Total Home WiFi

[Jeggers]

A Full Fibre 150 upgrade was installed at my home one week ago incorporating a single Eero router but with subsequent mixed speed results at both router position and workstation positions - two devices much improved and two devices hardly improved from previous Fibre 65 installation.

TalkTalk technicians have made several attempts to improved the installation but with little success and are suggesting an upgrading to Total Home WiFi.

What is not clear to me is whether such upgrade, having two additional Eero units sited at workstations, will give me, at best, simply the same ratings as currently received at the incoming router location or do they somehow boost the signal reaching the workstations to give me nearer to what I was expecting on all devices.

Put another way, would I be wasting my money on upgrading wifi as opposed to buying some newer devices?

More generally, is Total Home WiFi a successful and useful upgrade?

Any advice will be appreciated.

[Chris-TalkTalk]

Thanks Keith 🙂

[KeithFrench]

Hi @Debbie-TalkTalk @Michelle-TalkTalk @Chris-TalkTalk 

The customer has updated me via PM just now. He used a friend's MacbookAir6.2 (quite an old one), it had an 802.11ac (WiFi 5) Wi-Fi adapter in it and the speed achieved at 1.0 metre from the gateway Eero 6 was 152Mbps and at the extender Eero was 151Mbps.

Therefore the problem is with his PC. I have offered help if he wants to get a new USB3 WiFi adapter.

[KeithFrench]

Hi @Debbie-TalkTalk 

The PC is connected to the gateway Eero & getting the same speed (40Mbps) as it was when connected to the extender node the other day.

Therefore the problem is either the network adapter in the PC or less likely the gateway Eero. I have asked the customer if his tablet & Phone that get good download speeds, can he confirm if they still get this irrespective of the Eero they are connected to?

I have also asked him if he has any other WiFi 5 (802.11ax) or better USB3 WiFi adapters that he could try? Is there one he could borrow from someone for an hour or so to see if the PC is then much faster when connected to the gateway or extender Eeros?

[KeithFrench]

Hi @Debbie-TalkTalk 

From further diagnostics yesterday, the PC when only 1M away from the main gateway Eero still only gets around 40Mbps, when that Eero is recording a speed from the ONT of about 151Mbps. However, just because that PC is near to the gateway node, it might actually still be connected to the Extender node, where it got the same 40Mbs the other day. I am waiting for the customer to repeat a command on the PC to prove which Eero it is connected to currently.

[Debbie-TalkTalk]

Thanks Keith

@Jeggers How are you getting on?

[KeithFrench]

Hi @Michelle-TalkTalk @Chris-TalkTalk 

An update for you after further diagnostics have been carried out via PMs.

The link speed between the slow PC and the extender Eero node that it is connected to, is now as fast as the customer's WiFi 5 card supports - 433Mbps. The Gateway Eero node is recording a download speed from the ONT at 151Mbps. Therefore the cause of the problem has to be the speed of the backhaul connection between the two mesh nodes. This carries not only the PC data between mesh nodes, but also inter-mesh management data.

The two Eeros are either too far apart and/or the airwaves between them are partially blocked with expanses of metal, water or brick walls. I have asked the customer to confirm that there is no electrical equipment near either of these Eeros. The trouble with any long thread & dealing with other similar problems concurrently is, that I may have asked this same question before, but I just need to rule this out.

I have informed @Jeggers that moving the extender Eero closer to the gateway, will most likely reduce the link speed between the PC & extender, but the overall speed should be increased from the internet to the PC. Trial and error rules to some degree, unless the 5GHz hidden SSID backhaul network coming from the gateway node is monitored and the extender node is sited where the signal is much stronger from the Gateway node. 

[KeithFrench]

Hi Geoff, 

Is your PC now detecting the 5GHz band? Perhaps you can PM me a new set of screenshots to see if anything has changed?

[Jeggers]

Hi Michelle,

Many thanks to yourself and to Keith for your efforts on my behalf.

I see that my Eero 6 at 5.0GHz waveband has been amended from Channel 155 to Channel 42 but I regret that this has made little difference in solving the problem.

Basically, I am left with two devices, a Tablet and an Android phone, which can both achieve speeds around 80 - 150Mbps but I also have a further two devices, a Laptop and another Android phone, which can only achieve around 35 - 45Mbps whether sited at the Eero 6 location or at the extended Eero location. These latter speeds were basically the speeds as achieved using my previous router.

The Eero app health check indicates that the internet, Eero network and device connection are working correctly and, in view of the above, I have little faith that a further upgrade to Total Home WiFi will even solve the problem.

Unless you are aware of any further possibilities worth trying, I feel resigned to accept that the two problem devices are simply unable to benefit from the Full Fibre upgrade.

I would appreciate your thoughts on the situation,

Geoff.

[Michelle-TalkTalk]

Good afternoon,

This should now be resolved. Please can you retest and let us know how you get on.

Thanks

Michelle

[Michelle-TalkTalk]

Hello,

I'll chase this for an update from the team now.

Thanks

Michelle

[Michelle-TalkTalk]

Hi again,

Just an update to advise that this has been passed to eero to make the requested change so we should hear more in the 48hrs.

Thanks

Michelle

[Michelle-TalkTalk]

Good morning,

Thanks @KeithFrench 

I've raised this over to our Devices Team now and have asked them to apply the fix. I'll post back here to confirm as soon as this has been completed.

Thanks

Michelle

[KeithFrench]

Hi @Chris-TalkTalk @Michelle-TalkTalk 

From continued WiFi diagnostics I have been doing over the last day or so with this customer, he is back using the Eero, now that he has received the second one. The WiFi adapter in his PC can't detect the Eero's 5GHz band at all. The reason for this is that these two Eero's are stuck on channel 155 like those other ones over the past few weeks. This channel is above the range supported by his 802.11ac (WiFi 5) adapter.

Please can you get the devices team to apply the fix for this?

[Chris-TalkTalk]

Hi Geoff,

Just ignore that, when I ordered the eero it confirmed it was free of charge. For some reason these notifications get sent out automatically when we order eeros

Chris

[Jeggers]

That's good to know Chris. Except that I have just received and email from TalkTalk changing the package I agreed recently with TalkTalk to charge me for this additional Eero and also to additionally charge now me for CPI + 3.7% - neither of which I had been informed of previously and to which I do not agree.

I have no intention of paying more than was initially agreed and would appreciate someone sorting this out accordingly.

Thanks,

Geoff.

[Chris-TalkTalk]

Hi Geoff,

I've ordered the additional eero, it should be with you within a couple of working days

Chris

[Jeggers]

Hi Chris,

Thanks for that. I would assume that Eero is the future for WiFi so I would like one sent out to me, please.

However, may I suggest that I hang onto the WiFi Hub and, should there be no improvement with the additional Eero, then I can always try the Hub as a last resort. I understand some customers have found the Hub to be a preferable alternative.

Hopefully though, the Eero will be succesful and I can then return the Hub.

I appreciate your help with this.

Geoff.

[Chris-TalkTalk]

Hi Geoff,

Sorry about this, I can see that Michelle asked for the eero to be sent but for some reason the wifi hub 2 has been sent instead. Do you want to give the wifi hub 2 a try or would you just like me to order another eero?

Chris

[Jeggers]

Hi Michelle,

Sorry to bother you again.

I was expecting to receive an additional Eero as your message stated but I have just this evening had delivered a TalkTalk WiFi Hub 2. This doesn't seem right.  

Your further advice will be appreciated,

Geoff.

[Michelle-TalkTalk]

Morning,

No problem 🙂 We'll keep checking back in with you until this has been fully resolved.

Thanks

Michelle 🙂