I have an NowTV 2 ( rebadged SKY Q Hub ) Dual Band 2.4GHz & 5GHz 802.11ac Router installed upstairs next to my PC. Rock-solid speeds of 36 Mbps download & 10 mbps upload & Ping is around 18ms.
When I am downstairs and use an iPhone 11 connected to the Router wifi it receives speeds of 36 Mbps no problem on the 5GHz band, even my old Nexus 7 receives 34 Mbps.
But in the same room Downstairs I have a Sony TV with a Fire Stick 4k 2nd edition installed and the speed test is always around 7 - 9 Mbps its basically 1/4 of the speed of any other device I use.
I purchased the N300 just to try and improve the FireStick wi-fi speed but didnt realise it is only 2.4 GHz, anyway 802.11ac can handle 80Mbps so I thought I must get a faster connection, but it doesnt seem to work that way, if I connect to the N300 extender (EXT) on the end, with the Nexus the speed is 7 - 9 Mbps.
The iPhone struggles to reach 17 Mbps. So I cant see the Extender being of any use at all, I have a Amazon Ethernet adaptor arriving soon, so as to hardwire straight from the N300 to the Fire-Stick, that was the plan but I am not sure that its going to help now.
I tried a different channel (7) on the Router to see if it would help but no change, looks like running an ethernet cable down to the Fire-Stick is going to be my only option.
I was sure the N300 would give me at least 30 mbps as its only 3mtrs from the router all but downstairs.
I dont know much about wifi so any ideas would be welcome.
cheers
Riggie
Model: EX2700|N300 WiFi Range Extender Essentials Edition
The issue many run into is the downfall of extenders. A standard extender has to recieve and then rebroadcast the signal. This causes throughput to drop 50% from what it recieves. So if you're only getting a 40mbps signal in the area the extender is in, you'll only get 20mbps out of it. This gets worse with 2.4ghz because its more sensitive to interference. They work great if your in an area that doesn't have any signal as it potentially can cover it. But if you've got a decent signal where the extender is, it can be a bit pointless.
A dual band sufferes from this as well but becuase 5ghz has more throughput, it can take the hit a bit better. So if its getting 80mbps in an area, it will put out 40mbps.
Tribands help prevent this because they have a dedicated 5ghz chip just for router----extender communication.
