Streaming slow on home network, most devices/apps are buffering

Cool BT is sounding like the better optioon.

Yes I am @bledd it made no difference.

Zen sent me a new router I tested that and the issue still remains for the most part.

And you know what is strange, I tested a VPN and I'm getting full speed on pretty much everything now..

I didn't think Zen throttled or did anything else like that so I'm confused as to why the performance is better when using a VPN
 
Well we use IPTV services too, and that basically was operating at 10% of our internet speed. With a VPN is back to 100% speed.

I thought Zen don't throttle or limit anything but this experience has made me question them now!
 
ChrisD. said:
Probably those on Zen. :cry:

I get 920/110 all day, every day.
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Haha..... :( :( :(

Is that via wired connection with those speeds?

The Fritzbox 7530 we have - Wireless access point compliant with IEEE 802.11ac, n, g, a so speeds up to 866MB it states

Wifi Adapter I have is Intel® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 - Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)

So hoping I can get near 900MB..
 
So on the router it states: Max. data rate possible 866 / 866 Mbit/s, 80mhz, 2x2

So the WiFi card is fine but the router is AC so that's the limiter here. So essentially I'd need to get a WiFi 6 router to get near 900MB. Is that right?

Any suggestions on a router? Thank you!
 
ChrisD. said:
You ideally want to separate out the router from the wifi if you can. You could simply disable wifi on the supplied unit, and plug in a 6E Access Point centrally. Be aware, if there's any walls in between you and the AP, you won't get full speed. That's why I said wifi 6e is expensive, as you ideally need an AP in every room for full speed everywhere.

What are you doing on wifi to need that kind of bandwidth? What's wrong with 'just' ~400 Mbps? It's fine for 99% of people.
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Sorry I'm being dumb. So I don't have to buy a new router technically, I could just buy a WiFi 6 access point and connect that to the router via ethernet and that should improve the connection speed? If that doesn't work then put an access point in my office where my PC is. But then if I get 2 access points the cost would probably be equal to a WiFi 6 router.

Well I have the 900MB package as it was only £10 more than the 500MB, and who doesn't want the fastest speed they can get!
 
ChrisD. said:
Correct. Consumer ISP 'routers' are a router/firewall/switch and wireless access point in one. They're not the best in all departments, but they are good for regular home users to just browse the internet and watch some Netflix etc.

Yes, but placement is key. There's no point putting one in the corner of the house.

You're better off running a cable directly to the PC, or to a switch next to the PC.

Hence why I said it was expensive in my first reply.
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The router is downstairs in the living room, my office is upstairs, it's 5 metres from router to top of the stairs, then 4 metres from there to my PC, so it's not exactly a huge distance between the two devices.

There's only really one place for the access point to go and that's by the router/TV. I know that's the best option but my office is in the opposite corner of the house. So I'd have to drill through the floor up into the bedroom then up into the loft which is a lot of hassle to be honest.

Hmm, I think a good WiFi 6 access point seems like the best option overall. Do you recommend any?

Thanks for the information you've been extremely helpful.
 
ChrisD. said:
You're not going to get decent WiFi speeds in your office if the WiFi AP is at the other end of the house, it's physically not possible.

Running a cable really isn't that difficult, you can go around skirting, up via the stairs well hidden etc, even into the loft and down again. Or go external.

If you really are insistent on not running a cable, then get a mesh system with a dedicated WiFi backhaul and place nodes around the house.
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Wow okay I didn't think the distance would be an issue that's surprising.

TP-Link Deco X20 AX1800 Whole Home Mesh Wi-Fi 6 System, AI-Driven Mesh, Up to 4,000 sq ft Coverage, 1 GHz Quad-Core CPU, With TP-Link HomeShield's kit, Pack of 2

So the above seems quite decent it's two devices so I could place one next to the router the another in the hallway?
 
ChrisD. said:
I did say. :)

I don't know much about Mesh systems, you need to find one which is tri-band I think they're called, the one you linked is dual band only so you lose available bandwidth because the units use the same radios to talk to one another as well as serve client traffic. They have a radio dedicated to backhaul which leaves the others free for client communications. Some of the systems require a subscription as well I believe.
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Massive price difference between the dual and tri band devices isn't there. Thanks for the explanation. I didn't think upgrading our internet package would come with lots planning like this!
 
sandys said:
You might save your self a lot of pain just getting some one in to wire to your office, it is the best way, if the main thing you want is good internet on your PC you won't get better.

AP placing is critical, if you consider whatever signal is coming out of your wifi source is coming out like a 360 degree halo (simplistic view, it is rarely that good) with your router/AP in the centre and that halo only has a diameter of 8m (so 4m either side of your source) each metre from the wifi source speed will drop off and it is not linear, so 1m from router/AP might give you 1Gb, 2m 700Mb, 3m 300Mb, 4m 150Mb, add a wall in to the equation and you can take another fairly hefty percentage off.

As mentioned a simplistic view as there are so many factors on environment and the hardware. People, myself included, often place APs where it is convenient like the point the signal comes in next to the exterior wall or a desk in an office next to another exterior wall throwing away a lot of useful signal (just described my house :D ) so its great at the entry point but crap elsewhere in the house

A mesh system can help close up holes in these halos and extend your wifi etc, this is great if coverage is your issue but still has the same limitations, anything on the fringes of a wifi signal halo won't get speed, wired stuff always gets speed.

Image to aid my dodgy description :D

networking.jpg
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Brilliant thanks for the information that makes sense, I thought it was something like this. I could think about the wiring option it's just it would have to go through the ceiling in the living room into the bedroom above, then up into the loft. Bit of a nightmare if I'm honest unless I'm missing something obvious.

Is that 4M figure specific to a router with AC capability? Stupid question but what is the height of this signal; is it 4M out from the level the router is at or 4M like a sphere?

Yeah that does make sense. Our house isn't massive or anything so hopefully I can get away with one WiFi 6 AP. It's not like I can't trial different setups to see what's best.

Would this product be sufficient? I know it's not tri-band but it seems decent - TP-Link Deco X20 AX1800 Whole Home Mesh Wi-Fi 6 System, AI-Driven Mesh, Up to 4,000 sq ft Coverage, 1 GHz Quad-Core CPU, With TP-Link HomeShield's kit, Pack of 2
 
ChrisD. said:
There's also latency/jitter to consider, cable is king for this and no WiFi system will come close. If you play online games you really need cable, or if you do voice calls such as Teams/Zoom. I can always tell when someone is on WiFi as the voice goes all robot for a split second.
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Yeah I like to play competitive FPS games..are there any tricks to make wiring a lot easier?
 
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I get 6ms ping on Speedtest

Very impressed, I will test the new router tomorrow and assess from there. Quite chuffed not going to lie!
 
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ChrisD. said:
What does the Asus do that your ISP router cannot?

What are your exact requirements? As if it's whole house fast WiFi, you're going to be spending more money as you've bought the wrong product to achieve that.
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Well the Asus has 5400mb bandwidth, the Fritz has 1200mb, I play Quest2 via Link which eats up bandwidth etc, the range is huge on the Asus, the list goes on really look at the specs it's very impressive.

I'm potentially just going to try to connect my PC via ethernet through the loft and get a switch etc

Here are the combinations I've tried so far:

Fritzbox (LAN) - PC (LAN) - 5 ping, 950mb download, 110mb upload

Fritzbox (ac) - PC (ax) - 7 ping, 130mb download, 105mb upload

Fritzbox (ac) - TP-Link Deco X20 access point mode (ax) - PC (ax) - 6 ping, 580mb download, 110mb upload - this result varies quite a lot, from 350mb all the way to 580mb

TP-Link Deco X20 router mode (ax) - PC (ax) - 5 ping, 270mb download, 105mb upload - set it up with PPPoe, on 5ghz but only getting 270mb which is weird because it's a modern router than the Fritzbox, any idea why it's so low?

Router (ax) - PC (ax) - Will test when the router arrives today
 
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ChrisD. said:
For the cost of that abomination sold by a company who has no regard for customer security, you could have paid toward an electrician or CCTV installer to run a cable to your office.

If you have Deco X20, why did you buy the Asus? Seems completely pointless to me. Or are you just following your own narrative no matter what anyone here says?
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I don't get the hate for this router lol. It's got good specs and is reviewed pretty highly. I've asked a few times now which ones are better in that price range but nobody suggest any then when I mention one I've trialed you just slate it a few times. Bit confused?

I didn't know how the Deco would perform so what's the harm in testing it out?

Jeez calm down dude. I appreciate your advice but you are a bit condescending to be honest. Everyone has different setups and knowledge levels, we're not all experts.

I am taking people's advice hence why I'm trying to plan a wired home network right now.
 
b0rn2sk8 said:
Not only that WiFi range is limited my physics and legal power limits. It doesn’t matter how much you spend on a WiFi access point, the range of the access point with an omnidirectional antenna should be pretty much identical.

The way to improve WiFi is to add more access points which are plugged in to the main router with a cable to increase coverage and use access points with more antenna/radios to increase through put.

Pretty much any old consumer router swill deal with a 1gb connection and an extensive home network but you can’t beat physics with WiFi.
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That makes sense thanks for the explanation. Part of me wants to test things out myself so I can learn and do some trial/error. I've learned some things which is cool.

Yeah I don't really have a place in the hallway upstairs to place an AP so there's no midway point for one. It's either downstairs by the router and then in my office. If that makes sense?

No problem. I'm looking into a wired network now. Just reading up about switches and what I require for that.

Will be a pain to do but worth it long term as advised by people on this thread.

Still quite mind blown by the performance!
 
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ChrisD. said:
A few of us have given you some really solid advice. Which you've ignored! You then asked about this Asus router, two people IIRC said it won't do anything for you, yet you've bought it anyway! The reason I haven't answered your question about which router better is because it's been covered - your ISP one and a proper separate WiFi setup be it a decent mesh system (which you scoffed at the price of) or Access Points (which indecently you can mount to the ceiling upstairs if you put cabling in the loft). You've ignored this and bought some 'gaming' monstrosity that will only somewhat improve WiFi. The Fritz Box is actually a really capable router, but it's let down by poor WiFi compared to newer/alternate models. Hence suggesting just get separate WiFi kit.

People get annoyed when they give up their free time to help people and subsequently the advice given is ignored, this has been going on since Wednesday with some solid advice.

FWIW most reviews of routers online are either paid reviews if done by YouTubers, or by people that don't really know what they're talking about because it's faster than their ISP supplied one and it must be good because it's got antennas sticking out of it and it's a 'gaming' device.
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I know you have and I am thankful for that. I have not ignored the advice; I wanted to test different setups to see if one may have worked in my situation as everyone has a different house layout etc. On the off chance that a simple WiFi setup would have been ok. That is all.

I have not lost out on anything but now I have experimented with a few different devices which was fun to do.

Either way; I am going down the wired route now. So I'm looking at getting a simple switch to do the job. They all seem quite similiar so I guess most will be fine for the job and ethernet cables; well again shouldn't be too difficult to find one.

Also are there any settings for the ethernet adapter that should be looked at or changed? I guess it's fine as it is but there are a lot in the settings so figured there may be one or two that might be good to look at
 
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ChrisD. said:
None, default is fine.

Any Gigabit switch will do the job. Unless you want to start adding PoE devices in the future such as cameras in which case perhaps look at PoE switches.
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Looking at the TP Link TL-SG108, seems good enough. Good suggestion thank you, probably not needed though I don't think.

Would it be possible to daisy chain switches too?

For example, a switch in the bedroom (which is above the living room/router so it would be the first stop) which then could have an wireless AP attached.

Then an ethernet cable from this bedroom switch going up into the loft and into my office where it's connected to another switch which again could have another wireless AP attached.

That way I get more connectivity options in each room (for a TV or console for example) as well as good WiFi speed/stability for devices that don't have an ethernet port (phones/tablets). That would cover all outcomes I think
 
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Yeah true, alright I'm planning to just run one switch per ethernet port, so one switch downstairs by the TV for firestick/tv/console, then 1 in each office, that uses all 4 ports on the router but every room with device is covered then

I just need to measure and estimate what length cable I need for my office, may have to go 30M!
 
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