Can Wi-Fi Devices slow down my FTTC broadband?

I'm getting some extremely low download speeds on my Vodafone 80/20 FTTC.
So I complained and they requested I sent their Level 2 Tech Team some speed tests from my Windows 7 Desktop machine connected by Ethernet cable, with all other Ethernet cables removed and W-Fi disabled on the router.
When I telephoned days later to talk to the Tech Team about my speed tests I had sent, they would not talk to me but told the customer services person to tell me the following:
"This is not a fault sir. The Tech Team say, according to the data they have downloaded from your router, there are 41 wi-fi devices in you area which are causing interference to your broadband. So they have closed the ticket and will have nothing more to do with it!"

Is this likely or even possible?

My speed tests :

Link to - One of my ThinkBroadband Tests

My Speed Tests #2 :

[IMG]https://www.speedtest.net/result/8075989038.png[/IMG]"]Link to - My Speedtest by Ookla

Testing when you have problems via an Ethernet cable is standard best practice and ensuring you do not have anything connected via Wi-Fi at that point is also a good idea e.g. an phone might be uploading to the cloud a large video and causing the problems.

So if the speed tests you posted are over Ethernet and with Wi-Fi turned off they show the problem that many with Vodafone currently have and is reflected in the analysis at https://www.thinkbroadband.com/news/8322-streaming-p...

i.e. Vodafone has some core network problems that is impacting peak time performance.

Classic syndrome for a provider that is trying to grow rapidly and also under estimating the speed at which they need to grow bandwidth capacity.

If you have the Wi-Fi on the Vodafone router turned off then it should make no difference between 1 and 200 other Wi-Fi routers in the area since it will be ignoring that.

Just one seemingly silly question, as I agree with MrSaffron.

When you say you have WiFi disabled in the router, you presumably mean via an actual setting in the menus? A couple of times I have found people who think it is disabled because they haven�t pressed the WPS button.

I�m not really doubting you, but in many years of supporting customers I found it wise to be certain .

Assuming it is off, then you were told a load of rubbish. The router would not know anything about any wireless devices.

Thank you for your reply MrSaffron.

Just out interest my speed tests do not change at peak time or anytime. They are the same 24/7,morning, noon or night and in the middle of the night.

I did ask them, "If I have my Wi-Fi disabled on my router, how can other peoples Wi-Fi devices effect my broadband speed?" The reply to that was "The Wi-Fi signal from other peoples Smart Phones, iPads, Wi-Fi outputs from routers etc from a total of 41 devices are interfering with the broadband signal over your copper telephone wires that go from your house to the FTTC Cabinet.

Thank you for your reply RobertoS

Yes the Wi-Fi was definitely disabled I douldle checked my smart phone had lost the Wi-Fi connection too.

I did ask them, "If I have my Wi-Fi disabled on my router, how can other peoples Wi-Fi devices effect my broadband speed?" The reply to that was "The Wi-Fi signal from other peoples Smart Phones, iPads, Wi-Fi outputs from routers etc from a total of 41 devices are interfering with the broadband signal over your copper telephone wires that go from your house to the FTTC Cabinet.

Total nonsense from Vodafone CS, I wonder how they came up with 41 devices interfering with the signal in your telephone line. The real reason is a congested network with poor single thread speeds. Time to complain that they need to come up with a better answer and fix their rubbish network or let you leave without penalty as others have managed to achieve. (see the Vodafone forum on TBB)

Thank you for your reply RealaleMadrid. I like your handle by the way

Yes indeed. Their Level 2 Tech Team got that data for the 41 devices from my router they said.

Hi

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

Classic syndrome for a provider that is trying to grow rapidly and also under estimating the speed at which they need to grow bandwidth capacity.

I'd also add another classic syndrome of a provider growing too rapidly is poorly trained support staff and some of the utter rubbish they spew out to their suffering customers.

Never heard such nonsense of Wi-Fi signals affecting the copper pairs, even if it could then how would the interference know to only interfere with single threaded downloads and then not to interfere with multi-threaded downloads in order for the multi-threaded test to be up to near sync speed! If this rubbish is coming from level 2 support then there is no hope for Vodafone if that's the level of their competence.

Regards

Phil

Edited by deleted (Thu 28-Feb-19 10:46:59)