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DJP1080's avatar
DJP1080
Aspirant
Oct 04, 2022

WNDR4500v2

Recently upgraded Xfinity internet to 900 Mbps speed. I expected that my wired connections would be better than I'm getting now. Previously I was getting 200 Mbps wired speeds by testing with Speednet app for download and got about 12 Mbps max for upload. Now I get about 350 Mbps download and about 24 Mbps upload speeds (not too bad). If I connect my PC directly to my Motorola MB8611 modem, I get a little higher than 800 Mbps download and about the same upload speed of 22 Mbps or so. Therefore, it seems to me that the newer modem is working well; however, the limiting speed device is my router. Generally wireless connections are only used when someone visits us and wants to use the internet or for use with iPhones or iPads in the house. The highest speeds attained are about 125 Mbps download and about 20 Mbps upload for Apple devices. 5 Ghz connections are fastest. Within visual contact with the router the wireless speeds don't improve. I expected with the higher Xfinity speeds that my WiFi would be improved substantially, but noooo! I'm beginning to think that I need to upgrade my router to a RAX50 or RAX70 or go to a different vendor all together. Suggestions? Thanks...

Troubleshooting

3 Replies

  • michaelkenward's avatar
    michaelkenward
    Guru
    Oct 04, 2022

    The WNDR4500v2 is a gigabit router, but it is also near on a decade old in its history.

     

    But you should get wired speeds better than 350 Mbps.

     

    Did you reset the antique router before introducing it to your new Internet service? What firmware does it run? Do you have Ethernet cables that aren't as old as the router? Running anything like QoS? (Pointless at the speed.) Or anything else that might eat into the router's processor power?

     

    It won't be great on wifi, but that depends as much on the wifi clients as the router.

     

     

     

    • DJP1080's avatar
      DJP1080
      Aspirant
      Oct 04, 2022

      Thank you for your reply.
      I know it's getting old, but didn't realize it was that old.

      Yes, it's slow and was trying to troubleshoot it myself. 350 Mbps is a bit higher than I've gotten used to, but I was concerned why I wasn't getting better results especially with wired connections.
      When switching to the modem direct, I found that I couldn't immediately connect to the internet without cycling power on the modem itself. When switching back to the router's connection I have been using for years, I found I had to cycle power on the modem once more to get back on line.

      I'm not familiar with QoS and I don't have any settings to use it that I'm aware of.
      Regarding ethernet cables I haven't upgraded anything. I'm looking at some CAT7 nylon braided stuff on Amazon which might help me get a better connection to my gear from the router. I do have knowledge about antenna cables and such but not much on ethernet gear. I think that much of the cables I have are CAT6 from what I recall, but no guarantee. Perhaps ordering a new full set of CAT7 cables might be a good investment before springing for a new router first.
      I have an iPhone 8 and an older iPad. The iPad has an update for iOS 16 showing, but the iPad only has iOS 15.7 and that's it. On the latest releases of new Apple stuff it didn't look that impressive for an upgrade yet.
      Again, thanks for your commentary. Glad someone gave me something to think about to attempt to make use of this higher speed internet connection we're paying for.

      • michaelkenward's avatar
        michaelkenward
        Guru
        Oct 05, 2022
        DJP1080 wrote:

        When switching to the modem direct, I found that I couldn't immediately connect to the internet without cycling power on the modem itself. When switching back to the router's connection I have been using for years, I found I had to cycle power on the modem once more to get back on line.

        That start-up regime is as expected.

         

        Each device has to negotiate its way on to the Internet and in the right order.

         

        Be sure to restart your network in this sequence:

        • Turn off and unplug modem.
        • Turn off router and computers.
        • Plug in and turn on modem. Wait 2 minutes for it to connect.
        • Turn on the router and wait 2 minutes for it to connect.
        • Turn on computers and rest of network.

         

        You might even find that your old router does a better job if you reset it and then reboot everything as suggested.