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Download spped with extender slower than download w/o extender
Product is actually AC750 WiFi Range Extender (EX3700-100NAS) purchased form Amazon
I need the extender to increase signal strength for faster download speeds. Without the extender I get 150mbps download - with the extender I get 90 Mbps download. The status page shows Wireless mode: Up to 433 Mbps. Firm ware is up-to-date.
Re: Download spped with extender slower than download w/o extender
Generally speaking, extenders increase the wifi coverage area, not the speed. If you connect directly to the router when you are near the extender, you usually will get a faster speed than you will get connecting through the extender. One issue is that a dual band extender is using the 5 Ghz radio to receive the data from the client, and then using the same 5 Ghz radio to forward that data to the router. That cuts the maximum speed in half.
The fastest extenders are tri-band - using one 5 Ghz radio to connect to the router, and using a separate 5 Ghz radio to connect to the clients. The EX7500, EX7700 and the EX8000 are the triband models. They are quite a bit more expensive than the EX3700. But you shouldn't see the drop-off you are getting with the EX3700, and if you place the extender part way between the router and the upstairs room you likely will see a speed increase in that room.
You could also look into getting an cat-6 ethernet cable run between the router location and the upstairs. Then you could use the EX3700 (or any of the other models) in access point mode, and you would get faster speeds.
Re: Download spped with extender slower than download w/o extender
Thanks for replying - appreciate any and all help. The router is a D-Link DIR 880L - I've connected thru the 5Ggz 802.11ac - router is one floor down approximately 35 feet away from the extender. The extender is 7 1/2 feet from the desktop PC in the same room.All the lights on the entender are green. The signal strength to the extender is 780 Mbps
I've also checked the speeds on a laptop and get basicly the same result - the download on the laptop very near the router is over 300 Mbps,
Re: Download spped with extender slower than download w/o extender
The EX3700 is an AC750 extender, your router is AC1900. So part of the issue might be that the EX3700 isn't fast enough. It might also be too far from the router.
Can you try moving the extender downstairs (perhaps 10 feet or so from the router), and test the speed through the extender (and directly through the router) from a spot near the extender? That would help identify the problem.
Re: Download spped with extender slower than download w/o extender
Learn somrthing new each day - I moved the extender closer to the router and the throughtput increased tp over 100 Mbps, but sill not to the level when connected directly on the router SSID.Moved it to 10 feet of the router and the speed decreased considerably. There is a large chimney between the router and the extender that must have been hurting signal strength.
That said, the problem may well be the extender needs more pwer. What would you suggest?
Re: Download spped with extender slower than download w/o extender
Generally speaking, extenders increase the wifi coverage area, not the speed. If you connect directly to the router when you are near the extender, you usually will get a faster speed than you will get connecting through the extender. One issue is that a dual band extender is using the 5 Ghz radio to receive the data from the client, and then using the same 5 Ghz radio to forward that data to the router. That cuts the maximum speed in half.
The fastest extenders are tri-band - using one 5 Ghz radio to connect to the router, and using a separate 5 Ghz radio to connect to the clients. The EX7500, EX7700 and the EX8000 are the triband models. They are quite a bit more expensive than the EX3700. But you shouldn't see the drop-off you are getting with the EX3700, and if you place the extender part way between the router and the upstairs room you likely will see a speed increase in that room.
You could also look into getting an cat-6 ethernet cable run between the router location and the upstairs. Then you could use the EX3700 (or any of the other models) in access point mode, and you would get faster speeds.
Re: Download spped with extender slower than download w/o extender
First, I agree that running an ethernet cable would give the best results and I might do that. I apprecaite your input - I've ben educated. The extender product descriptions leave a lttle to be desired. I need to do somethinking to see what my longer trm objectives are. Want to get rid of most cable - have not decided on what way to go.
One thing that should be on your list is deploying an integrated mesh system. Orbi does an excellent job of providing whole-house coverage.
I had our home fully wired for ethernet and coax some years ago - as part of a larger project to upgrade the electrical wiring. I'm still using Orbi to give me full-house wifi coverage. I'm using the ethernet backhaul feature (because I can) - but I have tested the wifi mesh backhaul, and it also works well.
Re: Download spped with extender slower than download w/o extender
I've thought about a mesh system - however I don't want a solution looking for a problem. I was having SSID name problems when I was using a system with 3 routers linked by ethernet that was inplace for 14 years in 3 buildings - sold one building and have cut one router out and want to replace the second router with an extender.
