Question Wifi much slower on unbridged modem?

[Pavs93]

I currently use the Cisco DPC3848V modem issued by Shaw, as well as a Netgear Nighthawk (https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/produc...p=knc-s-71700000075180391&gclsrc=ds&gclsrc=ds).

I'm hardwired directly to my desktop PC from my modem. Wifi for the rest of the house uses the Netgear router. My issue is that even when right beside the router, the wifi is usually extremely slow, and takes ages just to load a web page. I was bridged for a while, then unbridged recently and the wifi was perfect for about a day, then went back to being slow again.

Does anyone know why this is happening? My wifi used to work perfectly fine, but one day my power went out a few months ago and it's never been the same since. I like to think i'm pretty tech savvy and know what I'm doing with networking, but I can't seem to figure this out.

 

[Lutfij]

Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

You've mentioned the networking gear from your ISP and the router for your crib. We'll also need to know how you're tethered to the router/WiFi...? What is the make and model of your WiFi adapter for your PC(or a laptop)? You might want to see if the NetGear router has any firmware updates pending. Speaking of pending, check and see what the BIOS version on your platform/motherboard is.

What version of Windows 10, assuming you're on Windows 10, are you on? We're currently on version 20H2.

You might want to see if uninstalling and reinstalling your WiFi adapter's drivers helps alleviate the issue though I'm suspecting a driver and/or OS corruption.

 

[bill001g]

Do you have the netgear wired to your main router from the ISP or are you trying to connect via a wifi repeater mode.

What happens if you disable the wifi radios in the cisco box. Do you use the same or different SSID on the 2 routers. If they are the same maybe you are not actually connecting to the netgear.

 

[Pavs93]

Do you have the netgear wired to your main router from the ISP or are you trying to connect via a wifi repeater mode.

What happens if you disable the wifi radios in the cisco box. Do you use the same or different SSID on the 2 routers. If they are the same maybe you are not actually connecting to the netgear.

So my ISP modem is a modem/router, and when it's unbridged it can act as both - I never have used it for it's wifi capability. Whether it's bridged or unbridged, my third party router is always able to be connected to via wifi and uses a completely different SSID. Another thing I find strange is I no longer have the option of 2.4/5ghz when SSID's pop up under my wifi connections, I used to though.

 

[Pavs93]

Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

You've mentioned the networking gear from your ISP and the router for your crib. We'll also need to know how you're tethered to the router/WiFi...? What is the make and model of your WiFi adapter for your PC(or a laptop)? You might want to see if the NetGear router has any firmware updates pending. Speaking of pending, check and see what the BIOS version on your platform/motherboard is.

What version of Windows 10, assuming you're on Windows 10, are you on? We're currently on version 20H2.

You might want to see if uninstalling and reinstalling your WiFi adapter's drivers helps alleviate the issue though I'm suspecting a driver and/or OS corruption.

I don't have a wifi adapter for my PC. My ISP modem is hardwired via an ethernet cable directly to the back of my desktop (it's a gaming PC). No firmware updates pending for my router that I can see. It's an 8 year old router, however a very expensive one, it might be at the end of its time.

This is my Windows 10 version I'm running: Windows 10 Pro, OS Build 19041.867, last updated 3/10/2021

I don't see how this can have anything to do with my desktop since it doesn't use wifi at all, but I provided that information for you.

 

[bill001g]

I assume you move your ethernet pc to the other router when you put the ISP router in bridge mode. You can only have 1 device attached to the ISP router when it is running as only a modem.

I would try to use the second router as a AP. That way it is not the router part of the device causing issues.

It doesn't make a lot of sense . I would also try plugging a pc into the second router via ethernet. This should be the same as plugging into the main router. What you are testing is maybe there is some issue with the ethernet cable between the 2 routers and it is not a wifi problem.

I would reset the second router and make sure you have the latest patches.....then again if you run it in AP mode the firmware is mostly being bypassed so it should not make much difference.


After that you start to suspect some issue with the wifi radios. it would be very strange for both wifi chips to fail. It would be more it doesn't work on say 2.4 or 5 because they are different chips.

 

[eldridgep2]

Switch off Wi-Fi on the Cisco box and see if the Wi-Fi on the Nighthawk starts behaving and vice versa, check for other wi-fi signals on the channels you nighthawk is using you can use a Wi-Fi scanner app on your phone to do this. Don't like too many wi-fi sources right next to each other.

Could be when the power went out it changed the channels it was working on or a neighbouring wi-fi signal did.

The Nighthawk is a decent box I'd convert the Cisco into modem only style bridged mode and get the nighthawk to do all the heavy lifting acting as your actual router and wi-fi. Just plug the NightHawk into the Cisco everything else into the NightHawk.

Apologies don't know your cable provider but over her Virgin Cable boxes always run better in modem only mode with a decent router/wi-fi system on the other side of them.

 

[Pavs93]

Switch off Wi-Fi on the Cisco box and see if the Wi-Fi on the Nighthawk starts behaving and vice versa, check for other wi-fi signals on the channels you nighthawk is using you can use a Wi-Fi scanner app on your phone to do this. Don't like too many wi-fi sources right next to each other.

Could be when the power went out it changed the channels it was working on or a neighbouring wi-fi signal did.

The Nighthawk is a decent box I'd convert the Cisco into modem only style bridged mode and get the nighthawk to do all the heavy lifting acting as your actual router and wi-fi. Just plug the NightHawk into the Cisco everything else into the NightHawk.

Apologies don't know your cable provider but over her Virgin Cable boxes always run better in modem only mode with a decent router/wi-fi system on the other side of them.

Thanks for the reply. My modem was has been bridged for the last few months and wifi was only available through the Nighthawk & not the modem, and I still had the issue of extremely slow wifi, even right next to the router. Should my ethernet cable be plugged from my desktop directly to the Nighthawk instead of my connected to my modem? I figured it should be from my desktop > modem as that would make the most sense.

Currently, I have an ethernet cable in the back of my desktop going to my modem, and an ethernet cable going from my router to my modem.

 

[eldridgep2]

Absolutely when running as a modem you should only have your router plugged into the modem in the primary LAN port then everything else plugs into the router or runs off the wi-fi on the router.