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Solved
Slow WiFi WNDR3700
So, I've had this N600 router for a while and also have an EX6150v2 AC1200 WiFi Range Extender connected to it.
Today I upgraded my ISP service from 100MBPS to 400MBPS and am getting about 250MBPS on my laptop wired directly to the router so I'm good with that. Unfortunately, the best I've been able to do via WiFi is 54MBPS on the 5GHz band and about 30MBPS on the 2.4GHz band. The extender drops those numbers down significantly.
We have quite a few devices that are hooked up at any given time (3 iPhones plus other things) but I would have thought with an "up to 300MBPS" rating, I wouldn't be seeing such low numbers. We're not all streaming simultaneously or anything like that. The non-extender WiFi numbers above are at just a few feet from the router.
Do I just need a newer router?
I'd look at one of the triband orbi setups. With your router being in the basement on 1 side of the home, you're limiting your coverage. the orbis would allow you to keep the router there and place 1 or 2 satellites as needed throughout the home.
You'd be best off if you could find a way to centrally locate the router. You might be find with just 1 router if you could centrally locate it.
only thing to keep in mind is the limiting factor of wireless is usually the device you're using. Most phones/tablets/pc's only have a 1x1 or 2x2 antenna setup.
5 Replies
Those "up to" ratings are just that. Ratings that are half pointless and is an industry wide issue. If you look at speedtesting from when the WNDR3700 was released, under optimal conditions (key word) it would hit 70-90mbps. distance and interference dropped those speeds significantly. Its also an 11 year old device. When it was released, those speeds were pretty great at the time and it was a top ranked router. Again, 11 years ago.
It might be time to upgrade to something more recently released.
I'd also check the review sites for actual speedtesting
Thanks Plemans. Any recommendations for what to look for capability-wise, considering I could have 3 iPhones, 2 laptops, 2 smart TVs connected simultaneously via WiFi plus a hardwired laptop, worst case scenario?
how big is your home and what materials are the interior walls?
how many levels?
Depending on the size, I'm a fan of mesh networks like the triband orbi's (not the dual band ones)
but if it isn't to large, a solid gigabit AC router could work as well.
And sadly it also comes to budget. Playing worse case I can point to some expensive routers :)