Posted 23 December 2023
Home WiFi
I've got Virgin Media on the basic 110mbps package.
I had issues with signal not reaching around the house with the Super hub 3. So a few years ago I got a Tenda Mesh system which has been in place and provides good coverage throughout the house.
Over the last 6 months or so I've started to have issues, these include...
Needing to switch WiFi off and on again to make it work.
Voice over WiFi disappeared on all 4 mobile phones in the house (but worked elsewhere)
Speed dropped - struggled to maintain a video call. Speedtest.net shows 30-40mbps.
Certain things not working like the apple internet recovery system - even though nothing should be blocked.
I've not had much time to look at it so just left it, however with it being the holidays I thought I'd have a look.
I went back to basics and took everything out except the superhub. I factory reset this and then updated it. Connected to WiFi directly to this I get speed tests of 110mbps download. I also get VoWiFi back all other issues seem to be resolved.
Putting the Tenda system back in, puts the issues back. I've switched these off and on. They are all on the latest firmware. I can't find much to change options wise.
So I think the Tenda network is going to go.
The superhub is currently working great but the signal doesn't fill my house, so I need to look at replacing the Tenda with something better.
I've heard good things about the white BT discs. I've also seen the Google system. I can buy a pack of 3 Google WiFi nodes for £75. They are AC1200 which looks to be older tech now but probably more than I need.
I've seen some cheap zyxel multy units on here but I think it's prefer something that just works!
Any thoughts on...
BT white discs
Google WiFi AC1200 - £75 for 3
Zyxel Multy AX1800 - £50 for 3
TPlink Deco
Thanks
I had issues with signal not reaching around the house with the Super hub 3. So a few years ago I got a Tenda Mesh system which has been in place and provides good coverage throughout the house.
Over the last 6 months or so I've started to have issues, these include...
Needing to switch WiFi off and on again to make it work.
Voice over WiFi disappeared on all 4 mobile phones in the house (but worked elsewhere)
Speed dropped - struggled to maintain a video call. Speedtest.net shows 30-40mbps.
Certain things not working like the apple internet recovery system - even though nothing should be blocked.
I've not had much time to look at it so just left it, however with it being the holidays I thought I'd have a look.
I went back to basics and took everything out except the superhub. I factory reset this and then updated it. Connected to WiFi directly to this I get speed tests of 110mbps download. I also get VoWiFi back all other issues seem to be resolved.
Putting the Tenda system back in, puts the issues back. I've switched these off and on. They are all on the latest firmware. I can't find much to change options wise.
So I think the Tenda network is going to go.
The superhub is currently working great but the signal doesn't fill my house, so I need to look at replacing the Tenda with something better.
I've heard good things about the white BT discs. I've also seen the Google system. I can buy a pack of 3 Google WiFi nodes for £75. They are AC1200 which looks to be older tech now but probably more than I need.
I've seen some cheap zyxel multy units on here but I think it's prefer something that just works!
Any thoughts on...
BT white discs
Google WiFi AC1200 - £75 for 3
Zyxel Multy AX1800 - £50 for 3
TPlink Deco
Thanks
Community Updates
18 Comments
sorted byThey are like day and night compared to the Tenda. Well worth the upgrade. They seem to give about the same coverage which may mean that I need one more.
However, unlike the Tenda, the speed doesn't drop around the house. It gives maximum speed everywhere where there is signal.
I'm currently just getting low signal in the downstairs toilet and it drops off in the back garden. Otherwise full and fast coverage.
VoWiFi now works again. Overall very happy.
If you have O2 you not only get a free speed boost on your home broadband and double data on your phone, but also get free WiFi signal booster pods for your home if it won’t stretch or speeds aren’t fast enough.
You didn’t specifically mention this. But was the VM Hub in modem mode? If it wasn’t this could explain some issues you had.
Tenda isn’t a fantastic brand imo anyways though. They’re known for being problematic at times so regardless of if you were in modem mode or not I’d probably be looking at other brands still.
I can vouch for ZyXEL as a brand. I’m a fan of their networking kit. Never tried their mesh systems myself but they’ve been my go-to brand for routers for a long time now.
Have you tried contacting tenda customer care? Not had to contact them myself but read that they can be very helpful?
If I'm brutally honest, I've never been that impressed. Coverage has been great, speeds have not been great.
It is never a great sign when you need to put a time in for the daily scheduled reboot as they aren't capable of staying up for much more than a day.
I have Virgin 1gb (primarily for wired speed) but still get around 500Mbps on WiFi devices around the house.
Can't even remember the last time I even looked at my Google WiFi config or manually rebooted, months if not a year plus ago (edited)
I went from a two BT Disc (original AC2600 version) setup to using two cheap Tenda Routers, RX9's I think with one being set to access point mode and they totally blow away the previous BT setup when it comes to coverage and speed.
I would recommend the BT kit though, the original discs, not the small ones. I used them for four years without issue, until the above which was not their fault but if you have the option or ability to run a cable I would go down the route of access points or cheap routers configured as access points and you'll have more options and better reliability. I looked at the Multy setup but the reviews on Amazon US put me off, it's apparently slow, glitchy and causes dropouts when clients are handed from one node to another. That being said you aparently have the option of installing 3rd party firmware which improves them.