Slow 5 GHz WiFi speeds on 1.3 Gbps network.

[Br4mb0]

I bought a Lenovo Y740 last year and it has a Killer Wireless-AC 1550i WiFi card with a theoretical speed of 1.73 Gbps.

I also have a Netgear Nighthawk R7000 as an acces point with a theoretical speed of 1.3 Gbps on the 5 GHz band.

 

My max speed however, is only 173.3 Mbps (Which you can see in the screenshot down below). I don't know why this is, but I can't get it too go higher.

I'm only a half meter away from the router most of the times with no obstructions.

 

I'm at the end of my rope here. I really don't understand why it doesn't go any higher than that. Also my ISP is upgrading my connection soon to 400 Mbps, so it would be nice to be able to use the full speed. Thanks in advance!

 

Links: 

https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/legion-laptops/legion-y-series/Lenovo-Legion-Y740-15/p/88GMY701059

https://www.killernetworking.com/products/killer-wireless-ac-1550/ 

https://www.netgear.com/home/products/networking/wifi-routers/R7000.aspx

 

Screens:

[Denned]

You're just looking at the link speed. It doesn't actually mean you will get anywhere near that speed. Hence the reason why it's theoretical.

Also I very much doubt that you're getting 400 Mbps internet. You're most likely getting 400 Mbit internet. Which equates to 50 Mbps. Well below the capabilities of your equipment.

 

You should use speedtest.net or fast.com to gauge your performance. The router and the wireless card in it self, shouldn't be the limiting factor. However wireless pollution, range and penetration will limit the performance.

[Br4mb0]

Yeah, like I said... 400 Mbps is already in Megabit though. Look it up, it's the right abbreviation. 400 Mbps is indeed 50 MB/s not Mbps. lol It's all in the capitalization m8.

 

I'm studying to be a network administrator (my first year though), so I'm not dumb. I just thought maybe someone could give me some insight into why it's so slow, because my local network is also slow, which it shouldn't.

 

But if you need a speedtest... My max speed at ISP level now is 200 Mbps, upload is 20 Mbps. Also there are no obstructions and my router is not in range of any other 5 Ghz networks.

 

[Alex Atkin UK]

1 minute ago, Br4mb0 said:

Yeah, like I said... 400 Mbps is already in Megabit though. Look it up, it's the right abbreviation. 400 Mbps is indeed 50 MB/s not Mbps. lol It's all in the capitalization m8.

 

I'm studying to be a network administrator (my first year though), so I'm not dumb. I just thought maybe someone could give me some insight into why it's so slow, because my local network is also slow, which it shouldn't.

 

But if you need a speedtest... My max speed at ISP level now is 200 Mbps, upload is 20 Mbps. Also there are no obstructions and my router is not in range of any other 5 Ghz networks.

What channel width is the router using on 5Ghz?
Could one of the antenna plugs be loose/disconnected on the laptop? (happens, one was disconnected on my laptop when I bought it)

[Denned]

9 minutes ago, Br4mb0 said:

Yeah, like I said... 400 Mbps is already in Megabit though. Look it up, it's the right abbreviation. 400 Mbps is indeed 50 MB/s not Mbps. lol It's all in the capitalization m8.

 

I'm studying to be a network administrator (my first year though), so I'm not dumb. I just thought maybe someone could give me some insight into why it's so slow, because my local network is also slow, which it shouldn't.

 

But if you need a speedtest... My max speed at ISP level now is 200 Mbps, upload is 20 Mbps. Also there are no obstructions and my router is not in range of any other 5 Ghz networks.

 

Right. My bad. Either way.. What are you getting on wired then?

 

[WereCatf]

1 hour ago, Br4mb0 said:

My max speed however, is only 173.3 Mbps (Which you can see in the screenshot down below). I don't know why this is, but I can't get it too go higher.

I'm only a half meter away from the router most of the times with no obstructions.

Have you verified that it is actually connected at 5GHz instead of 2.4GHz? You most likely can force it to use one or the other band from the adapter's settings.

[Falcon1986]

@Br4mb0 - As a network administrator in training, you'll learn soon enough that advertised "speed" labels are just meant to lure consumers. Those speeds can only be achieved in perfect conditions and when the particular settings are used (wireless router has to also support these settings). I hate how some manufacturers combine the 2.4GHz and 5GHz rates to inflate their speed claims; most home users can't have a single client connected to both bands simultaneously to achieve that anyway!

 

BTW, you won't be able to achieve close to 1.73Gbps throughput unless you're connecting on the 5GHz band with a 160MHz channel width (and the latter must be supported on the wireless router as well) and you have perfect environmental conditions. At 80Mhz channel width, the maximum you can get is 867Mbps on 5GHz. Whereas, on 2.4GHz at 40MHz channel width, the maximum speed is 300Mbps.

 

Although this article is a little dated, the concepts still apply today.

[Br4mb0]

Sorry everyone had to go... But I read up on some settings of my router I wasn't familiar with and apparently this was on;

 

 

So it's all sorted now! I feel so dumb. Thanks for all the help though!

[Br4mb0]

4 minutes ago, Falcon1986 said:

@Br4mb0 - As a network administrator in training, you'll learn soon enough that advertised "speed" labels are just meant to lure consumers. Those speeds can only be achieved in perfect conditions and when the particular settings are used (wireless router has to also support these settings). I hate how some manufacturers combine the 2.4GHz and 5GHz rates to inflate their speed claims; most home users can't have a single client connected to both bands simultaneously to achieve that anyway!

 

BTW, you won't be able to achieve close to 1.73Gbps throughput unless you're connecting on the 5GHz band with a 160MHz channel width (and the latter must be supported on the wireless router as well) and you have perfect environmental conditions. At 80Mhz channel width, the maximum you can get is 867Mbps on 5GHz. Whereas, on 2.4GHz at 40MHz channel width, the maximum speed is 300Mbps.

 

Although this article is a little dated, the concepts still apply today.

Yup you're totally right. But I learned a lot today and that's all I can ask for.  Thanks for the explanation! Have a great day!