@netwannabe 

 

I lot of things affect WIFI speed. Each network is different so different things work for different people.

 

A few things:

 

• Ethernet cable is the best for a good and the fastest connection.
• Use quality CAT 5E or CAT 6 Ethernet cables as lower rated cables has a 100 limit.
• You can bypass the router and connect a PC direct to the modem to see what speed the ISP is giving you when you have issues. It separates where the issue may be.
• The 5GHz band is faster and the 2.4 GHz band will give you more distance.
• The farther you are from the router the slower WIFI will be.
• Location, height, antenna placement, direction the router faces if it has internal antennas, other objects such as walls, fireplaces, ovens and such, other devices that use over the air such as garage door openers, cordless phones, weather stations, Bluetooth, other close by electronics, and such all affect WIFI.
• You are only as fast as the slowest link, so if you adapter maxes at 100, that is the max speed.
• A CAT 5 cable between the modem and router maxes entire network at 100. Also, 100 uses 4 wires and above speeds uses all 8 wires so a bad cable can cause slow issues.
• Do not use QoS unless you need it.
• I prefer SSIDs to be named differently so I can control what devices are on what band.
• Use Auto for Channel and channel width unless you have issues, then try them out. 
• Check your firmware and keep it updated.
• Some devices have software speed settings such PC adapters.
• A VPN will make everything run slower.
• Connecting devices to the router through expanders, boosters, and such slow the overall speed down for those devices but may be needed to cover dead areas.
• Also use IPv6
• Power cycle the modem and router sometimes corrects many issues so do that first if you have any issues.
• I like to power cycle the router after changes as some settings require it and if I have a power failure later, I am not surprised with a waiting change.

 

I have 200 service from Xfinity and most times I get over 200 wired and on WIFI if I am close.

 

 

@netwannabe 

 

HI,

 

Would you let me know the model and brand of your network adapter?

200mbps wifi is amazing!

Thanks!

@netwannabe,

 

Well, first off, not knowing the EXACT make and model of the Network Adapter, all possible answers might require that information.

 

That and some 'debug' information on your end too.

 

See, there are a few things you need to know about network adapters, both wired and wireless. Wired could be as simple as not using a cable capable of over 100Mbps. Same goes for the adapter on a PC.

 

Suggest you look at https://www.duckware.com/tech/wifi-in-the-us.html for instance, it has a lot of info (could be technical) and some pictures of what to look for on the Windows adapter connection.

 

netwannabe wrote

Spectrum proceeded to remove a "trap" that had been placed on my incoming line back when they had 
analog equipment and I also received a new modem since my existing one was ancient (7+ years old).
My computer connected to the router via an Ethernet connection immediately the rated speed for my
Spectrum connection type (200mbps/11mbps).
 

 

Well, although this 'proves' the PC can get max. speed, can BOTH cables you are using need too as well. One that came with the modem probably is a CAT6, but is the other one capable. Best way to test, use BOTH cables connected, one at a time, to modem, and test the speed on the PC.

 

That said, some modems 'know' who there were last connected to, and any other device connecting to it will not get Max. Speed as the Modem remembers the MAC Address of the last connected device. The way to clear this is to turn all devices, router, and modem OFF. Then power up in sequence waiting for each to fullly come up, the modem, router, and lastly, all the devices that connect to the modem.

 

Then test.

 

Still a problem, then change in the Router GUI the MAC Address of the router to that of your Windows, PC, that might 'fix it'.

 

@netwannabe 

 

My modem is a Motorola MB8600 (I own it so I do not need to pay rent to my ISP for a modem) and my router is an Archer C8. I do have an extender a RE220 to cover a dead spot in my house. Your router speeds match my router speeds so it should not be an issue. For the fastest speed use the 5 GHz band.

@netwannabe 

 

I'm using this one, https://www.amazon.com/WAVLINK-Wireless-Network-Omnidirectional-Supports/dp/B08FDH19YR/ref=sr_1_135?dchild=1&keywords=usb+wireless+network+adapter+ac1900&qid=1598907783&sr=8-135

 

I have 400Mbps service and can reach 480Mbps with it.

 

It DOES have a Quirk though. It is a USB 3.x device. However, sometimes it appears as a USB 2.0 device and the speed is slower. Unplugging and replugging usually will fix this, otherwise a reboot. It is 'self-testing' the port to see which to boot with, and possible a busy system makes it fall back to USB 2.0, but for me it happens rarely and speed is still good with USB 2.0.

 

If you get the Realtek RTL8814AU driver from RealTek there is a Utility for it as well.

 

This is basically similar to a TP-Link one, https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Archer-T9UH-Wireless-network/dp/B01GE9QS0G/ref=sr_1_5?crid=V311F7CZW2QJ&dchild=1&keywords=usb%2Bwireless%2Bnetwork%2Badapter%2B1900&qid=1598906771&sprefix=usb%2B1900%2Bwi%2Caps%2C182&sr=8-5&th=1

After a few months with the Archer A7 I can report that the item that had the greatest effect on my WIFI speeds was the Network Interface Card. I tested a number of them and was pleasantly surprised when one of them delivered 200 Mbits/s. Wow! Although the router took a lot of work during the initial setup I must confess it is a very reliable unit for my home network.