Hello, @Juice77.
Welcome to Rogers Community Forums! 😃
Thank you for posting your query in the Community. We need more details to comment on this situation; please provide modem and pods details. Did the tech installed the pods, or is it a self install?
I'm assuming it's the Ignite TV service with three pods installed to extend WiFi coverage throughout the home. Are you looking at the devices connection status through Rogers Ignite WiFi Hub app?
We look forward to hearing from you!
Cheers,
RogersMoin
@Juice77 wrote:
I have three pods throughout my house. It's seems that all my house devices only connect to my modem. I can be right infront of a pod and not connect to it...why?
The radios in the Pods operate at a lower power level than the Wi-Fi radios in the XB6 modem, so it's possible that your devices are simply connecting to the Wi-Fi access point with the strongest signal.
If a device connects to the XB6 first then, depending on the device, it may not even try to roam to another stronger/local access point unless the RSSI on the connection drops below -70 dBm.
If you go to a more distant Pod with a mobile device, disconnect from Wi-Fi, then reconnect, do you connect to the Pod or to the modem?
@scott435645645 wrote:
I'm noticing the same thing, kind of. I have Ignite TV, internet, phone home and 3 wifi extender pods. Everything was installed by a Rogers Tech. Everything seems to be working ok, but I notice on the wifi hub app that all wifi devices in the home are connecting to the same pod. Regardless of where the person is physically located in the house, all devices are connecting to the same pod even if one is literally right beside the person.
The Pods (made by Plume) support 802.11k and 802.11v, so they do support the critical standards that facilitate Wi-Fi roaming: https://support.plume.com/hc/en-us/articles/115001797928-Pod-Device-Release-Notes
However, not all devices support these standards and if they don't, they may not roam to another Pod unless the RSSI on the connection drops below a critical point where they will actively try to connect to another AP with stronger signal.
If you disconnect a mobile device from Wi-Fi and then reconnect, do you connect to the local Pod or do you still reconnect to the more distant pod?
1. Is there a reason that the modem is in the basement? Technician's decision to take the easy way out, ethernet connections to other parts of the house perhaps or you use wifi in the basement? If you're not using wifi in the basement or using any ethernet connections to other points in the house, which would originate in the basement, then the basement would be the worst place for the modem. Only other reason I can think of is that you don't have any RG-6 cables running upstairs.
2. With the modem in the basement, you seeing pretty fair results for wifi speeds with your laptop. The one point to remember is that the laptop might have much better wifi performance than a set top box that is wifi connected. Are you using the Ignite TV service? If so, then the set top boxes need a wifi connection, regardless of any ethernet connection.
3. What modem are you using:
a. a black Hitron CGN3xxx modem where the modem model is found on the product sticker at the
back of the modem;
b. a white Hitron CODA-4582 modem;
c. an XB6 modem which is installed with the new Ignite TV service.
4. The wifi speeds do make sense. It depends on the design of the pods and how they are running. It comes down to a question of are they running as a repeater, extender or possibly mesh node with a wifi backhaul channel. With the modem in the basement, and the laptop there as well, you're seeing pretty respectable speeds for a laptop. The basement location would shield the modem from external networks, to a certain degree, so you would or should see better performance with both modem and laptop in the basement. The same might not occur if the modem was on the main floor, where it can detect nearby networks and end up with a smaller transmit time allocation, which in turn drops the wifi data rate.
5. Its worth having a look at the wifi environment to determine who else you're competing with for channels. It sounds like you're using a 5 Ghz channel. To see the longest range and highest data rate with 5 Ghz, use channels 149 to 161 as they run a higher power output compared to the lower 5 Ghz channels. Do you have a wifi scanner loaded on your laptop that you can use to check the wifi environment and see who you're competing with?
@scott435645645 wrote:
Just spoke with Rogers Tech Support. Apparently the pods are completely optional and the installer should have done tests to see if they were actually required before installing. Anyhow, if wifi strength and speeds are better without the pods, don't use them as they are not needed. The fact that my TV boxes are hard wired with CAT5 cables really makes the choice of not using the pods a no brainer. Anyway, just thought I would provide an update.
Implementing Wi-Fi well can be tricky and a number of factors need to be considered so that you not only get optimal coverage and optimal speeds but also so that you minimize the impact on the local Wi-Fi environment.
So many people take the approach of getting a router (or multiple routers) with the "biggest, baddest" Wi-Fi and cranking the power to maximum. In reality, more power is not always better. A strong signal may be able to reach the farthest reaches of a home with challenging construction... but on the other end of the link may be a mobile phone with a low-power transmitter whose signal can barely be discerned from the background noise. In high-density environments, there can also be A LOT of background noise due to a lot of local Wi-Fi traffic on all channels, and more power in this situation is not better either.
With Pods, they take a different approach: low power and local coverage, and make it possible for devices to roam seamlessly from one pod to another. You won't get the fastest speeds but you'll get a good, solid connection, and that's usually more important. A low-power radio also minimizes the local Wi-Fi interference, and it's important to be a good neighbour in that regard just like you would keep the volume down on your stereo.
When deploying a Wi-Fi network, we have routers with conventional access points, mesh network solutions (like Pods) that provide local coverage with low-power radios, and mesh networks (like the eero) that provide broader coverage with higher-powered radios. All of these technologies have their pros and cons. The installation techs need to properly survey the home, consider issues and challenges associated with building construction, interference, layout and coverage requirements, and then implement the best/most reliable solution.
If the XB6 alone provides you with adequate coverage and you get solid, reliable Wi-Fi connectivity throughout home, then go with that.
@mattdemarte wrote:
Is there a way to force devices to connect to wifi pods instead of the modem itself? We were told to install 3 pods but none of the devices connect where I need them to and the internet is still garbage. So. Frustrating.
The best that you can do is disable and then re-enable WiFi on your client device to force it to connect to the best available WiFi access point, and that may not necessarily be the Pod. If both your device and the Pod are located in the same room, and you can get a strong WiFi connection from that location to the Ignite gateway, connecting to the Pod is rather pointless and will likely result in a slower connection speed with additional delay. Devices will typically connect to a Pod if the Pod is located mid-way between the device and the Ignite gateway.
The purpose of the Pods is to expand your WiFi coverage. If the Pods are not installed in the correct locations, devices either will not connect to them or the Pods will degrade the overall performance of your WiFi network.
@mattdemarte wrote:
Well, I was told by Rogers Ignite tech support that I was in need of the pods as the connection issues were severe within my home.
So I have 3 pods now, and they are all between the modem and the devices I’m trying to connect to.
But the signal from the modem to the devices both downstairs and upstairs is so bad that I can’t even get my own Rogers STB to connect to it. So if that is the case, one would think that the pods would assist with this issue.
For the Pods to work, they need to be placed in a location where they can get a strong connection to either the XB6 or to an upstream neighbour Pod. At least one Pod needs to have a good, strong connection to the XB6. That may require that you reposition the XB6 so that it is not directly underneath duct work or anything else that could block WiFi signals.
If you install a WiFi scanner app on a mobile device, the Pod should be plugged into a location where it sees a signal strength to a neighbour Pod (or XB6) of at least -70 dBm. (You can also use the WiFi signal strength indicator on a mobile device to confirm that you have good upstream WiFi connectivity in a given location.) Pods must be placed in locations where they can establish a strong connection both upstream and to the devices that connect to them.
Again, I was not having any of these issues pre-Ignite.
Did your placement of the XB6 gateway change from where the previous WiFi modem was located, even slightly?
Rogers tech support should also be able to tell you if there is poor connectivity between your XB6 and your Pods, and may be able to assist you further with Pod placement.
So, I ask again, is there a way to force devices to connect to pods as opposed to letting them choose which signal to connect to?
I don't know of any way to get a device to explicitly connect to a specific Pod.
If you are still having problems getting an Ignite set-top box to connect to WiFi, you might need to disconnect it from your WiFi network and then reconnect it again. (There are a few different ways to do this. I'll try to find a link to an official support article.) This is another case where you should use a mobile device to independently verify that you have good WiFi connectivity in a location.
Hello @missmagoo
Thank you for your post and welcome to the Rogers Community Forums!
Not being able to connect to WiFi everywhere in your home can certainly be disappointing, we'd love to troubleshoot the WiFi signal strength issue for you To better assist you, we will require more information on the situation.
Where are the modem and pods currently located? The strategic placement of the pods from the modem can dramatically improve the range and WiFi signal strength.
Looking forward to your reply.
RogersRob
@racyroo wrote:
Hello, I just got my ignite wifi hubs. Do I have to keep the bluetooth on, on the cell phone?
No, I don't think so, and I can't see any reason why you would need to. As far as I know, you only need enable Bluetooth on your mobile device to facilitate registering a new Pod to your account and adding it to your in-home network.
@CommunityHelps Please correct me if I am wrong.
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