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Forum Discussion
R7000 range issue
I have several questions around this issue, but firstly, let me say I have Virgin Media broadband which I found had very poor range, so I invested in a R7000. Unfortunately, despite the Nighthawk app saying I had more than 200Mbps downloads, I didn't notice any difference to speeds on my Mac and I still can't get decent wifi upstairs, despite living in a tiny 2-up, 2-down house. Virgin have been out several times, fiddled with the wires and sent me two boosters, but nothing has changed. So, I was looking at a Netgear range extender. Are these any better than the Virgin ones I already have, and if so, which one/ones should I get for the R7000? Also, why does the Nighthawk app give such high readings, while third-party apps show much, much slower speeds?
12 Replies
What Firmware version is currently loaded?
What is the Mfr and model# of the Internet Service Providers modem/ONT the NG router is connected too?
Be sure your using a good quality LAN cable between the modem and router. CAT6 is recommended.What ISP speed to you pay for?
What speeds to you see with a wired PC connected to the ISP modem, then with the R7000 in line?
What wireless devices are you using?
The R7000 is capable or seeing near 900Mpbs over ethernet:
And near 500Mpbs on wireless.
Hi, thanks for your reply. I will attempt to answer as many of those questions as I understand!
First, the firmware is V1.0.11.126
The hub is the Virgin Media 3.0
My package says I should be getting an average of 362Mbps download, 36Mbps upload
The only thing wired into the modem is the Virgin Box and the TV
Everything else is wireless, so my Mac, a laptop, printer, Heating control, a couple of Amazon echoes, two phones and and iPad
The Netgear app says I am getting 235 down and 25 up
Ookla says 34 down 36 up!
What speeds to you see with a wired PC connected to the ISP modem, then with the R7000 in line?
Do you have Armor, Access Controls, Circle, QoS or Traffic Meter enabled?
Has a factory reset and setup from scratch been performed since last FW update? Don't enable any of the above mentioned features after setting the router.
And try AP mode on the R7000 as well as seem you have a router at the ISP Modem...
I would also update FW as well:
Paperboy61 wrote:
Hi, thanks for your reply. I will attempt to answer as many of those questions as I understand!
First, the firmware is V1.0.11.126
The hub is the Virgin Media 3.0
My package says I should be getting an average of 362Mbps download, 36Mbps upload
The only thing wired into the modem is the Virgin Box and the TV
Everything else is wireless, so my Mac, a laptop, printer, Heating control, a couple of Amazon echoes, two phones and and iPad
The Netgear app says I am getting 235 down and 25 up
Ookla says 34 down 36 up!
Paperboy61 wrote:
... I didn't notice any difference to speeds on my Mac
This is a wifi connection? The speed you get depends on the wifi client. Your router can't break the laws of physics.
How fast is your Internet connection?
I have several questions around this issue, but firstly, let me say I have Virgin Media broadband which I found had very poor range, so I invested in a R7000.
What did you get to replace the Virgin hub? Or did you find a way to put it into bridge mode?
As they come, Virgin hubs are modem/routers. Adding an R7000 to that means you have two routers.
Two routers on your network can cause headaches. For example, you can end up with local address problems. Among other things, the other router can misdirect addresses that the Netgear router usually handles, such as routerlogin.net or the usual IP address for a router, 192.168.1.1.
This explains some of the other drawbacks.
What is Double NAT? | Answer | NETGEAR Support
Sometimes it is easier to put the second router into AP mode. But that has its own drawbacks:
Disabled Features on the Router when set to AP Mode | Answer | NETGEAR SupportHi, I have to admit that I don't understand much of this! I bought the R7000 because I was informed by Netgear that this would boost my wifi. I put the Virgin hub into modem mode, as instructed and went from there. Is this not right?
As I said in reply to another user, the Netgear app says I am getting 237 download and 25.17 upload, while Ookla says I'm getting only about 35 for each.
What would you suggest I do to make my wifi faster and have more range?
Paperboy61 wrote:
I put the Virgin hub into modem mode, as instructed and went from there. Is this not right?
That sounds right. At least Virgin's hubs have that option. BT's junk doesn't.
As I said in reply to another user, the Netgear app says I am getting 237 download and 25.17 upload, while Ookla says I'm getting only about 35 for each.Don't rely in a single test. Where are you running the Ookla test?
The most reliable test is with a browser and a wired connection. And there are several sites out there. Try more than one.
www.speedtest.net is one of many. But that too depends on what you use to run the test.
Apart from speed tests, do things seem to be as expected?
