Wifi keeps fading put on mobile

[Sarabs]

I am having an on-going problem with the Wi-Fi fading out on my mobile. This isn't because I am too far from router as it can happen when I am next to it. This is very annoying because if I forget to turn off mobile data when at home I find I am using up data when at home! This has incurred unnecessarily costs at times. I have turned off the router etc to try and reset but the problem is that this keeps happening. It probably explains why our t.v. keeps buffering as well.

[KeithFrench]

On the HG633 they helpfully call the firmware - software.

Band Steering provided you are running the current firmware V2.00 is an alternative, it automatically moves any 5Ghz capable devices from the 2.4GHz band. It is what I prefer to use, but it is purely optional.

Please remember that this alone fixes nothing, as per the last two paragraphs of my previous post.

[Sarabs]

Hi, I have now customised my wireless network by adding 5G to the network name of the wireless 5GHZ SSID. Field and saved. I have not done anything with Band Steering as I am not sure what to change? I have HG633 Version H. 1.01? Do I need to deal with this?

[Sarabs]

Thanks Keith I will take a look at your reply later. You may notice my first message sent before I finished typing so have now edited my original message.

[KeithFrench]

Slow speed, intermittent dropouts, breaks in the signal, or no signal on some or all devices, might be caused by Wi-Fi interference from other local networks, which can also lead to a permanent reduction in speed. No ISP can be responsible for your local environment, this is mainly a by-product of the popularity of Wi-Fi.

However, other factors should be investigated first. When this happens, what are the lights showing on the front of the router? Do you have any wired connections & if so, how do they perform?

If you have the HG633, HG635, DSL-3782 or the TalkTalk Wi-Fi hub, they are dual-band routers & offer both the older 2.4GHz & the newer 5GHz Wi-Fi bands. The problem is these are two different networks (SSIDs), but they share the same name, so you can't tell which one you are connected to. Log into the router (http😕/192.168.1.1) and enter a username of "admin" and if the HG635 a password of "admin" as well, or if the HG633, DSL-3782 or the TalkTalk Wi-Fi hub, use the unique router password (see the label on the rear of the router at the top).

HG633/635 go to:-
"Customise my wireless network"

Append "5G" to the end of the network name of the "Wireless 5 GHz SSID" field. Then click "Save".

DSL-3782 go to:-
Settings > Wireless (Wi-Fi)

Append "5G" to the end of the network name of the 5 GHz "SSID" field. Then click "Save".

TalkTalk Wi-Fi hub

Go to:-
Dashboard > See Wi-Fi Settings > Manage Advanced Settings > Wi-Fi 5Ghz gear icon > Basic

Append "5G" to the end of the network name of the "SSID" field. Then click "Apply".

This will not fix your issues, but it will make it much easier to identify the band you are connected to. This way you will know which band is causing your problems.

Having said that, there is another approach which can be better, which is to use Band Steering. This will automatically move any 5G compatible device connected to the 2.4G band to the 5GHz band. This is available on the HG633 (V2.00), DSL-3782 (V1.10) and the TalkTalk Home Hub. To use this leave both network names identical and on the HG633 enable Band Steering from the initial Wi-Fi menu.

Generally speaking, the 2.4GHz band suffers much more from interference than the 5GHz band, but the 2.4GHz one can sometimes have a better range, but this all depends on your local area.

You may then wonder what was really the point of this if it won't solve the problem? This is because the whole topic is too complex to be dealt with in one post. The next stage involves sending out a guide to you to help you get me some important diagnostic results, so as I can analyse them for you and recommend changes to your router configuration to solve them.

I only send this out to people who request it. Kind