Hi.

I have Virgin 500 Broadband Hub3 set in Modem only mode with TP-LINK Archer AX50 connected to it in modem mode, not access point. All been ok for as lo g as ive had it, until notice not getting near the 500 (or better) which i did early on.

I know virgin have done  recently work in my area, and I have reboted it all, but the problem preempted this work about a week ago anyway.

So I connect direct to Hub3 in and out of modem only mode and speeds are fine both wifi and ethernet, so indicate issue with ax50. However when switching Hub 3 back to modem only mode and trying to connect to the Internet via the ax50 again, it wouldn't.

Did reset, hard reset all to no avail, then randomly started to look at other settings I'd never had to use and randomly clicked the Clone Current Device Mac in the AX50. At this point I had my work laptop connected via ethernet, as during this testing I used it as it has WiFi 6, so the only device that gets the full benefit of the ax50, but it is, other than this point, only ever connect via WiFi. 

So this 'fixed' the immediate isue and was back online, speed check the devices like the xbox and all improved back to top end speeds.

So I,  stupidly, turn off cloning again. Bang, off line goes the  ax50 and all connected to it.

Tried re-adding cloning via tether on my mobile  but this didn't work, only worked again when I did it via the same work laptop again.

So I'm now back online with my work laptop ethernet Mac as the clone.

So the question here is why am I having g to clone to this this Mac (or any as i hand ever had to preciiusly, I's this a Virgin faullt or tplink fault?

I did read just Virgin (and apparently other networks may participate in this too)  not liking people using modem only mode and adding their own better kit (so my answer then us improve your kit Virgin, as I've had to do this at my expense due to your incompetent hub3 not coping with the many devies and size of property and thus not coping with modern day demands) and its something they do now, by making you use a particular recorded Mac, in this case the ones used to do these tests and swtcih between modem modes.

So is there any truth in this, how do I revert back to not requiring this? 

Cheers