Why is Internet slow through router?

[Ronson10]

Hello,

I'm having an issue with my Internet at my house and I really hope someone can provide assistance.

I have Comcast 100mbps internet. When connected directly to my modem, which I bought myself, my laptops (I've tried multiple) get speeds of 120+ every single time. When I have ethernet plugged into my router (linksys ac1200 model ea6100) I get random speeds but mostly between 10mbps-20mbps. Again I have tried this on multiple laptops and my android TV. Same result for all. When using WiFi. The first few times on 5ghz I saw speeds of 60ish, but since has been constantly below 10mbps. I have even tried standing right next to it. Only my phone has ac so it was the only thing connected.
When trying the 2.4ghz, same result. Often below 10mbps. I have tried 2 phones, 3 computers, Android TV, the results are the same. I have tried just having one device connected but mostly there are 3-4 connected. The result is always crap.

Other things I've tried: my old 120n linksys router. WiFi sucks on this too. My co-worker let me borrow his dual band 600n netgear. The ethernet connection was 100mbps. Which is awesome. But the WiFi was hovering around 30.

Im at a loss of what the issue is. If the only answer is spend $250 on top of the line router I'll be pretty upset. I am thinking about buying one at Walmart and returning it if I see the same speeds.

Thanks in advance

 

[leo2kp]

Have you done a factory reset and firmware update on the router? Also I'd be more concerned if ethernet performance was not closer to full internet performance, especially if you've got gigabit eithernet ports.

Wireless can be effected by so many variables. You may have interference from other wireless radios in the area, which is probably why your friend's router doesn't post much above 30mbps. Also verify the link-speed of your wireless devices to make sure they're similar to the speedtest results (or whatever you're using). I have a D-Link AC3200 and if my linkspeed to my cell phone is 170mb, I usually don't get the full 122mb internet speed over wifi.

 

[Ronson10]

Thanks for the response.

Yes, I did start out with a factory reset.
I don't have gigabit ethernet ports. But them getting 10-20 just doesn't make sense. I had previously checked the other wireless networks in the area and made sure that both my 2.4ghz and 5 were both on different channels. I'm not sure what you mean by link speed. But I know I've had near 90mbps on my phone before. But can't get more than 20 on own wifi

 

[leo2kp]

100mb ethernet should still saturate 100mb worth of your internet, so you should see 100mb on speedtest. In other words, it doesn't make sense. Since plugging directly in to your router seems to work fine, I would say your router needs to be repaired, replaced, or updated.

By linkspeed I mean the speed at which your wireless devices are connecting to your wireless router. Think of it as wireless ethernet. If you were connected to a gigabit port, your linkspeed would be 1gbps. For a 100mb port, it's 100mbps. It can be more difficult to see on a phone but if you open the WiFi settings and select the network you're connected to, sometimes it'll tell you the speed of your connection. If you're real close to the router, you should get nearly max performance depending on the frequency and protocol (5ghz N, AC, etc), but if you have one radio in your router and you have a Wireless G device connecting to it, every other device will connect at that speed. That's why dual and triple band routers with smart balancing are getting so popular.

You've done a reset, but what about a firmware update?

 

[Ronson10]

Sorry if I misspoke, but ethernet connection from the router is not OK. I'm get 15mbps speeds. I understand what you are talking about with link speeds. Not sure what they are though.

Right now just did some speed test

Galaxy s6 on 5ghz ac only device on it.
95 twice, from the Baltimore, MD server
Then moved to 2.4ghz n
Just got 55 and 60

Now the confusing thing. Used Harrisburg server and I got 2! Why is Harrisburg so slow.

Also tried my ethernet connected android TV from both locations and got 15 and 20

None of it makes sense, I don't know why the server makes that much of a difference. And I wouldn't care if it wasn't for the fact that my real world speeds are terrible. Like website page takes forever to load slow.

Thanks again for at least giving me ideas, I appreciate it

 

[leo2kp]

Nope you didn't misspeak, I was agreeing with you. It means that the issue is probably router vs WiFi only. However your 5ghz 90mb result seems OK for a 100mb internet pipe. Depending on how many antennas you have in a particular device, 2.4ghz N can cap as low as 74mb I believe, so a lot of this really depends on what the linkspeed is for each device.

What about powering off and unplugging ALL network devices including PCs, blueray players, laptops, tablets, printers, except for one test device. Do a power cycle of the modem and router, and if you can, release any local IP leases on the router to make sure it doesn't throttle speeds due to ghost devices. Then run speedtest. Might be worth trying on both a wired and wireless device.

 

[Ronson10]

I will try that out tonight and see how that goes. I do have a baby monitor that is always on. Can't remember if it's wireless g or n. I suppose if it's g, that means it would be slowing down everything else on the 2.4ghz

 

[leo2kp]

Ahhh yea, those are well-known for killing WiFi performance. Worth a test for sure.

 

[ms5555]

Baby monitor will destroy your internet wifi speed. They are notorious for interference. Even just turning off the receiver should be enough to get a big boost. I have a video one and internet will be unusable if the receiver is on my desk. Turn it off, wait 30 seconds and it will function normally.

 

[Ronson10]

Well it doesn't seem that the WiFi baby monitor (it's actually a foscam security camera) had an impact. Ran some speed tests with it off and nothing changed. I give up... I'm going to spend money on a better router. Hope that's fixes the problem.

Thanks for all the suggestions, once I have a new one I'll post if that makes a difference

 

[leo2kp]

Worth a shot, hope that fixes it for you! May as go with a router with Gigabit ethernet ports. If you get one with 100mb ethernet ports, you won't get full access to your internet speeds.