The Tech Thread

[hallicks 847]

2 hours ago, BigJag said:

Which of those devices are connected via Wi-Fi. Which are connected via Ethernet? Are you using Virgins rather poor wireless hub?

Nooo don't say that! We're switching to virgin next week because plusnet WiFi has been fucking shite. 

[Ralphy 972]

2 minutes ago, hallicks said:

Nooo don't say that! We're switching to virgin next week because plusnet WiFi has been fucking shite. 

Sorry to say but the VM hub is indeed shite, i use my own router with the hub being used as the modem 

[hallicks 847]

Urrrrrgh 

[Wretch 554]

Everything is wireless apart from the Virgin box. It seems to be fine this morning though. This is the problem, it'll fix itself and I'll forget all about it until it happens again in a weeks time.

[scratchdj 1,861]

To be fair, none of the providers will give you a WiFi router that’s close to being decent. BT, Plusnet, Virgin and TalkTalk all send out poor quality, bottom-of-the-range kit that’ll just about get you up and running. Nothing more.

Many people believe their provider is crap without realising it’s caused by the hardware they get, where’s it’s situated or how it’s setup, and then get disappointed when their new provider seems no better.

Sadly, most of what will affect the quality of your WiFi signal and coverage is hard to control. One thing you can do, however, is buy a decent WiFi router or access point to use with whomever provides the connection to your house.

Homes that are still using 2.4GHz WiFi routers they got from their provider years ago often believe their providers are shit. The truth is, 2.4GHz is terrible for interference and with so many access points close by, you’re going to get interference.

Before you switch, it’s always worth disconnecting everything from your router except for a single laptop connected with an Ethernet cable. If the speed here is better than your WiFi speed, changing provider will do very little/nothing.

That said, whomever you’re with, ask if you can upgrade your router to a 5GHz one which most modern phones, tablets and laptops will work with. It won’t suffer from the same level of interference, although the physical distance it will cover is less. It’ll be more than enough for lost homes, though. It won’t be as good as something decent from, say TP-Link or Netgear, but it’ll work better than an old 2.4GHz unit.

The line into your house remains constant whomever you pick to provide your connection. Pick a provider based on price and quality of support.

Edited May 26, 2019 by scratchdj

[hallicks 847]

Thanks for that write up, @scratchdj. I'll probably look at getting our own router at some point. I'm sure we used to own one but must have chucked it when we moved back. The virgin cable termination is in the front room so it's a much better location anyway, plus TiVo! 

[Undefeated Steak 484]

Another bit of tech help please.

Family member got a smart TV in September. A Sharp TV from Currys/PC World. It was freezing whenever we tried connecting to the internet, and it kept switching itself off - I rang the helpline and tried running some basic diagnostics (just a couple of reset things with the remote) - person on the helpline said we'd have to take it in store for a repair. We did that and it's come back with the exact same fault. We've just had a TV repair man come out and he said we're going to have to get it replaced.

Before going into store though, what rights do we have to get a new TV? Family member doesn't have a paid insurance plan from Currys for it but I assume it comes under warranty. Are we legally entitled to a new TV, or are they allowed to take it and repair it again (family member will be without a TV again while it gets repaired and probably comes back with the same fault)? Ideally they'd like a new TV/refund to put towards another one?

Thanks.  

[Chest Rockwell 5,888]

So, on this Wi-Fi issue.. I have virgin and their 5ghz hub. The things I have plugged in via Ethernet are fine but the Wi-Fi drops connection constantly. As in, it shows I'm connected to the Wi-Fi but it just doesn't connect to the internet unless I wait a while, or quickly turn Wi-Fi off and back on on my phone. It's a real nuisance.

Would a decent router fix that problem? Is this problem something abnormal that virgin should be able to fix? I have tried to talk to them but they were pretty useless. I could try again if it is worth it though.

Edited May 29, 2019 by Chest Rockwell

[Ralphy 972]

Had similar issues with virgin, i got myself a good router and a wifi extender, seems to have done the trick, no deadspots or dropping out anymore, the lot set me back about £120 

[Onyx2 4,327]

52 minutes ago, Chest Rockwell said:

Wi-Fi drops connection constantly. As in, it shows I'm connected to the Wi-Fi but it just doesn't connect to the internet unless I wait a while, or quickly turn Wi-Fi off and back on on my phone. 

I don't own one of these but it sounds like it has an idle timeout set. I've googled it and can't see the setting, do they allow you to access your router setup through a Web browser? If so look for that setting. 

[Chest Rockwell 5,888]

I'll have a look! It's something that only started happening a couple months back, but has been happening consistently since it started. At the tumour I thought it was due to the number of devices connected as my aunt was staying with us. But it has continued since she left..

[Onyx2 4,327]

1 hour ago, Chest Rockwell said:

At the tumour

 

[seph 219]

On 5/26/2019 at 9:28 AM, Ralphy said:

Sorry to say but the VM hub is indeed shite, i use my own router with the hub being used as the modem 

My router is gathering moss as port switching is a balls-pain and certain games can't decide what NAT type it wants me to be. Plus Maplins tanked so I couldn't get refunded.

[Rossman 73]

13 hours ago, Undefeated Steak said:

Another bit of tech help please.

Family member got a smart TV in September. A Sharp TV from Currys/PC World. It was freezing whenever we tried connecting to the internet, and it kept switching itself off - I rang the helpline and tried running some basic diagnostics (just a couple of reset things with the remote) - person on the helpline said we'd have to take it in store for a repair. We did that and it's come back with the exact same fault. We've just had a TV repair man come out and he said we're going to have to get it replaced.

Before going into store though, what rights do we have to get a new TV? Family member doesn't have a paid insurance plan from Currys for it but I assume it comes under warranty. Are we legally entitled to a new TV, or are they allowed to take it and repair it again (family member will be without a TV again while it gets repaired and probably comes back with the same fault)? Ideally they'd like a new TV/refund to put towards another one?

Thanks.  

It depends on the companies policy. If it's in warranty it's either repair or replace. If they can't repair it, they will replace it. If you tell them, it has the same fault as before it was repaired. You stand a good chance of getting a replacement.

 

 

For those with Wi-Fi issues. Have you tried going into your routers settings and changing the wireless channel? They are usually set to auto.

[IANdrewDiceClay 8,191]

I'm getting a "HTTP ERROR 403" message on the tracker on Utorrent. Only happens on XWT-Classics, though. Nowhere else. Any help, lads? I feel like PunkSteps cock at the minute.