BT Whole Home Wifi - Disconnects / drop outs every few days

[Armin_6150]

Hi Guys,

I've been debating whether I should post this or not but after months of trial and error, reading other topics in the forum and getting help from BT email/helpdesk, I decided I have no choice but to reach out.

Problem:

Whole Home Wifi discs disconnecting every few days. All discs (apart form the one connected directly to the main router "Play Area") disconnects every few days.

Set Up:

Product type: WHW1
App version: 3.14.8
Operating system: iOS 15.3.1
Disc firmware version: v1.02.13 build07
Number of discs: 4

Observations and Steps Completed so far:

• The only observation I can barely say I've noticed is that the disconnection APPEAR to happen after few hours of no direct network activity,  e.g. sometimes in the morning when i wake up, or when i come back home after a few hours during the day. I said no direct network activity because I'm sure some of the devices connected to the network will still use it even though i may be sleep. for example Ring Doorbell, NEST thermostat etc..
• When the disconnection happens the effected disc has a red light and shows as disconnected in the app. Strange thing though when i click on the "troubleshoot" button for the effected disc in the app as im going through the steps i get a quick pop-up saying "Connection Restored". But that's a lie as it still has its red light on and shows as disconnected. this step can be repeated with the same outcome. 
• When the disconnection happens the only way to fix it is by either:
  • physically going around and switch each disc off (including the main) and switch them back on after a few mins, (restarting the effected disc on its own doesnt solve the issue), or:
  • using the restart button from the app (which i believe it just does the same steps as above) 
• When the disconnection happens the other discs (and the main Virgin hub) still work correctly.
• All discs show excellent connections when working correctly and their line of sights are not obstructed nor too far away from each other.
• I've replaced the ethernet cable on the main router and also changed the ethernet port on the virgin hub. no impact. 
• I've now added a smart plug to the main router to set up a routine to restart the network once a week (middle of the night). This step didnt seem to have any impact.  
• Contacted BT help desk on the phone and I received the following response from btconnectedhome@bt.com to try:
  • Enabling the "compatibility mode" setting from the router main page. tried this and at first i thought this had fixed it but the problem reoccurred after a week or two again.  
  • Disabling the  "legacy steering" setting. tried this method and this didnt have any impact either. 
  • Reset each disc individually. tried this also and no impact either. 

Appreciate your time reading this. Let me know if there is anything else i could try as this is getting very frustrating. 

Thanks 

@SeanD @JohnC2 @Dan-O @NeilO 

[rbz5416]

Just a suggestion but maybe try re-installing using one of the other discs as the master?

[orientboy2000]

That's exactly what I have going on nearly word for word

BUT I have the new Black WW WiFi 6 disks and a Netgear router on BT FTTH

so it seems to be an issue with the whole range?

I haven't upgraded to the new software (released last week) as those that have have said it makes no difference , or at least no one has reported that it solved it 

[Armin_6150]

Let's hope we get a response from BT as I'm debating whether i should send mine back.. I'll try the suggestion above with using other discs as the master too but im doubtful. Ive also thought about wiring the 3 additional discs back to the main router see if that fixes it (this comes at a cost though as it means lengthy ethernet cables and DIY holes through the walls).

a soft Fix by BT would be appreciated the most...

[Naimite]

@Armin_6150   Similar problem for me.

I'm not sure this problem is affected at all by the backhaul being wired or wireless - before you go drilling in walls etc.

I have all 4 disks on Ethernet backhaul. Legacy steering disabled. Discs have fixed IP.  Eco settings and power save settings are all turned off on the managed switches that provide the backhaul connections to the discs and have been throughout - so no changes to the wired network.

On the previous firmware I managed 300+ days uptime  across all 4 disks.  Since upgrading to v1.02.13 build07 approx 2 months ago, 5 days is the longest uptime before one (sometimes 2) disk reboots itself.

I have noticed in the logs that the disk that reboots appears to have no wifi device connect/disconnect activity reported in the logs for a couple of hours then the reboot occurs.    BT support haven't responded to my question about what error conditions cause the disk software to choose to reboot - or is it just a catchall reboot.  This is definitely a reboot triggered by the BT software, not a power or wiring issue.

BT Support have now stopped responding to my ticket after 2nd line latest suggestion that I turn all 4 disks off and then turn them back on with 5 minute delays.  They have said there is no reported issues with stability for this release.  If I could send them back I would.

I think the BT whole home wifi isn't really up to the demands of 2022 wifi requirements.

I am looking for a suitable (non BT) replacement product - anyone on this forum with any suggestions?

[Galway]

I started Nov 2020, it keeps breaking down, I've had so many engineers here who can't fix anyting, contract for broadband and phone £38, but I'm paying up to £59, including £3 for cloud storage which I don't use and couldn't seem to cancel, I've finally decided to leave early, the fee being charged is £172, nowhere near what I thought it would be, I've starting with PlusNet, all things thrown in it's £32 a month 

[Armin_6150]

Thanks for your reply and appreciate the hint on wired trial you’ve done already.

I’m about to email the help desk see if they would accept return as I originally raised this issue with BT only few weeks after I purchased them

[Naimite]

Good luck.

I originally raised this with the Helpdesk after I bought them. Then I managed to run the disks stable for a long period after installing wired backhaul but now with the latest firmware upgrade they are back to their usual unstable state.

Unfortunately too much time has passed for me to get BT to refund.  I should have ditched early and tried a different system as you are about to.

[Armin_6150]

My ticket has now been escalated to their 2nd line support team. I’m not being optimistic here as not expecting a miracle fix by BT at this stage..

I’ve also been looking at alternative mesh systems out there see if there is one more reliable. please share if others have tried other brands and have a better experience. Looking for something that can have consistent signal for a 4bed house (approx. 200sqm) for a virgin 350 Meg package.

I should also add that I had 4 x BT mini discs prior to upgrading to this whole home system. I didn’t have the same issue, the only reason I upgraded was that the mini didn’t give me the full speed at other nodes. (Achieved about 70meg, whole home gets me the full 250-350meg at all nodes).. in hindsight a wired backhaul would have probably solved the speed issue with mini?

[Armin_6150]

Just an update on this. I got a response from BT based on the logs i sent them. below is the response I received, I will monitor this solution for the next week or two and provide an update for others:

Hi

Thank you for getting in touch and I'm sorry to learn you have found a problem with your BT Whole Home discs.

Please could you try the following steps:

1) Reset each disc using the reset Pin hole at the back and then turn off all discs.
2) Swap the current master disc with one of the other discs and connect this to the router and turn on
3) Complete the set up journey through the app.

4) Once all discs are setup and connected, from a device connected to the Whole Home network open the browser and go to http://btwhole.home/login.htm
5) Enter the admin password
6) Once logged in if you can go to http://btwhole.home/steering.htm
7) If Legacy Steering is enabled, please set to Disabled and click save.

😎 Restart all discs.

I can see you have been advised on this previously, but looking at the logs it appears there is an issue being detected which should be resolved by this setting change, but sometimes it may require a full reset for this to take effect.

Also, could you advise what devices are connected, if any, by ethernet to the network.

Thank you in advance​