My parents switched internet providers, from 18/2 service with AT&T to cheaper 100/10 service with Cox. Previously, AT&T provided all of the equipment.
I gave my parents a 24x8 Netgear CM600 (I recently upgraded to a DOCSIS 3.1 modem) and bought them an TP-LINK Archer C7 v4 router for $65 on Newegg. Each of them have an iPad, those are basically only devices in the house. There is an iMac that is rarely used.
The router is in the basement, centrally located. Single story ranch, ~1100sqft - basement is same size.
5Ghz works fine, I can get the full 100/10 pretty much anywhere in the house. However, 2.4Ghz is abysmal on the first floor - I get like 10Mbps - sometimes less. In the basement, router supplies full 100Mbps on 2.4Ghz.
With Netspot, on the first floor I can see 37 (!) 2.4Ghz networks! While in basement, I see eight 2.4Ghz networks. 2.4Ghz works fine down there.
While on first floor, I see only seven 5Ghz networks.
My question is... do I have a broken router? Will another <$150 router have substantially better 2.4Ghz performance? Or is there just crazy interference on 2.4Ghz and I should only use 5Ghz. All devices are 5Ghz capable anyways.
Another data point that may prove its interference.. on day of Cox install, I tried working from their home using Wi-Fi tethering to my iPhone 6S. Wi-Fi menu on laptop showed I was connected on 2.4Ghz for the tethering. I was getting about 6Mbps. I then tethered in wired mode with USB/lightning cable and got about 40Mbps. I left phone in same spot.
Only other device I had around to test with was a ten year old draft-802.11n apple airport express, I tried configuring it as a router and it was unusably slow, <1Mbps.
I gave my parents a 24x8 Netgear CM600 (I recently upgraded to a DOCSIS 3.1 modem) and bought them an TP-LINK Archer C7 v4 router for $65 on Newegg. Each of them have an iPad, those are basically only devices in the house. There is an iMac that is rarely used.
The router is in the basement, centrally located. Single story ranch, ~1100sqft - basement is same size.
5Ghz works fine, I can get the full 100/10 pretty much anywhere in the house. However, 2.4Ghz is abysmal on the first floor - I get like 10Mbps - sometimes less. In the basement, router supplies full 100Mbps on 2.4Ghz.
With Netspot, on the first floor I can see 37 (!) 2.4Ghz networks! While in basement, I see eight 2.4Ghz networks. 2.4Ghz works fine down there.
While on first floor, I see only seven 5Ghz networks.
My question is... do I have a broken router? Will another <$150 router have substantially better 2.4Ghz performance? Or is there just crazy interference on 2.4Ghz and I should only use 5Ghz. All devices are 5Ghz capable anyways.
Another data point that may prove its interference.. on day of Cox install, I tried working from their home using Wi-Fi tethering to my iPhone 6S. Wi-Fi menu on laptop showed I was connected on 2.4Ghz for the tethering. I was getting about 6Mbps. I then tethered in wired mode with USB/lightning cable and got about 40Mbps. I left phone in same spot.
Only other device I had around to test with was a ten year old draft-802.11n apple airport express, I tried configuring it as a router and it was unusably slow, <1Mbps.
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