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Poor WIFI - Telus Boost & T3200M
Hello there, new in this forum, but long time Telus customer. I recently moved to my new apartment and WIFI is very poor in my bedrooms. Telus tech couldn't find a wired port (ethernet/coax) in the b...
- The first Boost device will need to be hardwired to the T3200M. Further ones can be either wired or wireless.
- The Boost solution is better than the Google solution in my opinion, as Boost extends your existing network, while Google devices create a new separate one.
- Would something like Google WIFI or Google Nest WIFI, or similar solutions from other brands work better than Telus Boost in my case?
- The PVR will not work on either the Boost or Google Network. PVR need to connect to the T3200M either wirelessly or by ethernet / coax.
- The extenders in the Telus Boost package connect to the T3200M as described previously - one by ethernet, the rests wirelessly to the first Boost.
- Boost do not need to be activated by Telus. If they are complete, you should be able to add them yourself.
Thank you all for your comments. I marked NFtoBC's post as the solution because it applied to my case the most, although a few other comments were also on point.
I ended up buying the second hand Telus Boost and I'm happy to report that my devices in the farthest bedroom are now connecting at 180Mbps (150 plan), whereas before this, wirelessly connected devices would achieve 5 to 20 Mbps at best. I managed to connect a switch to the Telus Boost AP in the bedroom and then computers, NAS, and printer to it. $80 well spent and the solution is good enough for now (internet access was my main concern)
I haven't tried connecting the wireless PVR again, it's in the other room. At some point will do and will report back though I have low expectations. It's unfortunate what NFtoBC reports that the PVR will not connect to the Boot devices, but only to the T3200M. When we tried this with the Telus tech placing the PVR at the back of the room (where it's expected to be) it wouldn't even connect. Then as a test, the tech person placed the PVR next to the bedroom's doorway and at that point it was able to connect, but barely. I don't remember the details, but one parameter he was monitoring was the fail rate of something that shouldn't exceed -70 if I remember correctly, and at the back of the room it was in the -80s and by the bedroom's door it was in the -50s. Now that I think about it it's a bit frustrating the tech person declared victory with this test and announced the installation as complete: the PVR was technically connecting, but in a ridiculous location. Again, TV service in the room wasn't that important so I let it fly.
But yeah RonAKA, I also find it strange. This same hardware worked perfectly in my previous 2K sqf apartment. I have the same sqf-age in this new place, only that the layout is different, with the bathroom, laundry room, and kitchen in the way (before the two bedrooms had direct line of sight to the router location going thru drywall.) I guess the walls material and the appliances are blocking the signal? I'll report again when I test it.
Before posting my question I had found the post talking about congested channels. I downloaded a WIFI scanner and configured the router to use the channels recommended by the app as less busy. It did have a tiny impact, but not significant (although I didn't try with the PVR). I did leave the SmartSteering on, but I adjusted the channel for both frequencies. I have another question about this, but will post it separately to not get confused with all this.
Again, thank you all for your time helping me. I have a working solution for the most part, so I'm happy to mark this question as resolved. Cheers!
