All smart devices are disconnected and awful customer service experience.

[canttalktalk1]

Hi TalkTalk community (and any staff monitoring),

I'm at my wits' end and hoping for some real help or escalation here, as live chat support has been incredibly frustrating.

My setup and issue:

• Router: Sagemcom FAST5364-3 T8 (older TalkTalk Wi-Fi Hub model, Wi-Fi 5/AC2200, dual-band).
• Connected devices: Multiple smart/IoT gadgets including several Blink cameras, Ring doorbell, Bitcoin miner (high ongoing traffic), smart plugs—roughly 10+ always-on devices total.
• Problem: Every few hours (often multiple times a day), all Wi-Fi devices disconnect simultaneously across the whole house. No gradual slowdown or isolated drops—just everything goes offline at once. The internet/WAN light usually stays on (no full broadband loss), but local Wi-Fi completely stalls. Power cycling the router is the only way to get things back temporarily, but it recurs constantly.
• This matches classic overload symptoms on this model: WiFi chipset/RAM/NAT table/DHCP pool getting overwhelmed by persistent IoT connections and traffic. Forum threads and older reviews mention similar instability, random drops, and limits with 10-20+ devices (official claim was ~50 on 5GHz, but real-world IoT-heavy use falls short).

Support experience (just over 2 hours in chat so far):

• Agents keep sending scripted, irrelevant responses (e.g., line checks, coverage boosters, basic reboots) that ignore the simultaneous mass disconnection symptoms.
• They repeatedly ask the same questions, even after I've explained multiple times.
• Diagnostics show "line OK" and "router not damaged," but they won't recognize performance overload/failure on this aging model as a fault.
• When I asked to escalate to a supervisor (as it was clear we weren't progressing), they refused or deflected..... Surely this isn't correct!?
• I'm pulling my hair out—it's like dealing with a wall of scripts with no actual troubleshooting or acknowledgment of the router's known limitations.

Has anyone with the Sagemcom FAST5364-3 T8 (or similar older models) had the same all-devices-dropping-at-once issue with lots of IoT/smart devices, and successfully got a replacement (e.g., newer Wi-Fi 6 model like Wi-Fi Hub 3 or eero series that handles 75+ devices better, tri-band, more memory/processing)? Tips on forcing escalation, getting past "not faulty" responses, or what to say next? Thanks in advance—this needs sorting before I have to go formal complaint or consider switching providers.  I'm sure a replacement newer router would fix the issue?

Appreciate any advice!

[siphosethu-TT]

Hi there @KeithFrench, thank you very much for the help it's appreciated. 

[KeithFrench]

Hi @canttalktalk1 

Sorry for the delay, I have been very busy all morning.

This sounds to me like WiFi interference peaking at the time when these devices disconnect. Wi-Fi interference (nothing to do with electrical interference) can cause:-

1. Slow speed,
2. intermittent dropouts,
3. breaks in the signal,
4. no signal at all,
5. or no internet access.

This can affect one or more devices. This can also lead to a permanent reduction in the speed of one or more devices. No ISP can be responsible for your local environment; this is mainly a byproduct of the popularity of Wi-Fi.

Generally speaking, the 2.4GHz band suffers far more from Wi-Fi interference than the much faster 5GHz band. However, the 2.4GHz band has a longer range than the 5GHz band and can penetrate walls better. This may very well change depending on your local area.

In other words, I offer a free, impartial analysis of your Wi-Fi network and will try to help you optimise your Wi-Fi connection. The next stage involves my sending out a guide to help you get important diagnostic information for me. I will then analyse these results for you and recommend changes to your router configuration, if required.

I only send this out to people who request it.

The information below is provided by TalkTalk. For confirmation, please contact @Lorrainef, the manager of the TalkTalk support staff on this forum.

KeithFrench is one of our valued Community Stars and can help with a range of issues related to wireless and networking. At times, he may ask you to send him test results via a Private Message to help analyse/diagnose an issue. Although Keith does not work for TalkTalk, he very kindly shares his time and knowledge to help others.

If you need further help or if we need to take any details such as personal information about your account, like phone numbers, account numbers, etc, one of the TalkTalk team will jump in and help out.

[Philile-TT]

@fr8ys thank you for the support. 

[fr8ys]

Probably is as it's gone 9pm, knocking off time!

[canttalktalk1]

4 hours on chat with customer support..... shouldn't there be a siren going off somewhere?

[fr8ys]

Hi,

As you've posted on the fibre board, I assume you have Full Fibre, I'm afraid you will have to phone the fibre team as staff here do not have access to the full fibre systems.

Try phoning 0345 172 0088

Opening Hours can be found here - https://community.talktalk.co.uk/t5/Articles/How-to-contact-TalkTalk-Broadband/ta-p/2230529#

I note you are bitmining. As you state this is high demand. Perhaps this may be causing issues.

Having said you really need to phone for a resolution I'll ask a fellow CS @KeithFrench if he has any insight, as he is our resident router experts.