New FTTP installation - existing Powerline network not usable - what next?

[#1]

In the last couple of days I’ve had a new FTTP installation completed by Openreach and the Plusnet 2 Hub is up and working perfectly. Wi-Fi in the room where the router is located is approaching 500mbps which was exactly what was requested. Perfect.

The issue I have is the existing network to get the signal boosted around the house is not working well with the new router. Previously, I had a Vodafone ADSL installation and reticulated the internet around the house using the BT Miniconnector and Mini Hub Powerline system - 3 hubs in total, purchased in 2017. Speed at my Vodafone Router was about 30Mbps and the mini connectors could achieve 15-20 which was adequate for our needs.

i was hopeful that once the Hub 2 was installed it would just be a plug and play transfer of the existing powerline network to the new router, but alas it hasn’t been a smooth transition.

First up there is a speed boost. The mini connectors now achieve in the region of 50-80 Mbps which is a lot less than the 500 via WiFi next to the router but it is enough for our needs. It is a bigger drop than I was expecting but I can live with that. They are rated at 600Mbps so they should be able to handle the new speed, but I realise it’s dependent on the wiring of my building, etc.

The deal breaker is something has happened to the quality of the connection and although you can measure speeds at 50+ from the mini connectors, pages are slow to load - if they load, and the network is unreliable. At times it seems to be fine, but then you can go through a patch where multiple pages seem slow to load, if at all. Error messages such as “failed to parse” start appearing which I’ve never seen before.

I have tried restarting everything, reset to factory settings on the powerline system, but the problem remains.

So if anyone has any insights I would appreciate some help with determining if the existing powerline system can be salvaged or if it’s time to bite the bullet and upgrade to a mesh network ?

[#2]

Moderators Note

This topic has been moved from Full Fibre to Tech Help

[#3]

What is the make and model of the Powerline kit? These devices are advertised disingenuously at the best of time; it's not unusual to see models that are graded at e.g. 600mbps, yet only have 10/100 ethernet ports.

Like you've acknowledged, Powerline can be unreliable/highly variable. You'd be extremely lucky to get even half of your contracted speeds through them, even in a newly wired property.

Does the manufacturer offer any diagnostic utility that might shed some light on things? It could be that you had a flaky connection before, but becaue the throughput wasn't being pushed to it's limit, things were within tolerance.

The best bet is almost always going to be cabling, even with a mesh solution. Mesh works best where each access point is wired back to the primary. Granted, it's less convenient, but that initial hassle is often well worth it in the long term. You might even want to consider repurposing an old router on the end of a cable (requires some reconfiguration), rather than splashing out on a mesh solution.

[#4]

Thanks for your reply.

I have attached a link to the specification sheet for the equipment. As I said I purchased it in 2017 and BT stopped selling it shortly after so it’s been around for a while.

https://www.bt.com/content/dam/bt/help/legacy-ug/others/BT%20Mini%20Hub%20Kit%20specification.pdf 

[#5]

@saltywatch21 

If you're in a position to do so, consider running external ethernet cable upstairs, terminated with an ethernet wall socket at either end. This gives you a solid starting point upstairs and might even add value to the property.

Not particularily cheap but it's a one off and might give more flexibility as to what WiFi equipment you then use.

Brian

[#6]

@bobpullen 

"These devices are advertised disingenuously at the best of time; it's not unusual to see models that are graded at e.g. 600mbps, yet only have 10/100 ethernet ports."

I agree.

I recently got rid of two sets of powerline adapters, (different types), that were supplied with the old original BT Vision, many years ago. The specs for both sets were similar: (up to) 200 Mbps, which when you delved into the specs was true - 100Mbps in each direction!

[#7]

@bobpullen 

"Mesh works best where each access point is wired back to the primary."

Normally I would agree with you - wired beats wireless.

However, I have "discovered" an exception to this.

Some months ago I migrated from Plusnet Mobile to EE - this actually suited me because i get a very weak EE signal inside my house, (though it has very good coverage across my home city), and I wanted to take advantage of WiFi Calling. I was using a 3 disc BT Whole Home WiFi mesh network, with all 3 disks connected by ethernet. By necessity, due to the layout, the "master" disc was connected directly to my Plusnet Hub2, but the two "remotes" had to go via a single ethernet switch, which then connected to the router.

In this configuration, a call made or received when connected to one disc would drop out when moving around the house and between discs. This happened with every call, both incoming and outgoing. Calls to BT product support and EE were unable to resolve this issue.

I eventually found that connecting the two remote discs via wireless backhaul, (leaving the master via ethernet), completely resolved this problem.

My guess is that when the remotes were connected via ethernet, there was a timing delay introduced by the ethernet switch that was enough to break the supposedly "seamless" handover between discs?

[#8]

Interesting, I have exactly the same setup (3 whole home, each ethernet.) as you did and with Voda and 1p (EE) wifi calling not noticed such behaviour with wandering round the house.

[#9]

@dvorak
Thank for your reply and experiences.
To confirm, I have the original Whole Home WiFi, (model no: AC2600 ?), and I'm using the Plusnet Hub 2. Is your kit exactly the same?
I'm not entirely sure how WiFi Calling works: do 1p Mobile use EE's WiFi Calling infrastructure, or will they have their own separate setup?
My phone is a Samsung A41, running Android 12.
Also, how exactly are your Whole Home WiFi discs cabled - all directly back to the router, all via the same ethernet switch, or something else?

[#10]

@Mr_Paul  - the original whole home plugged into a Hub2.

Disk 1 directly in routers ethernet port, Disk 2 is via 2 switches and 3rd is powerline and switch.

We're a full apple house though, so it's all iPhones / iOS. Might be the difference?

[#11]

@dvorak 

Neither BT Whole Home WiFi support, nor EE, had heard of this problem before, so I think that it must be something more unique to my setup than iOS works when moving between discs, but Android doesn't - else they would have already had may complaints?

[#12]

@saltywatch21 

Not using the same powerline units but you might find the following instructive: https://community.plus.net/t5/Tech-Help-Software-Hardware-etc/Powerline-Unit-Performance/m-p/1607450...

Ethernet is the best solution.