Orbi speed test does not match other tests. How do I increase the speed?

[Harry2022]

I just installed Orbi AX6000, RBR 850.

When I use the app, I get a speed to over 900 Mbs. But on speedtest, I get only 100 Mbs.

How do I improve the speed? 

I have 1 router and 2 satellites covering an area of 7,000 sq. ft. House has 3 levels.

Thanks for your responses and help.

Harry

[FURRYe38 · Accepted solution]

What brand and model # phone are you using? 

What is the distance between the router and 📡 satellite(s)? 30 feet or more is recommended in between RBR and RBS📡 to begin with depending upon building materials when wirelessly connected.
https://kb.netgear.com/31029/Where-should-I-place-my-Orbi-satellite 📡

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@Harry2022 wrote:

The speed test done using the Orbi app and the using Speedtest was done on my phone and it was using wifi.

I did not connect to either the router or the satellite using ethernet cable as I have all wifi devices at home and connecting with ethernet makes no sense for testing purposes.

My ISP is for 1GB. So even if signal keeps dropping with each satellite, I should get better speed in the test.

My house is 7,000 sq. ft. I have 1 router and 2 satellites of RBR850. Should I get 1 more satellite?

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[CrimpOn]

The app is reporting a version of SpeedTest by Ookla that has been incorporated in the Orbi router firmware.

The 100mb speed test is coming from what device?

How is it connected to the Orbi (router? satellite? WiFi? ethernet?)

[Harry2022]

The speed test done using the Orbi app and the using Speedtest was done on my phone and it was using wifi.

I did not connect to either the router or the satellite using ethernet cable as I have all wifi devices at home and connecting with ethernet makes no sense for testing purposes.

My ISP is for 1GB. So even if signal keeps dropping with each satellite, I should get better speed in the test.

My house is 7,000 sq. ft. I have 1 router and 2 satellites of RBR850. Should I get 1 more satellite?

[CrimpOn]

Thanks for the information.

WiFi speed is a function of the WiFi system and the phone.  The WiFi settings on my (Android) phone have a 'gear' symbol that brings up:

• Which WiFi band is connected (2.4G or 5G), and
• (scrolling down) the Transmit and Link Speeds

I just now returned home from the grocery store, saw your post, opened my phone and noticed:

• My phone was connected at 2.4G
• Transmit speed 52mb/s
• Receive speed 117 mb/s
• Speed Test reported: Down 16.1mb/s, Up 11.0 mb.s
• The Orbi Attached Devices screen said the phone was connected to my Satellite, which is very close to the front door where I entered.

(much swearing)

I disconnected from WiFi and reconnected to WiFi and repeated the observation.  Now I get

• Phone connected at 5G
• Transmit speed 650mb/s
• Receive speed 866mb/s
• SpeedTest reports Down 234mb/s, Up 11.6mb/s (my guaranteed speed is 200mb/s and usually measures a bit over).

Thus, it is possible for the same phone to report wildly different speeds over a WiFi connection depending on which access point it is attached to and where it moves to after attaching.  My belief is that the phone periodically scans for "a better signal" and would have changed from 2.4G to 5G, and from the satellite to the router I am sitting next to by itself. But...... I do not know how often this phone compares WiFi access points and switches.

I can also report that I was helping a friend troubleshoot his AT&T WiFi network (he needed an extender) and his phone consistently measured a lower speed than my phone. So, phones can have different capability.

Could you repeat the experiment a few times and note the values the phone reports?

As far as needing another satellite, 7,000 sq. ft. is a substantial house. Depending on how many, how large, and what shape the floors are, there is every chance that a third satellite may be useful.  The only way to know is to experiment more and see if performance in certain spots is unsatisfactory.

Having earned my Nerd Badge, what I do is produce a "Heat Map" of the building on my Android Tablet using a free app from the Google Play Store (WiFi Head Map - Survey 2.00.7 by Webprovider).  It allows me to walk around the house recording the WiFi signal at various places and then display the signal strength across the entire house.  (I've attached a Heat Map made of the 5G signal from the Orbi router in the upstairs office [where the Spectrum cable enters the house].  My significant other would sit outside in the front and complain, "Internet is SO slow", and this was the reason why. So I put an Orbi satellite in the Living Room downstairs and the downstairs coverage inproved dramatically.)

This sort of thing is not for everybody (only Nerds). There is a considerable learning curve.

Thanks for reading all the way to the end.  Hope my ramblings have been useful.

[Harry2022]

Hey, Thanks for the detailed reply. Most helpful.

Makes sense.

Like you said, I will definitely not be able to interpret a heat map.

I wonder if there is a way of choosing 2.4Ghz or 5 Ghz on my laptop or phone. I can't seem to see any options that allow me to do it.

I guess I will keep experimenting with placement of the satellites and figure out the optimum placement.

Thanks again.

Harry

[CrimpOn]

Oh, you could  read a Heat Map just fine.  It's obvious. Green is great. Yellow is (meh). Red is BAD.

It's making them that is a chore.

Many laptops have settings for their WiFi adapter that allow the user to 'lock' the laptop into one band.  My Lenovo laptop offers six choices.

• 5GHz 802.11a
• 2.4GHz 802.11b
• 2.4GHz 803.11g
• 2.4GHz 802.11b/g
• Dual Band 802.11a/g
• Dual Band 802.11a/b/g

There are also settings for channel width and for "Preferred Band" (2.4G or 5G)

Smartphones I know less about.

[FURRYe38 · Accepted solution]

What brand and model # phone are you using? 

What is the distance between the router and 📡 satellite(s)? 30 feet or more is recommended in between RBR and RBS📡 to begin with depending upon building materials when wirelessly connected.
https://kb.netgear.com/31029/Where-should-I-place-my-Orbi-satellite 📡

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@Harry2022 wrote:

The speed test done using the Orbi app and the using Speedtest was done on my phone and it was using wifi.

I did not connect to either the router or the satellite using ethernet cable as I have all wifi devices at home and connecting with ethernet makes no sense for testing purposes.

My ISP is for 1GB. So even if signal keeps dropping with each satellite, I should get better speed in the test.

My house is 7,000 sq. ft. I have 1 router and 2 satellites of RBR850. Should I get 1 more satellite?

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