Time to upgrade my router?

[mwagen]

I have 200mbps charter spectrum internet, got a new modem last year, but still running an old Linksys e2500 that I got for free. Devices on it are two PCs, two phones, maybe a ps4 and switch, usually only two devices at once. I'm wireless and usually my speeds are around 30-45mbps but sometimes it just randomly drops to less than 5mbps. I don't know if that's my router being old and overworked or my internet throttling, don't know a lot about networking. I want to buy a new router but they're expensive and don't want to waste money on it if my issue is just spectrum being crap.

[Gorgon]

The e2500 should handle 200Mbps, It maxes out at 300Mbps per channel but you'll likely never get the full 300Mbps.

 

Run a speedtest from a wired connection (they're only Fast Ethernet (100Mbps) though) and compare it to a speedtest from a Wireless Connection. From the wired connection you should be able to get almost the full 100Mbps. If not then there's likely an issue with the ISP.

 

The only other reason for an upgrades would be:

1. to get newer technology (ac, WiFi 5, 6 etc.) and MIMO technology but with only a 200Mbps service you'll likely only see the increased throughput on internal connections.
2. If that model has any un-patched vulnerabilities, it's pretty old at this point but there was a firmware update as recent as this May.

Remember that older Wireless Routers such as this one act as a "Hub" rather than a "Switch" and in most cases and can only process one request at a time and will go at the speed to best support the slowest device connected. So if you have a device on your network that is struggling due to distance or poor signal strength it can drag everything else down.

[Donut417]

1 hour ago, mwagen said:

e2500

According to info I found the router only has Fast Ethernet which means the Ethernet ports can only do up to 100 Mbps. So yeah Id say its about time to upgrade. Wireless N is a crappier WiFi standard and the newer AC and AX standards are faster and Id say more reliable, at least in my experience. 

 

47 minutes ago, Gorgon said:

The e2500 should handle 200Mbps, It maxes out at 300Mbps per channel but you'll likely never get the full 300Mbps.

Not with the WAN port is 100 Mbps. Everything I seen said 10/100 ports, which means the OP will NEVER get what they are paying spectrum for. And in the best case your lucky to get 2/3rds of what the WiFi spec says it can do.