[SOLVED] I have a 1 gig plan and a Moto MB8611 modem. What do I need to do to get 1gig speeds?

Mar 7, 2022
10
0
10
I pay a bunch for 1 Gig and the modem to handle it. I bought a nest wifi system and while it's stable, my speeds are certainly nowhere near1 gig. My iphone 12 gets about 400mbps and a dated win 10 machine about 200 mbps.

I tried a tp-link deco x60 mesh router set-up but while the speed increased by another 100 mbps (wifi 6 vs Nest wifi5), the connection was really unstable. My TVs and computers would hang forever even with upgraded firmware etc. I sent that back. I have a couple weeks before I have to keep this Nest Wifi mesh set-up but honestly, I would really love to get the speeds I'm paying for.

My other question is this....

If I'm getting 400 mbps (iphone 12) on a 1 gig connection, I'f I dropped my connection to say...600 mbps, would I see 200 mbps speed? Does the speed seen in real world always present as a fraction of the speed payed for?

last question,...I tried an ethernet connection on that MB8611 and, wire directly with a cat 6 wire, that ethernet port would only go at 100 mbps speed. No idea on that one.

Thanks all.
 
Solution
Mesh systems aren't designed for high bandwidth. If you do want high bandwidth, make sure you get mesh nodes that have a dedicated backhaul radio. So it should have several radio's built in. The cheap ones you're buying do not have separate radios for the backhaul.

The iphone 12/max only has a 2x2 radio antenna. So with 80mhz wifi channel width, the best connection speed you can attempt is 866mbps, but since wifi is half duplex, the best speedtest you can get is about 433mbps with an 866mbps connection rate. It doesn't matter what wifi you buy, your phone is the weakest link.

You can attempt 160mhz channel width on wifi 6, and you'll get about 1732mbps connection speed, and 866mbps speedtest since wifi is half duplex. But...

JohnMGotts

Reputable
Dec 7, 2020
193
21
4,615
I pay a bunch for 1 Gig and the modem to handle it. I bought a nest wifi system and while it's stable, my speeds are certainly nowhere near1 gig. My iphone 12 gets about 400mbps and a dated win 10 machine about 200 mbps.

I tried a tp-link deco x60 mesh router set-up but while the speed increased by another 100 mbps (wifi 6 vs Nest wifi5), the connection was really unstable. My TVs and computers would hang forever even with upgraded firmware etc. I sent that back. I have a couple weeks before I have to keep this Nest Wifi mesh set-up but honestly, I would really love to get the speeds I'm paying for.

My other question is this....

If I'm getting 400 mbps (iphone 12) on a 1 gig connection, I'f I dropped my connection to say...600 mbps, would I see 200 mbps speed? Does the speed seen in real world always present as a fraction of the speed payed for?

last question,...I tried an ethernet connection on that MB8611 and, wire directly with a cat 6 wire, that ethernet port would only go at 100 mbps speed. No idea on that one.

Thanks all.
Having no idea what NIC your pc uses or what hardware it encompasses, I can only assume that the speed you see is resultant of a PC with limitations.

Iphone 12 users have reported issues regarding wifi speed. Try these remedies and adhere to ALL the suggestions.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhp0AJwGGXE
PS Cat6 and Cat5E are backward compatible. 6 is just shielded better.
 

kanewolf

Titan
Moderator
I pay a bunch for 1 Gig and the modem to handle it. I bought a nest wifi system and while it's stable, my speeds are certainly nowhere near1 gig. My iphone 12 gets about 400mbps and a dated win 10 machine about 200 mbps.

I tried a tp-link deco x60 mesh router set-up but while the speed increased by another 100 mbps (wifi 6 vs Nest wifi5), the connection was really unstable. My TVs and computers would hang forever even with upgraded firmware etc. I sent that back. I have a couple weeks before I have to keep this Nest Wifi mesh set-up but honestly, I would really love to get the speeds I'm paying for.

My other question is this....

If I'm getting 400 mbps (iphone 12) on a 1 gig connection, I'f I dropped my connection to say...600 mbps, would I see 200 mbps speed? Does the speed seen in real world always present as a fraction of the speed payed for?

last question,...I tried an ethernet connection on that MB8611 and, wire directly with a cat 6 wire, that ethernet port would only go at 100 mbps speed. No idea on that one.

Thanks all.
You will have to get a WIFI6E router to have a chance of gigabit wireless.
 
Mar 7, 2022
10
0
10
So have you guys seen this issue where the speed is good but the connection is spotty?

initially, I was psyched to see the speeds but the connection would drop or be unresponsive all day.

are there Wi-Fi 6 systems out there that will be better in that regard that you can recommend? I’m not quite ready to jump into tri band yet as the cost is just too much for my needs. A nice reliable Wi-Fi 6, 2 node system that has rock solid internet connectivity is all I’m looking for.

the deco x60 was NOT the answer.
Thanks all
 

kanewolf

Titan
Moderator
So have you guys seen this issue where the speed is good but the connection is spotty?

initially, I was psyched to see the speeds but the connection would drop or be unresponsive all day.

are there Wi-Fi 6 systems out there that will be better in that regard that you can recommend? I’m not quite ready to jump into tri band yet as the cost is just too much for my needs. A nice reliable Wi-Fi 6, 2 node system that has rock solid internet connectivity is all I’m looking for.

the deco x60 was NOT the answer.
Thanks all
Mesh systems with wireless backhaul will always be inferior to wired connectivity. WIFI has too many external variables.
 
Mar 7, 2022
10
0
10
I completely understand this. But if ya can’t do you wireless back haul?

I’m just asking if there is a wifi6 mesh system out there that has decent speeds and no connection issues.

I know I won’t ever get gig speed wirelessly. I just want better than Wi-Fi 5 wirelessly with a stable connection.

the other issue is that the Ethernet port on my MB8611 only has a speed of 100mbps when connected with a cat 6 connection.
 

kanewolf

Titan
Moderator
I completely understand this. But if ya can’t do you wireless back haul?

I’m just asking if there is a wifi6 mesh system out there that has decent speeds and no connection issues.

I know I won’t ever get gig speed wirelessly. I just want better than Wi-Fi 5 wirelessly with a stable connection.

the other issue is that the Ethernet port on my MB8611 only has a speed of 100mbps when connected with a cat 6 connection.
IMO, nobody can answer this for you. Your WIFI environment is different from everybody else.
 
Mesh systems aren't designed for high bandwidth. If you do want high bandwidth, make sure you get mesh nodes that have a dedicated backhaul radio. So it should have several radio's built in. The cheap ones you're buying do not have separate radios for the backhaul.

The iphone 12/max only has a 2x2 radio antenna. So with 80mhz wifi channel width, the best connection speed you can attempt is 866mbps, but since wifi is half duplex, the best speedtest you can get is about 433mbps with an 866mbps connection rate. It doesn't matter what wifi you buy, your phone is the weakest link.

You can attempt 160mhz channel width on wifi 6, and you'll get about 1732mbps connection speed, and 866mbps speedtest since wifi is half duplex. But there's only 2 160mhz channels on 5ghz, and with your mesh system using some for backhaul, you'll get too much interference and dropouts. But it would be fun for a quick test to set it to 160mhz channel width, if your system even allows it.

The only way to get faster speeds is with WIFI 6E which uses the 6ghz band and has way more 160mhz channels. But your iPhone doesn't have wifi 6E so that's pointless. You'll probably need to wait for the iPhone 14 to get wifi 6E.

Other than that, for game consoles and computers, you need to hardwire for gigabit internet. You'll never achieve those speeds with WIFI until you get Wifi 6E. Even then, it'll probably only be in the same room as the main router.
 
Solution
Mar 7, 2022
10
0
10
Anyone have the name of a mesh system they think is high quality and not ridiculous cost? I’ve tried the Nest Wi-Fi (slower Wi-Fi 5) and the deco x60 ( faster Wi-Fi 6 dual channel but the connection wasn’t stable. Both of those mesh systems were $220- 250 .

thanks!
 
Wifi 5 and 6 are nearly the same speed (433 vs 600mbps), except wifi 6 will be more efficient when you have high wifi congestion.

Wifi 6E at 6ghz will give you double the speed you get now.

But at those prices, you’re better off paying an electrician to run 1-2 ethernet wires around the house.
 
Last edited:
At those prices, you’re better off with a wifi 5 system that has a separate radio for backhaul. Netgear calls it TriBand, but it’s not really triband. It just has a separate 5ghz radio for backhaul on a different channel.

Wifi 6 wont give much faster speeds using 80mhz channel width under normal conditions. OFDMA can help wifi 6 during heavy congestion.
 
Last edited:

kanewolf

Titan
Moderator
But at those prices, you’re better off paying an electrician to run 1-2 ethernet wires around the house.
I will second that ... SORT OF. Get a low voltage cable installation specialist if possible rather than an electrician.
Low voltage installation specialists have specialized tools that allow them to get cables into seemingly impossible locations without damaging the house.
 
Mar 7, 2022
10
0
10
Thanks so much for your replies guys.

so you’re saying that there is no performance benefit from going from Wi-Fi 5 to Wi-Fi 6? Reason I ask is that I DID see a performance boost. The only problem was that the connection wasn’t stable. I consider that more of a manufacturing issue more than a difference in protocols.

No one can suggest a set-up? Asus? Netgear? Erro 6?
 
Theorectically with a 2x2 antenna found in most laptops and most smartphones, though some high end smartphones have 3x3 or 4x4, you can get a maximum speedtest of 433mbps in wifi 5 and 600mbps on wifi 6.

Also, in times of high congestion like multiiple users moving heavy amounts of data, wifi 6 will also be faster for all users thanks to OFDMA.

In the real world when you're away from the router, they pull in nearly the same speeds with a slight edge to wifi 6.

The reason your mesh system is so flaky is because the cheaper mesh systems do not have a dedicated backhaul radio. Look for Mesh systems labeled "Tri Band" which will likely utilize a 4x4 backhaul radio. It'll give you a much more stable and faster connection between nodes.

If I were shopping for a MESH system on a budget, the Linksys Velop AX4000 appears to be the best bang for the buck, but is slightly over your budget at $299 on amazon. I haven't used it personally, but the reviews are fairly solid and it has a dedicated backhaul radio. Keep in mind that the backhaul radio is 4x4 which is used for communication between nodes. The client radio which connects the node to your iPhone is only 2x2 so you'll have a max theoretical speedtest of 600mbps. Higher end models have a 4x4 antenna for the client radio, but the price goes up and very few client devices have more than a 2x2 antenna. So they can't even use the full 4x4 antenna anyways.
 
Mar 7, 2022
10
0
10
Thanks guys. After much research I decided to give to link another shot but with the x68 . It’s actually the w7200 from Walmart which I’m told is the same thing as the x68 but branded for Walmart. It was $230 for a dual node set-up.

tri band Wi-Fi 6. I’m praying it doesn’t have the same connectivity issues as the x60.

thanks again for all your help.
 
Mar 7, 2022
10
0
10
Deco x68 is a fail as well. Slightly better speeds but connectivity was less solid than the nest Wi-Fi.

I also have 2 older laptops that would not recognize the router. I would see all the other networks in my building but the deco.

going back.

think I’m just gonna go with a Wi-Fi 5 mesh system that works until prices come down on Wi-Fi 6E.

no idea why deco network wouldn’t show on those laptops. Anyone?
 
This is the reason why everyone on here says mesh systems are bad. Because they are. What kind of speeds are you getting and what speeds are you looking for?

A MOCA backhaul with a cheap mesh/accesspoint system will be better than any mesh wifi only system.

Do you have a cable coax port near the main mesh router and mesh secondary node?
 
Mar 7, 2022
10
0
10
Deco x68 is a fail as well. Slightly better speeds but connectivity was less solid than the nest Wi-Fi.

I also have 2 older laptops that would not recognize the router. I would see all the other networks in my building but the deco.

going back.


think I’m just gonna go with a Wi-Fi 5 mesh system that works until prices come down on Wi-Fi 6E.

no idea why deco network wouldn’t show on those laptops. Anyone?
This is the reason why everyone on here says mesh systems are bad. Because they are. What kind of speeds are you getting and what speeds are you looking for?

A MOCA backhaul with a cheap mesh/accesspoint system will be better than any mesh wifi only system.

Do you have a cable coax port near the main mesh router and mesh secondary node?
exactly. Cable comes in, splits to cable box and MB6811 modem and then cat 6 to router. I have yet to wire the back haul though I plan to. Honestly the speeds coming off the wireless mesh node are decent enough (200 ish on my studio daw). I couldn’t get 60 mgs before. iPhone 12 gets 300 back there. At the main nest node (wired) I’m getting 500 on iPhone and 200 on desktop (about 15 ft away).

I’m not exactly sure what to expect.

my lastest question is this…. If I’m paying for 1gig, and only pulling 200 from my desktop, that’s 20% of what I pay for. If I drop my plan to 600 mbps (at a much cheaper price), would I only get 20% of that (100mbps or so)? Or would I still get 200mbps?
 

kanewolf

Titan
Moderator
my lastest question is this…. If I’m paying for 1gig, and only pulling 200 from my desktop, that’s 20% of what I pay for. If I drop my plan to 600 mbps (at a much cheaper price), would I only get 20% of that (100mbps or so)? Or would I still get 200mbps?
It is likely that you would continue to get 200Mbit. Your limitation is not your WAN speed, so your performance should be unimpacted.
 
exactly. Cable comes in, splits to cable box and MB6811 modem and then cat 6 to router. I have yet to wire the back haul though I plan to. Honestly the speeds coming off the wireless mesh node are decent enough (200 ish on my studio daw). I couldn’t get 60 mgs before. iPhone 12 gets 300 back there. At the main nest node (wired) I’m getting 500 on iPhone and 200 on desktop (about 15 ft away).

I’m not exactly sure what to expect.

my lastest question is this…. If I’m paying for 1gig, and only pulling 200 from my desktop, that’s 20% of what I pay for. If I drop my plan to 600 mbps (at a much cheaper price), would I only get 20% of that (100mbps or so)? Or would I still get 200mbps?

Wait, your desktop is only 15ft away, it should be getting the same as the iPhone if it's in the same room and only 15ft. What wifi adapter do you have on your desktop?

200mbps at the far node sounds about what I expect for a mesh system without a wired backhaul.

I would only have a gigabit plan if you need the additional upload speed, or if you hardwire it to your desktop. There's no other reason to have a gigabit plan unless you have Wifi 6E with wired backhaul to your far node.

If you have another COAX port in the house near the far node, I would buy a pair of these https://www.amazon.com/goCoax-Ethernet-Bandwidth-existing-MA2500D/dp/B08XWC4JGB to feed the far node full gigabit speed.
 
Last edited: