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R7000 Nighthawk speed limitations

timwackel
Aspirant

R7000 Nighthawk speed limitations

Paying for a 400MB service (and am able to verify that what's coming out of the modem)- but am not able to get over 100MB download.

 

Searched internet and found others have same problem - reported fix was to upload older firmware (rev R7000-V1.0.7.10_1.2.3.chk) but when I try to do I got a compatibility error.

 

How do I get this shiny new router to push the entire 400BM service?

Model: R7000|AC1900 Smart WIFI Router
Message 1 of 11

Re: R7000 Nighthawk speed limitations


@timwackel wrote:

Paying for a 400MB service (and am able to verify that what's coming out of the modem)- but am not able to get over 100MB download.

 

Download to what? Wifi? Wired?

 

Some older hardware, and Ethernet cable, is designed for 100 Mbps Ethernet.

 

 


@timwackel wrote:

 

Searched internet and found others have same problem - reported fix was to upload older firmware (rev R7000-V1.0.7.10_1.2.3.chk) but when I try to do I got a compatibility error.

 


In that case, you may have the wrong firmware (R7000 is not the same as R7000P), or the version you are trying, from 2017, is way too old and almost certainly not recommended. (You don't say where you found this dodgy advice.)

 

 

 

Message 2 of 11
timwackel
Aspirant

Re: R7000 Nighthawk speed limitations

good questions...

 

#1. download - as in download speed verified by running a wifi internet speed using several different websites

 

#2. connection type - wireless

 

#3. there is only 1 cable (from modem to router) and it's CAT6

 

#4. confident that I have the right firmware - saw multiple posts of other folks have this same problem (and the spectrum trech (ISP provider) said that the Netgear router usually needs some configuration help in order to work). Specific posts I'm referring to can be found here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Od7Bjkg-t7s

 

thanks in advance

Message 3 of 11

Re: R7000 Nighthawk speed limitations


@timwackel wrote:

#2. connection type - wireless

 


Not a reliable way to test your connection.

 

The only reliable way to test your connection is first to check the speed you get out of the modem in front of the router. Then to compare that with what you get on a wired connection out of the router.

 

I should have asked what the modem is. Does it have a Gb Ethernet port?

 

Wifi is never going to be the fastest download option. It depends on the wifi client and the band it connects to. For 2.4 GHz wifi, 100 Mbps is as fast as some clients can manage.

 

If you want faster downloads, ditch wifi and find a way to wire a connection.

 

 

Message 4 of 11
plemans
Guru

Re: R7000 Nighthawk speed limitations

If that truly is your firmware, you're over 20 versions out of date. 

What actual modem is it connected to? 

If you're testing wireless, are you testing over 2.4ghz or 5gh? If its 2.4ghz, 100mbps is amazing. If its over 5ghz, you should be able to hit faster speeds (not 400mbps but faster). So what band are you testing on and what device? A 1x1 antenna device is going to have half the speed of a 2x2 devices. 

What wired speeds do you get? 

 

I'd highly recommend updating the firmware over a hardwired connection, doing a factory reset, and then a new install. don't use a backup configuration as there was a lot of changes in the firmware from the version you're on. 

Message 5 of 11
timwackel
Aspirant

Re: R7000 Nighthawk speed limitations

that is not my firmware - I'm running the latest per the Netgear website - but if you watch the video I posted - that network engineer reports faster speeds by running older firmware (which I'm not able to do, as my router finds them to be incompatible)

 

I am testing at both 2.4 and 5 GHZ

 

 

Message 6 of 11

Re: R7000 Nighthawk speed limitations


@plemans wrote:

If that truly is your firmware, you're over 20 versions out of date. 

 


As I interpreted it, @timwackel had failed in their attempts to force that ancient firmware on to their R7000. Not a good idea, despite having seen it suggested in a possibly dodgy YouTube video.

Message 7 of 11
timwackel
Aspirant

Re: R7000 Nighthawk speed limitations

I'd just like the Netgear router to perform up to specifications... and I'm willing to back date firmware if that's the fix 😃

Message 8 of 11

Re: R7000 Nighthawk speed limitations


@timwackel wrote:

that network engineer reports faster speeds by running older firmware

 

 


To me, that post, from Aug 2020, smells of what is technically known as b*ll*cks.

 

There may be more reliable advice here:

 

Search - NETGEAR Communities – R7000 speed

 

Anyone seriously keen to backtrack to old firmware should try it in stages. Go back a few versions at a time. That is a variant on the advice to jump forward in stages when  a new version won't stick on an old device.

Message 9 of 11
plemans
Guru

Re: R7000 Nighthawk speed limitations

We still don't know what modem its connected to or what wired speeds you get. 

Many things can impact wireless speeds but a wired baseline and knowledge of the network its connecting to is key. 

Message 10 of 11

Re: R7000 Nighthawk speed limitations

Indeed. I remain to be convinced that there is anything wrong with this router.

 

Did we ever find out what the current firmware is?

 

Too many unanswered questions.

 

One way to test the "native" speed of this device is to get it to run its own built-in speedtest. Either run it from the QoS tab in the browser graphical user interface (GUI) or use the mobile app for any iOS or Android device you have.

 

This does not use the wifi connection. It tests what the router sees wired into the modem and the outside world.

 

Message 11 of 11
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