BT Whole Home Issues - Stumped
Discussion
This issue is driving me a little bit mad and hoping someone can make a suggestion on next steps.
I have a 3 pack of BT Mini Whole Home discs plus 1 additional Mini disc added after.
At times the wi-fi and network (for devices wired to secondary discs) appears to drop. Sometimes for a split second, sometimes longer. I can't see a pattern, it can happen day and night - today for example from 8-11ish I was having tiny drop outs every 30-60 seconds, since 11:30 it's been solid (edit - famous last words, it's now playing up again).
Broadband appears up, router saying 20+ days (and last time was a planned reboot). My ISP Zen are stating no issues and I have no reason to doubt that.
The WholeHome app is showing signal strength to discs is very good, firmware up to date, and each disc has been up 4+ days (at the weekend I swapped the primary disc and reset the system completely - bar changing wi-fi name and password I left all the settings to the system).
The channel the system picked look good, only my networks for both 2.4 and 5GHz bar a weak intermitted neighbour's wifi network at ~80-90DBm, and my soundbar (these intermittent issues predate that and turning off makes not difference). I can see the hidden SSIDs the mesh network uses to communicate.
I do have an EV charger that is connected on wi-fi and shouldn't be related to this problem, but mention for completeness.
Any help or advice here is really welcome. I can't suss out if this setup is bust, there is a huge interference I can't see or measure, or if I am just going a bit insane.
I have a 3 pack of BT Mini Whole Home discs plus 1 additional Mini disc added after.
At times the wi-fi and network (for devices wired to secondary discs) appears to drop. Sometimes for a split second, sometimes longer. I can't see a pattern, it can happen day and night - today for example from 8-11ish I was having tiny drop outs every 30-60 seconds, since 11:30 it's been solid (edit - famous last words, it's now playing up again).
Broadband appears up, router saying 20+ days (and last time was a planned reboot). My ISP Zen are stating no issues and I have no reason to doubt that.
The WholeHome app is showing signal strength to discs is very good, firmware up to date, and each disc has been up 4+ days (at the weekend I swapped the primary disc and reset the system completely - bar changing wi-fi name and password I left all the settings to the system).
The channel the system picked look good, only my networks for both 2.4 and 5GHz bar a weak intermitted neighbour's wifi network at ~80-90DBm, and my soundbar (these intermittent issues predate that and turning off makes not difference). I can see the hidden SSIDs the mesh network uses to communicate.
I do have an EV charger that is connected on wi-fi and shouldn't be related to this problem, but mention for completeness.
Any help or advice here is really welcome. I can't suss out if this setup is bust, there is a huge interference I can't see or measure, or if I am just going a bit insane.
Edited by boombang on Thursday 29th September 12:12
Contact the dedicated BT support team, they are very helpful.
They tried everything to sort a problem with my Discs and in the end they refunded me the full amount I paid for them .... all their Whole Home discs come with a three year warranty.
ETA - the discs log a huge amount of information, after a few basic fix attempts they will likely ask you to send them the logs.
They tried everything to sort a problem with my Discs and in the end they refunded me the full amount I paid for them .... all their Whole Home discs come with a three year warranty.
ETA - the discs log a huge amount of information, after a few basic fix attempts they will likely ask you to send them the logs.
Edited by sgrimshaw on Thursday 29th September 12:14
Quick thought ...
Presumeably you have turned off the WiFi on the Zen Router.
I'd try giving it a different SSID and switching it back on, then connect just one device to it and see if it drops then.
Should at least point to which part is giving you a problem, the Router side or the BT Discs
Presumeably you have turned off the WiFi on the Zen Router.
I'd try giving it a different SSID and switching it back on, then connect just one device to it and see if it drops then.
Should at least point to which part is giving you a problem, the Router side or the BT Discs
I'll try BT, it's just time - have switched to using my backup vodafone dongle to get around it for work. Discs were bought 23 Mar 2021 so in the 3 years which is good news.
Wi-fi off on router, Zen have provided a trial router for me to use from this weekend but it does looks like my BB connection stays up the whole time.
When I say drop, the wi-fi and anything hardwired to a secondary disc loses internet connection, whole setup at the same time - the best evidence I have here of connection loss is running a ping to 8.8.8.8 in CMD when I have seen my Citrix window grey out and getting a time out, and my wife shouting from downstairs whilst using an ipad. I've seen it also pinging really quickly then the odd 1.5 - 2 second response.
Wi-fi off on router, Zen have provided a trial router for me to use from this weekend but it does looks like my BB connection stays up the whole time.
When I say drop, the wi-fi and anything hardwired to a secondary disc loses internet connection, whole setup at the same time - the best evidence I have here of connection loss is running a ping to 8.8.8.8 in CMD when I have seen my Citrix window grey out and getting a time out, and my wife shouting from downstairs whilst using an ipad. I've seen it also pinging really quickly then the odd 1.5 - 2 second response.
Edited by boombang on Thursday 29th September 14:42
November 2020 we had a broadband performance drop (to 15 down, 2 up) for a number of weeks, Zen loaned me a new router and it appeared resolved.
Jan 2022 we were getting speed issues (again ~15 down and 2-4 up), these remedied themselves with Zen never really explaining it. They blamed it on my master socket faceplate, but after refitting the plate performance remained improved.
June 2022 I first stated getting these 'drop outs' though, sometimes one or two a day, but no pattern we could not (time, days, etc). We have seen broadband speeds drop again, Zen say the sync speed hasn't changed materially.
In July/August Zen told me they saw some packet loss when monitoring the line, that cleared up but I was still getting the odd drop out.
No noticeable issues then until the last couple of weeks when we started seeing really frequent dropouts - hence me setting the Whole Home setup back up from scratch last weekend. That does not seem to have resolved it at all unfortunately. I also spoke to Zen who sent me out a new trial router - I assume they wouldn't do that unless they suspected the router but I'm yet to try it.
I have been back on my wi-fi since 14:20 and had 36 minutes of it all working without issue - nothing has changed that I know of though.
Jan 2022 we were getting speed issues (again ~15 down and 2-4 up), these remedied themselves with Zen never really explaining it. They blamed it on my master socket faceplate, but after refitting the plate performance remained improved.
June 2022 I first stated getting these 'drop outs' though, sometimes one or two a day, but no pattern we could not (time, days, etc). We have seen broadband speeds drop again, Zen say the sync speed hasn't changed materially.
In July/August Zen told me they saw some packet loss when monitoring the line, that cleared up but I was still getting the odd drop out.
No noticeable issues then until the last couple of weeks when we started seeing really frequent dropouts - hence me setting the Whole Home setup back up from scratch last weekend. That does not seem to have resolved it at all unfortunately. I also spoke to Zen who sent me out a new trial router - I assume they wouldn't do that unless they suspected the router but I'm yet to try it.
I have been back on my wi-fi since 14:20 and had 36 minutes of it all working without issue - nothing has changed that I know of though.
boombang said:
November 2020 we had a broadband performance drop (to 15 down, 2 up) for a number of weeks, Zen loaned me a new router and it appeared resolved.
Jan 2022 we were getting speed issues (again ~15 down and 2-4 up), these remedied themselves with Zen never really explaining it. They blamed it on my master socket faceplate, but after refitting the plate performance remained improved.
June 2022 I first stated getting these 'drop outs' though, sometimes one or two a day, but no pattern we could not (time, days, etc). We have seen broadband speeds drop again, Zen say the sync speed hasn't changed materially.
In July/August Zen told me they saw some packet loss when monitoring the line, that cleared up but I was still getting the odd drop out.
No noticeable issues then until the last couple of weeks when we started seeing really frequent dropouts - hence me setting the Whole Home setup back up from scratch last weekend. That does not seem to have resolved it at all unfortunately. I also spoke to Zen who sent me out a new trial router - I assume they wouldn't do that unless they suspected the router but I'm yet to try it.
I have been back on my wi-fi since 14:20 and had 36 minutes of it all working without issue - nothing has changed that I know of though.
Ok so, is it the wifi dropping out as in your SSID vanishes and then comes back OR is your SSID still broadcasting but you have no internet access? If it is the latter have you tried running a constant ping from a machine hard wired to your router and seeing what happens during the drop outs? If it is the former have you tried dropping to one disc and then adding more in until the issue reappears? Jan 2022 we were getting speed issues (again ~15 down and 2-4 up), these remedied themselves with Zen never really explaining it. They blamed it on my master socket faceplate, but after refitting the plate performance remained improved.
June 2022 I first stated getting these 'drop outs' though, sometimes one or two a day, but no pattern we could not (time, days, etc). We have seen broadband speeds drop again, Zen say the sync speed hasn't changed materially.
In July/August Zen told me they saw some packet loss when monitoring the line, that cleared up but I was still getting the odd drop out.
No noticeable issues then until the last couple of weeks when we started seeing really frequent dropouts - hence me setting the Whole Home setup back up from scratch last weekend. That does not seem to have resolved it at all unfortunately. I also spoke to Zen who sent me out a new trial router - I assume they wouldn't do that unless they suspected the router but I'm yet to try it.
I have been back on my wi-fi since 14:20 and had 36 minutes of it all working without issue - nothing has changed that I know of though.
geeks said:
Ok so, is it the wifi dropping out as in your SSID vanishes and then comes back OR is your SSID still broadcasting but you have no internet access? If it is the latter have you tried running a constant ping from a machine hard wired to your router and seeing what happens during the drop outs? If it is the former have you tried dropping to one disc and then adding more in until the issue reappears?
The former - being intermitted it's hard to confirm when the issue reappears but I can try that at the weekend. I've only limited time to sort this though, I am more including to, if it is the BT kit, just replace it.My Google WiFi was doing this, the problem was I bought cheap grey imports and they had an ugle USB-C power brick and a plug converter, so I dropped them for some normal chargers because I'm an idiot. They needed 3 Amps! As soon as I put them back on the right power supplies they sorted right out.
You're probably not as daft as me, but the behaviour was the same so I tohught I'd mention it.
You're probably not as daft as me, but the behaviour was the same so I tohught I'd mention it.
Just to clarify some points.
Wifi is disabled on the zen ‘router’
You have two mini mesh nodes, one connected via ethernet to the zen ‘router’ the other connected via wifi to mini mesh node?
It’s currently unclear how the fault manifests, does the ssid disappear or does the ssid remain but internet connectivity is lost?
Things you could try to isolate the issue assuming the ssid remains up:
Next time the fault occurs from the device wired to the wireless mini mesh disk ping the IP address of the zen router gateway (if you look in your computer network config settings it’ll be router or gateway, et etc). If you can ping it successfully then it’s the internet connection that’s suspect if it’s not responding then it’s everything
Next time the fault occurs switch off the wirelessly connected mini mesh disk, get closer to the wired mini mesh disk, turn wifi off - on on a device & test internet connection has returned
This is to see if a single disk is a fault. If you can connect it’s likely that the wireless mini mesh disk is faulty.
If you can’t get to the internet then try a device wired to the zen ‘router’ if that works it supports the chances of it being the wired mini mesh disk.
The other test I’d consider is re-enabling the wifi in the zen ‘router’ & next time you have an outage connect a device to that & if that also has issues but a wired connection still works then that supports the possibility of external wifi interference causing issues.
Id run these tests a couple of times in advance just so your clear on what good results look like & so your familiar with steps you have done before (perhaps the ping test)
Wifi is disabled on the zen ‘router’
You have two mini mesh nodes, one connected via ethernet to the zen ‘router’ the other connected via wifi to mini mesh node?
It’s currently unclear how the fault manifests, does the ssid disappear or does the ssid remain but internet connectivity is lost?
Things you could try to isolate the issue assuming the ssid remains up:
Next time the fault occurs from the device wired to the wireless mini mesh disk ping the IP address of the zen router gateway (if you look in your computer network config settings it’ll be router or gateway, et etc). If you can ping it successfully then it’s the internet connection that’s suspect if it’s not responding then it’s everything
Next time the fault occurs switch off the wirelessly connected mini mesh disk, get closer to the wired mini mesh disk, turn wifi off - on on a device & test internet connection has returned
This is to see if a single disk is a fault. If you can connect it’s likely that the wireless mini mesh disk is faulty.
If you can’t get to the internet then try a device wired to the zen ‘router’ if that works it supports the chances of it being the wired mini mesh disk.
The other test I’d consider is re-enabling the wifi in the zen ‘router’ & next time you have an outage connect a device to that & if that also has issues but a wired connection still works then that supports the possibility of external wifi interference causing issues.
Id run these tests a couple of times in advance just so your clear on what good results look like & so your familiar with steps you have done before (perhaps the ping test)
To be clear:
Wi-fi on Zen router is disabled.
I have 4 mini discs - one is connected to router via ethernet, 3 are dotted around the house (using their app to setup)
It looks like the SSID vanishes for a period - when that happens I cannot ping an IP address or access the admin console of router during that period.
Wi-fi on Zen router is disabled.
I have 4 mini discs - one is connected to router via ethernet, 3 are dotted around the house (using their app to setup)
It looks like the SSID vanishes for a period - when that happens I cannot ping an IP address or access the admin console of router during that period.
Edited by boombang on Friday 30th September 09:09
boombang said:
To be clear:
Wi-fi on Zen router is disabled.
I have 4 mini discs - one is connected to router via ethernet, 3 are dotted around the house (using their app to setup)
It looks like the SSID vanishes for a period - when that happens I cannot ping an IP address or access the admin console of router during that period.
Then I’d enable the zen wifi again & see if its also ssid also disappears, if so in all probability you are looking at an external cause which is much harder to locate.Wi-fi on Zen router is disabled.
I have 4 mini discs - one is connected to router via ethernet, 3 are dotted around the house (using their app to setup)
It looks like the SSID vanishes for a period - when that happens I cannot ping an IP address or access the admin console of router during that period.
Edited by boombang on Friday 30th September 09:09
I've had various problems over the years with neighbours wifis choosing the same channel that mine is on. I normally check out who's on what using inSSIDer and select the least over-subscribed channel.
Since I've gone to 5Ghz I've suffered less problems because all my neighbours networks default to 2.4Ghz
Might be worth checking to see what's going on?
Edited to add : IIRC one of the options shows a SSID timeline so you can see networks come and go which might be useful information?
Since I've gone to 5Ghz I've suffered less problems because all my neighbours networks default to 2.4Ghz
Might be worth checking to see what's going on?
Edited to add : IIRC one of the options shows a SSID timeline so you can see networks come and go which might be useful information?
HRL said:
Not cheaper but might be considerably easier to ditch the lot and invest in a proper mesh setup instead.
I’ve got 7 of the Deco X60’s around the house and they’ve been bullet proof since setting them up.
what makes you think they are not suitable? I could equally say get rid of Deco and use proper mesh like Ubiquiti.I’ve got 7 of the Deco X60’s around the house and they’ve been bullet proof since setting them up.
I've had a fantastic experience with the BT discs. Stone house over 4 floors and out into the garden summer house. They have been equally rocksolid. i've been thru 3 or 4 routers in the time i've had them and they've needed rebooting a handful of times in about 8 years.
back to OP,
have u tried a different port on the router, just in case its the RJ socket.
I also ran a auto ping logger from my PC when I was experiencing drop outs (that was a wired connection tough) and it highlighted external to the house issues after escalating to the BB provider
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