Orbi Mesh (RBK852) with UK Virgin 1 gigabit broadband
Hi everyone
I've just upgraded to the UK Virgin 1 gigabit broadband package having been using their M500 (500Mbps service). This involved also upgrading the Virgin router from a Hub 3 (up to 500) to a Hub 4 (1 gigabit) which is in modem mode of course.
My issues are as follows:
1. I have 1 Orbi satellite (RBK852) in my configuration at the back of the house and when the primary Orbi (RBK852) was connected to the Hub 3 I got 500Mpbs everywhere in in the house on all my devices - ranging from the latest iMac and MacBook's to iPhones, Surface notebooks etc. In fact most of the time my test results showed around 520 to 550Mbps consistently on pretty much everything.
2. Having installed the new Virgin Hub 4 over the weekend all my devices are only receiving about 600Mbps (700Mbps very occasionally best case). My new Macbook is also linked by Cat 7 cable to the Orbi Satellite and it can't get a speed above that on both the wired to satellite connection or Wifi, It also shows the same speeds as my other main devices when I run tests on all of them.
3. Background - I booted up the Virgin Hub 4 with the Orbi attached as per other references in the forum and then rebooted just to ensure the correct Virgin profile had loaded. The Hub 4 has the gigabit profile and is providing that speed when I test with my Macbook connected directly to it with ethernet. My cabling between the Hub 4 and the Primary Orbi is Cat 7 (have tried a replacement cable and no change to speeds) and also for info the Satellite has a Cat 7 connection to my new MacBook in my home office. Again on this device it doesn't matter if I used the wired connection to the satellite or wifi, the speed tests are near identical when I carry them out.
So in conclusion with the 500Mbps service I really got that throughout the house (and slightly more actually) on all my devices capable of using it wifi wise. Equally my office MacBook (new) got that on both the wired Cat 7 connection to the satellite and wifi.
So I'm now paying for the 1 gigabit service from Virgin but my average speed has only gone up to about 600Mbps from 550 on my previous Virgin service. Equally it's very consistently around 600 on all my devices around the house so there isn't say my wired Cat 7 Macbook doing 950 say off the satellite and and new iMac on wifi doing 600 if that makes sense. I've equally rebooted everything etc just to make doubly sure!!
Can anyone help with this so I can get close to the speeds coming through the new Hub 4.
Re: Orbi Mesh (RBK852) with UK Virgin 1 gigabit broadband
What Firmware version is currently loaded?
What is the size of your home? Sq Ft? 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📡
If your seeing around 500-600Mpbs on wireless, then this will be around what is expected. This is limited by devices and there MIMO design, 2x2 mostly.
Re: Orbi Mesh (RBK852) with UK Virgin 1 gigabit broadband
Many thanks for your post and in answer to your queries:
1. Our home is 2,400 sq ft.
2. The Orbi referred to is running the latest firmware - I'm travelling today so can't give you the version but again I checked for updates before upgrading to the 1gb service.
3. Distance between the RBR and RBS is more than 30ft.
4. I understand the general point about device wifi connection speeds but if you take my MacBook for example it's spec is as follows:
'2021 16-inch and 14-inch MacBook Pro, as well as the 2020 M1 MacBook Pro, share the same 802.11 ax@5 GHz standards with a maximum PHY data rate of 1200 Mbps.'
5. I also can't understand the speed for this device (my new MacBook) being the same in terms of the cat 7 wired connection to the RBS and the wifi connection.
In other words, forgetting device wifi speeds for a moment, doesn't the RBR provide roughly a 1 gigabit connection directly to the RBS from the 1gb Virgin broadband modem - in turn therefore if the RBS is connected by Cat 7 to the MacBook shouldn't I be getting speeds in the 900's on this device? I used the same MacBook, with the same type of Cat 7 cable, to do the direct connection test to the Virgin Hub 4 modem and got just under 1 gigabit. Shouldn't the same thing happen when I then reconnect it via Cat 7 to the RBS but say down to the lower 900's?
Equally earlier today I did one test on my 12.9" iPad which is rated at ax@5 GHz 1200 Mbps and I got one test that did get to 802 Mbps but this quickly dropped back to 3 or 4 more at the normal 600 odd.
Many thanks for your post and in answer to your queries:
1. Our home is 2,400 sq ft.
2. The Orbi referred to is running the latest firmware - I'm travelling today so can't give you the version but again I checked for updates before upgrading to the 1gb service.
3. Distance between the RBR and RBS is more than 30ft.
4. I understand the general point about device wifi connection speeds but if you take my MacBook for example it's spec is as follows:
'2021 16-inch and 14-inch MacBook Pro, as well as the 2020 M1 MacBook Pro, share the same 802.11 ax@5 GHz standards with a maximum PHY data rate of 1200 Mbps.'
5. I also can't understand the speed for this device (my new MacBook) being the same in terms of the cat 7 wired connection to the RBS and the wifi connection.
In other words, forgetting device wifi speeds for a moment, doesn't the RBR provide roughly a 1 gigabit connection directly to the RBS from the 1gb Virgin broadband modem - in turn therefore if the RBS is connected by Cat 7 to the MacBook shouldn't I be getting speeds in the 900's on this device? I used the same MacBook, with the same type of Cat 7 cable, to do the direct connection test to the Virgin Hub 4 modem and got just under 1 gigabit. Shouldn't the same thing happen when I then reconnect it via Cat 7 to the RBS but say down to the lower 900's?
The speeds provided from the RBR to the RBS will be impacted by building materials, distances and environment and noise. So the RBS may or may not have support of a 1Gb speeds. If the conditions were optimal and ideal, maybe yes. Remember the RBS is considered a client connection to the RBR. It's effected just like everything else.
Equally earlier today I did one test on my 12.9" iPad which is rated at ax@5 GHz 1200 Mbps and I got one test that did get to 802 Mbps but this quickly dropped back to 3 or 4 more at the normal 600 odd.
Many thanks in you looking at this for me.
What your seeing maybe good speeds for your configuration, building materials, distances and environment.
Re: Orbi Mesh (RBK852) with UK Virgin 1 gigabit broadband
Thanks for the response but I think my thoughts are as follows:
1. Before I had the 550Mbps service from Virgin UK and all my devices and the Orbi Router and Satellite handled this without any issues i.e. even at the back of our house (home office with the satellite) I got the full 550Mbps.
2. Given my new MacBook is connected by Cat 7 ethernet to the one satellite we have I assume from the specs that the Orbi's can provide a 1 gigabit link between them without any issue - the MacBook is more than cable of 'receiving' a gigabit throughput via ethernet so how come the performance is almost identical on this device through both Cat 7 and Wifi?
It suggests that in some way the Orbi's are throttling back the 1gb service?
Now the way to to test I think is that on the basis I know that the Virgin Hub 4 is getting the full 1gb I'll take it out of modem mode and back into router wifi mode. If my Macbook gives me 900Mbps + when connected via wifi this way and I only get 600Mbps in the same room with the Orbi it will show the Orbi is at fault here?
I'm going to try this later today when I get home so I'll report back but at the moment I think 1gb broadband should come with a big health warning on Orbi's if you already have 500Mbps and it's running through at that.
Re: Orbi Mesh (RBK852) with UK Virgin 1 gigabit broadband
It depends on again on the connection between the RBR and RBS, signal quality, noise and environment over wireless between them. The system is not throttling rather working to what it can do with considerations the aforementioned items. Nature of the wifi beast here.
If you ethernet connect the RBS to the RBR, you would see near 900Mpbs at the RBS.
