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!

[bobpullen]

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@ben_flugel wrote:

@bobpullen The negotiated speed shown in the hub manager isn't accurate.

I can do throughput tests from my wifi 7 phone and get 1.3gbps but the hub manager shows the negotiated speed is 1000mbps - which clearly isn't correct. Likewise, it can show 2.5gbps in the hub manager but I get 300-400mbps on my throughput tests.

I've got up this morning and checked both my wired in nodes this morning. Both have throughput tests topping out at about 390mpbs. The hub manager shows one node is connected at 2.5gbps and the other is 1000mbps.

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Thanks. Saw a similar comment from @tnj in the post here about the reported negotiation speeds in the Hub Manager. Are you using the second Ethernet port on some of your extenders too?

I only have a single wired extender and haven't noticed any issues with throughput. That said, I've not really been looking for it. Will pay a bit more attention over the coming weeks.

[ben_flugel]

@bobpullen Yes, I've seen others are reporting similar as well. I suspect many are having the same problem but as it doesn't actually cause an obvious problem, many are likely unaware. Whilst it isn't causing me a problem as such, it does make the ridiculously fast internet connection a little pointless. May as well have gone for the 500mbps service!

I do have my Google TV Streamer connected in one of the nodes, but the other one just has the ethernet backhaul but both nodes do the same thing. I've tried changing between port 1 and 2 but behaviour also remains the same.

Be interesting to hear if you have the same issues @bobpullen 

[JimM11]

@ben_flugel Although never the optimal or best way, on any of the smart wireless nodes, would be putting a 2.5Gb/s switch on the port, keep it up there sync wise, and have the mix and match off port speeds all over the switch side. Expensive puppies the 2.5GB/s switches but would rather have a working network than sometimes it being a dog, going to take someone to do it and try it though!

[ben_flugel]

@JimM11 I do have an unmanaged 2.5gbps switch connected to one of the nodes. It's not managed unfortunately, so no logging, but its lights always show it as a 2.5gbps connection, regardless of what my tests or the hub manager show.

So the switch obviously connects at 2.5, or at least it thinks it does.

One thing I haven't tried is making all my nodes connect via wireless backhaul and see what that does to performance. Though given their positions and size of the house, I think they'd struggle to connect to one another.

[bobpullen]

@ben_flugel - absolutely! The main selling point of wired backhaul is getting the maximum speed to each extender. I'll have a play around when I next get the chance and share my findings...

[JimM11]

@ben_flugel Not sure if we are at cross purpose, so wired backhaul straight connection back to the EE Pro router both smart wireless devices, then the EXTRA port on each of the smart wireless extenders, have a 2.5Gb/s switch on each or if not on the other try not to have a 1GB/s ethernet attached, see if the web manager ups to both reporting full speed connected, not sure even what the web manager will show but would hope that it get's both the units up and displays 2500 connected...

Then your wireless throughput testing is 100% sound what you are doing, just need it to show you pushing the higher than 1GB/s wireless down the wired backhaul from the Extender!

Mesh is a nightmare at least on my Asus i can look see all the time what the wired or wireless AI mesh is doing, the combined is way out there and too scary to even go there and it takes my desktop and the 6e laptop to even push the 2.2Gb/s transfer hard. That's the only combo that can keep it up due to the hardware and the spec's off the devices!