[i.h]

How do you propose this is improved?

It's all well and good saying the setup is poorly optimised but the average consumer will likely never understand what it means.

The onus shouldn't be on the end-user to understand the systems but on the internet companies to advise how to get the most out of their connections or to explore ways to improve them.

However, advertising does muddle the situation regarding Wi-Fi. I believe it's BT who advertise that their router's 'fast broadband' etc can reach all areas of the home and promise to provide extenders for free if unsatisfactory. Certainly sounds contradictory to the "optimal setup". I'm sure other companies do similar, implying that getting a signal automatically means a good internet connection.

I don't think it helps either that ethernet ports are no longer included on a lot of products, and the ability to use them is prohibited by cost of adapters and such. My Surface didn't come with an ethernet adapter and if I wanted a wired connection, I'd have to pay £255 for the privilege.

On the contrary - at some point it does become the end user's problem. The ISPs have done what they can. Their routers are going to be designed to provide as much wifi coverage and performance as permitted by the hardware and Ofcom regulations, and mesh extenders do the rest. But the laws of physics are what they are and the only way to get the ultimate in performance is to run ethernet cables. What I meant in my rant was the types of user who demand to know why they don't get gigabit speeds in every room of their house, and rush straight to twitter, ofcom, etc.

Put another way, your local electricity, gas and water companies don't handle anything past the meter. Arqiva operate the transmission network to the best of their ability, but it's your responsibility to sort out your aerial, or pay someone to do it for you. Why should ISPs go further, at least not for an additional fee (as is often charged to rent their mesh equipment or for fancier plans that include in home visits). Openreach also does their bit, by offering guidance to new home builders as to how to do things properly to provide the best experience for the occupants, such as a centrally located router & pre-wiring rooms for ethernet.

I didn't say mesh devices were inherently bad, but they won't get your gigabit broadband from the front of the house to the back and it might be better to move the router more centrally and turn off the mesh extender.

£255? More like £25 for a USB to ethernet adapter, and that's at the expensive end of the scale. Generic USB-C "docks" are available for £50 or less.