Mesh network is slow

[dentalexel]

I have verizon fios with 150 mbps up and down. I have a 4 story townhouse. I was using the verizon router on the first floor with a verizon range extender on the 4th floor and basically getting the full 150mbps up and down. Occasionally the wifi extender would get wonky and I had to reboot it. So I thought google wifi would be better. I attached an onhub router to the verizon modem/router on the first floor. Then I setup one google wifi on each additional floor. The google wifi asked me if I wanted to attach to the verizon network or the onhub network so I used the onhub network. When I use this now I get speeds of about 75- 90 mbps. So my questions are why is it slower? Do I still want to use it? Should I re-connect the google wifi units to the verizon router instead of the onhub router and just get rid of the onhub router. I'm confused as to where the benefit is for me.

 

[robber]

So you have google wifi with nat enabled assigning ips on a 192.168.86.xxx subnet? Have you tried the mesh test within the app? What does that report?

Step 1 is always to reboot everything. This seems important especially for google wifi. Lots of people reporting a reboot has fixed initial slow speeds.

2nd, I would choose a speedtest site and ensure that you use the same one every time, and that you are also using the same server if it is an app like speedtest.net that has multiple servers in many locations. Results can vary drastically, even when everything is identical so you need to limit variables.

Connect a laptop or pic via Ethernet to the main gwifi host node and see what speeds you get.

I would reconnect to the Verizon wireless ap directly and revalidate you can get 150 mbps.

I would download a wifi diagnostic tool for your phone and validate what speed you are connecting to the google wifi APs at. It should be 866 mbps if you have a modern ac capable phone.

Once you have these questions answered, it will be easier to guage best next steps.

You should have no problem getting 150 Mbps across your gwifi nodes.

 

[dentalexel]

I'll try all of those. Interesting though is I was get a steady 150mbp on the vz router and extender throughout the house. Since I installed the google wifi mesh, and have since uninstalled it on my onhub router, the verizon speeds are no longer getting 150mbps and getting something like 60-70. I'll have to call verizon though

 

[Almeuit]

Got my 3 points setup. Man these wifi speed are dumb.

 

[Jaycemiskel]

Man I wish I had your Internet speeds!

 

[dentalexel]

crazy speeds. What were you getting before?

 

[Rukbat]

1. A repeater normally gets half the speed of the main router. But see #2 - you're downloading at the same speed as the router would be, most of the time.

2. 75mbps? You do realize, don't you, that the internet itself rarely exceeds 3mbps for any but the nearest servers? All the rest is bandwidth. So with 75mbps, you can connect about 25 devices running at full internet speeds. Download a file from another continent at 75mbps? Not in 2016. Not in 2020. Maybe by 2030. 75mbps is the speed your device sees to your provider - and that's it. So with the internet being as slow as it is, your provider is constantly getting data for you, but is sending you packets every second or two (and a packet takes a very small fraction of a second to sent even at 75mbps). Increase the speed to your provider to 1GBps and you won't download any faster - your provider is still getting the file at about 3mbps or slower. Each packet will arrive at higher speed, but the spaces between packets will be almost everything happening - your device will spend most of its time waiting for the next packet. (I laugh when I see 5 people connected at once in a commercial on TV, and they're telling you about the fantastic speed they're selling you. It's like running a Porsche on a muddy crushed rock road - you still can't go faster than about 20 without the risk of destroying the car and killing yourself. My neighbor is faster on his bike.)

 

[Almeuit]

1. A repeater normally gets half the speed of the main router. But see #2 - you're downloading at the same speed as the router would be, most of the time.

2. 75mbps? You do realize, don't you, that the internet itself rarely exceeds 3mbps for any but the nearest servers? All the rest is bandwidth. So with 75mbps, you can connect about 25 devices running at full internet speeds. Download a file from another continent at 75mbps? Not in 2016. Not in 2020. Maybe by 2030. 75mbps is the speed your device sees to your provider - and that's it. So with the internet being as slow as it is, your provider is constantly getting data for you, but is sending you packets every second or two (and a packet takes a very small fraction of a second to sent even at 75mbps). Increase the speed to your provider to 1GBps and you won't download any faster - your provider is still getting the file at about 3mbps or slower. Each packet will arrive at higher speed, but the spaces between packets will be almost everything happening - your device will spend most of its time waiting for the next packet. (I laugh when I see 5 people connected at once in a commercial on TV, and they're telling you about the fantastic speed they're selling you. It's like running a Porsche on a muddy crushed rock road - you still can't go faster than about 20 without the risk of destroying the car and killing yourself. My neighbor is faster on his bike.)

That may be true. Depends what you're doing, Rukbat . When downloading large games and such I actually DO use the connection I get from my ISP to the fullest (1 Gbps). I get it isn't always but there are times it is used / needed / wanted . So I def. disagree that a 1 Gbps connection "doesn't help". Ensure to test before you state fact. From a crappy server I could see a slower download since as you said -- it does rely on them / what they deliver. Such as when downloading Battlefield 1 from Origin it only goes around 50-60 MB/sec since the server won't give me anymore ... But there are SOME that do give the speeds so therefore the speeds DO make a difference.

An example is below when downloading WoW (World Of Warcraft) after re-activating. I stayed around 110-120 MB/sec the whole download.

 

[pmendu]

Got my 3 points setup. Man these wifi speed are dumb. View attachment 248001View attachment 248002

I am only getting 200Mpbs..
I have the main router at line of sight and connected via 5Ghz.

 

[Almeuit]

I am only getting 200Mpbs..
I have the main router at line of sight and connected via 5Ghz.
View attachment 249284

What device?

 

[pmendu]

Pixel XL

 

[ckelly33]

Right now, I have 3 Netgear Nighthawks (R7000) - one as a primary router with the other two changed (via Netgear software) to access points. Two are located in the house (at both ends of the lower level) and the third is in an external garage several yards from the house. All 3 are connected via a wired network (CAT-5) and broadcast the same SSID on 3 separate/distinct channels.

Would I get an advantage to using a mesh network over what I have? I bought the Nighthawks because of fast wireless speeds and longer range).

I am curious about the newer mesh networks. Would I see any improvement or downgrade in performance if I chose to replace my Nighthawks with one of the mesh networks (such as Google's)?

Thanks.