Tech advice please. New MC888 hub.

TwoShedsJohn · ‎14-01-2026

Hi all. So, I juse received my 5G Hub,MC888, so far I have only tried the TV and my PC on new hub, both are connected via ethernet.

Regarding wifi, At the monent I am still on Virgin Media hub ( contract not cancelled,,,yet ) with all my wifi devices, I have about 20+ devices connected via wifi, which include 3x Ring cameras, 1x Ring doorbell cam, 2 x ring chimes, 3x older `other` IP cams, about 8x smart plugs, 3 x Echo show Alexa devices , 1x tablet, and 1x phone,

So as I am typing this, both hubs are active. The Three hub for the ethernet (tv and pc), and the VM hub for the (wifi ) devices.

That`s the background, this is the question... Rather than disconnecting each individual wifi device and go through all the hassle of setting each device back up again from scratch using the Three hub, Would it be possible to just change the Three hub`s SSID and Password names to the SAME SSID and SAME password that the VM is currently using, in the hope that once the VM is turned off, then the wifi devices will just connect themsleves ` automatically ` to the Three hub ??. Is that possible ?? or am I expecting too much ?.

Thanks in anticipation. John

TwoShedsJohn · ‎23-01-2026

Looks like I won`t be here for long. Absolutely disgusted.

I have had the hub for 10 days,, On day 2, I decided to try wifi, using my tablet and my phone.

Hub situated in window... app states " excellent" and all 6 lights on hub are white. But,,, I connected via wifi and both devices within 4 metres of hub, and in direct sight of the hub. did speedtests,, and got average of 45mbps on both devices. Obviously no good.

So,, contacted technical help... eventually got an agent to call back,, agent said all looked okay, and to wait 10 days for hub to ` stabilize` itself. said speeds would improve to 100mbps + maybe 150. so... waited 10 days. Tried again,,, still 6 white lights,,,,still " excellent " signal on app. but,,,, speeds worse than day 2.

So,, back to the chat. eventually got an agent in technical who said,, " everything is normal ". No ISSUES. After asking agent 12 times what he meant by " normal " ? He eventually said.. " Normal, is what you expect " . What a ridiculous effing answer. I EXPECT more than 45mbps 4 metres away from, and in direct line of sight of the hub., So,,, Obviously there IS an issue. But All he could say was,,,,, " I can pass you through to returns dept. " " There is no issue " and " everything is .... normal. He also said " my allowances were fine ". I asked him 8 times what he means by " allowances ?? what allowances are you talking about ?. He refused to answer the question. I am not impressed. At all.

Anonymous · ‎23-01-2026

I don't think it's the "hub", more likely the cellular signal, using 4G & 5G bands linking the local Three mast to the router (hub). Have you tried the router in different positions in your home?

Personally I use tools like cellmapper.net to find the local mast and try and position the router as high up and in the direction of the local mast.

TwoShedsJohn · ‎23-01-2026

Hi Clive..Sorry for my ignorance, but I`m a little confused still. When hub first arrived, I fired it up in 3 places... 1st position got 5 white lights, and a blue network light. So,, I move it to a another position near to front door and got all 6 white,,,. Then realised my ethernet cables weren`t quite long enough at that position, so moved again to final position 3. ( on window cill and facing mast direction) so that, in my mind, was perfect. and.. still all 6 white lights. ( and the first agent I spoke to last week, confirmed it was facing the direction of the mast ) so, that`s where it has stayed for about the last 8 days. and all lights have always stayed white. no blue. As far as I understand,,, if all lights are white, then that is as good as it gets, as far as ` mast to hub signal ` is concerened. Now... regarding the `hub to device` signal, I assume ( but probably wrong) I assume that is what the Poor / fair / good/ excellent statuses means in the app, the signal from hub to the device . which is also confusing me,,as the device app has been checked at various times,, sometimes it states `Poor`, and sometimes it states `Excellent,` even though the hub nor device have moved, and all 6 ights on hub remain white. see app pics

Anonymous · ‎23-01-2026

It can be very confusing and the LED lights don't give you a full picture of what is actually going on. Can be very trial and error, bearing in mind that evenings and weekends have lower speeds due to congestion on the network. Try it in different positions for at least a day, if not a few days! How long is your cooling off period?

TwoShedsJohn · ‎23-01-2026

I believe it`s 30 days. I will check and confirm. Was I correct in saying the status on the app ( pics) is the signal strength between hub and the device ?.

None of it makes any sense to me. lol. I can check it one minute and it states " poor" ,,, then check again without even moving the device,,, and 10 seconds later it`ll state " Excellent" ,, then when I run speedtest,,, there doesn`t seem to be any difference in speeds, whether it is in a ` poor` or an `excellent` state . So really, the app signal status tells me nothing, and the 6 white lights on the hub tell me nothing. also,,, ( lol ) the upload speed is nearly as `fast` as the download. latest example was... 55 up ... 49 down.

MymsMan · ‎23-01-2026

When running speedtests are you using a hub based or pc based speed tester and with wifi or ethernet connection.

When I first got my external hub I was experiencing very variable speeds and it wasn't until I connected a PC via ethernet that I realised there were problems with my laptops wifi adapter settings! Even now the speed reported by my PC is less than that reported by the hub but since I average around 450Mbps at the PC I am not too worried 😀

We can't see the pictures you posted yet - images have to be approved by staff before becoming visible

TwoShedsJohn · ‎24-01-2026

Re Wifi... I ran the wifi speedtests within the Three app on phone and on tablet. ( Ookla ) .. but I also have the Ookla app as a stand alone app on both devices. And used that too. I Also have Ookla app on PC, so all tests were done using Ookla. All via wifi,,on all 3 devices, all were between 50 to 60mbps. If I then disconnect from Three and reconnect to my VM wifi,,, All 3 devices jump to about 180 mbps. ( My VM Normal )

Re Ethernet.... On PC, even using ethernet, It was only about 70.to 75 using the Three hub, so not really THAT much more than the THree wifi numbers, and again, if i disconnect ethernet from Three and reconnect to VM ethernet... I then get approx 270 mpbs, ( which is my normal for VM ethernet).

So baically, With my existing VM, I am used to getting approx 180 on wifi ( phone and tablet ) and approx 270 on ethernet ( PC ) .

Also... Re ethernet to Samsung TV .. I get about the same speeds whether it is the new Three, or the existing VM,, ( approx 60mbps ) But I believe that may be due to the adapter in the TV being somehow "limited". ( I previously read about it somewhere )

Sorry to burdon you with my probs. It`s just that I daren`t cancel my VM until I know Three is going to work for me. And time is now running out on my " returns " period. But so far, with only 50 to 60 on wifi, and 60 to 70 on ethernet, I`m not impressed. Also not impressed with The Three technical agents I chatted to, It was like talking to a piece of 3 x 2. very frustrating.

10 days to " stabilize ?? any truth ? Thanks Clive..

TwoShedsJohn · ‎23-01-2026

P.S. also.... is there any truth in what the agent said last week ,,, that the hub needs 7 to 10 days to ` stabilize ` ??

Anonymous · ‎24-01-2026

No, I think that is bit ridiculous. But I have found that leaving router on 24hours is better for speeds in the long run. I've had neighbours complaining about speeds, but they were turning it on and off based on small windows of use. I'd reckon after a day of usage, it should be pretty stable, but does depend on local network conditions.

The app screenshots look to be indicating the cellular signal, but the fact you are seeing it switch between different signal levels in the same physical position is a bit strange, it looks like it is flicking between different bands. Does the speeds fluctuate as well? Maybe try downloading a large file and monitor the speed over a period of time. The router might be switching bands based on through-put. Some speed tests download and upload very small files, so the router doesn't get time to "rev" up and connect to additional bands in time.

Unfortunately there is no one provider I would recommend, but an example of such test is available here - https://www.thinkbroadband.com/download

Download a large file, ie above 1GB and monitor the speed and signal strength while doing so. This might show you if your router is managing bands based on through-put.