Wifi Signal Strength Mobile Devices 3 Phones Tested

[Anonymous User]

Do I have a faulty router/modem ?

So I have Iphone SE 2020, LG G6 & a Razer Phone 2 all with lots of Memory & Ram, 

I'm using the wifi from NowTV Super Fibre when I'm next to the box I have full 5 bar signal, 

the issue for me is that when I go to the kitchen or the bedroom my signal drops to 2 bars also bearing in mind I have a flat and the rooms are only 1-2m apart with plasterboard partitions. 

Can anyone Help?

DJTas

[Naomi1983]

M having the same problem I live in a small house two rooms up and two rooms downstairs the router is in the living room when I’m in the kitchen my strength drops and sometimes goes on timer until I move back into the living room. I can’t see how they can be right as I’m sure there are customers with a property much larger then this so how does it work for them? I’m bringing to think my hub is faulty it must be. Have you have any luck with rectifying the problem?

[gavs82008]

@Naomi1983 

Have a look at the post marked as answered in this thread.

https://community.nowtv.com/t5/Setup-Performance/Broadband-is-slow/m-p/589177#M14276

[redchiz1]

You could try splitting the SSIDs as explained in Step 4 of the help article here. 

[RoyB]

@Naomi1983 @gavs82008  @redchiz1 

But those links only say faster, not stronger 😢

The Now broadband router is notorious for its weak WiFi. 

[RoyB]

Bloody timeout 😢

Various fix options are:-

Get a third party modem/router which supports MER 61;

Get a Mesh system;

Get a pair of PowerLine adaptors with WiFi capability. (Do not get a WiFi extender).

[redchiz1]

---

@RoyB wrote:

But those links only say faster, not stronger 😢

@RoyB I am aware of that, but Step 4 nevertheless provides a solution that can help wireless devices to connect better. Always worth a try. 

[RoyB]

@redchiz1 

Here’s an article about it.

https://www.maketecheasier.com/24ghz-5ghz-band-steering/

You will notice that the author comes down (just) on the side of splitting the bands.

But that is in the context of largely static devices, where the user has made the decision about which band each device should be on, and ensured that they are on that band.

The Now help just says ‘split the bands’ with nothing about the user having to adjust the allocations. So the net result of such a split is that every device will stay on the band it is on now, or, in the event that you use new SSIDs for each band, will likely make the same imperfect choice it made before, if its band steering isn’t up to snuff.

The author suggests that once you have split the bands, devices won’t be able to switch from one to the other for themselves; I’m not sure that is true, though, if the device knows about both bands. (But if it isn’t true though, then any device with less than optimum band steering is likely to switch back to your less preferred band on occasion).

But certainly, anyone splitting the bands will need to go from device to device, moving any 5-capable device that has chosen 2.4 but is in range of 5 onto 5, and any 5-capable device that has chosen 5 but is only marginally in range, or is now beyond it, onto 2.4

The Now Help doesn’t say that; it just says ‘split the bands’, as if each device is now going to automagically move onto the ‘right’ band. But if the devices could do that, then they could do it even better without having the bands split 😢

[redchiz1]

The majority of newer devices are 5GHz compatible, although some older ones are not. And NOW are not alone in supplying routers that devices have trouble in switching to when both bands are combined in a single SSID. That is why this piece of advice is widely promulgated across many ISPs support pages and their forums. 

It is true that if you split the SSIDs you need to select each one individually. But if you find that the 5GHz band is working poorly in certain parts of your home then you have the option to switch to 2.4GHz. Or even that the 5GHz band will hang on better when the other is not trying to compete with the connection, as it where. Using 2.4GHz if necessary may result in a somewhat slower speed, but a connection is better than none at all.

I repeat, worth a try. 

[Jayach]

Often, on forums where the supplied router has the bands split, it is often suggested that joining them is one way to improve Wi-Fi performance, because it enables the devices to manage the switching.