EE Smart Hub - Removed WiFi settings

I was called to one on my customers on EE yesterday to see why their laptop would no longer connect to their router.

A little bit of history:
When I visited them last year for exactly the same issue following installation of new hub (that they had NOT asked for).
I established that their Lenvo IdeaPad 305 would only connect if I used the router's UI to downgrade from WiFi 7 to (if memory serves me right WiFi 6) then the laptop connected fine.

Yesterday:
I found that the router no longer had the ability to downgrade from WiFi 7 to WiFi 6. Obviously it had recieved an overnight update which changed all the settings.
I found a setting which says it enables a "Compatable mode" for older systems. I enabled this without any success.
I tried manually changing the channels - again no success.

I ordered an external WiFi dongle and left my customer with a long ethernet cable so that they could get online.

Why have EE changed the setup so fundamentally?

Can't answer why, but if you use the ISP's router you are at the mercy of them fiddling. As it has happened twice now, I think I would be suggesting that they get their own router and done with it.

Unfortunately this is not possible (As Far As I Know) because they use the VOIP service provided by EE to retain their "landline".

the idealpad 305 seems to be an old laptop.

Did you check what wifi drivers it was using?

The other route if the drivers are upto date is to replace the wifi card.

In reply to a post by Mike_Williams_UK:

Unfortunately this is not possible (As Far As I Know) because they use the VOIP service provided by EE to retain their "landline".

The knots people tie themselves in for a simpler life.

Take the ISP router and have to call someone in when the ISP 'upgrade' the software

Take the phone from the ISP and lose service when the ISP 'upgrades' the router software

Seesm to be common ...

Have a read of:
https://community.ui.com/questions/Laptops-with-real...

The laptop does not "see" the router's WiFi signal in the list of APs discovered.
My ainchient Linx 12X64 sees it and connects without an issue.

This is why I ordered a USB WiFi adapter which should hopefully solve their issue.

Your "ancient" tablet has Wi-Fi 5, the Lenovo only has Wi-Fi 4.

A permanent fix would be swapping the Wi-Fi module, a review suggests the current card is an Atheros AR9565 which is half mini PCIe, an Intel 7260 is around £10 and should be a drop in replacement.

The majority of the public will take the default option because they don't know or are not cofident enough with VOIP to do anything else.

The knots people tie themselves in for a simpler life.

Take the ISP router and have to call someone in when the ISP 'upgrade' the software

Take the phone from the ISP and lose service when the ISP 'upgrades' the router software

Your comment is not very useful, is it?

In reply to a post by Nervous:

Your comment is not very useful, is it?

It indirectly suggests a course of action which could leave people more in control of their communications technology. Even if they are not confident, they could get the kit and try to sort it out on their timescales and not be dropped into problems by their ISP with no say on when that happens. If you don't thin that is useful, that wold be a you problem.