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Boost, extenders and wifi woes

stick
Organizer

I'm hoping someone can help with my mess that is now my home wifi. Everything has been great for a long time. I had the standard actiontec router and wifi was good to passable. 2.4g was cameras, 5 was other home devices.

 

I got smart home security installed, and the tech installed a couple of boosts and put the TELUS security camera on that network. So now I had the boost network and my actiontec network.

 

Odd to have a bunch of networks but whatever.

 

I upgraded to 750/750 and I wasn't getting the promised speeds

 

A tech remotely did something to my router that then reset my wifi name. So it knocked Sonos, smartplugs, nest etc all offline. Total pain to get them back online. Speed problem wasn't fixed. So a tech was sent out.

 

He replaced my actiontec with a new one and new wifi network names (so go through the process of getting house online again) and I asked about the boost network, but he said that was best left for just security and he added some kind of extender to my second floor where the second boost also is.

 

So...

 

Now my network setup at home seems overly complicated with the extender. Sonos is confused always. It takes forever to find it on the network. This is the same Sonos setup that has been running problem free for nearly two years.  The smartplugs won't connect at all, and boost, when I use it is super spotty. Signal will be good, but connection isn't getting made.

 

I'm looking for some kind of guidance or best practice on what I should do. Given the amount of connected devices in my house I just want as simple and stable as possible. 

 

11 REPLIES 11

Chicnstu
Leader
Did the tech who install the Boost WiFI pods use a starter pack so you have 2 of the new white boosters in addition to the third the next tech installed? Having that third one will give you lots of trouble. There is no reason a Boost WiFI network can't handle the security cameras and any/all customer devices at the same time. If you do have those new white boost pods, check to see which one is hard wired. They might both be wired but one might be tethered off the other via wireless connection. If you find one of your boost pods is connected via Coax and a black moca adapter with 2 green lights then that is a problem. For some reason the Boost pods don't like Moca and will only cap out at about 45mbps speeds even if your plan is the 750/750.

Thanks for this. The speed is fixed, and that was a hardwired speed. It's just that in the fix of the hardwired speed, my wifi is now flaky.

 

The security tech installed a boost 2 pack with one hardwired to the actiontec and the other wirelessly connected. All was fine with this. It's only when the online attempted fix for hardwired speed was done that wifi went bonkers.

 

The tech that came to fix the hardwired speed put a new actiontec in and he  did not install a boost, he installed some other kind of wifi extender, which i found odd, but he said it was better.

 

NFtoBC
Community Power User
Community Power User

I agree with @Chicnstu in that the Home Security setup should work just fine on the Boost Wi-Fi, and not need the other access point. During my install, the techs first attempted to install the access point, but it did not properly work, as it needs to be attached directly to the Actiontec. Using the Boost Wi-Fi signal solved things.

 

I suggest a set-up as follows:

  • connect your TVs to the Actiontec either by Ethernet or the Wi-Fi SSID of the Actiontec
  • connect the rest of your network by Ethernet to the Actiontec (either directly or through a switch) and by Wi-Fi through the Telus Boost devices
  • the Telus Boost devices need an SSID differing from your Actiontec
  • there should be no need for any other access points - the Telus Boost devices provide all the Wi-Fi connectivity needed.

 

NFtoBC
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Okay, so I should remove the extender they installed, and maybe just increase the boost devices? TV's are all hardwired. So basically at that point I could turn actiontec wifi off, and run purely on boost.

 

Are there still issues with Sonos and boost not getting along?

Disconnecting the Q6000 extender will help reduce WiFi saturation in the home but any device that is connected to the network it is broadcasting will need to be configured to connect to the Boost network instead. This includes home security cameras or the main panel if you have the new Qolsys IQ2 (full 7 inch touchscreen, looks like an iPad).

 

Same story with the modem. Logging in to the GUI and disabling the wireless broadcast will clear more saturation but devices may need to be reconfigured. If you are sure none of the TV boxes are connected via wireless then they will all be fine.

 

I have seen issues with Sonos and Boost not getting along especially if a boost pod is located right next to the Sonos device that connects to the WiFI, i think the subwoofer in most cases. I helped set up Boost for a friend and his Sonos was acting up for a while until we moved some things around. He has 4 pods set up in the home.

 

 

Awesome. Good info. Everything in the home is a mess wirelessly now so I don't mind putting the work in to get things where they need to be. I love the wifi app, and how it works with boost so I'm glad to hear that simplifying to boost is a good move. I'll buy the extension pack and have more than enough coverage for the home. 

 

Also really good guidance on the proximity of Sonos and boost. The secondary boost is literally right next to my Play 5. 

 

NFtoBC
Community Power User
Community Power User
Just remember, you’ll need a TELUS Tech to adjust anything associated with the security system.
NFtoBC
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Good to know. During all this my exterior camera got knocked offline, and there is no clear way for a user to get it back online, so I guess that makes sense that I need a tech to come out. Thanks for the heads up. Saves me trying to figure out how to get it back online.

NFtoBC
Community Power User
Community Power User

You can try cycling the power to the camera, and see if it reconnects to the network.

NFtoBC
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@stick wrote:

Good to know. During all this my exterior camera got knocked offline, and there is no clear way for a user to get it back online, so I guess that makes sense that I need a tech to come out. Thanks for the heads up. Saves me trying to figure out how to get it back online.


If you can safely get to the camera you can connect it to the new network yourself with these steps:

 

  • Look for the LED on the back of the camera. If it's not connected to a network it should be flashing red.
  • Now look for the button next to the LED. Press and hold. It will flash blue, keep holding until it flashes white then release.
  • Now take your cell phone and look for a WiFi network that starts with ALARM: #####. Connect your phone to that network. You'll probably get a popup that says internet may not be available. This is fine.
  • Open a web browser on your phone and enter http://722irinstall in to the address field. This brings up the GUI of the camera. From there you can tap the button to search for WiFi networks. Find the network of your Boost WiFi pods and enter the password for it. Your camera should now connect after about a minute and the LED should be solid green!

This answer is outstanding. Thank you. 

How have I not discovered this place before now. So useful.