BT Smarthub 2 replacement

ronmr2

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Hello , can anyone recommend a good replacement for the BT Smarthub 2 that offers better wifi strength, I would appreciate any replies.

thanks
 
Wi-Fi transmit power is limited by law and most kit is, and always has been, at or very close to the permitted max. There's no magic "uber-router" out there with "much stronger Wi-Fi signal" then everyone else's.

If you are having coverage and/or performance problems, then a much better solution is to install additional Wi-Fi hotspots and create a "cellular" coverage pattern by deploying additional Access Points (all Wi-FI is facilitated by AP's - that's not just hair splitting over nomenclature, a "router" and an "AP" are different things in the field of data networks - the SOHO "get-you-on-the-Internet" omni-box we have at home often called a "router" actually contains both and much more besides.)

The "trick" with multiple Wi-Fi cells is how one establishes the "backhaul" links between the outpost AP's and the rest of the network. "Proper" cabled ethernet links make the fastest and most reliable backhauls. If getting the drills out isn't an option, then something like powerline/Homeplugs is probably next best, though some of the newer "mesh" and "whole home" type systems look attractive most of which can achieve backhauls using Wi-Fi as well as client connections.

This is a topic discussed often here at AVF, have a browse form some old threads, but I'm sure we'll be happy to cover it ll again if you want to get into the details.
 
Do you have any problems with wifi in your house just now ? e.g. poor or no reception in a bedroom.
I would update the BT SmartHub2 to a later version - either 5 or 6.
But what sort of budget did you have in mind ?
 
Do you have any problems with wifi in your house just now ? e.g. poor or no reception in a bedroom.
I would update the BT SmartHub2 to a later version - either 5 or 6.
But what sort of budget did you have in mind ?

The Smart Hub 2 is the latest version.
 
:facepalm:Shows how up to date I am on what BT give out. Prefer Draytek myself.
 
Hello, thanks , I have a smarthub 2 , the issue i have is my smart tv , firestick and ps4 (in a different room) buffering. I always seem to have a stable connection at 50 mb/s but in my living room with the tv and firestick i always seem to only be able to get 5mb/s despite the router being in the hall with no thick walls in between, I know this is a minefield area and I know every home is different but I read nothing but bad things about this hub so I would not mind splashing out on a new one if it got rid of these woes . I have also a couple of the BT discs , i have put one in the living room as well but it has made little if no difference! Any help and advice would be appreciated!
 
Have you tried connecting the PS4 with a long network cable directly to the router and try things again ?
 
Have you tried connecting the PS4 with a long network cable directly to the router and try things again ?
yes , it makes a difference definetely but having a cable doesnt. I am also more concerned with the firestick and smart tv as it becomes unwatchable because of the buffering!
 
yes , it makes a difference definetely but having a cable doesnt. I am also more concerned with the firestick and smart tv as it becomes unwatchable because of the buffering!

What are you using on firestick to view whatever your viewing. I have one and have no buffering.
 
yes , all updated , if i was to update the router anyone any ideas which is the best ?
 
Hello, thanks , I have a smarthub 2 , the issue i have is my smart tv , firestick and ps4 (in a different room) buffering. I always seem to have a stable connection at 50 mb/s but in my living room with the tv and firestick i always seem to only be able to get 5mb/s despite the router being in the hall with no thick walls in between, I know this is a minefield area and I know every home is different but I read nothing but bad things about this hub so I would not mind splashing out on a new one if it got rid of these woes . I have also a couple of the BT discs , i have put one in the living room as well but it has made little if no difference! Any help and advice would be appreciated!

Wi-Fi is fundamentally an "only one thing at a time can transmit" technology - the more things you have, the more data they want to transmit, the more competition there is for the available "air time." Throw is some poor signalling conditions, maybe a device or two with slow network adapters, and it all eats into the available bandwidth. (Not to mention that all Wi-Fi devices are both receivers and transmitters - it's a two way radio conversation like walkie-talkies, not a one way "lecture" like television.)

The reason you only read bad things about this and that router, is because the only time people opine about them is because they believe they aren't working very well. ISP provided kit seems to be particularly prone to this, not least because there's probably much more of it deployed that other kit, and something of an Internet Myth has grown up that "all ISP is inherently inferior" off the back of this. Thusly, replacing your BT Hub with something else is at best a gamble until you can be certain the BT hub is culpable and "something else" will fix it. If you're really unlucky you could even make things worse.

If running devices over a network cable doesn't yield a dramatic improvement, then prima facia it suggests you have not got a Wi-Fi problem in any case and the issue lies elsewhere. Of course, eliminating Wi-Fi and using much more reliable (and quick) ethernet would be the best solutions if possible. That would leave more air time available for the remaining Wi-Fi devices.

BTW - how fast is your ISP link...? That is a contended resource also, so if you have multiple devices pulling data down it simultaneously and it's not quick enough, then you'll again get buffering.
 
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As @mickevh is saying we need to find out what is causing your problem, is it WiFi, your ISP, your router.

So let's start with

What service are you getting from BT

Is the TV a wired or WiFi connection?

What model is your TV?
 
Hello, thanks , I have a smarthub 2 , the issue i have is my smart tv , firestick and ps4 (in a different room) buffering. I always seem to have a stable connection at 50 mb/s but in my living room with the tv and firestick i always seem to only be able to get 5mb/s despite the router being in the hall with no thick walls in between, I know this is a minefield area and I know every home is different but I read nothing but bad things about this hub so I would not mind splashing out on a new one if it got rid of these woes . I have also a couple of the BT discs , i have put one in the living room as well but it has made little if no difference! Any help and advice would be appreciated!

If you have the Smart Hub 2, then pop onto eBay and buy an extender disk, they go for around £80 and it will give you a MESH WiFi system through your Smart Hub. It’s a lot neater solution then buying a modem and a mesh system or new WiFi router separately.

This solution by BT is designed specifically for poor WiFi in homes, the disk I am taking about is like this one here:

 
-- As an eBay Associate, AVForums earns from qualifying purchases --
Can you try repositioning your existing router to see if that helps with the wifi throughout? Also test with as few other devices connected to the wifi as possible. You might also find that your existing router is 2.4GJz and 5GHz dual band with a single SSID meaning you don’t know which band your client devices are trying to use. 5GHz is quickly degraded by building fabric, so being only through one wall might be part of the problem. 2.4GHz penetrates better bit is also a slower overall band. If you can you may want to set up the bands with separate SSIDs so you can choose which to connect to and test if 2.4GHz is actually better than 5GHz. If it proves to be wifi “signal” then you need to think alternative solutions to improve wifi in your lounge rather than replacing the router. Note that wireless mesh systems may not help as they still rely on wifi and many models act as simple repeaters to half your wifi bandwidth before you even get started. Only wireless systems that have a completely separate radio system for the connection between nodes avoid this issue, and many of these use 5GHz bands for this, so if you house construction is not great at passing 5GHz between rooms then a mesh system may not help much at all and in fact may actually make the wifi performance worse. If you are trying wireless solutions then make sure you buy from a retailer with a no quibble returns policy so you can send it back if it proves unsuitable.

If it were me I’d be looking at the posibility of adding a wired ethernet connection between the router and the lounge, using wired network connections for the kit in the lounge that can use it, and add a wifi AP (that uses a wired connection to connect to the network) for wireless kit in the lounge to connect to.

Regarding the Firestick, if it is tucked away behind your TV you migh want to extend the cable so it is out in free air - I’ve found my TVs shield my Firesticks from the wifi so have either added Firestick wired ethernet adapters so I can plug in an ethernet cable, or I’ve repositioned the stick so it peaks out from the TV which gives a massively improved signal.
 
Wi-Fi transmit power is limited by law and most kit is, and always has been, at or very close to the permitted max. There's no magic "uber-router" out there with "much stronger Wi-Fi signal" then everyone else's.

If you are having coverage and/or performance problems, then a much better solution is to install additional Wi-Fi hotspots and create a "cellular" coverage pattern by deploying additional Access Points (all Wi-FI is facilitated by AP's - that's not just hair splitting over nomenclature, a "router" and an "AP" are different things in the field of data networks - the SOHO "get-you-on-the-Internet" omni-box we have at home often called a "router" actually contains both and much more besides.)

The "trick" with multiple Wi-Fi cells is how one establishes the "backhaul" links between the outpost AP's and the rest of the network. "Proper" cabled ethernet links make the fastest and most reliable backhauls. If getting the drills out isn't an option, then something like powerline/Homeplugs is probably next best, though some of the newer "mesh" and "whole home" type systems look attractive most of which can achieve backhauls using Wi-Fi as well as client connections.

This is a topic discussed often here at AVF, have a browse form some old threads, but I'm sure we'll be happy to cover it ll again if you want to get into the details.

realise thread few months old, but I’m just enquiring

I have a smart hub 2 and for most part, WiFi is rock solid.
just one bedroom that has poor signal

that room already has a network cable running to a giga-switch for the tv
Can I buy a “booster” that would also plug in and boost the WiFi but which I don’t have to bother messing abouting changing from one network to another and just have work seamlessly?

cheers
 
The thing you need is called a Wi-Fi Access Point (AP) - all Wi-Fi is facilitated by AP's, it's just that a lot of "other" things have AP's built into them such as SOHO routers, HomePlugs, etc.

If you have an old router lying around, you can repurpose that as an additional AP/switch combination. How to do so is described in the "Using Two Routers Together" FAQ pinned in this forum - there's a few hoops to jump through, but it isn't difficult. (You'll need an ethernet swtich in the mix either as a standalone device of as part of an AP/switch combo to avail connection of the backhaul/uplink, the AP and your TV.)

In "cellular" Wi-Fi deployments with multiple hotspots, the way to avail automatic "roaming" (as it's usually called) between hotspots is to ensure they all advertise the same SSID/passphrase. It's what we do on big sites with dozens/hundreds of AP's.

However, note that it is the client devices that decides if/when to institute a roaming assessment not "the system" thusly, clients are not (by design) constantly "hunting for the best signal" and some will doggedly hang on to a working link until it gets pretty grotty.

Some of the newer "whole home" and "mesh" systems aimed at the SOHO marketplace are beginning to implement (newer) technology to try and "encourage" clients to roam more readily, but it is by no means universally implemented at time of posting and even when it is, clients are not compelled to heed the "hint" from the AP's that they should roam somewhere else.

With multiple Wi-Fi cells, the coverage area will almost certainly overlap which means the hotspots could "interfere" with each other effecting performance. Thusly, it's best to ensure adjacent hotpots use different radio channels to prevent what we call "co-channel interference." Instead of letting the it auto-tune, for a small deployments of a few hotspots with a heterogeneous mix of kit, I'd tune the channel plan manually (most SOHO kit will let you choose channels.) For the 2.4GHz waveband, ensure the channels are a least "5 apart," so for example, pick two from the set [1,6,11] for the 5GHz waveband, just ensure they are different.
 
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