NETGEAR is aware of a growing number of phone and online scams. To learn how to stay safe click here.
Forum Discussion
NETGEAR Nighthawk 6-Stream AX5400 WiFi 6 Router wireless speeds are slow
My wireless speeds standing right next to the router are only 140 mbps. My ISP plan supports up to 500 mbps. I live in a small apartment less than 1500 sq feet. In the bedroom the speeds are 90 mbps. In the office to my computer the speeds are less than 10 mbps. When I plug in an ethernet to my computer the speeds are upwards of 580-590 mbps. How can there be such a big difference between wireless and wired to the point wireless is almost unusable?
11 Replies
- Are we supposed to guess which client you use and how your are testing?
not entirely sure what you mean by client but my ISP is Spectrum. I am using speed test by ookla to test in the room with the router and across the apartment and I am using spectrum's speed test on my pc to test.
jaredvalenti wrote:not entirely sure what you mean by client but my ISP is Spectrum. I am using speed test by ookla to test in the room with the router and across the apartment and I am using spectrum's speed test on my pc to test.
You should also be using Ookla on your PC. Is the Spectrum speed test a web site address you access via a web browser?
Client is the device you are using to connect to the Wi-Fi signal. Phone, tablet, laptop, what model number and operating system? There is a wide range of device capability that connects to Wi-Fi.
Be sure and review the information in the link provided by michaelkenward in post number 3. The whole thing can be daunting, focus on chapters 1, 2, and 3 to begin.
jaredvalenti wrote:
How can there be such a big difference between wireless and wired to the point wireless is almost unusable?
That's how wifi works. It all depends on what devices you are using.
You can build a racetrack that lets you drive a Formula 1 car at 200 miles an hour, but you won't get that speed on a bicycle.
Does your unknown wifi client get much fast seeds if you connect to a different wifi source or is it always stuck at 140 Mbps?
It might be worth a bit of background reading.
Understand Wi-Fi 4/5/6 (802.11 n/ac/ad/ax)
@duckware knows their stuff and can bust a few myths and cut through marketing hype.
Recommend you install and use the Ookla stand alone test application on mobile, Windows, and IoS devices. This application avoids using a web browser for the data path. Results in much more consistent data. Available in the various play stores.
If you install the Netgear mobile application, there is a test section to measure throughput from your ISP to the router. Use this as a reference value to compare against your Wi-Fi tests.
yes, I am using ookla to measure the speeds in different rooms. I have the netgear mobile app which when I measure my speeds using that, it says that they are significantly higher than when I use ookla.
I used to use a mesh system which got higher speeds when I used those routers but they were terrible for trying to play online games so I switched to this new router. So depending on the router, I get different speeds. My ISP is Spectrum sadly and my plan should support up to 500 mbps so I do not understand why my wireless connection is so slow to begin with and slower with this router than the mesh system
jaredvalenti wrote:
... they were terrible for trying to play online games
Wifi and gaming don't go well together. Wired is better.
