobile does not need to be adjusted to suit, ALL three bands in the Asus as separate ssid's it is a Tri band unit, 1 2.4Ghz, one 5Ghz 80 wide, and a 5Ghz 160 wide high speed backhaul, the Asus AP's do Auto 160 wide so latch onto that band channel at max speeds although set to the lower ssid...

AV600's although i had to replace the Hub connection one 9 months ago or so but then was not available Tp wise, so it's currently got the AV1000 on it, been that way 7 years or so but getting quite old now. 

The EE one was just recommended as that is the Easier connection option unless you have an idea what needs doing, but it is costlier in the long run for 24 month period, all added up.

I don't use the Tp-Link software just http to the IP off the devices and change all the parameters to match ssid/password etc. So ends up being transparent connection device wise.

The Tp was connected direct on the EE Smarthub 6+ hub, but through a Tp switch as the EE Hub suffered bad with the 30 second network connection delay, that is alleged to be fixed now in the last FW drop.

I think I get the gist of that - thanks. So I can see the attraction of the EE Extender for an easy life, albeit at a bit of a premium. 

@YorkshireMidge 100% correct, never used an EE mesh extender but the Forum see's a few complaints about them, setup a BT Smarthub2 complete wifi April this year, was up and running full tilt in about five minutes with Zero access to the BT hub.