How to use TalkTalk eero 6 with Fibre 65 (not full fibre)?

[mk123]

Hi. I have been with TalkTalk for a few years, and have just ordered an upgrade from Fibre 65 (FTTC) to Fibre 150 (FTTP). The install is a month away, and I received my eero 6 this week. I want to test the new router before the install to make sure it will provide good coverage (if it's unsatisfactory, I might cancel the new contract and get FTTP from another provider). I connected the eero 6 to my TalkTalk Sagemcom Wi-Fi hub yesterday, and the connection has been pretty awful. While I can get speeds of around 45Mbps sometimes (which is near the current wired speed), it's very inconsistent, especially further from the eero, often giving very low speeds or hanging mid-request. Among other problems, it seems it can't deal with other 'light' devices if it is servicing a 'heavy' device - e.g. while streaming in one room, a phone in a different room could hardly browse the web. I have tried using Google DNS instead of default TalkTalk DNS, but made no difference. I wanted to experiment with different 5GHz channels, or splitting out the eero into 2.4 and 5GHz, but these options don't seem to exist with the eero.

Have I misconfigured something? Are there things I can try? Is there a guide to using a TT eero 6 with FTTC? I would like to test this before Openreach install as I suspect just the one eero 6 won't provide adequate coverage throughout my home - two floors with thick walls. The Sagemcom TalkTalk Wi-Fi hub has reliably delivered speeds of around 30-40Mbps throughout the house over the last year. Is there a version of the Sagemcom Wi-Fi hub that can provide digital voice, and can cover a two-floor house with Fibre 150?

Thanks

[Chris-TalkTalk]

Hi mk123,

I've order the replacement eero, it should be with you within a couple of working days. You'll also receive a returns bag to send the old router back in

Chris

[Chris-TalkTalk]

Hi mk123,

We are still experiencing some system issue but I'll send the replacement eero as soon as I can

Chris

[mk123]

Ok thanks - hopefully it lets you dispatch it tomorrow

[Chris-TalkTalk]

I've tried again but the system still isn't allowing me to send a replacement router. I think it's because the service hasn't gone live yet but I'll try again on Monday

Chris

[mk123]

Ok thanks please keep me updated

[Chris-TalkTalk]

Hi mk123,

I'm unable to send the replacement eero at the moment due to a system issue. I'll try again later

Chris

[ferguson]

The eero is inherently designed to be part of a mesh system. As is the Linksys Velop supplied by Community Fibre. Who ask an extra £10 a month for more than one unit. Which guarantees a minimum of 10Mbps in every room. Wow-wee. 

[ferguson]

The eero is inherently designed to be part of a mesh system. As is the Linksys Velop supplied by Community Fibre. Who ask an extra £10 a month for more than one unit. Which guarantees a minimum of 10Mbps in every room. Wow-wee. 

[mk123]

Yes, thanks

[Chris-TalkTalk]

We can send a replacement router to test with, would you like us to arrange this? 

Chris

[mk123]

Hi Chris, thanks for your reply.

However, I don't think it's a case of the eero not suiting my needs - I think my eero just isn't working, either through a faulty unit or misconfiguration, so I am asking for help getting this working please. If I had a problem of range I would accept that this is simply about my setup, but if you read my post, that is not the case - rather the connection quality is inconsistent, frequently drops out even in the same room as the router, and it can't seem to handle more than 2 devices at once - despite being advertised at 75. In choosing between TalkTalk and Community Fibre full fibre, Community Fibre offer a high-end router which I thought was in the same league as the eero - if this is not the case and I would have to go back to the old TalkTalk Wi-Fi hub I might rethink my choice. The hardware quality is always a big factor in my decision on which provider to choose, so I don't accept the solution of just giving up on the TalkTalk full fibre router (eero).

Thanks

[Chris-TalkTalk]

Hi mk123,

As ferguson and martswain have said, if the eero doesn't suit your needs then the sagemcom should work fine. We do see a small number of customers who prefer to use the wifi hub instead of the eero and that's fine if you'd prefer to do this

Chris

[ferguson]

Nobody is likely to be able to tell you how any given router can perform in the individual circumstances of your own internal setup. I have re-escalated this to the support team nevertheless. 

[mk123]

Can someone from TalkTalk please address this? Preferably before the new fibre is installed...

[ferguson]

I think the supposition that it is an "upgrade" is entirely in the eyes of marketing.

[mk123]

Thanks. It's mostly that the eero is supposed to be an upgrade - it is given instead of the Wi-Fi hub with speeds above 65, so I expect it to be better. And, given the nature of my problem (random dropouts/overload rather than simply poor coverage), I suspect my unit is faulty, so I would like to try a working eero before resigning to the Hub.

[ferguson]

OK, well all I can speak from is my own experience. Which is that a single eero is indeed rubbish at other than very short range. As well as being hugely limited in configuration, which of course is the marketing behind everything being taken care of for you. If I spent £100s installing them across my home they might work OK, no idea, but judging by the bundles Amazon sell is what they expect of a customer. Is there any specific reason why you wish to persevere with it?

[mk123]

Yes, my original post is describing the problems I've encountered since setting up the eero. I understand there can be problems with range with just one node, but I'm having issues with reliability even at short range, so seems like an issue with my eero specifically

[ferguson]

Have you tried using the eero yet? I am not sure what you are expecting from the support team. All routers vary depending on the individual local environment. And eero is specifically designed as part of a mesh system, meaning that you would generally need more than one unit.

[mk123]

How do I flag this for review by TalkTalk staff please? Thanks

[mk123]

Thanks. I had already disabled Wi-Fi on the Hub. Agree on the point about splitting SSIDs, but from what I've read, eero(s) should be better at delivering 150Mbps across both floors and the garden? Wi-Fi hub doesn't actually reach the garden