Microsoft Teams Quality Issue

[QuantumPhys]

Hello all,

I've got an odd issue which I'm hoping someone can offer a steer on.

I have the EE 1.6 Gb Full Fibre Busiest Home package with a Smart Hub Plus.

All seemed to be working fine until my original Smart Hub Plus failed in Jan 2025. This was attributed to a bad firmware update, and a new hub was sent out. I connected this up and again everything appeared to be ok, until colleagues at work started complaining that my video during MS Teams calls was regularly freezing. On my end, I didn't see any issues - I could see and hear everyone else fine so it came as a surprise. Setting up a test meeting that just included me, I recorded myself and when playing back immediately found that the video and audio both freeze and stutter. This is readily reproducible, although sometimes the performance is extremely bad with the video completely frozen. Strangely, this only affects the MS Teams desktop app, with connections via the web browser still being good quality.

So far, everything else seems ok - stable and fast connection (getting around 1.6 Gbps routinely).

Here's what I've tried so far:

• Updated Teams and all drivers on laptop.
• Direct cable connection to router with WiFi turned off and all other devices disconnected. No difference.
• Laptop on WiFi on corporate network - absolutely fine, no surprise.
• Laptop on WiFi in various coffee shops and on friend's home broadband - all much slower connections than mine and Teams is absolutely fine. Often extremely good.
• Used phone as 4G hotspot - absolutely fine - extremely good video and audio.
• Replaced the Smart Hub Plus with an old Asus router I used with a previous ISP - connected to ONT. Connects via PPPoE fine with reasonable speed (around 750 Mbps although using 2.5G port as WAN port, so a little surprised it's not faster).  Connection appears very stable and no obvious issues shown by ThinkBroadband BQM. However, Teams behaves exactly the same as with the EE router - terrible video and audio.
• Configured Hotspot VPN on Asus router - set location to South England. Connection speed is around 100 Mbps. However, Teams now works absolutely fine. Very good audio and video. Turned off VPN - fast connection restored and Teams video and audio revert to being terrible.

This suggests to me it might be some network infrastructure issue, rather than a problem with the Smart Hub Plus or with the laptop / Teams. Could the route the traffic is following make a difference? If so, how would I go about pinpointing this? The Microsoft 365 connectivity tests don't flag up anything obvious.

After much testing to convince myself there was an issue with the connection I called EE and an engineer visited. He indicated there had been some problems with the Smart Hub Plus on fast connections, tried to run a series of tests but these didn't complete. Reason unclear. However, he was confident that the new Smart Hub Pro would resolve the issues although he wasn't allowed to issue one himself.

Engineer left, job appeared to be closed, then I got a message from OpenReach asking me to arrange a call so that equipment could be delivered. I did, got put through to EE, with the guide saying that I really should have had the Smart Hub Pro already and that he'd get one sent out, although the process for doing this was very difficult. That was almost a couple of weeks ago. Being concerned this wasn't being progressed I got back in touch - over multiple calls now, once I get past the agent telling me I've got a very fast connection and they can't see an issue or find open jobs, when they review previous notes there's a record somewhere to an order being placed, but no-one can find out what. It appears I'm now down as a new customer and something needs to be progressed by the "New IT" team, even though I've been with EE for over a year.

So, perhaps a Smart Hub Pro will be sent out, which will be good because it sounds like I'm entitled to one on my package.

However, I'm not convinced the hub itself is the issue, given that the Asus router performs similarly, except when a VPN is active.

Does anyone have any thoughts about what might be happening?

Thanks!

 

[JimM11]

@Stephen789 The only thing to be said, your BT Smarthub2 and it's disc's WILL NOT perform anything like the Pro and it's Smart Wireless Extenders, the technology in them is light years apart!

[Stephen789]

I think I'll go be it a day or two to settle as they requested, but I'll be asking for a release from the contract.

[JimM11]

@Stephen789 You posted way back 19/11 you were all fixed, and then kicked it all off about the where's it all at now, so were you fixed or not, just so confusing.

[Stephen789]

Yes, and I can see how that's confusing.

I disabled Intel Wireless Optimisation and that seemed to have corrected it.

However, problems persisted so I uninstalled it altogether. That didn't work either.

I've actually been struggling with this since September but I was convinced it was something on my side that was the issue. I tried different laptops, router configs, everything.

I was very surprised to find this forum (which has been incredibly helpful) and discover that the problem was with EE.

So at the moment, Teams doesn't seem to be freezing. I phrase it this way as it's been less than a day with no freezing, so not a definite.

The internet is slow and video is pixelated.

So for me, I'm still having issues and am not satisfied with the service.

[yellowvandan]

Have you tested connecting directly to the hub (ideally wired rather than WiFi) to and using teams? 

[Stephen789]

To check the pixelation issues?

I could do, but my home office is on the top floor so not a long term fix.

I suppose it could perhaps give consideration to replacing the EE Smart Hub with an alternative such as Eero or Netgear

[yellowvandan]

It would help to understand if it’s a broadband issue (router to EE) or WiFi issue (interference/weak signal in your house)

[JimM11]

@Stephen789 Got it now, EE will fix it someday, the variable is someday is way out in that distant future, time plays no part in it! Just raise the complaint and go through all the hoops, getting released penalty free may not be any easy option time wise!