WiFi extremely slow, ethernet works perfectly fine...

[andrew_l_s]

As the title states I'm having issues with WiFi being extremely slow, as in typically <1mb download/upload speeds, yet when plugged into ethernet the speeds are completely fine.

Here's a breakdown of the setup:
-Internet is 55/5 from Armstrong cable
-Router is TP-LINK TL-R860 8-port wired router
-Access point is TP-LINK TL-WA801ND 2.4ghz 802.11n

Plugged directly into the modem speeds are right where they should be, same with plugged into the TL router. However over WiFi it's completely useless.

I've tried every possible fix I can think of. The modem has been replaced with Armstrong's latest model. I've tried 5 different access points, two old Netgear wireless routers (with DHCP disabled for AP only use), two different TL-WA801ND models, which have been tested at 2 other locations with the same setup and work perfectly fine, and a D-Link wireless router (again set up for AP use only). With all 5 speeds are absurdly low.

I've tried using the Netgears in router mode (4 ports isn't enough for what I need but I did this just for testing purposes) and the same issues persist. It's especially troubling here as the wired and wireless aspects are coming from the same piece of hardware but the difference in speed is still enormous.

I've scanned the surrounding area and tried manually selecting a channel that was unused/suggested by the scanning tool (built in Mac network analyzer), that has no effect. I've tried setting the AP up with a static IP, still same issue. I've tried using internet sharing on my Mac (which is plugged into ethernet with perfectly fine speeds) to create an AP, even connected to that the speeds are absurdly slow.

Like I mentioned this same setup (TP-LINK 8-port wired router with TP-LINK access point plugged in for wireless capabilities) is used in two other locations and it works flawlessly. Both of those have Time Warner Cable, that's the only difference. I have taken this hardware and tried it elsewhere, and brought known working hardware from those other locations to where I'm having issues and the slow WiFi speeds persist.

At this point I'm out of ideas. I cannot think of any possible issues, except for some kind of signal interference. I'm willing to try anything, as not having WiFi in a business is a huge pain. Any suggestions are appreciated, if you need more info I'm happy to provide. Thanks in advance

 

[Ralston18]

Are you in a business area (e.g., industrial park, office building, small strip mall...)? Residential? Maybe someone is jamming things.....

Are there other businesses around? Maybe visit a few of them and see if they are having wireless problems?

Any airports, military facilities, or factories nearby?

Wander around outside and look for things like cameras, antennas, cables, anything at all that could suggest a possible source of interference.

Do you have any IT type friends or family? Someone who can bring in a some higher level of scanner to see what may be going on?

Just some ideas to consider.

 

[Nophut]

Are you using a usb wifi adaptor?

 

[Faux_Grey]

Hi.

Many things can alter Wifi performance.
The AP (access point) you've got is a 300Mbps 2.4Ghz Radio, most likely 1x1@40mhz (hence 300Mbps)

300Mbps = 37.5MB / 2 (duplex) = ~18MB/s in absolute perfect conditions.

Absolute perfect conditions are impossible to achieve in a Wifi environment, at the 2.4Ghz spectrum you'll face interference from almost every single device.

Things that cause interference:

Itself (reflection)
Neighbor Wifi.
Bluetooth Devices
Wireless Keyboard/Mouse
Cordless Phones
Microwaves
Electrical transformers

Wifi is half-duplex in nature, so theoretically, each device that you have connected (laptop, phone, tablet) is halving the available speed per radio in a logarithmic manner. (non linear)

So, 1 device = 18MB/s
2 devices = 9MB/s
3 devices = 6MB/s
4 devices = 3MB/s

And that's in perfect world conditions, once you take into account interference from other devices, radio reflection and packet loss, wireless speeds can drop dramatically.

Older devices on your wifi network can also slow it down.
I'm sure you're familiar with the wireless names like A, B, G, N, AC.
Each of those is a progressively newer standard that supports newer speeds, but in your home network if you have a wireless AC access point, and connect to it with a wireless AC laptop, you will get AC speeds.
If you then connect a wireless G device to the same network, everything has to slow down to G speeds.


In your wifi scanner application, you can probably see other SSIDs (wireless names) on different channels under the 2.4Ghz spectrum. Usually channels 1 through 13 depending on your country.

Channels at 2.4Ghz tend to overlap, here's a diagram to help explain: https://programmingsoul.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/2-4ghz-wifi-channels-3-overlapping.png

2.4Ghz wifi has a "spectrum" it covers. Long story short, Channel 1, 6 and 11 are recommended as they give the least interference. Channel 9, would interfere with channel 6 and 11 due to the spectrum overlap as seen in the image.

Ideally, you want an entire "bubble" free of interference on that channel.
Your AP, to get to 300Mbps most likely runs at a channel width (the size of the bubble) of 40Mhz, meaning to get 300Mbps you need a completely clear spectrum from channel 1-6, or 6-11.

(see image) http://image.slidesharecdn.com/brkewn-3016radiodeisng-111213164144-phpapp01/95/understanding-rf-fundamentals-and-the-radio-design-of-wireless-networks-59-728.jpg?cb=1324564690

Now most likely, you're not able to do any of that because someone living next to you has stupidly put their AP on channel 5 or something.

In order to get the best performance, you'll need to get proper Wifi Access points that run at the relatively unused frequency of 5Ghz, where there is much less interference, and much more channels to go around.

A better router will also come with more Radios.

Each radio will broadcast the same Wifi name, but will try to share the devices between them.
In the example I used above, a dual radio setup would not slow down as much if more devices were connected.
It will also prevent slower (B/G) devices from slowing down the faster devices (N/AC) as it could potentially put the slower devices on one radio, and the fast devices on another.

So, 1 device = 18MB/s
2 devices = 18MB/s
3 devices = 18/9MB/s
4 devices = 9/9MB/s

In that case, each radio runs at a different channel/frequency so each device doesn't interfere with each other.

Ideally, you'd want a router like this: https://www.netgear.com/home/products/networking/wifi-routers/R6220.aspx#tab-techspecs

Which supports 2.4 and 5ghz multi-radio.

Distance to access point also affects speed as the signal degrades, ideally you want to be in the same room as the access point, with nothing obstructing line-of-sight between your device and the access point.