http://imgur.com/a/GRK0X

Do those 3 Volex contact breakers turn off each of the 3 floors? More particularly are the power sockets you are using for the Homeplugs controlled by those 3 Volex contact breakers?

How many Homeplugs are you using?

32A cct. breakers, these are protecting the ring main.

Looks like you have three separate rings, powerline adaptors should be connected to the same ring if poss.

If nothing has changed on the mains circuits then not likely to be a wiring issue and as mains wiring is designed for carrying mains rather than radio signals for broadband you will get nowhere if trying to pursue a fault with the mains wiring.

Most likely thing is if you've shown the plugs give reasonable speeds when close to each other is that some form of radio noise is causing problems, this could be as simple as interference from Christmas lights (switched mode power supplies etc) so turning off and unplugging other stuff in the property may be part of the elimination process.

As people are saying Ethernet is the best way, even if you can only go one floor up that may be enough to give you wireless coverage.

Another option if there is existing coax between the floors for the TV aerial is to piggyback off that with kit like http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-x-Ethernet-Over-Coax-Wit...

Read this thread and it seems a nightmare, seen that Homeplugs aren't really working out either.

I would give up on the Homeplugs, honestly they aren't perfect anyway.

Switch the virginmedia Superhub to 80Mhz WiFi at 5Ghz, it defaults to 40Mhz. Do this at 192.168.0.1 - login - advanced - wireless settings - set it to 1200 instead of 600Mbps.

Then get yourself these:
http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/computing-accessories/...

You may only pull 10 to 50Mbps using this method but it should be entirely useable. You need to place the booster somewhere that still has a good wireless range but also reaches the dead areas.

It is not perfect. A cable is 100% the right way to go and I would say figure out a way to make it happen, otherwise this is a best alternative. Good enough to game and netflix I would say.

Edited by ukhardy07 (Thu 24-Dec-15 15:30:33)

5GHz might be worse. It depends on the construction of the house, as in mine it it unusable in the rooms upstairs due to attenuation by the walls etc. Whereas 2.4GHz works with a fairish speed...

Appreciate you can't run Ethernet internally for all the reasons you've mentioned, but just a thought, is there no way that you can run Ethernet cable externally between the floors. Almost no physical damage bar a couple of holes (easily repaired when leaving), far less so than running cables internally and less unsightly. There is specific external Ethernet cable available and it's pretty cheap (25mtrs for less than £10 on eBay). Might be your only option, bar moving or getting the property rewired.

Edited by deleted (Thu 24-Dec-15 19:13:21)

Presumably the earthing has been checked out? The photos look a mess with multiple earthing points. Also just because a green / yellow cable goes onto an electricity supply armoured cable sheath doesn't automatically mean it's got an earth. You need access to an earth loop impedance tester to really check that through though. Myself, I would have all the earth cables /bonding cables going back to one point (you appear to have at least 2) with just one earth cable going back to the main earthing point for the house.

Some suggestions (which will inevitably echo other users' posts):

• Unplug any new appliances--wall warts are notorious for causing electrical interference.
• Unplug old appliances--wall warts can and do fail with age.
• Check all mains plugs for bad connections.
• Make sure that any networking kit is not next to other electrical appliances.
• Check for other wireless signals using something like NetStumbler.
• Go hunting with an old transistor (AM) radio. These pick up wireless interference like Billy-O.
• Get an electrician to check your house wiring, especially the earthing. This will be useful, anyway, from a safety point of view. Remember that leccies may be opinionated about networking issues without having any real extpertise.
• If you (or your leccy) suspect mains interference, you can ask your electricity supplier to investigate it--they have data loggers that they can leave connected to your consumer unit.
• Switch from mains ethernet extenders to wi-fi range extenders. Alternatively, ethernet over co-ax as suggested by Andrew seems like a good idea.

Can't think of anything else. HTH.

Edit: There are users here who earn their crust doing computer networking so keep coming back until you've got it sorted. Keep coming back anyway.

Edited by micksharpe (Thu 24-Dec-15 22:06:14)

In reply to a post by keith969:

5GHz might be worse. It depends on the construction of the house, as in mine it it unusable in the rooms upstairs due to attenuation by the walls etc. Whereas 2.4GHz works with a fairish speed...

As the router will be dual-band, it can't hurt to try.