My MacBook Air and my iPhone 13 Pro get 200Mbps in the same room as my PC that only gets 20Mbps?

[wills_]

So the other day I switched ISPs to Virgin Media (UK) and so far we've had great connection all the way around the house, 200Mbps in every room. However, in my bedroom, my PC gets at most 20Mbps when my MacBook, connected to the same network, both on the 5GHz channel too, sitting next to my PC gets the 200Mbps I get everywhere else in the house. I've updated the drivers on my PC, my motherboard supports all the way up to WIFI 6 and this router/modem is only WIFI 5. I gather the problem has to be with my PC as everything else in the room on the 5GHz channel, like my PS5, gets upwards of 200Mbps. I thought about getting a WIFI extender for my room but my room isn't a black spot because all the other devices get the 200Mbps within 3 feet of one another. Is there something else I should try? 

 

Thanks,

Will

[AndreiArgeanu]

Probably an issue with the Wi-Fi hardware in the system or the location of the antennae. What Wi-Fi card does the PC have?

[kirashi]

6 minutes ago, wills_ said:

Is there something else I should try? 

Yes, you should provide the full specifications of the problem device that's not achieving similar speeds as other devices in the same room. Buying an extender isn't going to help fix WiFi connectivity for a single device when everything else works fine in the same location. If this is a desktop PC, we need to know what WiFi card it has, if the antennas are attached / where they're located, and whether this PC has ever been able to reach faster speeds previously.

[wills_]

8 minutes ago, kirashi said:

Yes, you should provide the full specifications of the problem device that's not achieving similar speeds as other devices in the same room. Buying an extender isn't going to help fix WiFi connectivity for a single device when everything else works fine in the same location. If this is a desktop PC, we need to know what WiFi card it has, if the antennas are attached / where they're located, and whether this PC has ever been able to reach faster speeds previously.

My PC Specs: 

ASUS ROG Strix B550-E Gaming WIFI

AMD Ryzen 5 3600

16GB Corsair Vengeance RGB

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Super - an MSI one

 

I don't have a separate PCIe WIFI card because this PC has WIFI built in to the MB. However, I don't have the antennas connected. On my old ISP I only got about 30Mbps but I got that on every device everywhere in the house because the ISP was crap. Should I connect the WIFI antennae? I think they're still in my MB box.

[Larsdagamer]

3 minutes ago, wills_ said:

My PC Specs: 

ASUS ROG Strix B550-E Gaming WIFI

AMD Ryzen 5 3600

16GB Corsair Vengeance RGB

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Super - an MSI one

 

I don't have a separate PCIe WIFI card because this PC has WIFI built in to the MB. However, I don't have the antennas connected. On my old ISP I only got about 30Mbps but I got that on every device everywhere in the house because the ISP was crap. Should I connect the WIFI antennae? I think they're still in my MB box.

 

 

yes you need to do that 

[kirashi]

5 minutes ago, wills_ said:

My PC Specs: 

ASUS ROG Strix B550-E Gaming WIFI

AMD Ryzen 5 3600

16GB Corsair Vengeance RGB

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Super - an MSI one

 

I don't have a separate PCIe WIFI card because this PC has WIFI built in to the MB. However, I don't have the antennas connected. On my old ISP I only got about 30Mbps but I got that on every device everywhere in the house because the ISP was crap. Should I connect the WIFI antennae? I think they're still in my MB box.

They supply WiFi antennas for a reason... Connect them then let us know how things go.

[wills_]

1 minute ago, Larsdagamer said:

Try to connect them 

I will soon, thank you. If you guys have any more suggestions in case this doesn't work please leave em.

 

[wills_]

1 minute ago, kirashi said:

They supply WiFi antennas for a reason... Connect them then let us know how things go.

True haha, I will soon.

[BondiBlue]

8 minutes ago, wills_ said:

However, I don't have the antennas connected. 

Connect them. They're always supposed to be installed if you need to use a Wi-Fi connection. 

[wills_]

On 6/25/2022 at 11:29 PM, kirashi said:

They supply WiFi antennas for a reason... Connect them then let us know how things go.

So I connected the WIFI antennas to my PC and the speeds are significantly better, however I noticed now I'm getting drop outs on my phone and PS5 but never on my MacBook? Again, surely my room can't be a dead zone so is it device specific? Should I split my broadband into 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands and choose which device connects to which band?

[wills_]

2 hours ago, wills_ said:

So I connected the WIFI antennas to my PC and the speeds are significantly better, however I noticed now I'm getting drop outs on my phone and PS5 but never on my MacBook? Again, surely my room can't be a dead zone so is it device specific? Should I split my broadband into 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands and choose which device connects to which band?

Although, I don't get the same speed on the PC that I do on the other devices and now other areas in my house are temporarily dropping out. Do you think it's worth getting an extender? One like this maybe?

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/NETGEAR-Wi-Fi-Range-Extender-EX6120/dp/B01560JGQW/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=mNedE&content-id=amzn1.sym.822afc68-e2bb-4420-ac6e-1044cd2e7c1d&pf_rd_p=822afc68-e2bb-4420-ac6e-1044cd2e7c1d&pf_rd_r=1SQDM9RTHVXBXQDCHDPB&pd_rd_wg=yoIp1&pd_rd_r=aeec7201-6a0f-4aed-8dfa-fe37a8867ebd&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mi

 

I know I can buy a separate router too and just have my router/modem in modem mode but routers are expensive and I'd like to avoid that if possible.

[Alex Atkin UK]

2 hours ago, wills_ said:

Although, I don't get the same speed on the PC that I do on the other devices and now other areas in my house are temporarily dropping out. Do you think it's worth getting an extender? One like this maybe?

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/NETGEAR-Wi-Fi-Range-Extender-EX6120/dp/B01560JGQW/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=mNedE&content-id=amzn1.sym.822afc68-e2bb-4420-ac6e-1044cd2e7c1d&pf_rd_p=822afc68-e2bb-4420-ac6e-1044cd2e7c1d&pf_rd_r=1SQDM9RTHVXBXQDCHDPB&pd_rd_wg=yoIp1&pd_rd_r=aeec7201-6a0f-4aed-8dfa-fe37a8867ebd&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mi

 

I know I can buy a separate router too and just have my router/modem in modem mode but routers are expensive and I'd like to avoid that if possible.

If they were working fine before, an extender is not going to help (as range wasn't an issue) and in fact only make things worse.

[wills_]

1 hour ago, Alex Atkin UK said:

If they were working fine before, an extender is not going to help (as range wasn't an issue) and in fact only make things worse.

Okay cool, so what do you think I should do to keep a stable connection throughout my house?

[Alex Atkin UK]

3 hours ago, wills_ said:

Okay cool, so what do you think I should do to keep a stable connection throughout my house?

Its a tricky one seeing as it was fine before, is the router on auto or did you choose a channel?

If you're not in range of weather radar, one of the higher channels might help ensure you aren't conflicting with neighbours.

[wills_]

15 hours ago, Alex Atkin UK said:

Its a tricky one seeing as it was fine before, is the router on auto or did you choose a channel?

If you're not in range of weather radar, one of the higher channels might help ensure you aren't conflicting with neighbours.

I've split my router into 2.4GHz and 5GHz, the things I want the most speed on (my phone, macbook, pc, ps5 etc) are on the 5GHz and other things like my amazon echo dots are on the 2.4GHz. At the busiest time of the day there's 20 devices connected in total between both bands, surely 200Mbps is enough for this many devices when my previous Sky Broadband that only gave me 30Mbps managed to handle 30+ devices.

 

I'm trying to avoid buying more things, like a mesh system for example, because we switched to Virgin to save money. Are there other ways you can avoid random drop outs? I was thinking about running powerline through the mains and connect it to a booster I had upstairs so it could relay the signal and act as an upstairs router, but again, that's more expense to pay for powerline connectors. 

[wills_]

48 minutes ago, wills_ said:

I've split my router into 2.4GHz and 5GHz, the things I want the most speed on (my phone, macbook, pc, ps5 etc) are on the 5GHz and other things like my amazon echo dots are on the 2.4GHz. At the busiest time of the day there's 20 devices connected in total between both bands, surely 200Mbps is enough for this many devices when my previous Sky Broadband that only gave me 30Mbps managed to handle 30+ devices.

 

I'm trying to avoid buying more things, like a mesh system for example, because we switched to Virgin to save money. Are there other ways you can avoid random drop outs? I was thinking about running powerline through the mains and connect it to a booster I had upstairs so it could relay the signal and act as an upstairs router, but again, that's more expense to pay for powerline connectors. 

Which channels should I put my 2.4GHz and 5Ghz on then?

[Alex Atkin UK]

13 hours ago, wills_ said:

I've split my router into 2.4GHz and 5GHz, the things I want the most speed on (my phone, macbook, pc, ps5 etc) are on the 5GHz and other things like my amazon echo dots are on the 2.4GHz. At the busiest time of the day there's 20 devices connected in total between both bands, surely 200Mbps is enough for this many devices when my previous Sky Broadband that only gave me 30Mbps managed to handle 30+ devices.

 

I'm trying to avoid buying more things, like a mesh system for example, because we switched to Virgin to save money. Are there other ways you can avoid random drop outs? I was thinking about running powerline through the mains and connect it to a booster I had upstairs so it could relay the signal and act as an upstairs router, but again, that's more expense to pay for powerline connectors. 

You'd think, but it really depends on how good the software and hardware in the router is.  I know the older models sucked, my friend on Virgin I put him on an old router flashed with OpenWRT (the the Virgin Hub in Bridge Mode) which greatly improved his connection - though now he is on the 200Mbit package too which the router tops out around 150Mbit as its too weak to keep up.

 

The only guarantee to avoid drop-outs is wired, powerline might help or hinder, you can't know until you try it.

 

When comes to choosing WiFi channels the trick is to use a WiFi scanning app to see which channels are in use and try to avoid them, or at least use the less busy channel (usually the only option on 2.4Ghz).

 

Reducing the 5Ghz channel width can help too as the narrow the channel, the more stable (but slower) it is, as it might default to 80Mhz which you don't necessarily need to sustain 200Mbit.  Its a lot of experimentation to see what works for you.

[wills_]

7 hours ago, Alex Atkin UK said:

You'd think, but it really depends on how good the software and hardware in the router is.  I know the older models sucked, my friend on Virgin I put him on an old router flashed with OpenWRT (the the Virgin Hub in Bridge Mode) which greatly improved his connection - though now he is on the 200Mbit package too which the router tops out around 150Mbit as its too weak to keep up.

 

The only guarantee to avoid drop-outs is wired, powerline might help or hinder, you can't know until you try it.

 

When comes to choosing WiFi channels the trick is to use a WiFi scanning app to see which channels are in use and try to avoid them, or at least use the less busy channel (usually the only option on 2.4Ghz).

 

Reducing the 5Ghz channel width can help too as the narrow the channel, the more stable (but slower) it is, as it might default to 80Mhz which you don't necessarily need to sustain 200Mbit.  Its a lot of experimentation to see what works for you.

Thank you, that helps a lot. I saw about downloading a WIFI analyser app but the one this tech article recommended was for android, do you know of any good ones for ios?

[wills_]

42 minutes ago, wills_ said:

Thank you, that helps a lot. I saw about downloading a WIFI analyser app but the one this tech article recommended was for android, do you know of any good ones for ios?

I also came across this mesh system that seems too cheap which makes me wonder if it's actually any good. A big negative for me is that it doesn't even have gigabit LAN ports. I don't suppose this would be worth it would it?

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/TENDA-Whole-Wi-Fi-System-White/dp/B07D9J5DTP?th=1

[Alex Atkin UK]

3 hours ago, wills_ said:

I also came across this mesh system that seems too cheap which makes me wonder if it's actually any good. A big negative for me is that it doesn't even have gigabit LAN ports. I don't suppose this would be worth it would it?

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/TENDA-Whole-Wi-Fi-System-White/dp/B07D9J5DTP?th=1

I don't think a mesh system is likely necessary given the problem you have is one device being connected is messing up the others.  Seems your range was fine but something is upsetting the router.

[wills_]

1 hour ago, Alex Atkin UK said:

I don't think a mesh system is likely necessary given the problem you have is one device being connected is messing up the others.  Seems your range was fine but something is upsetting the router.

Now it seems I can't connect my TV at random times to the internet, same with the echo dot in my room. Sometimes the TV connects, sometimes it doesn't, the echo can't connect to it at all. My phone now randomly drops out too. 

[Alex Atkin UK]

9 hours ago, wills_ said:

Now it seems I can't connect my TV at random times to the internet, same with the echo dot in my room. Sometimes the TV connects, sometimes it doesn't, the echo can't connect to it at all. My phone now randomly drops out too. 

Have you tried disconnecting them all and trying one by one, see at which point it fails or if its just downright broken now entirely?

 

Is this impacting 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz?  I wonder if the router is just plain faulty.

[wills_]

On 6/30/2022 at 12:37 AM, Alex Atkin UK said:

Have you tried disconnecting them all and trying one by one, see at which point it fails or if its just downright broken now entirely?

 

Is this impacting 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz?  I wonder if the router is just plain faulty.

No, I haven't tried that yet. All these devices are on 5GHz. I still need to try and put the bands on different channels as I haven't got around to that yet. Can't find a reliable app for IOS though. Do you know of any? This website recommended WiFi Analyser but that's android only.

[wills_]

Update: 

 

I found a WiFi Analyser app for windows and it's shown me which channels are being used in my area most and which are performing best etc. My router had automatically selected that I go on channel 36 for 5GHz, so I looked at the app and noticed that at least 5 other close-by networks were using that channel. I decided to change to channel 48 as it was completely empty, I assumed this meant you would have the best connection then as there is no interference, surely? Well after running some speed tests on my Macbook, my PC and my phone, I seem to get worse speeds using 48, despite being the only network using that channel. Contrary to this however, the app tells me 48 and upwards are like 10 star rated as opposed to 36 being only 1 star rated. This being a reflection on how good the channel is to use. Anything above 48 in the UK is a DFS channel and I'm not sure about using them as I've heard mixed stuff about them online. I don't know what to try now. I've kept my 5GHz on channel 48 and I'm going to try and use it for a day and see how it performs, if it's still bad, I'll go back to the router automatically picking me a channel as that seemed to work better.

 

Any suggestions on what's happening here? 

 

Thanks