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Post by speedysteve on Mar 25, 2022 7:41:08 GMT
I can report that all my services and lan / wi-fi extenders are working perfectly.
The new, bigger 7 antenna Voda router, whilst not seeming to have much more penetrating range on signal strength, is much better at keeping the bit rate high at lower signal strengths!
Tech advances over 3/4 years will do that I guess.
So, in far bedrooms, where were gettibg around 25Meg/s we now see 50+.
The most difficult far room where the signal has to penetrate a wall at a shallow angle is also up to a healthy 30meg/s.
It's tempting me to consider buying a 2nd Voda router instead of the 8-9 year old Talktalk one I use the slave.
But that would probably eat up all my annual subs saving.
What we have now works well enough, with the slave really only needing to service the garage below, courtyard to the rear and reach the extender some 11m away with decent enough bit rate.
Fun and games.
Update. Looked on eBay! There's a buy it now, second hand Vodafone router just like ours for £9!
Tempting😂
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Post by MikeMusic on Mar 25, 2022 9:29:27 GMT
We got a bonus with the Three ZTE router as about 3 years younger than the Plusnet
The wifi is better than ever
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Post by speedysteve on Mar 25, 2022 13:00:17 GMT
Yes these things are evolving.
I will try the now defunct Sky hub as slave first.
I'm not sure it's much better than the Talktalk one, but can't compare as the Talktalk was only ever live in the old house.
If no difference, 2nd Voda would be tempting...
We have an EE router too - from the first year here! That was the worst I always felt.
Can these things be recycled in a better was than local tip elec?
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Post by MikeMusic on Mar 25, 2022 13:17:53 GMT
Yes these things are evolving. I will try the now defunct Sky hub as slave first. I'm not sure it's much better than the Talktalk one, but can't compare as the Talktalk was only ever live in the old house. If no difference, 2nd Voda would be tempting... We have an EE router too - from the first year here! That was the worst I always felt. Can these things be recycled in a better was than local tip elec? Be interested to hear your experience on slaves as we have odd spots that Apple items don't work in Doubt anyone wants them except techies and then not many |
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Post by speedysteve on Mar 25, 2022 13:35:45 GMT
As long as you have a lan cable plumbed in they are the best cheap solution..
Aside from changing suppliers / routers and having to reconfigure 4 or 5 parameters..
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Post by MikeMusic on Mar 25, 2022 13:52:03 GMT
No cable anywhere near the Three ZTA router
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Post by Slinger on Mar 25, 2022 14:04:04 GMT
Be interested to hear your experience on slaves as we have odd spots that Apple items don't work in... I'm more and more convinced it's just that the Apple devices themselves are to blame, Mike. My iPad Mini often drops its wireless connection in my bedroom, while the PC, as well as the Fire and Android kit is all working perfectly at the same time, in the same room. |
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Post by MikeMusic on Mar 25, 2022 14:08:23 GMT
Same page I laugh (inwardly) when the boss loses her Apple connections, always offering my W10 laptop  |
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Post by julesd68 on Mar 25, 2022 14:21:12 GMT
Yeah yeah all Apple products are shit and Windows always runs flawlessly ...  LooooL.
Let's not go there. |
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Post by speedysteve on Mar 25, 2022 15:12:42 GMT
You pay for the premium privileg of crap connectivity😀
I remember going from Windows phone and Motorola to Google pixel and how it just seemlessly moved from master to slave, never dropping.
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Post by Slinger on Mar 25, 2022 15:35:29 GMT
No bias required. What happens happens. The really funny part is that the best position for me to hold the iPad Mini in when attempting to reconnect to my wireless signal appears - after much experimentation - to be directly above the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my bedside table, and I don't even have to ask Alexa to do it.  That's not a joke, I'm completely serious. |
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Post by speedysteve on Mar 25, 2022 22:05:45 GMT
Repeated attempts to configure the Sky router as a slave have failed.
Once the new IP address is set and DHCP is disabled, UPnP disabled and the router name is changed.
It simply refuses to connect as it should - as the Talktalk one does!
It knows what I'm trying to do and it's going to thwart it😂
Only course of action is to Factory reset it.
It's also incredibly slow to boot and in the menus and to update / she changes.
Sky proprietary shit!😒
I'll give up soon! 😂
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Post by MartinT on Mar 26, 2022 4:39:32 GMT
I remember the Sky Q system with the supplementary box for secondary TVs. Unmitigated shit. It did nothing but constantly fail its connection and fight with your main wi-fi setup.
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Post by speedysteve on Mar 26, 2022 6:42:06 GMT
To be fair, the Sky router has worked loyally for several years without glitch as Master router, on their network.
It accepts the settings, all be it slowly and reboots slowly, but refuses to play ball.
I just can't see why.
Perhaps 192.168.1.2 is barred in its SW for some reason?
Why let it be set to that though, reboot and then be dumb?
That's the only thing I can think of at the moment .
I'll try ending in 3, 4, 5.
I set the DHCP configuration on the Voda master to start above 10...
Previously I just just set it to 192.168.1.3 though.
Shouldn't make any difference..
Perhaps there is some other setting only on the Sky router I'm missing?
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Post by MartinT on Mar 26, 2022 10:37:19 GMT
Is there a factory reset pinhole?
Try also 192.168.1.1 and 192.168.1.100 as popular for routers.
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Post by speedysteve on Mar 26, 2022 10:45:39 GMT
Yes, always factory reset.
Have to do that every time it won't respond😀
Meanwhile, I been tweaking the settings on the Talktalk slave.
Gone bridged mode and changed channels on both 2.4 and 5MHz to ensure no fighting the Voda router.
Definitely helped on speed.
Was advised not to have the same name for both master and slave and external.
It does mean having to authenticate on each router first time use, but the handovers are more intelligent regarding speed rather than signal strength.
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Post by speedysteve on Mar 30, 2022 20:50:40 GMT
I didn't give up, tried a few times more, but nothing I did could get the Sky router to work as a slave = junk.
I found the EE router we had first year in this property, so a bit newer than the Talktalk one.
I configured it and had it working in no time!
Nicely made piece of kit with well structured menus and settings too.
I'm listening via it now.
Will evaluate the full wifi range tomorrow.
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Post by MikeMusic on Mar 31, 2022 9:15:46 GMT
Sfunny. Good kit can be old, but still good Bad kit can be new, still bad kit |
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Post by speedysteve on Apr 1, 2022 9:23:54 GMT
I've found that calling the different routers wireless identifiers different names (SSIDs), gives better stability when in range.
Marie's phone was suffering some slow downs she said.
Before I'd called all the router SSIDs the same.
One argument for different names that I read, is that they stay or switch to the faster speed rather than the best signal strength, as you move around.
Not sure I buy that, depends on the quality of the implementation in the devices SW, I would think.
The other thing I'm now trying is splitting 2.4GHz and 5GHz SSIDs and giving them different names on the main Vodafone router.
This is standard setup on the EE router (now slave)!
Not so, on the Talktalk, that and the Vodafone were the same..
This way, I know when I am on 2.4 or 5GHz bands.
I still handover to 2.4 when the edge of 5GHz coverage is reached or of course over to the 2nd routers 5GHz coverage, if in range of that.
Only hassle is that we have to connect with same wi-fi password to 5 different SSIDs! Only need to do that once of course.
The garden extender is solely 2.4.
The EE router is still in but we've not been in the garden to test its range much these last few cold days!
Perhaps I need to create a schematic for the setup😂
Fun and games.
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Post by MartinT on Apr 1, 2022 9:47:58 GMT
You don't have these hassles with a mesh setup. We have 5 BT Wholehome discs with a single SSID and the handover as you roam is seamless. You can also 'steer' certain devices towards 5GHz if you wish.
I used to constantly mess with different routers and extenders as you are doing. The hassle-free nature of mesh is excellent and they do some clever stuff in the background by 'backhauling' streams using different routes around the mesh to optimise delivery to where you want it.
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