Sorry for the long post!!
We have been happily using a Google WiFi setup with BT broadband for a number of years. Since storm damage to the telephone line (over 12 months ago now) we have been having problems. BT assure us the line has been fixed, but the issues are ongoing and they are now suggesting it’s the HG612-3B we use as our modem (the BT router does not work as a modem, as identified in other threads).
We are getting multiple drop outs per day (of the broadband - we use the pucks for LAN cable connections which are also affected when the wifi drops, BT confirmed they’re seeing the drops at their end as well).
The BT point that the line runs from (I forget the name - the green BT broadband box in the street) is picking up faults being sent down the line and throttling the speed gradually. Every time an engineer comes out and resets the faults the speed goes back up, three weeks later we’ve lost 20+mbps, the longer it goes on the slower it becomes, we hit a record low of 3.8mbps two engineer visits ago.
Has anyone had similar issues with a Google WiFi and HG612-3B setup? If so, how did you solve it?
We have a large number of smart home devices, and multiple devices that only work with a cable connection. At least one of our devices cannot be changed to another network once set up, I have to call customer services who have to delete my account for me to change network!
Needless to say, having faffed about getting everything onto the mesh network, to take half of it off to test with one BT router, to set it all back up again on Google WiFi, to have to take it off to try a different BT router, to put it back onto Google again to be told to put it all back onto the last BT router (for what we can connect, and just trip over cables running all over the house to the router for devices that have to be cabled!) for 10 days to see how it goes and go from there is not ideal. It is a full day’s palava changing things from this network to that network and I have absolutely completely and utterly had enough at this stage, having done it time and again (and onto mobile phone hotspots when connection been too unstable to support, as well as a BT mobile broadband router when the first fault with the line occurred).
There is no chance of this 10days being a proper test, as I am just running devices I need urgently off my phone’s internet via hotspot now, it’s much faster than inputting the BT details; everything else is looking for a network and will be staying that way for the foreseeable future. I would happily bin off BT tomorrow - I have tried. Youfibre would seemingly solve all our problems, but having not turned up on the installation date they are now saying they don’t know when they can connect us.
BT engineers cannot understand why everything isn’t WiFi enabled/we would need LAN, why we would have a mesh network, or what a mesh network is; don’t think this is helping the situation. They are now of the opinion it’s the Google WiFi/modem equipment operating on a different setting to what setting the BT router would operate on that’s causing the faults. Nb no settings have been changed on the Google WiFi since it was setup years ago and it ran without issue until the storm.
If it’s the modem causing the problems, which seems to be very commonplace in Google WiFi setups from other threads here, what ‘available to buy new’ options can anyone suggest, if any? Most of the threads are dated and suggesting things that are no longer available new. I’m not going to buy another HG612-3B, because the engineers are very adamant they are ‘obsolete’ and it’s not going to help us figure out if it’s an equipment or line problem from what they are saying. They are adamant we have to use the BT router. (It’s amazing there is such a booming market for routers and mesh networks, if everyone ‘has’ to use their ISP’s supplied one for their internet to work….!!!).
I love the Google WiFi, but if we are going to have to suffer the BT router long term it’s just not going to work, it’s been hours and I’m already fuming from tripping over cables and consequently damaging equipment, it’s quite literally a health hazard. The only other option I can think of is to buy their premium whole home system as an alternative to Google WiFi, at least that way if we are stuck like this permanently after the 10 days we have something of an alternative . Has anyone had any experience with the BT mesh network systems, in particular the premium one? Does it have the option for LAN cable connections (the BT shop is not remotely helpful on this point!)?
I am open to suggestions, but whatever goes in now needs to stay in place and work until we move (or Youfibre sort themselves out), it needs to offer stable secure connections to multiple devices active at once, and the facility to bring LAN into the room it is positioned in, as well as be compatible with BTs network.
Any advice would be much appreciated. I’m not very tech-minded (you might have gathered from the mess I made explaining very little above!), but my partner is and should be able to translate any tech-speak into plain English for me! Happy to offer clarifications if needed.
Thank you in advance.
