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Forum Discussion
RB970 Slow IoT network
Hi, I've been trying to diagnose issues with some of my devices - specifically Nest cameras. I set my IoT network to 2.4Ghz. When I connect an iphone 14 to the normal SSID I get around 280Mb...
Dilby wrote:
When I connect an iphone 14 to the normal SSID I get around 280Mbit/s. When connecting the same device to the IoT network, I get around 1.5Mbit/s.
While 2.4G network speeds are dramatically lower than 5G speeds, this result is not expected.
As a test, I compared Ookla Speed Test on a Samsung tablet connected to an RBR750.
- Connected at 5G, the Speed Test reported over 300Mbps (which is the maximum supplied by my Spectrum ISP connection).
- Connected at 2.4G to the IoT WiFi, the results were consistently between 30 and 45Mbps. The Samsung tablet reported connection speeds inconsistently, from 70 to 130 Mbps. (this is obviously to the router, not to the internet).
A speed of 1.5Mbps indicates "something is wrong". What is wrong is anybody's guess at this point:
- Bug in the 970 product?
- Problem with the iPhone?
- Too much traffic on the 2.4G channel, which is shared with all WiFi SSIDs (primary, guest, IoT... and perhaps neighbor systems).
It might be useful to replicate the experiment with some other devices.
Just as an "aside", the IoT network is Netgear's solution to the incessant demand from users (since 2016) to be able to at least temporarily disable the 5G WiFi so that devices which are difficult to connect can be set up. Whereas the primary and guest WiFi use the same SSID on both 2.4G and 5G and cannot turn off either, the IoT SSID can be changed at will.
For example, 5G could disabled on IoT, a device could be connected with the smartphone connected to the remaining 2.4G channel, and then 5G could be enabled again on the IoT SSID. During that brief period, any devices connected to the IoT at 5G would lose connection, but they will regain connection once the router turns it back on again.
If the Nest cameras support both 2.4G and 5G WiFi, enabling 5G on the IoT network will allow them to connect at 5G.
If you have Nest cameras which do not support 5G, it would be interesting to connect them to the primary SSID and see how they perform.
I believe outdoor Nest cameras in the UK are limited to connect to 2.4GHz only, however will try and connect them to the main network and see the results.
Note: The only reason I'm using the IoT network is so I could use the same SSID as my old wifi system without having to reconnect my 40+ IoT devices that are a pain to physically access. + I didn't like my old SSID name 🙂
Wow! You are SO correct. Nest Outdoor cameras do not support 5G WiFi in Europe:
https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/9259110?hl=en#zippy=
It might be a simple exercise to connect one of the Nest cameras to the primary WiFi SSID. (Probably access the camera through the Nest app and go into WiFi Settings. Select the primary WiFi.)
Outdoor cameras can be very sensitive to building materials. I just got one of those goofy "Bird Feeder Cameras". (If was a gift.) Tried to attach it to the outside of the house and the signal was horrible. Went inside and discovered, "Oh dear. There is a brick wall next to the fireplace that completely covers where I mounted that camera." oops. Moved the camera to a different location and have a Link Rate of 72Mbps, which is good enough for a 2.4G camera. So far, no birds and I'm looking for another location.
Perhaps the previous WiFi had better coverage at the camera locations than the Orbi units? (are they in exactly the same locations?)
Although, if an iPhone gets 2-3Mbps Speed Test when connected to IoT at 2.4G, that is simply not good.