Nighthawk C7000 v2 slow wifi speed

[ooglykraken]

I recently replaced my comcast rented modem/router with the Nighthawk C7000 v2 AC1900. We get 400Mb down the line from comcast. Previoiusly able to get ~370 over wifi and over 400 with ethernet. The nighthawk provides for ~200 over 5g wifi. I've tried factory resetting but no changes. Any idea why the Nighthawk isn't consistently allowing for speeds over 200? 

[olympos1625]

Hi ooglykraken,

Good day!

Welcome to NETGEAR Community!

Thank you for reaching out. We are sorry for not being able to get back to you immediately on this one due to the backlogs in the system. Are you still having the issue? Are you getting consistently 400 Mbps internet speed when wired to the Netgear Cable gateway? Are all of your wireless devices getting the same internet speed( 200Mbps on 5 GHz)? 

Please do not hesitate to let me know if you need further assistance. 

Regards,

Oliver

Community Team

[Gary_VZ]

Same issue here. I have Sparklight and am supposed to get 600 down / 300 up. On a wired connection I am only getting ~150-175. Sparklight has done remote diagnostics and says everything looks fine on their end. I have restarted the modem. They suggested talking to Netgear support but of course the normal warranty/support has expired so I am trying here. Really bothers me that I am paying for 600 and getting 150! They are coming out tomorrow but I suspect this is going to be a modem/router issue. Firmware is current according to the app. Any suggestions? I have never gotten great speeds but I didn't think they were this bad and testing on two computers shows that wifi speed is about the same and they should obviously be slower than wired. Help?!?

[FURRYe38]

What devices are you speed testing with? Wired or wireless? Wired is preferred for speed testing.

Wireless, you not see much over 300-400Mpbs on 5ghz AC however that depends on wifi devices design and support as well. 

Be sure you are connecting to 5Ghz radio for wireless speed testing. 

Please post a copy and paste of the modems connection status page.
Have the ISP check the signal and line quality UP to the modem. Be sure the ISP provisions the modem correctly.
Be sure there are no coax cable line splitters in the between the modem and ISP service box. 
Be sure your using good quality RG6 coax cable up to the modem. 
Be sure to power OFF the modem for 1 minute then back ON.
https://community.netgear.com/t5/Cable-Modems-Routers/General-info-and-Troubleshooting-for-Cable-Mod...

[Gary_VZ]

As mentioned above it is a wired (hardwired) connection. It's into my laptop. 

The ISP, as indicated as tried to diagnose from their end and says everything looks ok (he mentioned channel bonding several times). What else they tried I have no idea. I will try turning it off and on again - they did not have me do that although they rebooted it twice from their end. While my stated issue is hardwired speeds, I do connect with wifi normally and the speeds are about the same as the harwired results. If my plan is 600Mbps they said I should be getting very close to that hardwired and I am getting 25% of that. 

[FURRYe38]

Please post a copy and paste of the modems connection status page.

Be sure there are no coax cable line splitters in the between the modem and ISP service box. 
Be sure your using good quality RG6 coax cable up to the modem. 
Be sure to power OFF the modem for 1 minute then back ON.

What is the connection rate your seeing on the laptops ethernet connection status? I presume it should be reading 1000Mpbs...

Ensure the ethernet adapter drivers are up to date as well from the Mfr of the adapter. 

Try a different PC or laptop to compare...

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@Gary_VZ wrote:

As mentioned above it is a wired (hardwired) connection. It's into my laptop. 

The ISP, as indicated as tried to diagnose from their end and says everything looks ok (he mentioned channel bonding several times). What else they tried I have no idea. I will try turning it off and on again - they did not have me do that although they rebooted it twice from their end. While my stated issue is hardwired speeds, I do connect with wifi normally and the speeds are about the same as the harwired results. If my plan is 600Mbps they said I should be getting very close to that hardwired and I am getting 25% of that. 

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[Gary_VZ]

Sparklight came. He said everything was good - around 950 Mbps at the incoming line. Wifi speeds have now increased to around 200 but wired speeds are LESS! I don't understand that - still around 150-ish. I also reset to factory settings and that has not helped. I just don't think this modem is good - I have not had good performance since the start. Is there anything else that can be suggested? I do not know where the ethernet connection status is (on both a Mac and PC) so I have not posted those. This modem isn't that old - but maybe I will look for something else. Not happy with netgear - I should insist on a replacement but I am sure they will say no. Ugh. Maybe a modem and google mesh or something. I rely on wifi not wired so max wifi speed is what I am looking for being that I am paying for 600! 

[Gary_VZ]

Just checked and my warranty expired in May. ANyone think there is a chance I can get it replaced? 

[FURRYe38]

What is the connection rate seein on the wire connection from the PC or Mac at the ethernet adapter? 1000Mpbs should be seen...

What OS platforms are loaded on the Mac and PC? 

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@Gary_VZ wrote:

Sparklight came. He said everything was good - around 950 Mbps at the incoming line. Wifi speeds have now increased to around 200 but wired speeds are LESS! I don't understand that - still around 150-ish. I also reset to factory settings and that has not helped. I just don't think this modem is good - I have not had good performance since the start. Is there anything else that can be suggested? I do not know where the ethernet connection status is (on both a Mac and PC) so I have not posted those. This modem isn't that old - but maybe I will look for something else. Not happy with netgear - I should insist on a replacement but I am sure they will say no. Ugh. Maybe a modem and google mesh or something. I rely on wifi not wired so max wifi speed is what I am looking for being that I am paying for 600! 

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[Gary_VZ]

I have only tried the PC hardwired. Running Windows 10 Enterprise V1909 Build 18363.1801. However the MAc and PC are seeing similar wireless speeds. Candidly I don't care what the wired speeds are because I am on wifi. I just shouldn't be getting 200 max when I am paying for 600 and the tech got +900 (hardwired) with his device when he plugged it in instead of my modem/router and tested the connection. 

Speeds at the Ehternet adpator? Not sure what you mean and how to determine that. I have primarily been using several online speed check tools. 

[FURRYe38]

There is a status option when you right click on the ethernet adapter in Windows. 

If you hold down Opt button on your Mac keyboard then right click on the WiFi icon you'll see connection rates there. When wire connected on Mac, you'll need to open up Network. Left select the wired adapter on the left side list. Select the Advanced button on this page. Left select the Hardware button and the Speed will be seen here. 

[Gary_VZ]

Here it is on the wifi on the Mac. All I see is 400 Mbps there. Shouldn't it be 600 given that is my service and that is what the router is capable of? Does this give any hints as to why I am not hitting max speeds? 

[FURRYe38]

What channel do you have 5Ghz radio set for? The Mac is reporting a DFS channel. Try 48 or 149. 

What is the distance between the Mac and the modem? 

What model Mac do you have?

[Gary_VZ]

5GHz was set at 124 so I switched to 149 as suggested. 

Distance is roughly 20-25' but in another room. 

iMac 4.2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7.

[FURRYe38]

Ok, so at a distance, connection rates will drop so having 400Mpbs isn't too bad. 5Ghz is impacted by building materials. Nature of 5 and 6Ghz frequencies. Not much that can be done for that.

I presume if you had the iMac in the same room with out any building materials, the speed would be much higher. 

Your iMac may see 1300Mpbs with the modem however this would be in same room as the modem and in direct line of site. 

AC1900 (600Mbps @2.4GHz with 256-QAM support +1300Mbps @5Ghz 11ac)†

† Maximum wireless signal rate derived from IEEE 802.11specifications. Actual data throughput and wireless coverage will vary and be lowered by network and environmental conditions, includingnetwork traffic volume,devicelimitations, and building construction. NETGEARmakes no representations or warranties about this product's compatibility with future standards. Up to 1900Mbps wireless speeds achieved when connecting to other 802.11ac 1900Mbps devices. <This is a combined speed.

[Gary_VZ]

You are way above my knowledge level on that last paragraph but I am not getting 400 over wifi. When I run a speed test I am only getting 200 and most of them time less. And the service level I am paying for is 600. I understand the degradation of the signal but shouldn't I be getting closer to 600?

[FURRYe38]

No, most devices top out at 300-400Mbps on 5Ghz. Depending upon devices used and designe and MIMO support. And since your connection rate on the Mac is only at 400Mpbs, you'll not see anything over this. 

You can try adding a wifi extender and see if this help get the connection rate up. 

Nother option would be to wire connect the Mac to the modem. Then you'd see 600Mpbs on a wired connection. 

[Gary_VZ]

Thanks @FURRYe38.

On the PC laptop the speed is 400 Mbps too. So I guess that is my top speed but the modem/router can't handle anything higher? 

On my PC laptop the wired and wifi speeds have been about the same as each other (about 200 Mbps too). Weird huh? 

[kherbig73]

I have Xfinity, had it for years. I have been renting XFi modem,  I have the 600MB speed package, and I religiously got over 600 MB as long as I was using the 5 GHZ wifi, and yes thats wifi. Today I decided to buy this modem to save money, it clearly shows it is capable of handling my speeds, so I get it activated and have my rented modem unactivated, and I too get max Wifi 240 MB down, no matter what device I am using, and you cant say its the distance my devices are away because I literally was getting 650 MB over WIFI right before I changed the modems, exact same computers, exact same phones, but now I get Max Wifi on 5G at 240MB and Wired it maxes at 400MB. I see the exact same issues others are having, but I can verify it must be the modem, or the config file they send to it as my devices were already verified getting the 600MB speed with Xfinity's rented modems. Is this somethinf Xfinity is doing because they do not want people to buy modem's? I'm sure they do not like that, they would much rather ream you for $14 amonth. I have had service for over 15 tears, Im sure you can add. So I am very upset and do not know what to do. This might be a class action lawsuit in the making.

[PoiTrike]

I'm happy to report that I have finally got things working as they should have been all along.  I haven't tested the wired connection, and probably won't at this point, but I was trying to retrace my steps to avoid having to wipe the system and start with a fresh install of Windows 10.  I had forgotten about one change that I had tried early on in this troubleshooting - something that was suggested on several sites if you google "slow internet windows 10" or similar.  That is, disabling windows auto-tuning.  I had forgotten about that, and so today I set it back to normal and just like that the 150-160 Mbps download wall was gone - I'm getting 600+ Mbps downloads using the A7000.

I think I fell into the trap of installing things too quickly from the vendors of my PC components, without being suspicious enough about what these "tools" would be doing.  I honestly did not determine exactly which program was causing my horrible initial experience of sub-20 Mbps speeds.  That lead me down the road of trying any and all suggestions I found that claimed to be solutions to windows 10 internet speeds, and not keeping good track of what changes I had made.  

I'm not really sure why so many people feel disabled the auto-tuning function will increase speeds - i literally found 10's of pages that all said to do this, and they all seemed sure it would only help, not hurt your performance.  Clearly that isn't always the case.  

[FURRYe38]

Glad you got it working. Be sure to save off a back up configuration to file for safe keeping. Saves time if a reset is needed.
https://kb.netgear.com/24231/How-do-I-back-up-the-router-configuration-settings-on-my-Nighthawk-rout...
Enjoy. 📡

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@PoiTrike wrote:

I'm happy to report that I have finally got things working as they should have been all along.  I haven't tested the wired connection, and probably won't at this point, but I was trying to retrace my steps to avoid having to wipe the system and start with a fresh install of Windows 10.  I had forgotten about one change that I had tried early on in this troubleshooting - something that was suggested on several sites if you google "slow internet windows 10" or similar.  That is, disabling windows auto-tuning.  I had forgotten about that, and so today I set it back to normal and just like that the 150-160 Mbps download wall was gone - I'm getting 600+ Mbps downloads using the A7000.

I think I fell into the trap of installing things too quickly from the vendors of my PC components, without being suspicious enough about what these "tools" would be doing.  I honestly did not determine exactly which program was causing my horrible initial experience of sub-20 Mbps speeds.  That lead me down the road of trying any and all suggestions I found that claimed to be solutions to windows 10 internet speeds, and not keeping good track of what changes I had made.  

I'm not really sure why so many people feel disabled the auto-tuning function will increase speeds - i literally found 10's of pages that all said to do this, and they all seemed sure it would only help, not hurt your performance.  Clearly that isn't always the case.  

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[Gary_VZ]

Thanks for sharing. MY setup is the latest version of MacOS so the Windows info unfortunately does not help me. I have pretty much given up and resorted to slower speeds than both Netgear and my ISP (Sparklight) say I should be getting.