Virgin Media has launched a new service that it says will make customers’ home WiFi networks up to three times faster.
Called Intelligent WiFi Plus, it consists of a firmware upgrade to a Virgin Media router and new WiFi ‘Pods’ that help to stretch the signal around your house.
The firmware is deployed to Virgin Media’s Hub 3 and Hub 4 routers and each Pod helps to create a mesh network for a stronger signal.
‘Intelligent WiFi Plus is our most advanced and impressive WiFi service to date that will help remove broadband blackspots and bring faster and more reliable speeds throughout the home,’ said Jeff Dodds, chief operating officer at Virgin Media.
‘Whether our customers are working, streaming, browsing, playing or keeping connected online, the combo of new Hub features and WiFi Pods provides a step change in connectivity that won’t let you down.’
Access to Intelligent WiFi Plus is available for free to customers already on the Ultimate Oomph and Gig1 plans.
Other Virgin Media customers will be able to upgrade to the new service for an extra £5 per month.
In order to request Intelligent WiFi Plus, Virgin Media customers will need to call customer care on 0345 454 1111. Upon signup, a WiFi Pod will be sent in the post and doesn’t require an engineer visit to set up.
‘The WiFi Pods can be simply placed between a strong-signal spot and low-signal spot in a home and will automatically build a mesh network to bring faster speeds to more rooms in the house,’ Virgin Media explained in a press release.
‘They can also be unplugged and moved to any location in the home, hassle free.’
The company, like other internet providers, has seen a surge of usage over the last year as millions of people adapt to working from home or home schooling because of the pandemic.
The telecommunications giant said users downloaded an extra 2.8GB of data per day on average in 2020, making it the company’s busiest year ever for home broadband use.
November was its busiest month on record for network traffic, as the country went into a second national lockdown and the new Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 consoles went on sale.
People working from home and video chatting with family also caused upload traffic to skyrocket, rising 64% across the year, based on figures from January to November.
Virgin Media says it is in the process of upgrading its entire network to gigabit speeds by the end of 2021.
‘To date, more than seven million homes across the UK have access to these hyperfast speeds through Gig1,’ it said.
