Hello everyone,
I hope you're all doing well.
I wanted to ask about my 2020 EE 5G router, the EE-branded Zyxel NR5103. Despite the EE signal checker map showing my area as having a strong 5G connection, I've been facing consistent signal/speed issues. On a good day, I get about 60Mbps download speed, but it is quite inconsistent. I frequently experience speed drops, sometimes as low as 0.2Mbps, rendering my internet unusable. Though a simple restart temporarily resolves the issue, it's frustrating to have to do this almost hourly. My router settings always show it to be connected to "5G" with a signal strength between 3 and 4 bars.
I've spent countless hours trying to get assistance from various levels of EE's technical team, all providing the same basic troubleshooting tips which did nothing. After logging a formal complaint and going back and forth with EE, they informed me that despite what their map shows, I'm not in a 5G zone and thus cannot expect high speeds. They attributed the speed drop issue to my router switching between masts, which I would understand if not for what their own website claims as fact.
After that was revealed I contacted their sales team as a "prospective customer" and after asking about connectivity, they assured me that I was within the 5G zone. It seems that EE may be falsely advertising their connection range, but they have not acknowledged this concern and have directed me to complain to a regulator. I plan to do so, as I believe this issue needs to be addressed appropriately.
In the meantime, I'm still bound by my contract with EE, and I'm wondering if there's a possible solution to improve my signal. I live in a top-floor rented property and am considering getting an external antenna to hang just outside my window. However, I'm unsure if this would make a significant difference since my current router is already located by that window. If I do go ahead with this, I'd need an antenna that's stronger than what's inside the router, but finding a proper datasheet of the router for comparison has proven difficult.
Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all for your help.
