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BT Whole Home wifi |
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#1 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 4,206
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BT Whole Home wifi
Just installed this yesterday, and so far v impressed. It is BT's version of Google wifi - same mesh network concept.
Dead easy to install and it "just works". I have quite a large house, 3 hotspots, 200Mbit VM broadband and am getting 150Mbits + on my phone all over house. Single SSID but always connects to the best hotspot (which doesn't necessarily mean the closest - if that is congested it will connect to another one) and other clever things. |
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#2 |
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Join Date: Jun 2000
Posts: 597
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Interesting. Any product links/details please?
Cheers, Clem |
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#3 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: The City and County of Bristol
Posts: 2,623
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For 300 quid I’d expect it to make the tea as well.
![]() https://www.shop.bt.com/products/bt-...Fe0y0wodF1AGYg |
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#4 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 5,099
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Quote:
For 300 quid I’d expect it to make the tea as well.
![]() https://www.shop.bt.com/products/bt-...Fe0y0wodF1AGYg |
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#5 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 3,087
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Quote:
It can do that too if you have a smart kettle. I have a smart toaster too all connected to my Sky Q mesh network. BT's offering looks well overpriced and probably won't perform any better than what Sky Q delivers.
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#6 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 14,635
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Quote:
It can do that too if you have a smart kettle. I have a smart toaster too all connected to my Sky Q mesh network. BT's offering looks well overpriced and probably won't perform any better than what Sky Q delivers.
The BT system also appears to handle seamless roaming between APs. I don't know if the Sky system does this. |
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#7 |
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Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 5,099
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Nothing performs better than your beloved Sky does it?
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The BT system works regardless of ISP or router. That alone is a massive plus over Sky's version, which requires you use their broadband and TV services and their god awful router.
The BT system also appears to handle seamless roaming between APs. I don't know if the Sky system does this. BT has so little faith in their own wireless networking gear that they will not let you use wifi for the BT TV service. You have to hard wire to the router.
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#8 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 14,635
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In terms of ISP-supplied equipment, Sky Q is easily rated among the very best.
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BT wireless equipment is notoriously buggy and unreliable. The BT Care forum is flooded with complaints about their latest Smart Hub router, and BT Home Hub 4 and 5 have had similar problems with dodgy firmware upgrades that you cannot opt out of and never get fixed. I think you'd have to be crazy to waste £300 on BT mesh network hardware given their lousy track record.
Still, unlike Sky, BT doesn't actively try to stop you from using your own router if you so wish. Quote:
BT has so little faith in their own wireless networking gear that they will not let you use wifi for the BT TV service.
You have to hard wire to the router. |
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#9 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 5,099
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Pick any router, you'll find a "flood" of complaints about it somewhere. The most recent issues (chromecasts and windows 10) have affected routers from multiple vendors.
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When Sky finally launch some sort of live IPTV streaming they'll likely say the same thing. It makes sense - wifi is inherently unreliable, especially when you may be trying to send a high bitrate 4K stream. FWIW they don't want you to use homeplugs either for the same reason. Maybe that's also why Sky doesn't use the homeplug feature on the Q?
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#10 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 14,635
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There is a massive thread on the BT Care forum about the Smart Hub and recent firmware revisions causing wireless to break intermittently for users. This isn't a glitch you can blame on Google or Microsoft software. It's very clearly a crappy firmware update from BT and it's nothing new from them. They are useless.
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Wireless is challenging and sometimes you will need wired connectivity if you live in a very busy apartment complex for example with heaps of other wireless networks floating around. But most people should be able to comfortably stream 4k content from Netflix etc. if they have a decent router or mesh network. If you have a lousy BT router then you have almost no chance of streaming 4k over wifi.
If I had BT TV I'd still be running a cable to the box... Just as I do for my freesat box, my NVIDIA shield, my desktop PC, etc. Anything that isn't portable - and it results in a very reliable experience. |
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#11 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 5,099
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http://helpforum.sky.com/t5/Sky-Q/Sk...i/td-p/2434044 I can use the patented aurichie method for cherry picking too.
My day job is in enterprise networking. I configure networks with equipment where individual components can cost more than a mansion. My own house is kitted out with seriously expensive wifi equipment from a well known vendor (no, I didn't pay list price for it). I am aware of the constraints and challenges. If I had BT TV I'd still be running a cable to the box... Just as I do for my freesat box, my NVIDIA shield, my desktop PC, etc. Anything that isn't portable - and it results in a very reliable experience. |
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#12 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 4,206
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All I can say is that the proof of the pudding ....
This BT product has absolutely transformed my home wifi experience. I no longer find mobile devices connecting to hotspots at the other end of the house instead of the closest/best one. I can also move around seamlessly with mobile devices without missing a beat. |
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#13 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 3,884
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Quote:
When Sky finally launch some sort of live IPTV streaming they'll likely say the same thing. It makes sense - wifi is inherently unreliable, especially when you may be trying to send a high bitrate 4K stream. FWIW they don't want you to use homeplugs either for the same reason. Maybe that's also why Sky doesn't use the homeplug feature on the Q?
And where have you been? Powerline is now enabled on the boxes. Admittedly, the Sky Q minis don't support 4k, but Sky must have deemed it capable enough to stream 1080i. |
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#14 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 5,187
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Quote:
I have a smart toaster too
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#15 |
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 577
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Similar to Ubiquiti products.
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#16 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 4,206
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Quote:
Similar to Ubiquiti products.
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#17 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 2,875
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I'm looking at this after having a poor experience with the NETGEAR Orbi, which I have found to give poor range in my house.
In terms of setting up Whole Home Wi-Fi, I understand you connect one "dish" to the router and then the others connect wirelessly? In terms of the network, does the main router still do the DHCP, routing, etc. or does the Whole Home Wi-Fi do that too? |
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#18 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 4,206
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Quote:
I'm looking at this after having a poor experience with the NETGEAR Orbi, which I have found to give poor range in my house.
In terms of setting up Whole Home Wi-Fi, I understand you connect one "dish" to the router and then the others connect wirelessly? In terms of the network, does the main router still do the DHCP, routing, etc. or does the Whole Home Wi-Fi do that too? And yes, the main router still does all the network stuff - I would never have bought it if I thought I would be stuck with BT firmware for routing functions !! I have a DD-WRT router as my main router. |
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#19 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: moon
Posts: 12,983
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I'm looking at this after having a poor experience with the NETGEAR Orbi, which I have found to give poor range in my house.
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#20 |
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Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 4,206
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[Deleted]
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#21 |
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Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 4,206
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How do I delete a message. When I hover over the edit button it says edit/delete but for the life of me when I select it I see no way to delete
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#22 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 2,875
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Quote:
How do I delete a message. When I hover over the edit button it says edit/delete but for the life of me when I select it I see no way to delete
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#23 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 4,206
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Quote:
You can only delete it for a few minutes after posting. What you have done is correct.
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#24 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 2,875
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Quote:
Ah that explains it thanks. What is the thinking behind this behaviour though ?
Regarding the Orbi, I too was surprised as NETGEAR claims you can get 4000 square feet of coverage with the router and a satellite but in my 3000 square foot home it can't cover it. People were claiming they were getting coverage up the street, exceeding the 4000 square feet claimed and so I was very excited but it's not working well for me. I will try it again before I need to return it to Amazon. |
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#25 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 4,206
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Quote:
I don't know. The forum will be updated soon so they will add that behaviour I'm sure.
Regarding the Orbi, I too was surprised as NETGEAR claims you can get 4000 square feet of coverage with the router and a satellite but in my 3000 square foot home it can't cover it. People were claiming they were getting coverage up the street, exceeding the 4000 square feet claimed and so I was very excited but it's not working well for me. I will try it again before I need to return it to Amazon. |
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