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Forum Discussion
Nighthawk R7900P - slow internet speeds
I *just* upgraded our home internet to Spectrum with up to 300 mbs. However, after connecting the Spectrum modem to the Nighthawk router, the 2.4 Ghz channel tested at around 30 mps and the 5 Ghz te...
What speed do you get hardwired into the router?
The service into the modem (co-axial) is 300 mpbs download. From the Spectrum modem it's via ethernet directly into the Nighthawk Router. Unfortunately, I don't have an ethernet port on my Mac but I ran a few tests to check the speed on the different frequencies on both my Mac and my iPhone with different distances in the house. We also have a Netgear Extender/Booster (EX2700) to help boost the signal to the downstairs area.
2017 Macbook 13"
OS: Mojave 10.14.6
2.3 GHz Intel Core i5
iPhone 12 Pro
sw ver 14.7.1
1. Next to the Nighthawk Router (2nd floor)
Macbook:
5 Ghz - 349 mbs
2.4 Ghz - 79 mbs
2.4 Ghz Ext - 21 mbs
iPhone:
5 Ghz - 345 mbs
2.4 Ghz - 98 mbs
2. Downstairs (kitchen area) directly down the hall (1st floor)
Macbook:
5 Ghz - 210 mbs
2.4 Ghz - 58 mbs
2.4 Ghz Ext - 37 mbs
iPhone:
5 Ghz - 140 mbs
2.4 Ghz - 26 mbs
2.4 Ghz Ext - 28 mbs
After the tests, a few things I was considering... moving the Nighthawk router to a lower position. It's currently on the top of the 2nd floor landing / staircase. The position is higher than the 1st floor ceiling but inline with the hallway which leads to the downstairs area; pretty much a straight shot. Do you think it's possible it may increase the speeds having a more direct line of sight? The other consideration is buying a dual channel booster/extender to help carry the 5.4 Ghz channel downstairs. The current extender only supports one 2.4 Ghz channel. If I remember correctly, the 5.4 Ghz channels have a more limited range.
I'm open to suggestions or next steps. Thank you.
What application are you using to test throughput capacity? Recommend Ookla from the play store.
A couple of other configuration changes for testing. Disable 20/40 consistence, disable smart connect, and manually select either channel 6 or 11 on the 2.4 GHz band.
After you have made a series of changes to the configuration to your router, it is a good idea to power down the router and disconnect the power cord. Reconnect the power and boot the router giving it plenty of time to stabilize. Then run your tests.
From looking at the last post and your speeds, you're getting what you pay for.
5ghz signal drops of much quicker than 2.4ghz. But it has a much higher starting point than 2.4ghz because 2.4ghz is slow.
Also, extenders drop speed. they're great at adding coverage if you have a dead spot but if there's already half decent coverage, they aren't that beneficial. reason why is that single/dual band extenders have to use the same chip to go router----extender and then extender-----device. And they can't do both at once. so it cuts their speed in half (plus distance/obstruction/interference).
So I guess my question is, what is your goal here? The 5ghz is plenty fast with hitting 100+ anywhere and 300+ by the router. Even streaming 4k only takes 25-40mbps.
The 2.4ghz speeds are about what you can expect.
The only real benefit might be trying to centrally locate the router. Or moving it to one side and adding in a triband extender. Tribands have a dedicated backhaul just for the router---extender connection. So they don't get the massive speed drop of the single/dual bands.
