My guess would be wifi encryption and bandwidth settings, and channel assignment which you will be able to determine with a wifi monitoring application as indicated in the list that I sent.
Now, if you haven't seen that laptop run anything higher in terms of wifi data rates, there is also the issue of the wifi adapter and whether its running one antenna or two. We might have to look at the adapter specs to see whats up. If you drill down into the device manager, down to the network adapters, copy the entire wifi adapter model data as shown in the device manager and post it so we can check the specs. Unfortunately we keep finding laptops, some of them brand new, well designed, except for one item, a cheap single antenna wifi adapter installed by the manufacturer. Not saying that's the issue here, just bringing up the possibility as we've seen it happen all too often 😞
2nd message sent with two setup list corrections.
@slagheap can you check/set the following 2.4 Ghz wifi parameters:
Wireless Mode: 802.11 n
Channel Bandwidth: 20/40 Mhz, although, for test puposes you could set this to 20 Mhz. In a crowded wifi environment, I would set this for 20 Mhz.
Wireless channel: AUTO or, to an open channel if one existed, or to the channel that offers the least interference from neighboring routers and modems as seen with a wifi monitoring application listed below.
WPS Enabled: OFF
Security Mode: WPA-Personal
Auth Mode: WPA2-PSK
Encrypt Mode: AES only
Save the setting and ensure that the Encrypt Mode stays on AES only. If it changes on its own to TKIP/AES, change it back to AES only and save the setting again. TKIP is no longer secure and in addition can cause the wifi data rates to cap at 54 Mb/s if WPA - TKIP is selected for the encryption mode. This is done in order to maintain backwards compatibility with older devices. So, any modem or router in use today should be set for WPA-2 and AES for secure encryption and high throughput data rates. Here's a notice from Intel that covers the subject:
https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/network-and-i-o/wireless-networking/000006697.html
More recently, the Wifi Alliance outlawed standalone TKIP settings for encryption, although manufacturers are currently ok to use a TKIP/AES setting. Selecting TKIP in any form however can result in the modem or router dropping down from 802.11n rates to 802.11g rates, which are capped at 54 Mb/s. Manufacturers are not necessarily clear on that in their instructions, leaving it up to the consumer to figure it out the hard way. Here's the reference from the Wifi Alliance:
https://www.wi-fi.org/downloads-public/Wi-Fi_Alliance_Technical_Note_TKIP_v1.0.pdf/17196
Check/set the following 5 Ghz wifi parameters:
Wireless Mode: 802.11 a/n/ac mixed
Channel Bandwidth: 80 Mhz, although, for test puposes you could set this to 40 Mhz
Wireless channel: 149 to 165
WPS Enabled: OFF
Security Mode: WPA-Personal
Auth Mode: WPA2-PSK
Encrypt Mode: AES only
Once again, save the setting and ensure that the Encrypt Mode stays on AES only. If it changes on its own to TKIP/AES, change it back to AES only and save the setting again.
Reboot the modem if you had to make any changes, ADMIN ..... DEVICE RESET .... Reboot.
In addition to those changes, please look at your wifi environment using one of the following applications:
http://www.techspot.com/downloads/5936-inssider.html
https://www.acrylicwifi.com/en/wlan-software/wlan-scanner-acrylic-wifi-free/
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/wifi_information_view.html
Or,
For IOS
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/network-analyzer-lite-wifi/id562315041?mt=8
For Android
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.farproc.wifi.analyzer&hl=en
That's the last freebie version of inSSIDer and at this point in time is getting a little old. Its fine for 2.4 Ghz application and does work for 802.11n 5 Ghz networks. It does display 802.11ac networks but not as well as it should. This has become a licensed application now for $20 US and works very well for both frequency bands, 2.4 and 5 Ghz.
The other applications are fine for 802.11ac. Acrylic is graphical, WifiInfoView is text only. The latest version of WifiInfoView now has a data column showing the Utilization % of the networks that it detects and the number of devices on the network. If you right click on the data area to bring up the column selections, you can deselect columns from the display and move any column up or down in terms of the display order.
What you want to do is determine what channels in the 2.4 Ghz band and in the 5Ghz 149 to 165 range are occupied and if so, which offers the least competition in terms of signal level for any given channel. If you can find a channel or channel range in that group that is not occupied, that will be the best choice to set in the modem.
There is a also Wi-Fi Site Survey function in the modem located in ADMIN .... DIAGNOSTICS that displays the following data:
Channel ID SSID BSSID Security Signal(%) W-MODE EXTCH NT WPS
That survey works very well in comparison to a typical wifi laptop or desktop due to the three antenna used for the 2.4 Ghz networks and the 4 antenna used for the 5 Ghz networks. The display isn't terribly user friendly, but, you can copy the data and dump it into something like MS Excel to get a better overall view of it.
@deechezaray are you running a 2.4 or 5 Ghz network or both? Most likely, the answer to your problem, especially if its a 2.4 Ghz network, is the growth in the number of nearby users running 2.4 and/or 5 Ghz networks. Changing modems and routers will most likely have a very minimal effect on what you see for results. Any other wifi network that is running nearby could in theory prevent your network from running at its highest rate, and for those networks that can't be deciphered by your modem, router or remote devices, that is considered as background noise. There are two issues afoot, the issue of utilization of any one given channel, and in the shift in the number of error correction bits in a wifi transmission due to the background noise. As the channel utilization goes up, with a larger number of users, each transmitting device has less time allowed for transmit puposes over a given period of time, therefore your max data rate will slow down. The higher the background noise, the higher the number of error correction bits in a transmission, where those bits may have previously been used for data transmission in a low noise environment. The more noise that is present, the harder it is to run a network, to the point where it might become all but impossible.
At some point users may have to come to a conclusion in terms of using the 2.4 Ghz band. I have somewhere above forty 2.4 Ghz modems and routers running nearby, so, the 2.4 Ghz band is pretty hopeless. Solution .... shift everything up to the 5 Ghz band where possible, and even with that I'm fighting with both of my neighbors for channel space. The end result is that my 5 Ghz network still runs at a respectible rate, but, not as fast as it should, given the low power differential between my network and my neighbors network, as seen on a wifi monitoring application. Only way to resolve that would be to use high gain antenna on my RT-AC68U which would be good for the main floor of the house, but no good for the upstairs, or, use multiple wifi access points around the house to keep the transmitter to device distances to a minimum. That is food for thought.....
Ok, so, what to do. First is to check the wifi encryption settings to ensure that the modem or router will run as fast as it can, then check the wifi environment to determine if there are better channels to use:
With that in mind, check/set the following 2.4 Ghz wifi parameters:
Wireless Mode: 802.11 n
Channel Bandwidth: 20/40 Mhz, although, for test puposes you could set this to 20 Mhz. In a crowded wifi environment, I would set this for 20 Mhz.
Wireless channel: AUTO or, to an open channel if one existed, or to the channel that offers the least interference from neighboring routers and modems
WPS Enabled: OFF
Security Mode: WPA-Personal
Auth Mode: WPA2-PSK
Encrypt Mode: AES only
Note that TKIP is no longer secure for encryption purposes and should not be used in a TKIP only, or combo AES/TKIP setting. On top of that TKIP is not compatible with 802.11n and will force the modem or router to operate at 802.11g rates maximum, which is 54 Mb/s.
Check/set the following 5 Ghz wifi parameters:
Wireless Mode: 802.11 a/n/ac mixed
Channel Bandwidth: 80 Mhz, although, for test puposes you could set this to 40 Mhz
Wireless channel: 149 to 165
WPS Enabled: OFF
Security Mode: WPA-Personal
Auth Mode: WPA2-PSK
Encrypt Mode: AES only
Reboot the modem or router if you had to make any changes.
Then look at your wifi environment using one of the following applications:
http://www.techspot.com/downloads/5936-inssider.html
https://www.acrylicwifi.com/en/wlan-software/wlan-scanner-acrylic-wifi-free/
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/wifi_information_view.html
Or,
For IOS
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/network-analyzer-lite-wifi/id562315041?mt=8
For Android
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.farproc.wifi.analyzer&hl=en
Thats the last freebie version of inSSIDer and at this point in time is getting a little old. Its fine for 2.4 Ghz application and does work for 802.11n 5 Ghz networks. It does display 802.11ac networks but not as well as it should. This has become a licenced application now for $20 US and works very well for both frequency bands, 2.4 and 5 Ghz.
The other applications are fine for 802.11ac. Acrylic is graphical, WifiInfoView is text only. WifiInfoView has a number of displays available. I believe there listed under the View or Options top menu selection. There is a Channel Summery view that allows you do determine how many wifi modems and routers are running on any one given channel. In the selection of data items that can be seen, there is also a utilization selection that can be displayed. The combination of the Channel Summery and Utilization column will give you a good idea as to the % of time that any one given channel is occupied. Ideally you would be running on a channel where you are alone and have full use of the channel. Unfortunately, that is very difficult, so, probably the best you can do is select the channel with the least number of users on it and with the least number of users on adjacent channels, which cut down on the available time utilization of your selected channel as well as increase the background noise.
Ok, have a look at the wifi environment and set the 2.4 Ghz channel and the 5 Ghz channel (in the 149 to 161 range) to the best possible choice and see how this turns out. Please let us know what you find. You can take a screen capture and post the image if you need any assistance. Please be sure to delete your MAC address from that image prior to posting it.
@ruoweifang can you have a look at the post from @deechezaray and my response to it is here.
You might have some challenges in terms of wifi coverage in your own home that might be ultimately solved by buying a router with external antenna, but, I'd look at the settings for your wifi networks and at the wifi environment in order to see what your wifi networks are competing with for clear channel space.
Personal opinion, wifi issues are best handled by the end user with some assistance from others. A little help and knowledge can go a long way when it comes to resolving persistent wifi problems.
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RogersCorey
Have a look at the following post, specifically the wifi settings and looking at your wifi environment to determine the best wifi channels to use:
http://communityforums.rogers.com/t5/Internet/slow-wifi/m-p/399949#M47222
Hopefully the info in the post will provide the necessary assistance. Let us know if you're still having issues with your wifi.
@Stromey there are two possible problems here, the cable feed from the local node, or, the shared nature of wifi.
Do you notice slow data rates in the evening with wired devices? If so, that could point to congestion at the local node or at the Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS). You really need to find a way to determine if you would suffer from the same problem over a wired connection. That might involve buying a 50 or 100 ft Cat 6 ethernet cable that you can string around the home for test purposes. I keep one on hand for the odd occasion that I'm troubleshooting a problem. Either that or move a tv for temporary test purposes so that you can connect to the network via ethernet. Knowing that the wired feed is ok would point any troubleshooting in the right direction.
For the wifi situation, there are only so many wifi channels and as more users receive/send data via wifi over those limited number of channels, every transmitter (modem or router) has to wait for an opportunity to transmit its data. During the day, when most people in a residential neighbourhood are at work, those modems or routers are still up and running, but, with no traffic to transmit, they might only be transmitting their wifi beacons, so, very little traffic on any wifi channel within a given geographic area. Later in the evening, with everyone home, gaming, streaming, etc, etc, the amount of traffic probably goes up exponentially, all of which is running over a limited number of channels. That problem will only get worse as wifi use grows every month/year. So, not good news.
The fact that your tv is upstairs is also part of the problem as any wifi equipment on a higher floor has a larger Radio Frequency horizon and range, and as a result can see a good many more transmitters in operation, all of which cause that device to run fewer transmit opportunities. Wifi is a first come, first serve system. When a given channel goes silent, as in the transmitting device has completed its data transmission, that starts a pseudo random timer in all wifi adapters on that channel (within a given RF range). The first device to transmit claims the channel for its use. Every other device which recognizes that the channel is now occupied has to wait. So, with more data running thru all of the various networks, that just slows every network down, possibly adding to any slow data issues that you might be experiencing at the local node or CMTS.
Can you do anything about it? First or second thing to do is to determine if you see the same problem with wired devices. Next, you can optimize the settings for your wifi networks and determine whom you're competing with for usable wifi channels to select the best channel to use. Beyond that its time to look at alternative methods of distributing data around your home, which includes using ethernet if its available or MoCA 2.0 adapters connected to the cable system that exists in your home.
First step, check out a wired tv. I leave that to you to determine the easiest way to do it. Use another tv, or move the existing tv, or run a long enough ethernet cable for test purposes.
Next, the wifi settings. You didn't indicate which network you were using, 2.4 or 5 Ghz. Using a 5 Ghz network should normally be the first choice, but, that depends on what you find when you look at your wifi environment. So .....
.....can you check/set the following 2.4 Ghz wifi parameters:
Wireless Mode: 802.11 n
Channel Bandwidth: 20/40 Mhz, although, for test puposes you could set this to 20 Mhz. In a crowded wifi environment, I would set this for 20 Mhz. It will default to 20 Mhz in a crowded environment.
Wireless channel: AUTO or, to an open channel if one existed, or to the channel that offers the least interference from neighboring routers and modems as seen with a wifi monitoring application listed below.
WPS Enabled: OFF
Security Mode: WPA-Personal
Auth Mode: WPA2-PSK
Encrypt Mode: AES only
Check/set the following 5 Ghz wifi parameters:
Wireless Mode: 802.11 a/n/ac mixed
Channel Bandwidth: 80 Mhz, although, for test puposes you could set this to 40 Mhz
Wireless channel: 149 to 165 Use this higher channel range as it runs higher transmit power levels.
WPS Enabled: OFF
Security Mode: WPA-Personal
Auth Mode: WPA2-PSK
Encrypt Mode: AES only
If you had to change any parameters, reboot your router after the changes have been saved.
Next, look at your wifi environment and see who else you're competing with for usable channels. Load one of the following wifi scanners onto a laptop and then do a walk about, around your home and upstairs to see what the channel situation looks like. I'd recommend the following order for selection:
Lizard systems wifi scanner
inSSIDer lite (I run a licenced version of this, but the lite version is probably fairly close)
Acrylic
These can be found at the following locations:
inSSIDer Lite: Requires a freebie account set up to use it. That is displayed when you go to download the application.
Lizard Systems wifi scanner:
https://lizardsystems.com/wi-fi-scanner/
A freebie home user licence can be obtained by using the Get Licence link for the Wifi Scanner on the following page:
https://lizardsystems.com/purchase/
Acrylic wifi scanner which is also free:
https://www.acrylicwifi.com/en/
WifiInfoView. Within the options section there are multiple data displays, one of which is the % utilization of the wifi channels. I don't know if this is a calculated number or a number collected from those routers and modems that transmit that data. In any event, you will see a difference between the day and night utilization of the displayed channels
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/wifi_information_view.html
When you walk about your home with the wifi scanner running, keep in mind which channel you are using and have a look at the graphical display on the Lizard Systems or inSSIDer display. That will show you just how many other network are running on your channel. Stop in place for two to three minutes so that the application has enough time to adjust to the new location in your home. You can sort the data in the text data display by selecting the column titles to sort the data up or down. Sorting the channel column will allow you to determine how many networks are running on each channel. Sometimes there are too many to determine from the graphical display, so, sorting the text data is the only way to determine that.
Ok, so, thats a starting point. It should keep you busy for a day or two.
Do you happen to have ethernet cabling installed within the walls of your home? If you don't know, take a wallplate off the wall that has a cable or telepone port and have a look behind the wallplate for other cabling that does not have any connectors installed. Structured wiring, if installed usually consists of two RG-6 cables for satellite or cable tv, one Cat-5e cable for ethernet, and one Cat 3, possibly a Cat-5e for telephones. Typically contractors will install one connector and tuck the rest of the cabling behind the wallplate, where it sits until its discovered by the homeowner and put to use. So, thats another question to answer, whether or not that cable bundle is installed in your home. If the house is built within the last 15 years or so, there's a good chance that its installed, just not completed to its full potential.
If you don't have ethernet cabling available, its also possible to use the existing cable network in the home by using a pair, or more, of Actiontec ethernet to cable adapters, or use a cable to wifi adapter. Here's a couple of Youtube videos on that subject. They're a little simplistic as there is more to setting these up, but, they're a fair demonstration of the capability of MoCA 2.0 adapters:
Actiontec ECB6200K02 Bonded MOCA 2.0 Review - Extend a network with cable TV wires!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhCaZqxVAJE
Actiontec MOCA 2.0 802.11ac Wireless Network Extender Review - WCB6200Q02
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKqKISkgU7M
Hope this helps.....
@Stromey, is the Netgear booster a Netgear Repeater? Just want to make sure I understand. Repeaters usually end up cutting the throughput rates due to their channel usage.
The Android box is an Android TV?
Is there any way to test that tv with a direct connection to the router, just to determine if this is a cable system issue, a wifi issue, or a combination of both?
Do you see any slow data issues with the wired equipment at night?
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