Sky GigaFast WiFi - 2000 ping and >50 Mbps. Internet drops off

[Gl97]

Just moved into a brand new property and ordered sky gigafast broadband. Sadly the developers of our home screwed us over with the ethernet cabling (the faceplate has nothing behind it in the cupboard with openreach terminal in, so router can't be outside there currently). Although we don't have WiFi max, I think we got sent the WiFi max router. I split up ssid so can connect to 5ghz network. However, I noticed that now I can't set the channel I connect to - it suddenly says this is being managed automatically. It keeps changing the channel to the worst possible option it seems, as my signal in my office upstairs is dreadful. I go from 500mbps down to suddenly less than 50, and get 2000+ ping. Eventually the WiFi just drops off completely and I'm getting booted off work calls. Sorry for the rant but is there anything that I can try here? I contacted sky and they said I need to wait 2 weeks, or can try pay for WiFi max to try get a signal boosting pod thing. All feels a bit disappointing and I'm already thinking about cancelling as I had better and consistent speeds on a much cheaper contract with virgin. Perhaps I'm just over reacting but I rely on reliable internet for work. Thanks and kind regards

[Gl97]

• This is what happens after the signal drops. Can't connect to either network, have to restart router then it changes the channel I think.

• 

[Chrisee]

@Gl97 if you have the white Wifi Max hub you can't split the Wifi bands because it is a Wifi6 device so needs to use both bands together deliver best speeds. Turning off the 2.4GHz band, which it sounds like you have done, will not improve speeds if your devices support Wifi 6. 

The unit is intelligent and in my experience is best left in its default set up as then the system  sorts itself out in roughly 24 hours The hub is able to use what are known as Band B channels from ch100 to ch140 which can only be used if the router does not detect any higher priority user in your vicinity such as a radar station by using mandatory Dynamic Frequency Selection. In addition it can also use Band. C channels higher than ch149. The laws of physics however mean the higher the frequency the greater the attenuation of the signal when passing through solid objects which is why the 2.4GHz band is important to get signal in distant parts of your home.

While you don't have ethernet cabling you may find the use of Powerline networking adapters which use the mains wiring to carry the data a possible solution. My own study has pretty poor wifi signal from the hub due simply to layout of my home and I haveca pair of these adapters feeding the ethernet port on my iMac. Speeds are not stellar around 200Mb/s but ample for my usage but the service is rock steady with no packet loss.. Plan on getting no morecthan 40% of the adapters rated output and youbwont becdisapointed.

[Gl97]

@Chrisee thanks for your response. I haven't disabled the 2.4ghz network, just changed the ssid on the 5ghz one - so when connecting, I see two networks. Should I revert back to just one? 

I do have powerline adapters but unless I buy new expensive ones it bottlenecks speed at 100mbps, and I don't have enough plugs to power mine & my partner's pcs without breaking the rule of not using them with extension cords. 

What confuses me is that two days ago this automatic thing wasn't enabled and I could freely change the channels, but now suddenly I can't. I guess maybe it's because things are still being set up but not sure. I just found it really frustrating last night going from a stable connection to awful speed and extremely high ping, it's the first time in 2 weeks I've had a chance to play a video game with my partner and we had to give up after 15 minutes which is not the full fibre experience I expected I suppose 

[Chrisee]

@Gl97 if you have been able to split the bands you have an older SR203 black Sky hub - the Wifi Max hub is white and you physically you cannot split the bands.

The SR203 is a pretty basic beast limited to Wifi 5 so ignore most of what I wrote as on your unit the 5GHz band is limited to ch36 to 52 which is a 80MHz range the only adjustment is to chose to restrict the router to either the top or bottom 40MHz of that range. Normally you dont get a lot of interference on the 5GHz band due to its lack of range but if your office is nearer to a neighbour who has for example Sky Q boxes that could be part of the issue. Personally I found splitting bands often reduced speeds so only use it in circumstances where someone has cheap IOT kit that wont remain connected to a dualband SSID. 

Modern powerline units are a lot better as they now use the earth conductor as well as live and neutral. The reason why powerline adapters should be used in wall sockets is simply to minimise the number of cable joins which affectvspeed.  They will work on a standard trailing adapter but won't work if there is a surge protecter. If you buy the type with pass through sockets as I do you dont lose the use of the wall socket.

[Gl97]

@Chrisee thanks for your help, I'm so confused now as the router is definitely white 😭 in the app it says "Sky Max Hub" model name "HOMEHUB6". if I try to split the networks now it doesn't let me, but previously it did. So I'm not sure if that's impacting it 

[Chrisee]

@Gl97 it is a fact you cannot split the bands on the SR213 white Sky Max hub so what you did was turn off the 2.4GHz band.

As I explained that will likely slow the speed not improve it. Simply put the SR213 is best left alone  to do its thing. However all WiFi routers are affected by the laws of physics and while pod extenders that come as part of the Wifi Max bundle may help they need careful positioning as the system uses a third wifi signal for the connection between the hub and the extenders. If the pods dont have a good backhaul connection they wont improve speeds but it may help reduce packet loss - the probable cause of your ping spikes.

One thing that does come as part of the Wifi Max bundle is where Sky think it necessary (ie if a single pod doesntvsort the issue) they send outva broadband engineer who can advise having surveyed the problem and can authorise up to two more pods. Sky dont officially recommend powerline its a policy thing.

[Gl97]

@Chrisee I appreciate your help, but I can assure you that I have the WiFi max hub and have both 2.4ghz and 5ghz networks split. I do see looking online that this is unusual and not normal. I will upload photos below. I'm unsure if this is some sort of bug related to just being connected yesterday - it let me change the channel etc yesterday morning, but now it does not. 

With regards to the pods, I'm not actually a sky WiFi max customer they just sent me the router. But I will consider purchasing that if it helps, thanks again 

 

[Gl97]

@Chrisee one more photo sorry - the two networks available separately. I split it initially because my partner's pc wasn't finding the network on her WiFi card so I split it to 2.4 and 5 which revealed it only found the 2.4 - I have since upgraded her WiFi card.

[TimmyBGood]

@Gl97 

A few points: 

Sky offers Gigafast Broadband, not Gigafast WiFi 

The white Max Hub is now default hardware for all Ultrafast connections: it's the WiFi Max service (including loan of booster pods) which is a subscription add-on 

Unfortunately developers, and particularly their electricians, don't understand ethernet.

As @Chrisee indicates, unsynchronized bands shouldn't be possible on the Max Hub.

[Gl97]

@TimmyBGood thank you. I suppose I should try and factory reset the router to go back to one network instead of split? 

I appreciate it's not gigafast WiFi offering, even if the speed wasn't great I'd manage but it's the fact that it goes from 400-500mbps to suddenly like 20-40mbps and 2000 ping that is a challenge for me. 

[Chrisee]

@Gl97 ss your hub was only installed yesterday might explain how you managed what Sky tell us is impossible and split the bands - did you use the web interface at 192.168.0.1 by any chance. Sky briefed us that the hubs need 24 hours to uodate and optimise I can only oresume you got in before the normal firmware loaed diszbling the ability to make changes using the web interface. Instead all changes have to be done using the My Sky app.

I suspect a factory reset is the only way to get yhe hub back to "normal" to do thst pess and hold in the WPS button on the side for at least 15 seconds or to when the led blinks.

[Gl97]

@Chrisee yes I did use the 192.168.0.1 interface. Sounds like I did indeed change it just before the proper firmware loaded. It sounds like it's advantageous for me to reset it so I'll give that a try, thanks for your insights!