I bought a desk treadmill (walking pad) for my daughter and have had to return it due to broadband issues. I could do with some help and advice please.
My daughter has a smart tv in her room, connected via ethernet cable to a BT mini connector to the router, which is on the floor below. She has EE TV and there have never been any issues with streaming etc, until she started up the walking pad in her room whilst watching Netflix, and within minutes, the tv lost broadband connection and it couldn't be restored if the treadmill was on. (There is also a wifi disc in the room next to hers).
I know absolutely nothing about electrical circuits, internet speeds, etc. but I searched the internet to see if others are experiencing the same issue. I found only a few examples of other people who had a similar issue and I read various suggestions, including that the motor of the treadmill, or even its remote controller was creating electromagnetic interference. So I tried plugging the treadmill into other mains sockets in her room, which made no difference, and then tried using a surge protected plug, but there was still an almost immediate loss of broadband connection to the tv, so I concluded that either the treadmill was somehow faulty, or it's something else.
In the end, we gave up and got it collected by Amazon, but I really want to know what is causing the problem, because my daughter really, really wants a walking pad in her room and to stream her favourite programmes at the same time as using it.
Having researched more, I now wonder if it's how we're using the mini connectors. When we first bought them, years ago, we didn't obey the intructions and plugged both into extension cables (we live in an old house with very few mains sockets) and this has never caused a problem. It didn't dawn on me to plug the mini connectors directly into the mains sockets and use the pass-throughs for the extension cables, but I've now realised that's one option I should try if I decide to try with another walking pad. (The one we sent back was really nice and if the dodgy way we had the mini connectors plugged in was the cause of the problem, I feel like just buying the same one again!)
I would be really interested to hear anyone's thoughts about the above, although I won't be able to answer any technical questions regarding electrical stuff. I believe one question may be whether the treadmill, tv and router are on the same circuit. I'd say the answer to that is yes, given that if ever we've had a fusebox problem it's either the overhead lights or the sockets that have blown, but never both at the same time.
All I can add is that the BT mini connectors have worked perfectly well for years - occasionally we've had to just unplug and re-plug the tv one to get it going again - but overall they've been really good. No problems with the BT Fibre Halo 3 router, wifi, landline, TV, etc, and all sorts of devices running smoothly throughout all floors of the property.
Sorry for the lengthy post, and thanks in advance if anyone has input which could help me. Please understand that I am absolutely totally ignorant about this sort of technology, so please feel free to talk to me like I'm a three year old 🙂
