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Orbi RBR50 Why is speed so variable minute to minute?
Hi - I'm using the Orbi RBR50 as an access with AT&T fiber internet service using an AT&T modem. Wifi quality is highly variable, but most of the time Mbps are very low ranging from download of .26 - 2Mbps and upload of .50 - 3Mbps (testing on computer via speedtest). But on occasion speeds can be 133Mbps and 160Mbps when tested through my computer using speedtest. Whenever I test through the Orbi app on my phone the speeds are always 200Mbps or better. I am trying to understand what is causing variability and the generally very slow internet speeds from the Orbi routers - and more importantly what can be done to fix this situation?
Environment: Used in my home - mid size, 3 story residence. Laptops running windows, Android phones and tablets. Approx 3 dozen smart home devices (lights, outlets, TVs, etc).
Firmware: v2.7.4.24
Thanks in advance for any advice or input on potential causes, fixes or methods of troubleshooting/diagnosing the problem.
Thanks for the information. We know that although devices within the LAN can reach speeds determined by their individual capabilities, internet speed can never exceed what the Internet Service Provider supplies. Thus...
- Two computers connected to gigabit Ethernet ports on the router can reach very close to full gigabit speed. (Even Ethernet has overhead which reduces the maximum possible throughput.) I have measured over 900Mbps between two Windows computers.
- Devices connected with WiFi can reach speeds which depend on the capability of their WiFi adapters. 2.4G connections, for example, cannot reach nearly the maximum speed that 5G devices can. The Orbi RBK53 system is a WiFi5 product, with 5G capable of 802.11ac speeds. (a maximum Link Speed of 833Mbps) As with Ethernet, there is overhead inherent in WiFi (a LOT of overhead). My tablet, for example, reports a "speed" of 468Mbps, but achieves just under 300Mbps when I test it.
- A useful tool for measuring network speed is iPerf3 (free for Windows, Linux, Android at
https://iperf.fr/iperf-download.php
However, internet speed depends on the Internet Service Provider. No matter how fast devices can connect to each other within the LAN, their internet speed depends on the ISP. It would be useful to know what speed AT&T has guaranteed in your contract.
That said, speeds of 2-3 Mbps are insanely slow. Something is seriously wrong. When a phone reports being connected to the WiFi network at 833Mbps and the Orbi app is reporting over 200Mbps, this is not right.
What this sounds like is serious WiFi interference that is intermittent.
Most customers would start with a call to AT&T. "Is something going on with my Internet???"
Keep a log of the Orbi app reports for some period of time.
5 Replies
Speed reported by the Orbi app is actually the result of software running on the RBR50 router, which has been communicated to the Orbi app to display.
A speed test displayed by a user device (laptop, tablet, phone) is actually performed on the device.
It would be useful to look at the details of the WiFi connections on each device. What do they report for
- Signal strength
- Link Rate
From my laptop
Signal strength: Excellent (full bars)
Aggregate link speed: 866/433 Mbps
From my phone
Signal strength: Excellent
Transmit link speed: 866 Mbps
Receive link speed: 866 Mbps
Thanks for the information. We know that although devices within the LAN can reach speeds determined by their individual capabilities, internet speed can never exceed what the Internet Service Provider supplies. Thus...
- Two computers connected to gigabit Ethernet ports on the router can reach very close to full gigabit speed. (Even Ethernet has overhead which reduces the maximum possible throughput.) I have measured over 900Mbps between two Windows computers.
- Devices connected with WiFi can reach speeds which depend on the capability of their WiFi adapters. 2.4G connections, for example, cannot reach nearly the maximum speed that 5G devices can. The Orbi RBK53 system is a WiFi5 product, with 5G capable of 802.11ac speeds. (a maximum Link Speed of 833Mbps) As with Ethernet, there is overhead inherent in WiFi (a LOT of overhead). My tablet, for example, reports a "speed" of 468Mbps, but achieves just under 300Mbps when I test it.
- A useful tool for measuring network speed is iPerf3 (free for Windows, Linux, Android at
https://iperf.fr/iperf-download.php
However, internet speed depends on the Internet Service Provider. No matter how fast devices can connect to each other within the LAN, their internet speed depends on the ISP. It would be useful to know what speed AT&T has guaranteed in your contract.
That said, speeds of 2-3 Mbps are insanely slow. Something is seriously wrong. When a phone reports being connected to the WiFi network at 833Mbps and the Orbi app is reporting over 200Mbps, this is not right.
What this sounds like is serious WiFi interference that is intermittent.
Most customers would start with a call to AT&T. "Is something going on with my Internet???"
Keep a log of the Orbi app reports for some period of time.
You might update the Fw on the system to last released version:
kahuna130 wrote:
Hi - I'm using the Orbi RBR50 as an access with AT&T fiber internet service using an AT&T modem. Wifi quality is highly variable, but most of the time Mbps are very low ranging from download of .26 - 2Mbps and upload of .50 - 3Mbps (testing on computer via speedtest). But on occasion speeds can be 133Mbps and 160Mbps when tested through my computer using speedtest. Whenever I test through the Orbi app on my phone the speeds are always 200Mbps or better. I am trying to understand what is causing variability and the generally very slow internet speeds from the Orbi routers - and more importantly what can be done to fix this situation?
Environment: Used in my home - mid size, 3 story residence. Laptops running windows, Android phones and tablets. Approx 3 dozen smart home devices (lights, outlets, TVs, etc).
Firmware: v2.7.4.24
Thanks in advance for any advice or input on potential causes, fixes or methods of troubleshooting/diagnosing the problem.
