Technophobe needs help

[dave891]

Any suggestions welcome! I have recently moved home and had to change internet provider. After the usual sales spiel we went with BT who outsourced us to EE that required work from openreach. Long story short after over 2 months with nothing we now have full fibre broadband. Our experience so far as been hugely disappointing. We were on copper broadband before with a BT Wholehome mesh discs and had more stable internet. I don't think we are heavy users i.e. surf the internet and use a sonos system but have the usual multiple devices connected wirelessly to the internet i.e. tv's/ipads/iphones/sonos. I have managed to connect my BT Wholehome discs and have several devices connected to this, but my sonos system has defaulted to the ee router wi-fi and created a sonos mesh (if that makes sense). The sonos ceiling speakers in our kitchen has regular drop offs as does the ee wireless mini tv hub and our tv's regularly pixulate. An engineer said our house is big (approximately 2900 sqft) and may benefit from extenders? I see from other forums there are compatibility issues with the BT Wholehome disc system. Should i bin these and get some extenders or boosters? I just want a reliable wi-fi connection around my home? Any recommendations/help would be gratefully received my wife is at her wits end trying to speak to EE and get any help. Am i expecting to much from their basic full fibre package its just when we told the salesperson our usage was general surfing and there are only 2 of us they said the package would be more than adequate?

[JimM11]

@dave891 There have been a few posting's about the wholehome wireless wifi disks acting out with the EE Smarthub+ but as i dont use any EE mesh cannot really comment, have linked the previous post if you wish to contact the OP to see if/what his thoughts are now.

(1) Broadband constantly dropping - Page 2 - The EE Community

[JimM11]

@dave891 The installation of FF to the premises and the placement of the ONT unit, with subsequent that's were the ONT is, and here is where you need to put the router, because it has a short cable, is/can be all wrong....

The MOST important position is were the router is placed!

[JimM11]

@dave891 If you would say, where have you placed the First and Main router of the BT Wholehome smart wifi, if as per the norm with it then it will be sitting next to the EE Router and connected by the Ethernet cable to EE Router, if this is so, then you would be better to have the wireless signal of the EE disabled for both bands and let the wholehome system take care of the wireless wifi around your property, the only slight down to this is that the older tech is wifi 5, and will be good to about 500mb/s as the rough max speed on a capable wireless device. Your description does sound like you have 2 separate ssid, may not be the case but you have not posted otherwise that i can work out from your posting.

[dave891]

hi jim, you are correct the first bt wholehome wi fi is connected by an ethernet into the ee router. We then have 3 more placed around the property. I'm afraud you lost me when you mentioned "disabling the EE wireless signal" and  "seperate ssid". Can you tell me how to do this so i can try it and see if it makes any difference? As i mentioned we are pretty technically inept and EE dont seem to want to help

[JimM11]

@dave891 On a mobile device, can you see SSID, that is what the name of the wifi is at the property, EE is normally like EE-123456 etc, and then possible something different for your wholehome, do not want to turn off one and then you cannot get back on the other.

So if you see multiples, then http://192.168.1.254 gets to the EE hub manager, you need the card slot from the back of the router for the admin password, go to advanced settings, then to wireless you will be asked to enter the admin password, do so, then on the wireless when it opens turn off both the 2.4Ghz an 5Ghz switches. finally hit SAVE to apply those, and your EE-123456 will disappear and you are now on the wholehome wifi, you will have to reconnect the devices that were connected to the EE router. If it does not make sense stop and ask questions. Also lot easier to do with a laptop / pc etc, but you can via mobile, just not a huge mobile fan... 

[dave891]

Hi jim, thanks again for your help. I cant disable the EE because apparently i need to connect certain devices via by ee internet because specifically the mini wireless tv hub that EE provided isn't compatible with the BT Wholehome system. I looked at the EE package im on and its supposed to give me 150mbps download speed. when we bought this package i was told that provided we weren't big online gamers or using sophisticated video software this would be fine for us and we don't. i have tested this and generally i am getting this all over the house, yet certain devices are still showing a poor connection or in the case of my sonos dropping off. I'm wondering whether its the number of devices i have connected is the problem. So whilst there is only 2 of us in the house and generally we surf the internet and watch tv's we do have multiple devices connected to the internet (ring doorbell / multiple sonos speakers & amps/ 3 televisions / 2 ipads / 2 mobile phones and Hive heating system). In your opinion does this sound a lot of devices for the internet speed (obviously we don't use them all at once) and would having a faster internet speed or possibly an EE compatible extender be required?

[JimM11]

@dave891 Is the mini TV system only able to connect wirelessly do not use so not know how they connect, when you look at the network do you have Two (2) wireless networks, one for the EE and one for the Wholehome? 

You DO not have a lot of devices, my current count shown is 34, but i am shared across various router's and mesh little like you have, 

When you setup the wholehome? did you give it a name and password that are different to the EE router name, the object is to have the same name for all, so no matter where you go in the home, if you connect to a disk, it bounces as it needs direct or disk to disk eventually ending at the one next to the EE router, shoves the signal down the cable connection and out from there to the internet.

If you have TWO separate names then it cannot work this way, EE connected devices can only connect to the EE router, and the further away you get the more chance of dropping the wireless signal. Will watch for your reply.

[JimM11]

@dave891 Quick look at the mini TV box, it has an Ethernet Cable connection, so no idea where you are using it, but is it possibly say to connect it to the back of the mini, and to a Wholehome disk if you have it remote from the router? You may have to go edit setting in the mini to say use wired connection.

[JimM11]

@dave891 You posted "Hi jim, thanks again for your help. I cant disable the EE because apparently i need to connect certain devices via by ee internet because specifically the mini wireless tv hub that EE provided isn't compatible with the BT Wholehome system."

TV streaming etc, manufacturer's do try to block and optimise but i cannot find one reference to above where they do not play nicely with each other, so can you please point out where you have seen it, Jim.