must I forever be in the same room as my router!?

I don't know why? What are you asking them?

Because there are 1001 one things that can affect how well wifi works, nearly all of them will peculiar to your environment.

At a guess the OP or the BT Staff are confusing general wi-fi use with using wi-fi for their BT TV service using a Youview box,

that's what they said littleboo.

just seems strange in 2014 our main institution for telephony and internet can't envisage or handle a world where someone might want to use the internet in a room other than where their router is! how does the modern day family cope when 3 or 4 of them want to use the internet in their bedrooms of an evening!?!?

(EDIT: nothing to do with the TV service as mentioned above)

As you still haven't given the context in which they said that then it remains a valid conjecture.

ok I've been having problems with my internet going down to 2 bars and temporarily dropping signal constantly. I've currently been in the test socket for a month and the problem remains. I really don't want to constantly be on the Ethernet cable as want to use the laptop and internet in other rooms as I always have!?

2 bars? On what device? What BT router do you have?

2 bars on my laptop.

it's a 2Wire router

basically, is there anyway to get a decent Wi-Fi service with BT????

Well, assuming that it's worked ok in the past, if it's changed, it is probably either; faulty router, faulty laptop, or you are on the same or an overlapping channel with a neighbour. The latter is the one to check first. Use inSSIDer to see what channels the neighbours are using.

Or interference from another electrical source. And one candidate for that is the laptop power cable so try seeing if it is better when running on battery.

$19.99

There should be a freeware version, there certainly used to be

BT are right, they cant guarantee wifi will work in your location as they have no control over your neighbours use of whatever devices they wish to use, all they can do is move you to other channels to see if that works, but if someone has a device they use here and there, that is on an empty channel you use, they will probably interfere.

I have a video sender that interferes with my wifi reception, luckily the video sender has 4 channels so i just pick one that doesnt clash with my wifi, however thats not to say that the channel i picked isnt causing problems for my surrounding neighbours, all it takes in one or two video senders and 8 or 9 wifi connected devices, and it would be a nightmare.

can't find it?

it seems my broadband only works if my laptop is in the same room as my router. not convenient at all

Have you tried rebooting the router? Have you tried other wireless devices (eg your phone) to see if they too report a weak, unusable wi-fi signal from the router?

If you have a smartphone try the app store for your phone. Android phones have a very useful free app called WiFi Analyzer, there may be something similar for an iPhone.

my iphone works fine to be honest through the same internet service.

I have an engineer coming out tmrw now who "might" charge me £220,

basically my wi-fi is fine now in the same room as the router in the test socket (!?) but if I leave the room it dies completely 2 rooms away on same floor!!!!!

bet the gits try and charge me

If your iPhone works fine then that is pointing the finger at the laptop.

what could possibly have changed with the laptop??

I downloaded that app for iPhone but it tells you nothing of what channel neighbour's are on

Take my advice or don't but I would strongly advise to get that Openreach visit cancelled. There is nothing they will be able to do if there's nothing wrong with the line itself and BT may subsequently charge you.

If the line is fine all the Openreach guy can do is change the wifi channels. You can do that yourself. You say your iPhone works fine, well to me that says your phone line is ok.

I'd cancel that visit if I were you, you almost certainly will be charged. Openreach broadband engineers (I assume that is who you mean is visiting) have no interest whatsoever in Wi-Fi strength and will only test up to your master socket, or in some cases extension socket if that's where the router normally is. If they find the broadband is working OK using a wired connection then it's goodbye and await the bill!

PS, if your broadband is working fine wired, no need to keep the router in the test socket, it's serving no purpose whatsoever.

so should I sacrifice my dreams of Wi-Fi forever? what a third world country we must be in...

You could always get a better router or a Wi-Fi booster. If you have no issues with your smartphone then perhaps you also need a new laptop?