Router's Download Speed Significantly Drops When Switching From Ethernet To Wi-Fi

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
kylenguy3n

kylenguy3n

Commendable
Jul 26, 2016
14
0
1,510
Ok so I have a Linksys EA3500 Smart WiFi router which is connected to my Cisco DPC3825 Modem/Router that I got for free for using internet from Shaw. This modem is set only to specifically be a modem, and not a router. My download speed is 60 mbps which is my plan right now, and I occasionally get up to 70 mbps luckily when connected via ethernet to my router.

However, whenever I switch from using cable ethernet directly from the Linksys router to my computer to using the router's WiFi, my internet download speed significantly drops to 20 mbps, and I am still right beside my router. The ping also worsens. This is absurd, because I receive horrible download speeds even though I'm basically next to the router, with a jumping ping. I don't use the router option of my modem, because the WiFi signal is weak and can only go up to the adjacent rooms, so I use this router, but I really cannot since the speeds decrease to a point that it doesn't even matter.

I have tried using 5 other devices to see if the result is the same, including my phone, my friend's phones and laptop, and my smart TV in the same room, and they all experience close to the same speed. Using the WiFi in the next room I can only get up to 8 mbps and the other rooms are a no show. Is there any way to fix this issue, or must I get a new router (never touching a linksys router again)?
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
basroil

basroil

Glorious
Oct 19, 2013
8,698
1
46,960
What did you think would happen when comparing 1gbps ethernet to ~250mbps wifi?

Most likely though the main issue is that your computer's wifi is absolutely horrible, rather than the router's fault.

Just make sure that your modem is ONLY a modem and the actual router is teh linksys one! (read the manuals)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
kylenguy3n

kylenguy3n

Commendable
Jul 26, 2016
14
0
1,510


I tried 5 other devices, and the same result was apparent. Yes my modem is set to be only a modem, so it's not that either.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
basroil

basroil

Glorious
Oct 19, 2013
8,698
1
46,960


Hard to say without knowing specificaitons for everything. Most likely your settings are at fault, either you're not using 5ghz band, getting interference from other routers in the area, etc
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
kylenguy3n

kylenguy3n

Commendable
Jul 26, 2016
14
0
1,510


My router does have that 5 Ghz option, but some of my devices don't seem to have the right technology to read that band, so I'm stuck using the 2.4 Ghz option. I don't think it's any other routers either, because there's only two other routers nearby that are only 1 bar each and I am on a different channel from both my neighbours, so I get the least interference.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
J

JohnnyBoy05

Reputable
May 8, 2015
133
0
4,760
The 20 meg down speed is typical over 2.4ghz wifi. You can't expect 2.4ghz to compete with even cat5 munch less cat5e or cat6 network cable. Now how you walk into the next room and the signal gets weak is concerning. Either you have some very thick walls that's not allowing the wifi through or you have a bad router.
 
Upvote -1 Downvote
D

dudeman509

Dignified
Jan 23, 2015
4,077
35
17,040
Or interference from other WiFi networks, etc.

If you have devices that can use 5 GHz, use 5 GHz on those. My 2.4 GHz is on the same channel as tons of other networks around me and works at about 1/3 the speed of my 5 GHz, which is on a channel that no neighbors use.
 
Upvote 1 Downvote
J

JohnnyBoy05

Reputable
May 8, 2015
133
0
4,760
Dudeman also brings up a good point. If you have a lot of neighbors all on the same frequency it can very well cause congestion which will slow things down. Sometimes logging into the router and changing the channel can help that situation out
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
basroil

basroil

Glorious
Oct 19, 2013
8,698
1
46,960


There is absolutely no interference between the two (they were designed with exactly that in mind). I have a dual band wifi with both on, and both work 100% at the same time
 
Upvote 1 Downvote
kylenguy3n

kylenguy3n

Commendable
Jul 26, 2016
14
0
1,510
Well, I could use the 5 Ghz network for my phone which can read it, but everything else doesn't seem to find the network, so that's still a screw-up. However, I tested my internet speed on my phone beside the router using the 5 Ghz network, and I'm am receiving the full 60 mbps speed that I'm paying for, so there's one device for ya. :)

I noticed the 5 Ghz network has a shorter WiFi signal though, so I don't even see the network in the other end of my house, which still sucks since that's where my room is and I can't use the faster network in that room then. I'm thinking of buying an WiFi extender, but I'm not sure how extenders work. I don't want a wireless extender because I know it'll simply take an already weak Wi-Fi signal and reproduce it, which is pretty futile.

Is there such thing as a wired extender? I know it'll extend the download speed without losing any of it, so if I have my router wired to an extender and it'll transmit the strong signal of the router. I've heard of powerline range extenders, but I'm not sure how they work.

Back to my original question, if I put some of my devices on the 5 Ghz network, would that improve the 2.4 Ghz network by having less devices on that one?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
J

JohnnyBoy05

Reputable
May 8, 2015
133
0
4,760
if you got wireless extender you don't want to put it too far away from the router. You want to place if at a distance but also where there is still good wifi, so it will have a good signal to extend. If you plan on running a wire to an extender place it in a central location of your house
 
Upvote -1 Downvote
kylenguy3n

kylenguy3n

Commendable
Jul 26, 2016
14
0
1,510


I already said I'm not looking for a wireless extender, and I'm pretty aware of where I would be putting my wired extender if I know that it even exists
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
basroil

basroil

Glorious
Oct 19, 2013
8,698
1
46,960


1) Your primary goal should be to get as many devices on 802.11ac 5GHz as possible. Thanks to channel jumping and beamforming you will get the best performance that way
2) If you can use an ethernet cable for any additional access points that will improve the situation.
3) Try to improve the location of your current wifi router, make sure that metal appliances (especially microwaves and fridges) are not in line of sight, and that the router is as close to the center of your house as possible.
 
Upvote 1 Downvote
kylenguy3n

kylenguy3n

Commendable
Jul 26, 2016
14
0
1,510
So far the only device I could get on the 5 Ghz network is my phone, as all other devices are incompatible. Also I have a wireless N router, not AC. AC is too expensive and fancy for me.

My house is pretty weird, and the closest... No, the only place I can connect a coaxial cable to my modem is the living room which is on one end of the house, so the other end is a complete dead zone, which is why I am in need of a good extender.

I'm looking at the so called powerline ranger extender which looks like something I could really use, since I don't want to buy an access point, then have a really long ethernet cable connect to that, since it's impossible to drill holes in my house, and I wouldn't want a cable going from one end of my house to the other along the floor. Not sure if powerline extenders support dual-band.

I'm also worried if the powerline adapter would interfere with my router's WiFi network itself. does it act as an actual extender for my router's wireless signal, or would it just create like another separate signal?

http://www.tplink.ca/en/products/details/cat-18_TL-WPA4220KIT.html
This is the powerline range extender kit that I have my eyes on currently.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom