Need new Router

RickC said:

Umm... why not just use your Virgin Media hub instead of piggy-backing another router to it? What do you think the benefit will be?

If you're paying for an M100 package and only getting less than 35 Mbps download speed then you need to speak to Virgin Media. (Virgin Media claims "your average download speed should be 108Mbps (megabits per second)" for the M100 fibre broadband package.

Hope this helps...

because I was told not sure where virgins router is rubbish and just use it as a modem, ps i am on the extender at the moment

web said:

because I was told not sure where virgins router is rubbish and just use it as a modem

Back in the day when Virgin Media's routers were rebranded cheap Netgears then I would have agreed with you but not these days. If you find a review that states the modern line-up of Virgin Media hubs is rubbish then I would be interested in a link.

I would guess that with an M100 package you may be on a Hub 3 or even on a much older Super Hub 2. If you do have a Super Hub 2 then demand a replacement from VM's Customer Service. Keep badgering Virgin Media about getting the download speeds you're paying for and it will probably send you a better specified router - probably a Hub 4 - if only to shut you up.

You may be able to get a Hub 4 if your connection isn’t as wide ranging or solid as it could be and you raise the issue with customer service. (Virgin Media broadband routers)

Hope this helps...

do u work for virgin media? lol, will have to go look at what I got, but was better in my old setup, even the guy who installed told me to do it ? .... plus plus whats this 6 thing i not got

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web said:

do u work for virgin media? lol, will have to go look at what I got, but was better in my old setup, even the guy who installed told me to do it ? .... plus plus whats this 6 thing i not got

plus thanks for all your input maybe I'm wrong, old school

web said:

do u work for virgin media? lol, will have to go look at what I got, but was better in my old setup, even the guy who installed told me to do it ? .... plus plus whats this 6 thing i not got

Nope... but I have been a Virgin Media customer for 17 years or more. I even still have a Super Hub 2ac... which is now 10 years old! My router's login screen:


I'm on the M200 package and even with a 10-yr-old VM router I still get the following:


If I didn't, then I would be on to VM's Customer Service in an instant (during the day, not after 5 pm when service changes to India... this may have changed; I've had no need to call Customer Service for 10 years or more).

web said:

.... plus plus whats this 6 thing i not got

I think you mean Wi-Fi 6. It's the latest (and fastest) Wi-Fi standard. Google 'wifi 6' to read more. Note that it will take time for device manufacturers to release new kit supporting this newest standard.

Hope this helps...

RickC said:

Nope... but I have been a Virgin Media customer for 17 years or more. I even still have a Super Hub 2ac... which is now 10 years old! My router's login screen:


I'm on the M200 package and even with a 10-yr-old VM router I still get the following:


If I didn't, then I would be on to VM's Customer Service in an instant (during the day, not after 5 pm when service changes to India... this may have changed; I've had no need to call Customer Service for 10 years or more).

Hope this helps...

ok last call tonite dreaded work tomorrow, ill have to check all my hardware, because the hub downstairs doesn't work upstairs why do i need a extstender to get 34 mbps upstares ?

RickC said:

Your fibre broadband connection should deliver your 100Mbps download speed package to the VM router, even if it's an old Super Hub 2.

However, unless your onward connections use ethernet cables (i.e. wired) then you are dependent first of all on the strength of your router's Wi-Fi capabilities. Newer routers have better Wi-Fi capabilities, i.e. better speed and range. Then you are dependent on the Wi-Fi capabilities of your Netgear extender and finally the Wi-Fi capabilities of whatever you are using for your PC (USB Wi-Fi dongle, internal Wi-Fi radio card, etc.)... all of it dependent on the signal-absorbing properties of floors/ceilings/walls, etc. (including fish tanks).

If the Wi-Fi signal from your router downstairs is significantly degraded during its passage upstairs then all the extender will do is pass on that degraded Wi-Fi signal.

You would need to give further details (VM router model, model of Netgear extender, etc.) for anyone to make a guess why the inbound broadband connection to your VM router drops to ~35 Mbps from your Wi-Fi extender. It could be anything... and Wi-Fi extenders (and repeaters) are not always a good way to extend coverage.

It might be that you need to look into using an ‘Ethernet Over Power’ (EOP) WiFi hotspot (AKA PowerLine Wi-Fi) instead of the Wi-Fi extender as a way of avoiding signal loss between floors. I've used them extensively for family and friends with much better success/results than Wi-Fi extenders/repeaters.

Hope this helps...

VM router Hub 3 VMDG505/TG249LG-VM, Netgear range extender model no: EX2700 N300 range, if I log into my hub 3 it says I have some issue with wifi and to move all connected wifi devices closer to hub 3, there upstairs ? connected to the extender, there is a page showing what all devices are running at (Mbps) highest 75 and lowest 25 didn't know if to post had IP addresses ?

web said:

VM router Hub 3 VMDG505/TG249LG-VM, Netgear range extender model no: EX2700 N300 range, if I log into my hub 3 it says I have some issue with wifi and to move all connected wifi devices closer to hub 3, there upstairs ? connected to the extender, there is a page showing what all devices are running at (Mbps) highest 75 and lowest 25 didn't know if to post had IP addresses ?

No need to post IP addresses.

What's the VM Hub 3's vertical position relative to the room it's in? Close to the floor, waist height, shoulder height, close to ceiling? (Wi-Fi reception will be better the higher it is as the signals won't be absorbed by nearby water-based objects like fish tanks... and people.)

Upstairs, is the Netgear range extender directly above the VM Hub 3 router downstairs? What colour is the range extender's 'Router Link' LED? Is it a steady green? When you login to the range extender, what signal strength is shown for the the VM Hub 3?

To extend the range, it has to be about half-way between router and the furthest Wi-Fi client device. When you're extending between floors then it helps to adjust the heights to reduce distance between the two. In your case moving them closer may require raising the VM Hub 3 downstairs. This should work with wooden flooring upstairs but not if you have a solid barrier as floor/ceiling divide between floors, e.g. poured floors with rebar or rolled steel joists, both of which will significantly reduce Wi-Fi coverage between floors. If that's the case then using ethernet cabling between the floors will be much better than Wi-Fi. Alternatively, Ethernet-Over-Power Wi-Fi adapters may be successful, depending on the mains power setup.

The VM Hub 3 supports 802.11ac, has 5 antennae (the Hub 4 has 11) and is dual-band. Its 'Smart Channel Selection' should automatically avoid congested network channels (e.g. your neighbours' Wi-Fi equipment) but it's something to check. The Netgear Range Extender only supports single-band so isn't the most flexible these days.

Hope this helps...