Re: Wifi speed 66% lower than ethernet

jbj123 · ‎2019-01-08

My desktop is hardwired (ethernet) to my modem, passing through the router, and download speed is roughly 150bms, with upload roughly 10mps. This is consistent with what the ISP provides. However, using a wifi connection with my laptop right next to the router, and the signal drops to 50mb for downloads (but retains 10mbs for uploads).

If I hardwire this laptop via ethernet cable, it also gets 150mbs, so this is dedinitely not the laptop and not the modem. Any advice on what might be cutting my wifi speed by 66% for downloads, while the upload speed is preserved? I am a bit of a novice here.

IrvSp · ‎2019-01-11

Looks like that, single band, not dual.

Easy and fairly cheap to upgrade as long as you have a USB port. I have one... Amazon has many to choose from. $11 and up here. If you do get one, get one with at least 2 antennea's showing. Single one would have lower speed. If you want to be 'traveling' with the Laptop then the smaller mini or nano ones would work, just not as fast.

View solution in original post

antinode · ‎2019-01-08

> Model: R6700v2|Nighthawk AC1750 Smart WiFi Router

   Is that accurate? Firmware version?

> [...] If I hardwire this laptop via ethernet cable, it also gets
> 150mbs, so this is dedinitely not the laptop and not the modem. [...]

   No, the bottleneck may not be the _Ethernet_ interface on your
(unspecified) "my laptop", but that test has not absolved the wireless
interface on your (unspecified) "my laptop". About which, the
non-psychics in your audience know nothing.

> [...] Any advice on what might be cutting my wifi speed by 66% for
> downloads, while the upload speed is preserved? [...]

   A slow wireless interface on your (unspecified) "my laptop" could
explain that. Almost any old junk might be able to do 10Mb/s in either
direction, but fifteen times that speed might require better junk.

   The R6700v2 is a dual-band router. Which radio band is your
(unspecified) "my laptop" using, 2.4GHz or 5GHz? Communication in the
2.4GHz band is generally slower than it is in the 5GHz band.

   Does your (unspecified) "my laptop" get any higher speed when
(wirelessly) connected to any other router? Does any other device get
any higher speed when (wirelessly) connected to your router?

> [...] I am a bit of a novice here.

   "A chain is only as strong as its weakest link." That wisdom holds
for wireless networking, too, and the (unspecified) wireless-network
adapter in your (unspecified) "my laptop" may be in that chain when
you're not using an Ethernet cable, instead.

jbj123 · ‎2019-01-08

Sorry, I said I was a bit of a novice. I thought everyone here was a psychic. (I did not know that you needed to know what my laptop is.) It is a a DELL latitude E7440.

But let's simplify the question and forget the laptop because the desktop does the same thing. My desktop is a Dell XPS 8920 Desktop - Intel Core i7-7700 7th Generation Quad-Core up to 4.2 GHz, 32GB DDR4 Memory, 1TB SSD + 3TB SATA Hard Drive, 2GB Nvidia GeForce GT 730, DVD Burner, Windows 10. It is only 1.5 years old.

When I unhook my ethernet from the desktop to the router and use the wireless connection from only three feet away, the same thing happens with this desktop. Download speeds drop roughly from 150 to 50.

I just purchased the router today, uploaded the latest firmware as part of installation, and spent three hours with "tech support" for netgear, with no solutions. Here is some other information that might be useful. My previous router was a Nighthawk ac2350 r7500. It did the same thing (drop speed to 50mbps), which is why I thought I needed a new one. But at least with the ac2350, I could use my laptop from 50 feet. Now, with the 1750 hooked up, I get no signal from that distance, and I assume that both of these routers should easily send a signal that far, yes?

antinode · ‎2019-01-08

> [...] It is a a DELL latitude E7440.

   So, running some version of Windows?

> [...] It is only 1.5 years old.

   Then I'd expect it to be able to use the 5GHz band, but I don't know
if you've asked it to do that.

>    The R6700v2 is a dual-band router. Which radio band is your
> (unspecified) "my laptop" using, 2.4GHz or 5GHz? Communication in the
> 2.4GHz band is generally slower than it is in the 5GHz band.

   Still wondering.

> [...] My previous router was a Nighthawk ac2350 r7500. It did the same
> thing (drop speed to 50mbps), which is why I thought I needed a new
> one. [...]

   Could've been an error. Isn't an R7500 generally spifffier than an
R6700v2? (I believe that 2300 > 1750.)

> [...] with the ac2350, I could use my laptop from 50 feet. Now, with
> the 1750 hooked up, I get no signal from that distance, and I assume
> that both of these routers should easily send a signal that far, yes?

   Depending on obstacles, I moght expect better, but that could also
depend on the radio band. Range tends to be better at 2.4GHz than at
5GHz.

   Visit http://netgear.com/support , put in your (actual) model
number(s), and look for Documentation. Get the User Manual(s). Look at
the sections on wireless-network settings. Are you using one SSID for
all bands, or a unique SSID for each band?

   I do little with wireless on Windows, but I'd bet that you can get
Windows to tell you which radio band/channel it's using for any wireless
connection.

IrvSp · ‎2019-01-09

What is the router wireless Security Setting?

Those 2 Dell's should handle N Speed (capable of connecting at well over 150Mbs) and be Dual Band. So the band question is a good one. Do you get the same speed on both SSID's or are you using Smart Connect?

Are there other devices on the SSID? A slow one will slow the speed down.

Are you using TRAFFIC METER or QoS on the router?

Is your ISP's modem also a router?

jbj123 · ‎2019-01-10

Thanks very much for your help and sorry for my delay. I have a family member that was hospitalized so I have needed to sideline this. I truly am a novice so please forgive some dumb questions. I will also try to find the answers in the manual ASAP.

What is the router wireless Security Setting? Currently the "security option" on my NetGear Genie says "WPA2-PSK [AES]" for both 2.4 and 5GHz

Those 2 Dell's should handle N Speed (capable of connecting at well over 150Mbs) and be Dual Band. So the band question is a good one. Do you get the same speed on both SSID's or are you using Smart Connect? Not sure. Where do I find "smart connect"?

Are there other devices on the SSID? A slow one will slow the speed down.
No. The only things using the router are my desktop, my printer, and my laptop. Even when the laptop and printer are off, the speed drops on the desktop from 150 to 50 when using wifi.

Are you using TRAFFIC METER or QoS on the router? Not sure where to find traffic meter, but I have not enabled QoS. I did in the past and it really didn't make a difference.

Is your ISP's modem also a router?
I do not believe so.

IrvSp · ‎2019-01-10

Sorry for you problems, hope everyone is well.

@jbj123 wrote:

What is the router wireless Security Setting? Currently the "security option" on my NetGear Genie says "WPA2-PSK [AES]" for both 2.4 and 5GHz

That is good.

@jbj123 wrote:

Those 2 Dell's should handle N Speed (capable of connecting at well over 150Mbs) and be Dual Band. So the band question is a good one. Do you get the same speed on both SSID's or are you using Smart Connect? Not sure. Where do I find "smart connect"?

Smart Connect is above the settings for the 2.4Ghz wireless on the wireless page.

Dell's, well, that may not be the case, depending on which SSID you connect to. With Smart Connect both the 2.4 and 5Ghz SSID's and the password is the same as well. Smart Connect 'decides' whick band to connect to, and doesn't always do that well.

I have TWO Dell's here, both have built-in network wireless on the motherboard. One is an older XPS-8500. That had an older DUAL BAND wireless but it wasn't a 300Mbps N Speed but a 150Mbps unit. My XPS8700 has FULL N Speed on it and usually connected at 287Mbps max.

Problem is that the CONNECTION speed is NOT the same as throughput. How are you measuring that? Should be via an Internet Speed Test site, generallly one from your ISP. By the way, what is your ISP provided speed?

Speeds will also vary on the bands, as well as the distance from the router. Printers generally speaking should be on the 2.4Ghz band. A 'slow' device connected will lower the speed on the band for everyone.

@jbj123 wrote:

Are there other devices on the SSID? A slow one will slow the speed down.
No. The only things using the router are my desktop, my printer, and my laptop. Even when the laptop and printer are off, the speed drops on the desktop from 150 to 50 when using wifi.

Are you using BOTH wired and wireless? Or do you mean the ISP is providing 150Mbps and the best you can get is 50Mbps on any device using wireless?

@jbj123 wrote:

Are you using TRAFFIC METER or QoS on the router? Not sure where to find traffic meter, but I have not enabled QoS. I did in the past and it really didn't make a difference.

Is your ISP's modem also a router?
I do not believe so.

Those settings are on different pages on the router. QoS is on the left when you look at the router via a browers and log into it. Traffic Meter is found on the Advanced page under Advanced Setup.

Both of these can cause slowdowns on Wifi and even wired connections.

The modem info is important. If it is a combo modem/router AND the router function has not been disabled (Bridged by the ISP usually) it can cause problems with Wifi speed.

jbj123 · ‎2019-01-10

Thanks so much, and sorry for my delay. I had a family member hospitalized. She is doing better now.

You wrote: Smart Connect is above the settings for the 2.4Ghz wireless on the wireless page.

I don't seem to have that on my net genie (see attached). It just gives the region selection above the 2.4 Ghz section.

You wrote: Problem is that the CONNECTION speed is NOT the same as throughput. How are you measuring that? Should be via an Internet Speed Test site, generallly one from your ISP. By the way, what is your ISP provided speed?

I am using speedtest.net (OOKLA). My ISP is promising 150mbs download and 10 upload. When hardwired, I get both of these as throughput (speedtest result). And now (see below) when connected via 5Ghz, I am also getting 150/10.

You wrote: Are you using BOTH wired and wireless? Or do you mean the ISP is providing 150Mbps and the best you can get is 50Mbps on any device using wireless?

I am typically using only the wired. I hooked up the wireless on the desktop just to test it and compare it to the wifi on the laptop. Typically, my desktop is wired, and my laptop and printer are wifi.

You also asked about Traffic Meter, QoS, and whether my modem was also a router.

I am not using Traffic Meter or Qos, and Gigglefiber (my ISP) lists my model as "CM820A Cable Modem Only 3.0".

NOW HERE IS THE LATEST. I tried an experiment and connected my desktop to the 5GHz wifi, and guess what? I get 150mbps. So that is great. However, I can't seem to "find" this network on my laptop when I search for available networks, even though it shows as an available wifi on my desktop now. I am thinking that if I could access my 5ghz on my laptop, that might address the issue. I am only 50 feet away from the router when I use it. Any other advice you have would be appreciated! Thanks again.

IrvSp · ‎2019-01-11

What is the Laptop, make and model. Wifi Adapter may not be DUAL BAND and that is why it can't see the 5Ghz SSID.

jbj123 · ‎2019-01-11

Well, the good news is you have solved my mystery. Thank you! The bad news is that my Wifi Adapter is a "Dell Wireless 1506 802.11 b/g/n (2.4Ghz)." Or at least that is what shows up under "properties." I wonder if there is any way to get it so ONLY recognize the 5ghz. I assume not since "2.4Ghz" is in the description.

The laptop is a Dell Latitude E7440

IrvSp · ‎2019-01-11

Looks like that, single band, not dual.

Easy and fairly cheap to upgrade as long as you have a USB port. I have one... Amazon has many to choose from. $11 and up here. If you do get one, get one with at least 2 antennea's showing. Single one would have lower speed. If you want to be 'traveling' with the Laptop then the smaller mini or nano ones would work, just not as fast.

jbj123 · ‎2019-01-11

Thanks again very much! You have been patient and very helpful!