Degraded/Weak WiFi signal causes buffering/pixelating channels on EE TV Pro box

[shuttsy]

I'm having a problem with the WiFi signal strength that is resulting in the EE TV Pro box buffering/pixelating on all TV channels (BBC, Freeview, Sky Sports, TNT).

I've been with EE since June 2024 for both broadband and TV, initially on Full Fibre 300 Essentials then upgraded to Full Fibre 500 Essentials with Big Sport in June 2025.

The Smart Hub is on the ground floor by the front door as that is where the fibre entry point it. The EE TV Pro box is in the lounge on the first floor at the back of the house.

The Smart Hub is configured to have the main SID be 5ghz only - so all powerful devices, laptops/phones and the TV Pro connect to this. There is a separate 2.4ghz SID for IoT devices to connect to. My wife and I both work from home on laptops on the ground floor and experience no problems with WiFi during the day.

This setup has worked fine since 2024. It's only been in the past couple of months that we have started to notice that watching TV in the evenings is riddled with buffering/pixelating pictures which basically make watching a programme impossible (very frustrating when the World Cup was on!). At the same time, my daughter who is on the second floor has complained that her iPhone/iPad keep dropping connection or running incredibly slow.

I've looked at the TV Pro connection and can see it registers my WiFi as a 'weak signal' - 1 bar out of 4. I cannot move the smart hub or the TV to other positions. The broadband connection/speed is absolutely fine. My current solution is to hardwire TV Pro to smart hub with a 10m ethernet cable trailing down the stairs - hardly a long term solution.

In my eyes, this all points to the WiFi signal strength having degraded; it's no longer able to provide a strong enough signal for the TV Pro. Categorically, we've not changed anything in our home that would block the signal to the lounge.

I phoned EE yesterday and was very dissatisfied with the agents I spoke to. I felt they completed dismissed my report of this fault; they seemed more interested into trying to upsell some extender discs or upgrading/re-contracting to the WiFi 7 router/box. I'm currently paying £95 a month for a service I don't feel I'm getting; why should I be paying extra just to get what I'm already paying for? A technical agent ran a check on my line, reset my router and could even see that the TV Pro box was registering a weak signal. Her suggestion; send me a new ethernet cable for the smart hub (not sure how that will fix anything) and if that doesn't work, pay to have the extenders.

I'm at a loss as to what to do next given EE appears unable to understand that a service I'm paying for is no longer fit for purpose.

[JimM11]

@shuttsy You will have to try and get EE to swapout your Hub just incase it has developed a 2.4Ghz or 5Ghz wifi signal issue pushing towards the 2nd floor connection, that would be the starting point, surprised the HomeView+ software test run by EE did not pick up on the rssi level for your Pro box signal though maybe they thought it was good enough to push the data...

Have a look at the EE Hub, latest FW update will be stretching it to the max, and if you can turn off the free wifi signals you may get better control through the EE Hub.

[XRaySpeX]

1. ---

   @shuttsy wrote:
   

   The Smart Hub is configured to have the main SID be 5ghz only - so all powerful devices, laptops/phones and the TV Pro connect to this.

   ...

   I've looked at the TV Pro connection and can see it registers my WiFi as a 'weak signal' 

   ---

   A 2.5 GHz signal would have greater reach. Perhaps you should allow the Main SSID to be on the 2.5 GHz band as well & connect the EE TV Box to that.

2. ---

   @shuttsy wrote:
   

   they seemed more interested into trying to upsell some extender discs .

   ---

   That's not a bad solution! Perhaps your need a WiFi Extender to extend the range to the EE TV Box . See 
   EE Smart WiFi and Smart WiFi Plus T&Cs as an add-on.

Which EE router & WiFi extenders, if any, do you have (read label or post a pix)? What is the name of the EE BB plan you are on including its speed?

[shuttsy]

Thanks for the prompt reply.
I've no doubt the extender discs would work; I just haven't needed them up until recently, and I object to having to pay extra for them (the EE agents told me they couldn't discount them at all).
The EE TV Pro box only detects 5ghz network; 'configure your wireless connection' on the TV Pro doesn't show any 2.4ghz networks. 
I've got Smart Hub SH31B (model F5394-CP EE), no WiFi extenders.
I'm on Full Fibre 500 Essentials.

[XRaySpeX]

It sounds as tho' you are not using the EE TV Box as recommended even tho' it might have once worked. How many walls, ceilings & floors between router & EE TV Box? See EETV Box Pro User Guide :

:A: Connecting by WiFi?
The range of the TV Box can vary significantly depending on location, obstructions and interference.

Place your TV Box no more than one wall, ceiling or floor away from your Hub or Smart WiFi device and limit the amount of electrical equipment and other WiFi devices close to your TV Box.

For optimum WiFi performance the TV Box should be set up within 5 metres line of sight of your hub or Smart WiFi.

---

EE recommend placing your TV Box Pro 5 metres from your Hub. If it's farther away and you're experiencing issues, you may benefit from a WiFi Extender or booster.

[JimM11]

@shuttsy Why not try re-positioning the EE Hub on the end off the Ethernet cable, it may cover your lower area fine if you move it up midway and keep the Daughter happy at the same time with better wifi upper area.