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R8000 Speed Issue
Hi All, I recently upgraded my Xfinity service to 800 Mbps which forced me to replace a decade old modem that wasn't up to the task. I opted for the Xfinity approved Netgear CM1000v2 modem which...
After "bending" the network in several different directions, I found a solution to most all issues.
A) I moved the CA1000 and RAX50 to my second floor master bedroom. Though not 100% central, the signal strength from this location is far reaching to all points in the house.
B) I disabled the R8000 AP.
Testing: Using my new Galaxy S23 Ultra, I moved room to room with the following results:
2.4Ghz:
Upstairs: I averaged download speeds of 150 Mbps at the router and 75 Mbps in all other locations/rooms.
Downstairs: I averaged 90 to 100 Mbps throughout the entire first floor.
5Ghz:
Upstairs: I averaged download speeds of 940 Mbps throughout the entire second floor.
Downstairs: I averaged download speeds of 900 to 940 Mbps throughout the entire first floor.
Powerline to the rescue:
I used a powerline connection in both offices to connect network phones which are not WIFI compatible. Works like a charm.
Overview: The R8000 AP complicated the system and didn't add value. As it turns out, moving the gear to my Master bedroom was the key to even WIFI distribution throughout my townhouse. All goals have been reached with nearly a Gigabyte of 5Ghz throughout the entire townhouse and a dedicated 100 Mbps to service my Sonos sound system.
Thanks to ALL that took the time to walk me off the ledge.
Objective? That's an excellent question. Before roping myself into a faster internet speed upgrade which doesn't come cheap, I should have done more research. SIGH
In order of importance:
1) Blazing WIFI speed in both offices. We both work full time at home and rely on a fast and solid connection to run computers and network gear/phones. My wife bounces from one video conference to the next all day.
2) To lessen the drop-off downstairs. I just ran another test - the WIFI speed at the router is still 600+, while the speed downstairs tonight is 90 while streaming a movie. That is far to much drop-off for my liking.
I threw good money (after bad) at upgrading my service thinking that SPEED would address my needs. I thought that I could hardwire my way to 800+ speed in my office, 400 to 600 WIFI speed in the neighboring office, all while maintaining a stable and constant WIFI speed down stairs of 200 to 300 regardless of who is doing what. And I actually have a third TV with WIFI surround in the master bedroom which too, which I wanted to maintain 200 to 300.
I guess the above is the goal.
Shubox56 wrote:Objective? That's an excellent question. Before roping myself into a faster internet speed upgrade which doesn't come cheap, I should have done more research. SIGH
In order of importance:
1) Blazing WIFI speed in both offices. We both work full time at home and rely on a fast and solid connection to run computers and network gear/phones. My wife bounces from one video conference to the next all day.
2) To lessen the drop-off downstairs. I just ran another test - the WIFI speed at the router is still 600+, while the speed downstairs tonight is 90 while streaming a movie. That is far to much drop-off for my liking.
I threw good money (after bad) at upgrading my service thinking that SPEED would address my needs. I thought that I could hardwire my way to 800+ speed in my office, 400 to 600 WIFI speed in the neighboring office, all while maintaining a stable and constant WIFI speed down stairs of 200 to 300 regardless of who is doing what. And I actually have a third TV with WIFI surround in the master bedroom which too, which I wanted to maintain 200 to 300.
I guess the above is the goal.
Blazing Wi-Fi that has to travel through walls and floors, both directions, cannot compete with an Ethernet connected LAN. That also applies to mesh systems.
Something you should consider is picking up a couple of refurbished routers from Amazon. Either with AC or AX Wi-Fi and configure them as wired access points. A wired access point in a room will provide point blank line of sight Wi-Fi and a couple of active Ethernet connections for computers, printers, phones, etc. Each would require an Ethernet connection back to your R8000.
You mentioned video conferences. You need to pay attention to your ISP plan upload capacity. Video is not all download. A video conference over an Ethernet connection is a significant improvement than over Wi-Fi. If you are dealing with a laptop with no Ethernet port, pickup a USB to Ethernet adapter for around $20.
I doubt if any of your activities would saturate your download capacity. Depending on your upload capacity, it could be pushed a little hard. That is why a lot of ISP are scrambling to increase their upload capability.
Kitsap wrote:
Blazing Wi-Fi that has to travel through walls and floors, both directions, cannot compete with an Ethernet connected LAN. That also applies to mesh systems.
Oh so true. And one way to get wired connections is with Powerline Ethernet.
It is amazing how often people overestimate what they can get with wifi. Just because it says "NEXT GENERATION WIFI—600/1300Mbps speeds" on the box doesn't mean that real world experience will get anywhere near it.
It might be worth a bit of background reading.
Understand Wi-Fi 4/5/6 (802.11 n/ac/ad/ax)
@duckware knows their stuff and can bust a few myths and cut through marketing hype.
Then there is the fact that many devices, like smart TVs, simply don't need gigabit speeds. They happily deliver at a lot less than 100 Mbps, which is why many have LAN ports that are that speed. Powerline is good for that and is less liable than wifi to fall over.
The solution is to forget about measuring wifi speeds and to answer the basic questions from Kitsap, and work from there. Then pick the most appropriate technology for those needs.
Thanks to all!
Lots of good suggestions. Hardwiring the entire house isn't likely, but I will consider powerline connections and/or the addition of an AC/AX WIFI router hardwired back to R8000.
Regarding AC or AX router addition: I thought the addition of a second WIFI router was often problematic due to interference between the two. No real worries there? If not, the idea of placing a second router on the first floor has sparked my interest.
Regarding upload speeds: my upgraded service does increase my upload speeds, but seems limited to 25 Mbps.
