Problem connecting second laptop to HH5

[MJP]

I was correct in my assumption that the situation would revert back to the Legion disconnecting when the Ideapad was connected!

I tried leaving both laptops on this morning and after a few minutes the Legion disconnected but Ideapad remained connected.

Again the troubleshooter came up with a problem with the access point. Instead of re-booting the HH5 I decided to dig about in the Advanced properties of the Killer WiFi newtork adaptor. As soon as I changed the 802.11n/ac/ax wireless mode from 802.11ac,which it was set up as, to 802.11n the laptop immediately re-connected to wifi and has been connected now for about 1/2 an hour. The Ideapad is also in the same mode (802.11n) and is remaining connected too.

i'm hoping this will have solved the issue.

[MJP]

Here’s an update to my last post. 
All was well for a while  until I started to get disconnections with my iPhone and iPad again . The usual issue of trying to connect to wifi  but failing and eventually deciding WiFi password was incorrect. At the same time the laptops were refusing to connect to the hub. 
So I factory reset hub, turned off smart setup and split the 2.4 5Ghz channels with separate names. 
iphone iPad and laptops now connecting correctly to 5Ghz and stable, but not for long. I can however connect to 2.4 GHz with no problem without rebooting the hub. However attempting to connect to 5Ghz even in same room as the hub is unsuccessful , unless I restart the hub. 
so it appears the issue is with the 5Ghz band. 
I realise the 5Ghz signal isn’t as good as 2.4 but the fact that when the connection gets lost and it doesn’t work with my equipment only a couple of feet away (until the hub is rebooted) suggests it’s not the distance the signal has to travel or walls in the way being a problem. I live in a two bedroom bungalow so the signal only ever has one plasterboard wall to travel through anyway ! 
Do I have a faulty hub ? Do I need a firmware upgrade?  Would a Smarthub 2 be any better or maybe an Asus  Zen mesh wifi connected to the hub 5 and turning off the hub’s wireless function be a better plan as the hub’s broadband connection is solid?

[Keith_Beddoe]

You could try a later home hub, but you may have to renew your broadband contract to get one from BT. The latest smart hub 2 does not allow you to split the bands, and can give problems with some devices.

If you have no need for 5GHz wireless, then the TP Link W9970, costing about £35, works very well, and I have not found a device that would not connect to it.

https://www.tp-link.com/uk/home-networking/dsl-modem-router/td-w9970/

If you must have 5Ghz, then

Another alternative is this https://www.tp-link.com/uk/service-provider/dsl-router/archer-vr400/

This is a dual band device which is superior to the home hub 5.

A wireless mesh in a bungalow, would be a waste of money, as the coverage would be too great.

If you did want to try a wireless mesh, then the Tenda MW3 works very well, and is not expensive. You would need to turn the wireless off on the home hub 5.

You would only need a two node mesh in a bungalow.

[MJP]

Thanks for the quick response! 
 It’s only the 5Ghz band that’s causing a problem. I can connect with 2.4 without issue. However the speed I get over 2.4 is about half that I get when 5Ghz is working correctly. I’ve reset the hub again and connected my phone via 5Ghz I get broadband download speed of 64Mb to router and 56 to device according to the BT speed checker in the my BT app, on 2.4Ghz the speed to device when I last checked was only 34 , hence my preference for using 5Ghz.

I have considered getting a different brand of router but it’s a bit of a minefield and of course BT will refuse support if you don’t use their equipment. 

[Keith_Beddoe]

BT will not stop you using third party routers, but they cannot support them.

My last suggestion (edited), would be to connect a two node Tenda MW3 wireless mesh to the home hub 5, and turn the HH5 wireless off.

I use the MW3 and so does my daughter at her house, and she has over 30 devices connected to it. We both use TP Link routers, but you could use the HH5

The MW3 is operated in access point mode, so that the router still has control over IP allocations.

https://www.tendacn.com/en/product/mw3.html

[MJP]

Thanks for this , you’ve given me more food for thought ! I’d rather have a ‘one box’ solution as I’ve recently decluttered by getting rid of desktop pc and all the associated cabling, and replacing with a laptop for photo work. 
In all honesty it’s no problem rebooting the hub every so often but it’s just a pain when things don’t work reliably as expected, or getting anything like the potential download speeds you are paying for. I accept there is some speed loos using wireless but there is quite a difference between the two bands, so would much prefer to use 5Ghz where possible. 
Thanks again for your input and providing some ideas of where I could go ! 

[Keith_Beddoe]

The best solution of course, would be to connect the laptop directly using an Ethernet cable, or if that is not possible, then powerline adapters would be the next best option, and can be used in any room by just plugging them in.

Both solutions would overcome the wireless connectivity problems.

[MJP]

My laptops don’t have an Ethernet port🙄 . Ive actually ordered a USB / Ethernet adapter for times when I need to upload a batch of photos to my NAS as doing this wirelessly over 2.4G is painfully slow, compared to how fast it happened with my desktop ! 
I hate technology sometimes 😂