Orbi WiFi 7 RBE973
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AX1800 weak 5Ghz signal

mistercoffee
Aspirant

AX1800 weak 5Ghz signal

Model: SXK30B3 / AX1800

(https://www.netgear.com/business/wifi/mesh/sxk30b3/)

Hardware Version SXR30
Firmware Version V4.0.1.100

Wireless settings:

Region North America
2.4G Channel Auto ( 1 )
2.4G Mode Up to 574Mb/s
5G Channel 149+153+157(P)+161
5G Mode

 

When I'm anywhere in my house, including standing right in front of the base station, my 2.5Ghz signal strength is excellent and my 5Ghz signal strength is about 2/5 bars. Speed on 5Ghz suffers accordingly.

 

Thoughts?

Message 1 of 12
plemans
Guru

Re: AX1800 weak 5Ghz signal

what speeds are you getting? 

What device are you testing on? 

Have you tried other devices?

Or tried a wifi scanner? 

Have you checked the router vs satellites strength on a scanner? 

Message 2 of 12
schumaku
Guru

Re: AX1800 weak 5Ghz signal

This could indicate the mobile does not connect to the nearest 5 GHz radio (or has a problem with the 5 GHz radio), the router 5 GHz might be inactive why ever, the backhaul might operate on the 2.4 GHz band, ... Very difficult to guess.

Message 3 of 12
mistercoffee
Aspirant

Re: AX1800 weak 5Ghz signal


@plemans wrote:

what speeds are you getting? 

What device are you testing on? 

Have you tried other devices?

Or tried a wifi scanner? 

Have you checked the router vs satellites strength on a scanner? 


To reiterate, I'm talking about the base station router, no satellites.

 

The signal strength on 5GHz (ie number of bars) is about 50% on a Macbook, Android phone, iPhone and Roku, all of them within a few feet of the router. This is true for each device when no other devices are on the 5GHz band.

 

Speed test on the Macbook for 2.4GHz is ~240Mbps download. Same test, same device is ~67Mbps on 5GHz. No other devices are on the 5GHz band during this test.

 

I have not tried a scanner -- what would I be looking for there?

 

cheers

Message 4 of 12
plemans
Guru

Re: AX1800 weak 5Ghz signal

huh, never even gotten close to 240mbps out of 2.4ghz.

I've seen it done in lab conditions but never in real world conditions.

Both my RAX200/RAXE500 peak around 120mbps in 2.4ghz. And that's peak. Usually its 50-100mbps on average. 

curious if maybe you don't have that reversed?

 

what modem/gateway are you connected to? 

did you try a factory reset and testing with the default configuration? (not loading a backup or changing from default settings on the restore)

 

 

Message 5 of 12
mistercoffee
Aspirant

Re: AX1800 weak 5Ghz signal


@plemans wrote:

huh, never even gotten close to 240mbps out of 2.4ghz.

I've seen it done in lab conditions but never in real world conditions.

Both my RAX200/RAXE500 peak around 120mbps in 2.4ghz. And that's peak. Usually its 50-100mbps on average. 

curious if maybe you don't have that reversed?

 

what modem/gateway are you connected to? 

did you try a factory reset and testing with the default configuration? (not loading a backup or changing from default settings on the restore)

 

 


Definitely not reversed. I used this speed test. I'm connected (hard wired) to a Spectrum-provided cable modem. It's a relatively old and barebones modem, but it's obviously the same modem on both WiFi bands. My previous WiFi router (Asus non mesh) didn't have this issue when connected to the same modem.

 

I haven't tried a factory reset; I guess I was hoping for a theory or something that would make it worth the inconvenience. But, yeah, that makes sense to try next.

Message 6 of 12
mistercoffee
Aspirant

Re: AX1800 weak 5Ghz signal

Ok, this is weird -- both bands are reporting 5GHz in the "channel" info on my macbook. Different BSSIDs. (having trouble posting screenshots...)

Message 7 of 12
mistercoffee
Aspirant

Re: AX1800 weak 5Ghz signal

 
Message 8 of 12
schumaku
Guru

Re: AX1800 weak 5Ghz signal


@mistercoffee wrote:

Ok, this is weird -- both bands are reporting 5GHz in the "channel" info on my macbook. Different BSSIDs. 


Not that weird, of course each 5 GHz radio does have a different mac address (==dedicated BSSID each). And considering the system does also use of either the 5 GHz or the 2.4 GHz radio for the wireless backhaul, at least two of not all BSSIDs (while a different BSSID are used for the backhaul and the mesh discovery) must be visible near to each system, beeing the root or the satellites. As suspected earlier, we're at the point that we know your client does connect to different devices of the mesh system.

 

If you want to troubeshoot, you need to know the MAC blocks assigned on each Orbi Pro device.

Message 9 of 12
mistercoffee
Aspirant

Re: AX1800 weak 5Ghz signal


@schumaku wrote:

@mistercoffee wrote:

Ok, this is weird -- both bands are reporting 5GHz in the "channel" info on my macbook. Different BSSIDs. 


Not that weird, of course each 5 GHz radio does have a different mac address (==dedicated BSSID each). And considering the system does also use of either the 5 GHz or the 2.4 GHz radio for the wireless backhaul, at least two of not all BSSIDs (while a different BSSID are used for the backhaul and the mesh discovery) must be visible near to each system, beeing the root or the satellites. As suspected earlier, we're at the point that we know your client does connect to different devices of the mesh system.

 

If you want to troubeshoot, you need to know the MAC blocks assigned on each Orbi Pro device.


Well, again, I don't have satellites connected. Normally I do, but not while troubleshooting and not when I took those screenshots. In any case, I'll do a factory reset and see where I'm at.

Message 10 of 12
schumaku
Guru

Re: AX1800 weak 5Ghz signal

We need somebody from Netgear here in this thread for assistance @RaghuHR please.

Message 11 of 12
plemans
Guru

Re: AX1800 weak 5Ghz signal

1. did the factory reset help?

2. in one photo its showing at 40hz wide and the other 80hz. there isn't a user changeable option I could find on that device to change from 40-80hz. so. a bit curious. 

3. have you tried a different wifi scanner like winfi or inssider? Something that shows all the devices broadcasting and their channel/width/mac?

Message 12 of 12
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