Recurring WiFi 7 issues

[ben_flugel]

Having had my 1.6gbps service with EE for 6 months now, I'm largely disappointed with it and wish I'd made more of a fuss at the start when I was experiencing issues. With hindsight, I should have exited the contract but now I'm stuck. 

I have various issues with the Wi-Fi requiring full restarts probably once a week. Devices failing to connect, our two WiFi 6e enabled laptops frequently connecting to 2.4 rather 5 or 6, despite being close to a wired in node.

I've tried compatible wifi settings, adjusting channels, moving nodes to different locations. But I continue to experience issues. 

Our cabled in nodes also regularly drop their speeds. After a reboot they'll connect at 2.5gbps. It can be the same day or a few days later and speeds have dropped to around 300mpbs when testing. Reboot that node again, or just remove and reinsert the cable, and we're back at 2.5gbps.

I'm seriously considering getting a different mesh setup, but the fact I'm paying a premium for the 1.6gbps service stops me doing that!

[JimM11]

@ben_flugel It has been reported that the Ethernet interface on the Pro and will assume that the Smart wireless also are Extremely fussy about the Port speed and syncing, this has been put down to possible cable issue's / possible connected device issue's but also could be the unit's themselves, you cannot at present trust the app or web when looking at them to get it right and display what you think will be right or wrong, but if you DO remove a cable plug it back in say 30 seconds later and it all goes back up in speed then you are doing the right test. You need to then report it back to EE CS and hope that it goes where it needs to be. There are NO tools in the web/app to show what is going on correctly....

[ben_flugel]

@JimM11  thanks for the quick reply! I have read that there are rumours of a firmware update coming very shortly. No idea if that is true, or even if it will help!

Definitely can't trust the app/web view. I've had the web interface report 100mb connection, yet a speed next through that node gives me speeds of 1.3gbps. And also vice versa - 2.5gbp reported by then only 300mb. It's weird.

I just wish it was more reliable and consistently reliable. It's too expensive to be anything other than that.

[JimM11]

@ben_flugel It maybe all unit related, and yes a FW update may help or fix that is one off the variables, would advise one point and reference testing, wireless wi-fi can be so hit / miss so Ethernet connected is more reliable but can also be very miss leading to aide what is going on, if you are finding that 300Mb/s speed is it does it stay hard and fast until you intervene and correct the issue, that being switch off/on to reset, or just leave it all alone and see if it recovers by itself...

[JimM11]

@ben_flugel Take this example, i had to re-locate the Routers and access points around the house, wife had the brain fart need to move all the furniture about, so just get the pardon my French all moved as i don't want it there anymore and with everything wired for backhaul was yes she who must be obeyed. Dropped it all off too wireless backhaul, no issues all tickety boo, EXCEPT my Samsung mobile and only mine nothing else, fought the sucker for 6 weeks, was an easy fix on the phone wireless wi-fi off, wait five seconds back on back to normality, FF500 down when phone decided no longer playing speed on it was 12Mb/s down but always 70Mb/s up. 

Had enough off it, everything looked good, wi-fi signal was not the greatest but was in the low -60db range, just said that is it, another access point installed, wired the backhaul on it and that was last week, phone has NOT once dropped speed again! 

[ben_flugel]

@JimM11 It can be either. When I posted this earlier, I was getting around 300mbps on one node and 1.3gbps on the other node. Just tested again now and the slow node is now at 1.3 and the other at around 600. Unplugged the lan cable on the 600 one and back in again. Boom, back to 1.3 or so. All three units (main plus two nodes) are at full speed. How long for though is anyone's guess. 

The main router always gets full speeds, as you'd expect.

I don't believe the cable issue though, I have replaced the ethernet cable in one unit (it's more easily accessible to change cables) with a brand new cat7 cable. Exactly the same behaviour as before.

[ben_flugel]

@JimM11 that's the sort of randomness I see as well, like with our two wifi 6e laptops. Will sit connected at 2.4gbps according to Windows. Make a video call or stream something, and it drops to around 130mbps and has moved to 2.4ghz channel.

Today's changes I've made is to re-enable compatible wifi mode on 2.4 and 5 and turn off 2.4 on main wifi, leaving only 5 and 6 available. We'll see how that goes.

But all this should just work. I had Eero 6 Pros with Talk Talk in exactly the same physical locations and with the same cabling. They were excellent. I'd get around 800-850mb via my phone on wifi, consistently.

[JimM11]

@ben_flugel Are you an Android user or fruit flavoured for your mobile device, mesh is hard at the best off times especially when you cannot see what is going on in the wireless world!

[ben_flugel]

@JimM11 Pixel 9 Pro XL for me and Pixel 8 Pro for the wife.

I do have iPhones here too for work (I work in IT so very familiar with all this sort of stuff).

I can actually knock on 1.6gbps from my 9 Pro when standing next to the main router. Pretty impressive over wifi really. It's the stability I find deeply frustrating.

[JimM11]

@ben_flugel This is all i have to look at on my mesh to see that it is working as expected.

Asus wi-fi 6 only mesh and speed's