Change router or change ISP

We had FTTP installed with AAISP a year ago. The wifi performance has been pretty awful ever since. We have never got more that 50Mbps on any device however close to the router on a 80Mbps service. Both VOIP and wifi calling over mobile suffer from very poor line quality and cut outs.

AAISP's service has been very good when we have had Openreach faults but despite some tinkering with settings they have never sorted the poor wifi out. Now they have told me that because this is a wifi issue they can't help and recommended I connect everything via ethernet

I know they are mainly a business isp where offices are wired up but this struck me as a very 20th century pre smartphone etc answer for a private customer

I am out of contract so now I have 2 choices, stay with AAISP and buy another router and hope its better. or switch to another ISP.

Can you please recommend which you would do, and what router or ISP you would choose?

People sourcing their own routers for FTTP services is not unusual at all.

The Netgear Nighthawk routers generally have a good wifi reputation https://amzn.to/3dnPs7r

Question is what is your budget

They are correct though, however much you don't like the answer.

The WiFi equipment is nothing to do with AAISP and is your part of the network, and your responsibility.

I'm not sure what you think an ISP can do about poor wireless speeds anyway?
Do you want them to chap your neighbours and tell them to get offline?

Agreed, I would just disable the Wi-Fi on the supplied Router and just buy dedicated Wireless Access Points and place them round the house / building to cover the whole area.

Paul

In reply to a post by PaulKirby:

Agreed, I would just disable the Wi-Fi on the supplied Router and just buy dedicated Wireless Access Points and place them round the house / building to cover the whole area

Or a mesh WiFi solution, Netgear Orbi, or the BT WholeHome.
PCPro magazine did a comparison of 15 or so last month.

Do you get more than 50Mbps on a direct wired device?

Are you using the AAISP supplied Zyxel router? If so then hardly surprising you’re having Wi-fi issues as the Wi-fi range on them is quite poor. As Mr S has suggested buy a half decent Wi-fi router such as the Netgear R8000 - no need to buy router with a modem built in for FTTP. Only go for a mesh system or additional access points if a single router doesn’t cut it.

In reply to a post by j0hn83:

The WiFi equipment is nothing to do with AAISP and is your part of the network, and your responsibility.

I'm not sure what you think an ISP can do about poor wireless speeds anyway?

The issue is lot ISP (not all) make big claims there WiFi is fast'ist/best'ist. In there own marketing and by doing so that could create a misrepresentation and suppley deivce that is as such not fit for stated purpose. You can not set the bar high to get an sale and next moment after sale saying we really didn't mean it be that good it was just ad.

Go into your router settings and change the WiFi channel, try say 12 .

I have six old routers all over my large house and garden, Ethernet connected and configured as WiFi access points, I have very good WiFi coverage.

In reply to a post by amiga_dude:

In reply to a post by j0hn83:

The WiFi equipment is nothing to do with AAISP and is your part of the network, and your responsibility.

I'm not sure what you think an ISP can do about poor wireless speeds anyway?

The issue is lot ISP (not all) make big claims there WiFi is fast'ist/best'ist. In there own marketing and by doing so that could create a misrepresentation and suppley deivce that is as such not fit for stated purpose.

The ISP in question definitely doesn't, so I don't get your point?

I'm not aware of any ISP's who guarantee wireless throughput either. They are all coverage claims and guarantees.

It's like me selling my car and the guy who bought it complaining he can't get it parked cos his streets too busy.

We dont have neighbours near enough to cause any wifi conflicts

In reply to a post by ian72:

Do you get more than 50Mbps on a direct wired device?

yes 70+ plus as you would expect.

The wifi speed was so low even on installation (44Mbps) that the Openreach engineer ran more tests before I fetched my laptop and connected via ethernet and found that speed was ok.

it could not only be the router it could be your devices.

how old are your mobile devices and laptops?

In reply to a post by Highland76:

Are you using the AAISP supplied Zyxel router? If so then hardly surprising you’re having Wi-fi issues as the Wi-fi range on them is quite poor. As Mr S has suggested buy a half decent Wi-fi router such as the Netgear R8000 - no need to buy router with a modem built in for FTTP. Only go for a mesh system or additional access points if a single router doesn’t cut it.

The coverage of the router is actually not too bad, having lost half the speed in the immediate vicinity is still gives me near 40Mbps in my office one floor , two walls and 10 metres away and the full 20Mbps upload speed.

However even close to the router VOIP and wifi calling are awful so changing the router might solve that problem if its a dodgy router. If it doesnt than it looks like i will have to reinstate the landline

In reply to a post by gerarda:

The wifi speed was so low even on installation (44Mbps) that the Openreach engineer ran more tests before I fetched my laptop and connected via ethernet and found that speed was ok.

Does it support dual band? It may be only 2.4 GHz and N (WiFi 4) specification. That would explain the 40 Mbps limit. A separate access point, or mesh system (which are super intelligent access points) will solve your problem.

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

People sourcing their own routers for FTTP services is not unusual at all.

The Netgear Nighthawk routers generally have a good wifi reputation https://amzn.to/3dnPs7r

Question is what is your budget

Unfortunately the budget is zero , I wasn't expecting to have to change after a year.