Low performance device

[katieb829]

I am new to Vodafone and trying to improve the WiFi performance of my connected devices. In the app I see that, under Wi-Fi Performance, most devices are rated as Low Performance, including my new top-of-the-range laptop. I've looked in Windows Wi-Fi settings and in the Vodafone help, but I can't see a way of increasing this, either from the device end or the Vodafone app/router end. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

[Ripshod]

24mb download is telling me you're probably connected to the 2.4Ghz wifi, not the 5.

The only way you can split the bands with the thg3000 is to reset it without the internet connected. Then you could just log in to the gui, give each band a different name and connect your laptop directly to the 5Ghz. Then reconnect the internet.

Or get your own router. You can pick up some reasonable deals on ebay, or even refurbished from ebay. Must have a vdsl modem, or you could get something like a HG612/3B modem and have a greater choice of router. 

[katieb829]

OK, great, many thanks. 

[katieb829]

Something interesting just happened; I was in the kitchen watching videos on Vimeo and my laptop started buffering and the speed went right down. I did a speedtest and it came out as 1.94Mbps! The laptop was showing on the app as low performance.

I took the laptop upstairs and put it next to the hub, where it registered 44Mbps and the app showed it as high performance. So it seems as if the app is measuring its 'performance', ie speed, rather than 'performance' being something that I can set, or being inherent in the device, which I assumed at first.

It seems as if the laptop somehow became 'low performance' but that I could reset it to 'high performance' by putting it next to the hub. Firstly, does this seems like a correct interpretation to you? Secondly, if so, do you have any ideas about why its performance might go 'low'?

Again, many thanks in advance.

[Cynric]

@katieb829  Presuming that this latest swing in performance is over WiFi would you mind going to the Microsoft Store and getting the software called "WiFi Analyzer" by Matt Hafner. With that installed on the laptop you should be able to graphically see an indication of the signal strength and which channel is in use. We may also be able to see if a neighbour is clashing with your WiFi.

[Jayach]

I have managed to find the performance reading in the app. It appears to just be based on the signal strength from the various devices.

As you have Wi-Fi 6 on the laptop, but the THG3000 is only Wi-Fi 5, it may be worth thinking about getting your own router.

[katieb829]

Thank you, Jayach. I might try getting in touch with Vodaphone and seeing if they will give me a newer router and look into buying one if not. It's really good that I have an idea of what it's all about now - thank you.

[Ripshod]

@katieb829 I've read back through the thread and you say you have an extender downstairs at the front of the house. Have you tried moving it a bit closer to the kitchen - not too close or you risk performance problems between the router and extender? Remember the extender probably has a different SSID and you'll have to connect directly using that SSID. 

[katieb829]

Right, I've downloaded the wi-fi analyser tool and it looks interesting. What should I do next?!

[Cynric]

@katieb829 Turn it on and stroll around the house spending a minute or two at each place that you are likely to be using the laptop. Your signal strength should be the highest on whichever channel you are using. If it's not so, then you'll have to see if the router will re-scan and change the channels. One annoying possibility is that it's only one side of the house with a strong neighbouring signal. If you have a WiFi extended then that can be set on a differenct channel according to the situation in that part of the house.

[katieb829]

Hi Cynric and Ripshod - it was interesting moving the laptop around the house and looking at the signal strengths. As a result I've moved the extender from the hall to the kitchen, where it seems better for my laptop, but it's further away from the TV; the signal strength seems OK for the TV, but I haven't tried watching anything yet.  It's very annoying that the (several) neighbours' signals seem as strong as mine! 

I don't know how to change channels, but I'm not sure how useful it would be; the signal strength seems to change on the different channels and now the one I'm on is as good as any of them. I don't know how to change channels on the extender either 😞 

There seems to be a difference of opinion in the phone app for regarding whether it's worth splitting the network into 2.4GHz and 5GHz. It told me that I might get better performance if I did, so I did, but then it said that I might get better performance if I merged them, so I did that.  
I'll see how things go for a bit and see if the new position of the extender fixes things. Many thanks for all your help.

Helen