We have Xfinity Internet and TV and our package includes 200 Mbps internet upload and 5 Mbps download speeds. We use a Arris SB6190 modem that we own and a NetGear N900 WNDR4500v2 router. We have a Desktop PC plugged into the router and it's 1 foot away. Also have a Majic Jack VOIP phone plugged into it and it's only 3 feet away. We have three Roku devices but they are off most of the time. One wired printer and one wireless printer and both are in the same room as the desktop, the modem and router and are within 6 feet of the router. I have one wireless extender about halfway between the router in the computer room and the laptops that are in the kitchen. It is set up as a 5G extension. We also have the two laptops that are on the network and wired and we use these most of the time, they are about 50 to 75 feet away from the computer room and modem and router, and that's through a few rooms and walls. Some years ago I installed a set of jacks by the kitchen table where we use the laptops most of the time, and they are plugged into the jacks and the cables run under the house to the router and plugged in there. So that's the setup.
As I said we pay for 200Mbps and get 200 Mbps wired even with 75' of cable back to the router. But when we unplug and go to wifi we get about 2 to 3 Mbps in the kitchen with 2.4G, and about 15 to 20 Mbps when I connect to the 5G extender. If I take my laptop back to the "computer" room and set it about 3' from the router I get about 25 Mbps on 2.4g and 15 to 20 Mbps on 5G. From the computer room the extender is a few walls away from the laptop and that's why it drops on 5G.
I have watched a dozen YouTube videos, read dozens of help topics and suggestions, many right from this forum. I have gone into the router settings, just this morning I updated the router firmware. I am not that high tech and even though I might sound like I know what I'm talking about, it's just from reading and watching that I know how to describe my problems, but I am at a complete loss. I full well understand that WiFi will never be as fast as a wired connection, but 200Mbps to 2 Mbps is just plain silly.
So really, can somebody help me work through this? Thanks
Model: WNDR4500|N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router|EOL
1. The WNDR4500 isn't the highest performing router and is over a decade old. Even when it was performing great, its max 2.4ghz was 30-40mbps and 5ghz was 50-60mbps. Thats under optimal conditions with a 2x2 wifi client. (some devices are only 1x1 antenna clients)
2. Wireless extenders drop throughput 50% of what they recieve. This happens because they have to use the same chip to go router---->extender and then extender---->devices and they can't do both at once. So if you're getting roughly the same speed while connected to the extender in 5ghz as you are while connected to the router, its making me wonder if you're laptop isn't a 1x1 antenna device.
so what extender do you have (model)?
And what wireless card is in the laptops?
3. 5ghz doesn't broadcast as far or through as much materials as 2.4ghz.
4. You might not have had it for 10+ years but it is an old router. It could be showing signs of its age. It might be time to upgrade to a newer device generation.
Well like I said, I might sound like I know what I am talking about but I really don't. I bought the router new at Best Buy and I had no clue when it was first manufactured, but it seems to be not much more than 5 years ago or less when I bought it, but who know, time flies. So at Amazon the heading for this router says "Netgear WNDR4500-100PAS N900 Dual Band Gigabit Wifi Route", and Gigabit sounds pretty big ...... so are you saying that "gigabit" only pertains to wired speed?
Also you asked what wireless card was in the laptops ....... don't know if this is waht you want but under network adapters it says DW1530 Wireless-N WLAN Half Mini Card, and below that it says Intel(R) 82579LM Gigabit Network Connection, and then 9 lines that all start with WAN Miniport .......
You'll not ever see anything near 900Mpbs or Gb speeds over wireless with this model router. Was never ment or designed to support that speed. You may see near 900Mpb on a wired ethernet connetion however being that this model is that old, was predating some ISP Gb speeds that are seen now days. This model may or may not have CutThru or HW NAT Accelleration support which is needed to see near 900Mpbs on ethernet connections.
@FURRYe38 is right. It might be gigabit but it was released back when devices weren't hitting gigabit speeds. They'd just saturated 10/100mbps. You might see quite decent wired speeds on it but doubtful you'll hit full gigabit.
And wireless speeds are way over rated. Especially the old N900 devices.
You might have bought it 5 years ago (and its even still sold today) but its a pretty old router. A couple generations behind.
Your wireless card isn't a great one but it isn't a horrible one. From looking it up, some people were hitting 50mbps on it during testing.
any newer phones you could speedtest on the router? (use the speedtest app)
Sure, but I don't care about getting 900, like I said I'm only paying Xfinity for 200 so wouldn't expect more. But as I also said in my original post I'm getting 2 to 20 Mbps max wifi anywhere in the house and matters not whether it's on 2.4 or 5 ghz ............ it's all slow as can be.
