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Forum Discussion
hhp94001
Jan 18, 2021Aspirant
N600 WNDR3700v4 Wired Speed
Hello, I am new to this forum. Please help with my questions below. I recently upgraded my internet speed service to 500 Mbps but I noticed that my computer speed test only showed 320 Mbps (...
plemans
Jan 19, 2021Guru - Experienced User
the WNDR3700 was a pretty rock solid router when it released. But that was 11 years ago. It tested to hit speeds of around 400mbps over a hardwired connections.
(see smallnetbuilder: https://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wireless/wireless-reviews/30925-start-your-buying-netgear-wndr3700-reviewed?showall=&start=2
You might be able to get a little more performance out of your wired connection by factory resetting and then during the install make sure to leave any extra features like qos, traffic monitoring, access controls, parental controls, or any other extra feature disabled.
With a 500mbps connection, I'd look at upgrading the router regardless to utilize the connection. Its wireless was great at the time it came out but again, 11 years ago. There's much better speeds, performance now.
hhp94001
Jan 19, 2021Aspirant
Thank you for the quick replies!!
It sounds like there is nothing wrong with my router, it is just old?
I assume I should be able to get higher wired speed based on the Router description (Gigabit router).
Do you have a recommendation for a new router that would have no problem handling 500 Mbps? or higher? thanks
HHP
- plemansJan 19, 2021Guru - Experienced User
It is a gigabit router but it was released when gigabit was just gaining traction and devices weren't maxing out gigabit connections. That's why i linked to the tested speeds on it.
I could recommend all kinds of routers but we'd need more details to help.
Home size?
What is the home made of?
What are you using it for? (gaming, streaming, etc)
Budget? (because its pointless to recommend a $600 AX router if the budget isn't there)
In terms of single router AC solutions, I'd go with the R7800
for mesh systems, I'm a fan of the orbi 40 and 50 series of mesh routers/satellites
If you're looking at AX devices, then budget gets even more important as they're a bit more expensive.
Plus you're looking at a time when routers are at a premium because of shut downs from covid and an increase in the work from home movement.
- hhp94001Jan 19, 2021Aspirant
My current set up is in the basement. The house is wired by cat5 cable on both floors.
Internet line from outside connects to Modem in basement. Modem connects to a switch, 2 computers and a hot spot
House is ~2600 sq ft.
Within a few years, i expect my internet company will no longer offer 500 Mbps service and force everyone to move up to 1GBps.
I use internet for work and streaming movies / youtube.
the R7800 model is $300 on Amazon. R8000 and R8000P are lower in price. Is there something special about the R7800 model that I should pick over the R8000 or R8000P?
Thanks again for the suggestions!
- plemansJan 19, 2021Guru - Experienced User
You have it going modem---->switch----devices?
Where is the router in there?
What modem is it?
The R7800 is recommended because its been rock solid on here. Its probably the highest performing AC router there is.
the R8000/R8000P are both solid routers that are triband. So there's benefits there. Its not going to have the same peak performance as the R7800 but because of its triband operation, you can get spread devices out a bit more. I do tend to see more issues on the R8000/p but its not a ton on here.
both are pretty solid choices in my experience. 2600sq ft is pretty much max what I'd consider a single router solution for. I'd make sure the router is centrally located for best coverage.
If you do go with the R8000/p make sure during setup to leave qos, traffic monitoring, access control, and parental controls disabled. they can slow the router down at speeds >300mbps.