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Forum Discussion
Disappointing Nighthawk speed--worse than old FIOS Quantum GW router
Hello all. I'm quite confused by these results, so appreciate any helpful tips.
I have Verizon FIOS with a gigabit internet connection. My measured speed to the router is 625 Mbps up and 598 Mbps down. FAST.
I recently replaced my old Wifi router (Fios Quantum Gateway model G1100) with a Nighthawk R8000P. The old router wasn't bad really, but I was hoping to increase the speeds I was seeing in various points around the house. I thought the Nighthawk's advertised increased range and bandwidth would help, but it has not.
In my main office location, the speeds I saw before the change (using the Google speed test) were about 24 down and 54 up. After installing the Nighthawk..I'm seeing 18-19 down and 21 up. It's worse! Or at best, it's not improved at all.
My connection is simple. I ran the ethernet cable from the ONT (i.e., from the wall) directly into the Nighthawk and disconnected the FIOS router entirely. The old router had a coax in connection but I don't think it did anything. (For TV, I don't use a set top box but have a TiVo with a cable card).
I made the new SSID (network name) the same so other devices would connect. Nothing has changed. The physical location and typical network load on the new router are identical with the old. If I stand right next to the Nighthawk, I get about 80 down and 90 up. I'm pretty sure that is much worse than what the old FIOS router was giving me.
Any ideas what is wrong? How can I improve? THANK YOU!
5 Replies
A couple things.
1. 2.4ghz is much slower than 5ghz. its also more sensitive to interferece. So if you're looking for speed, make sure you're on the 5ghz.
2. 5ghz doesn't broadcast as far as 2.4ghz or through as much materials. so if you're devices are a ways away from the router or theres materials between the 2, it can degrade the signal.
3. wifi broadcast power is limited by the FCC. And routers long ago were maxing that out. Most speed improvements are seen by increases in efficiency, not becauses of broadcast power. So most routers have roughly the same range (cheap routers not included). They might see a little bit of differences in speeds but interferece/channel selection/even the device you're using can impact that.
How big is your home?
what are the interior walls made of?
Are you testing over 2.4ghz of 5ghz?
What device are you testing on.
Thank you plemans!
I am using the built-in Smart Connect feature that claims to automatically select the fastest WiFi band for each device. But maybe manually assigning 2.4 vs 5 is a better idea.
To answer your questions:
My router (before and now) is inside a wooden cabinet on the first floor of my house. My office is on the second floor in a different section. My house is not especially big (maybe 2500 sq feet). Walls are made of timber and drywall.
I've tested the speed in different locations using a laptop PC as well as iphone/iPad. Alll findings are pretty consistent across devices.
One post I read suggested that one could use the Verizon router as a bridge (router) and simply use the Nighthawk for the WiFi. Would that make a difference?SmartConnect doesn't necessarily put you on the fastest network. It simply uses the same ssid for both and devices can use the 2.4ghz or 5ghz. It works well for some and not at all for others. 2.4ghz is good for devices that are far away or has materials blocking versus 5ghz is much much faster. Problem with 2.4ghz is that its also slower when theres interference.
so try it without using smart connect. separate out the 2.4ghz and 5ghz and then you can manually assign your devices to either band based on the speeds they're needing.
You could use the verizon router in router mode but make sure to put the netgear in access point mode if you do this to prevent a double nat.
