Wifi - fed up with my kids complaining..anything better than sky?

I've got sky broadband and wifi.
My computer, wired to the modem, works fine. However the wifi range is pitiful. Sky have been in the past and said all okay but kids still complaining about the crap range.

Used to have virgin which, though nice super fast broadband, the wifi range was also poor.

Are BT any better?

What construction is your house?
If its an older building with block or granite walls, you're always going to have problems.
Get some extenders that use the mains. I use Develo and they work a treat.

Monsieur said:

I've got sky broadband and wifi.
My computer, wired to the modem, works fine. However the wifi range is pitiful. Sky have been in the past and said all okay but kids still complaining about the crap range.

Used to have virgin which, though nice super fast broadband, the wifi range was also poor.

Are BT any better?

Click to expand...

I have had a nightmare with wifi coverage, (always been with BT) all walls are cement rendered and the extension at the back, is full of foil faced insulation that blocks signal. I have 5 BT home wifi mesh disks around the house 3 downstairs and 2 upstairs. I still had to run a cat 5 cable to the back of the house to plug in to the mid disk to boost signal. Totally sorted now with fast coverage but at a cost of about £500, and a lot of trial and error, if i hadn’t run the external cat5 cable from router to the 3rd disk at the back of the house it would still be a mediocre signal.

If your with sky the new Q boxes are supposed to provide a good mesh wifi signal?

Signal is fine downstairs but upstairs it seems to disappear

Before you spend wodges of cash

smartphone time download the app WIFI Analyzer by farproc

Start simple and look at what is using the 2.5ghz range, then the 5.0ghz range

Most routers are factory set to use channel 9. i bet if you have a look there will be at least 3 or 4 neighbourly routers

using the same channel(frequency) ... the more on the frequency, the more congested it becomes.


Techy time ... once you identify what channel has the least use you need to go into your router settings,

and find the wifi settings, then specify a fixed channel that you want for your network say 2 or 3 --- it all depends on your router ...

Good ones go up to channel 14, normal run of the mill stuff is 12 or 13

however you need to have equipment that will also accept channel 14

Once you have changed your channel, log off all the stuff thats currently using wifi and get it to reconnect,

it will automatically conect to the new(your) channel and - lower congestion

A couple of other thing to check in your router settings ..

make sure your transmitting on 2.5g or 5.0g only, dont have a simultanious 2.5&5.0 transmission

Also check your lowest group for conection

you want to be running at 802.11n or 802.11ac if your on 802.11g then everything runs to match the lowest speed

g is 54mbps n is 600mbps ac is 1300mbps

If you do the same for the 5.0 band, your more than likley find sod all on there

if your equipment supports it use it

Also move your router --- no good having it downstairs by the phone socket

the wifi coverage is best described as a ring donunt with the router at the centre so lots of coverage on the level of the router,

but will tail off the further away, above or below.. (-)

my router is wall mounted at ceiling height onthe stairs (I) it spreads through the house longways and the width spread is fine

Our house has brick internal walls, no plasterboard, so we were getting crap WiFi.

Until I bought this https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0725Y1VZ7/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

And a pair of these https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B06XKKRDVR/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

WiFi signals are now 80-100% all over the house now.

We have recently changed to sky, our house is a 120 yr old semi with thick walls and wifi range was woeful, after lots of resets on the box and threats to bin them they sent a booster box free of charge(£60 to buy)and didn't bill us for the month it took to sort it out, it has worked pretty well, only one bedroom is a bit slow.
Our joined neighbour has BT and has has issues when several people are in the house and have bought their own plug in boosters and it is now better.

Al.

Pack the kids suitcases........

Monsieur said:

Are BT any better?

Click to expand...

NO, They are probably the worst ISP you could choose.

Devolo is probably your answer, the kids can have their own wifi network. Absolute doddle to set up.

Monsieur said:

I've got sky broadband and wifi.

Click to expand...

I have Sky wifi. The wifi range of the router they give you is pretty crap.

I have the sky router (with wi-fi disabled) going via cable into an Apple Airport Extreme base station, plus another Express station that acts as a range extender and audio relay (my flat is very small).

Bottom line: stop using the router sky (or other networks) give you for wifi and create your own wifi network and you'll be more than ok.

Or just buy a couple of range extenders if you want.