Orbi speed test does not match other tests. How do I increase the speed?

Thanks for the information.

 

WiFi speed is a function of the WiFi system and the phone.  The WiFi settings on my (Android) phone have a 'gear' symbol that brings up:

• Which WiFi band is connected (2.4G or 5G), and
• (scrolling down) the Transmit and Link Speeds

I just now returned home from the grocery store, saw your post, opened my phone and noticed:

• My phone was connected at 2.4G
• Transmit speed 52mb/s
• Receive speed 117 mb/s
• Speed Test reported: Down 16.1mb/s, Up 11.0 mb.s
• The Orbi Attached Devices screen said the phone was connected to my Satellite, which is very close to the front door where I entered.

(much swearing)

 

I disconnected from WiFi and reconnected to WiFi and repeated the observation.  Now I get

• Phone connected at 5G
• Transmit speed 650mb/s
• Receive speed 866mb/s
• SpeedTest reports Down 234mb/s, Up 11.6mb/s (my guaranteed speed is 200mb/s and usually measures a bit over).

Thus, it is possible for the same phone to report wildly different speeds over a WiFi connection depending on which access point it is attached to and where it moves to after attaching.  My belief is that the phone periodically scans for "a better signal" and would have changed from 2.4G to 5G, and from the satellite to the router I am sitting next to by itself. But...... I do not know how often this phone compares WiFi access points and switches.

 

I can also report that I was helping a friend troubleshoot his AT&T WiFi network (he needed an extender) and his phone consistently measured a lower speed than my phone. So, phones can have different capability.

 

Could you repeat the experiment a few times and note the values the phone reports?

 

As far as needing another satellite, 7,000 sq. ft. is a substantial house. Depending on how many, how large, and what shape the floors are, there is every chance that a third satellite may be useful.  The only way to know is to experiment more and see if performance in certain spots is unsatisfactory.

 

Having earned my Nerd Badge, what I do is produce a "Heat Map" of the building on my Android Tablet using a free app from the Google Play Store (WiFi Head Map - Survey 2.00.7 by Webprovider).  It allows me to walk around the house recording the WiFi signal at various places and then display the signal strength across the entire house.  (I've attached a Heat Map made of the 5G signal from the Orbi router in the upstairs office [where the Spectrum cable enters the house].  My significant other would sit outside in the front and complain, "Internet is SO slow", and this was the reason why. So I put an Orbi satellite in the Living Room downstairs and the downstairs coverage inproved dramatically.)

 

This sort of thing is not for everybody (only Nerds). There is a considerable learning curve.

 

Thanks for reading all the way to the end.  Hope my ramblings have been useful.