Wifi Much Slower than Wired Connection

[lcjjdnh]

At parents for weekend and wondering if any of the computer gurus here can help. The title pretty much describes things--the wifi connection here is much, much slower (~5 Mbps on those speedtest) than a wired connections (~100 Mbps on the same tests)--even when I'm sitting right next to the router. Any thoughts? They have a SmartRG sr360n modem provided by their cable provider. Would buying a new better/router from Best Buy resolve this?

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by lcjjdnh

At parents for weekend and wondering if any of the computer gurus here can help. The title pretty much describes things--the wifi connection here is much, much slower (~5 Mbps on those speedtest) than a wired connections (~100 Mbps on the same tests)--even when I'm sitting right next to the router. Any thoughts? They have a SmartRG sr360n modem provided by their cable provider. Would buying a new better/router from Best Buy resolve this?

Id try to reset everything first and check the firewall settings on the router. If that didnt correct it Id try a different router.

[RainMaker]

Tough to say if it would resolve it because it could be a number of issues. Are they using it as both a modem and router? The devices that do both tend to have issues with wifi. And are they renting the device? If they are, it's likely cheaper for them to just buy their own in the long run. You'll also be getting a higher quality product on your own than from them.

If you can get into the settings of the router, I'd check to see if anything is off. Make sure the channel is either 1, 6, or 11.

One last thing is to check if there is any possible interference near the modem. Is the device next to a bunch of other electronics?

[RainMaker]

To get into those routers you go to this address in the browser:

192.168.1.1

[lcjjdnh]

Thanks. To answer some of the questions above:

1) Yes--it's being used as a router and a modem.
2) Yes--it's next to the TV, a cable box, and a DVD player, but can't really move any of that stuff, and apparently this is the location of the only ethernet port. (Although we can try running a longer cord to move the router away from here.)

Tried getting into the router settings, but it wouldn't load.

[RainMaker]

Maybe try 192.168.0.1

[Arles]

It's almost certainly a channel issue. There are apps that show you how many networks are on each channel. I'm guessing your parents are on one that has a bunch of other networks. Channels don't matter for wired connections, so that also fits your scenario.

[lcjjdnh]

Thanks again. Tried the other IP address you suggested and that didn't work either.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by lcjjdnh

Thanks again. Tried the other IP address you suggested and that didn't work either.

Weird. Are you wired to it when doing this? The first one is the address in the manual.

[lcjjdnh]

Oh no--I've been trying it over WiFi. Let me try plugging in and seeing if that changes things.

[lcjjdnh]

Figured out we're on channel 1, which seems crowded. My Mac recommends channel 6.

I finally managed to figure out the IP address--192.168.50.1--but the default passwords I found online didn't work, so I couldn't actually get in.

[RainMaker]

It might be the username and password they use with the cable company if they are renting it.

The channel might help but it could just as likely be a crappy router.

[lcjjdnh]

Tech people at cable co. tried a few things and seems to be working better. Changed WPA encryption to WPA and WPA2, and also changed bandwidth from 20 mHz to 40 mHz. Still might pick up a 5 Ghz router (which we have at home, and works well) unless people here think that's pointless.

[stevew]

If they aren't using it for cable phone service, you probably would be better off getting them a solid modem and a router. That will save them 10$ or so a month in rental fees and will pay for itself in like 2 years or so.

[lcjjdnh]

I bought a new dual-band router--working much better than before. They have PPPoE(?) or whatever it's called, so the Ethernet plugs right from the wall to the router, no modem needed.