fluctuating speeds and connectivity

[mthunter]

a few weeks ago, my routers did an auto update to version 2.7.3.22.  Ever since, my speeds have been all over the place.  780-940+, with sudden drops down into the 200's.  My streaming tv is almost unwatchable at times.  I also think the internet conectivity goes in and out thoughout the day.  Does anyone have an info, or a solutions to this?

Thanks

[FURRYe38]

Has a power off for 1 minute then back ON with the ISP modem and Orbi system been performed since last update?

try a factory reset and setup from scratch been performed since last FW update? 
I would power OFF the ISP modem for 1 minute. Factory reset the Orbi router and power it off. Power ON the ISP modem and let it sync. Then power ON the Orbi router and walk thru the setup wizard again using a wired PC and a web browser.

Mine has been stable since the update:

https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi/New-RBK50-53-Series-Firmware-Version-2-7-3-22/m-p/2120708/high...

Mine was factory reset and setup from scratch...

[mthunter]

Thanks!  Will try that when I get some time on Thursday.  Do  you think I would need to factory reset my satellite too?

[FURRYe38]

You can while your at it. 

[mthunter]

So I did the factory reset, set everything back up.  But still have major fluctuations on speed.  I am paying for 1,000mbps speeds.  My speeds seem to hover @350 up and @690 down, with spikes that bring the speeds upto 900, and as low as 80's on both up and download.  My streaming tv service tells me all I need is 10mbps for seemless streaming, but I have constant buffering issues.  

Any other recommendations??

[FURRYe38]

Are initial speeds tests with a wired PC thru the RBR? 

What is the Mfr and model# of the Internet Service Providers modem/ONT the NG router is connected too?

How are you speed testing? Web based speed test or Ooklas installable speed test app? 

What is the Mfr and model# of the Internet Service Providers modem/ONT the NG router is connected too?

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@mthunter wrote:

So I did the factory reset, set everything back up.  But still have major fluctuations on speed.  I am paying for 1,000mbps speeds.  My speeds seem to hover @350 up and @690 down, with spikes that bring the speeds upto 900, and as low as 80's on both up and download.  My streaming tv service tells me all I need is 10mbps for seemless streaming, but I have constant buffering issues.  

Any other recommendations??

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[mthunter]

I just ran 3 wired tests out of the rbr (which I had not thought of before) and got 900, 950 and an even 1 gig, all thru fast.com

[CrimpOn]

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@mthunter wrote:

My speeds seem to hover @350 up and @690 down, with spikes that bring the speeds upto 900, and as low as 80's on both up and download. 

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This is an awkward situation. Having already done a Factory Reset, there are few options remaiining.

• The only way to conclusively connect the problem to the Orbi is to connect a computer directly to the internet feed and monitor speeds for some time.  i.e. if the speed varies without the Orbi, then it cannot be caused by the Orbi.  If these speed variations happen within a short window of time, this might be acceptable. For example, if download will go from 900mb to 80 within an hour, I would do this in a heartbeat.  But, my guess is that hours can go by without a change and it is unacceptable to just go without internet for a long time.
• Before v2.7.3.22, a common remedy was to manually load a previous version of firmware.  After a long period (years) of not forcing firmware updates, it appears that this latest update will not permit users to manually load older firmware.  They can do a manual load all right, but during the night v2.7.3.22 will reappear automatically.  There seems to be no way to prevent this from happening.
  
• On the topic of network connection being interrupted, there are software packages that can help document such issues.  For example, PingInfoView by Nirsoft (Windows) will send a ping every 30 seconds (I usually pick 2 or 3 DNS servers).  Pings are UDP packets and not guaranteed to make the round trip.  If pings to three different DNS servers fail to come back for a couple of minutes, there is definitely a network problem.  (So far, I have never experienced this although I have run PingInfoView for days at a time.)
• Thre are a number of tools that will automate speed testing, such as
  https://testmy.net/auto and
  http://startrinity.com/InternetQuality/ContinuousBandwidthTester.aspx 
  As long as a test such as this does not interfere with your internet activity, it would be useful information to present to Netgear and/or the ISP.
  
• There have been other posts about sudden drops in internet speed that were traced to a PS5 or XBox that was downloading massive amounts of data.  This is (yet another) area where Netgear's Orbi does not provide tools to manage the local network.  Other systems collect statistics on network usage by device so that a device that is consuming vast amounts of internet capacity can be identified easily.

[FURRYe38]

Try Ooklas installable speed test app for comparison.

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@mthunter wrote:

I just ran 3 wired tests out of the rbr (which I had not thought of before) and got 900, 950 and an even 1 gig, all thru fast.com

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