New modem or WiFi booster?

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bloodywilson

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#162200 1-Feb-2015 21:43

Hi. I have a Fibre Slingshot connection. I can get upwards of 90mpbs when I use the LAN cable but only around 20-30mpbs when using wireless. How can I increase the wifi speed? Do I replace the Slingshot modem of do I buy a wifi booster like Apples Airport Express. Given that Im not all that computer savvy the most simple solution would be best.

johnr

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#1227354 1-Feb-2015 22:10

Have you checked the WiFi channels that are in use around you?

chevrolux

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#1227356 1-Feb-2015 22:15

If you want to get any where near your line speed you need to look at a 5GHz dual chain access point. You will then want to dual chain radio for your laptop/desktop/whatever.
Then you will be able to come close to about 70-80Mbps.
It is never really reasonable to expect the same performance from wireless as the cable. 20-30Mbps is about right for a single chain 2.4GHz wireless link.

michaelmurfy

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#1227372 1-Feb-2015 23:23

I have 200/200mbit service through Snap and have a Wireless AC router.

Over WiFi (802.11n 5GHz):

Over WiFi (802.11ac 5GHz - Phone):

Over WiFi (802.11n 2.4GHz - Phone):

Over Ethernet:

Rule of thumb, no matter how good your router is you're never going to achieve the full speed of your service over WiFi but with a good router you may get close to it. In my case I am using a Fritz!Box 7490 which isn't a bad router but there are other routers (like the Netgear Nighthawk) that have better WiFi speeds again. Personally, I am going to go back to a Mikrotik and install a UniFi AC for wireless but you need to check your channels and ensure you're using the least congested one. I can "see" 17 wireless networks on the 2.4GHz frequency around my house and my router is using the least congested one but 2.4GHz performance is still balls compared to 5GHz N or AC.

Be sure to read Steve Biddles excellent blog post here for an explanation on why you will never achieve full speed over WiFi: http://www.geekzone.co.nz/sbiddle/8728

Michael Murphy | https://murfy.nz
Referral Links: Quic Broadband (use R122101E7CV7Q for free setup)

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sbiddle

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#1227388 2-Feb-2015 07:20

There is absolutely nothing wrong. Those speeds are perfectly within spec for 2.4Ghz WiFi. You may be able to tweak this slightly by going through the normal processes for WiFi optimisation.

If you want to improve your WiFi and have 5Ghz or 5Ghz AC capable hardware I'd suggest buying a new router such as a Netcomm NF8AC which will improve things significantly for 5Ghz capable devices. Don't expect any improvement on 2.4Ghz because there isn't anything wrong.

timmmay

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#1227393 2-Feb-2015 07:30

Why do you need faster than 30mbps on wireless? About the only thing that can take advantage of a faster connection will be a torrent, maybe an occasional local server.

Buy a 5GHz AC access point if you really need faster internet, not a new router.

littleheaven

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#1227907 2-Feb-2015 17:19

I improved my VDSL wireless speeds quite siginficantly by bridging an ASUS AC-RT68-U router to my Spark-supplied modem. It has dual band and you can set up extra dedicated 5GHz networks additional to your standard one. Wired I'm capable of around 36Mbps down, and now wireless I can get up to 32 fairly consistently. Using the Spark modem, it ranged from 12-24. It was relatively expensive but I was impressed enough with the improvement that I felt I got my money's worth.

Geek girl. Freelance copywriter and editor at Unmistakable.co.nz.

Jase2985

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#1228981 2-Feb-2015 20:34

i increased my wifi speed from in the 20's to in the 40's by getting a better device to connect to my modem. Has better range all through my house, and is way faster.

devices play a part in the speed of a wifi network too.