I need a Wi-Fi expert...

Hey everyone!

I live in Cologne, Germany and have just had my Internet package installed in my new apartment. It's a 64 Mbps cable connection (with 5 Mbps upload). For the first week I hadn't received my wireless router so I was (awkwardly) hardwiring my MacBook Pro to the modem/router. I ran speedtest to see how fast it supposedly was and I was regularly seeing 60+ Mbps down and 5 Mbps up - I figured everything was ok. After a while I got my wireless router from them and noticed it was a "G" router. Am I right to think that "G" routers max out at 54 Mbps? It seemed strange to send one of those when I'm paying for 64 Mbps. Anyway, I set it up. I think it's quite an old D-Link DIR-300. I ran speedtest again and checked the speed with my MacBook Pro. I never got more than 25 Mbps, day or night. Obviously that's still really fast, I know this, but it's not the point. I called them and they weren't very technical but they said they'll send me the better "N" router. I took delivery today and it's another D-Link. This time, the DIR-600 Wireless N Router. I was happy to see that it was a more up-to-date "N" router as I know my MacBook Pro and iPhone 4 can utilise this. Anyway, I set it up and ran some tests. I'm getting around 28 Mbps down and 5 Mbps up. The specification of this new router says, "Up to 150 Mbps wireless speeds" yet on a 64 Mbps connection, less than 3 metres away from the router, I'm getting around 28 Mbps. I also ran speedtest on my iPhone 4 (about a metre from the wireless router) and got 8 Mbps down and 5 Mbps up - that's ridiculous.

As I previously said, I know that this connection is still really fast but what's the point in paying for the 64 Mbps connection when I could save money and just get the cheaper 32 Mbps?

Has anyone had any experience with D-Link routers before? I wonder if it's just because they're cheap routers. I've always used NETGEAR and I've never had a problem with them. Note: I've not got any thick walls, telephones or anything else in between my desk and the router - it's about 3 metres away and I can clearly see it sat behind my TV.

Thanks in advance.
Regards

Hardwire your MBP to the router and re-run the tests and see if you get close to your allotted speed or what you were getting when you were directly connected to the modem.

Wireless is always going to be slower and has a ton of retransmissions and so on slowing things down. I look at all of those "Up to 150 Mbps.." statements as pure marketing..you almost need to be in a very pristine interference free environment to get those speeds..

At the 2.4 Ghz space, you have other devices, natural interference, microwaves and so on all flooding that spectrum..

If you intend to predominantly connect to your router wirelessly, you might want to consider downgrading to the 32 Mbps (which is STILL a ridiculous speed) and save the money..

Hey, thanks for the quick reply. I tried hardwiring my MacBook Pro to the new wireless router. With the previous "G" wireless router I got 60+ Mbps hardwired. Now, I've tested three times in a row and never got above 30 Mbps. I guess it's either something on the ISP's end and that the new router is actually working as it should. I'll test again later tonight. Thanks again, I appreciate your help.

The way I look at it, wireless offers a great amount of convenience usually sacrificing speed along the way..so if you care more about mobility then wireless is for you (or if running a wire to a device is cumbersome), on the other hand if you want to get the fastest transfers and care less about mobility, hardwiring is your best bet..

When an ISP package suggests 64 Mbps down..that's UP to 64..they can't control the general ebb and flow of the Internet and as such..you'll see times when the speed is slower..and other times faster..but you'll probably average out to a pretty decent clip over the entire period..

Here in the US, my ISP (Comcast and I'm sure others) have this burst technology that causes transfers (down or up) to actually burst to a pretty good clip for a short time and if your file were small enough, you'd get or send them faster, but if it's a larger file, the transfer drops back down to a slower speed..

Get a different router. You can do a lot better than that if you have one of the newer MacBook Pros. Which one do you have?

The 'n' router you purchased is inherently limited in performance, but then, you may also be inherently limited depending on which MBP you purchased. At a minimum find one that's capable of full 2:2x2 (assuming your MBP has at least two antennas). If not - then you're stuck. If you have a new MBP, and purchased a 3:3x3 'n' router - I'd expect you to get very close to your maximum available ISP bandwidth.

I bought my MacBook Pro at the end of 2009. It's the 2.66GHz Core 2 Duo.

This is interesting. I took an Ethernet cable from the modem/router and connected directly to my MacBook (bypassed the wireless router) and I got 66 Mbps down and 5.5 Mbps up. I ran the test a few times and always for 60+ Mbps. Now, I've connected the new wireless router to the modem and hardwired to that... 20 Mbps (and that's hardwired!). I've just tried it wirelessly and I got about the same. So, the router seems to be pretty awful, especially as the older one (the first "G" one) gave me 60+ Mbps hardwired and 20-25 Mbps wirelessly.

Here is a lession I have learned: don't buy D-link, Netgear is not bad, Belken is good, Asus makes a killer N router actually.
http://www.amazon.de/dp/B004BDS0IQ/

Thread moved to correct forum. Does not belong in the "Lounge". Please pay attention to forum descriptions and Sticky notices before posting. Thanks.

Can not agree on the blanket statement that Dlink routers are bad. A LOT of the members here including me use a DIR-655. One of the most stable and best performing routers I have ever used. Not ALL Dlink routers are First Rate, but overall very good. The one you have is fine but obviously as Brian suggested is not up to that kind of speed with it's N Wireless.


Most of my friends with Belkins have had issues. Some having to reset almost daily.

I have found most Netgears to overheat and lock and that is with a lot of experience, not just reading tests.

Linksys used to be the brand to kill for, but lately since Cisco has messed with them, they have gone way downhill in quality and reliability. The WRT54GL is still an outstanding G router though.

The Apple Airport Extreme is a very good router also, but very expensive and missing some Firewall features I for that price, consider mandatory. But, if the price is not an issue, the AE is a excellent WiFi router. Great range and performance.

Have to agree with dtravis7. I have owned several DLink routers which have always performed well. The only reason I'm not using one now is that I have Verizon FIOS and must use their proprietary router in order for the system to provide the on screen TV guide for FIOS cable TV.

I own a D-Link DI-524 B/G Wireless Router and I've never had a problem with it. In fact it's able to give a full 4 bars of signal strength almost everywhere in the house. I just gave the SpeedTest thing a shot, by plugging my iMac G4 directly into my Cable modem and got 0.71 mbps download (My isp is awful) Now, back on my iBook connected Wirelessly I just got 0.69 mbps download. That's pretty good in my opinion.

The problem here - is less about the brand and more about the type. As I indicated earlier, it's simply not capable of the speeds he's looking for - although his results when plugged in to the router are not normal. He's getting the max it has to offer wirelessly. For increased performance - the OP will need to get a different router.

Agreed on that Brian. Was just answering the other reply about dlink all being bad routers.

I would test my DIR-655 but I have 6mb DSL. I would need what the OP has internet wise before i could recommend a router to him. I own many but with my ISP, none go slower with WiFi then my connection.

Thanks for all the help guys. I tested wirelessly (with the newer router) at around 0100 this morning and I got around 35 Mbps. I've just checked again now at 1100 and I'm getting between 20 and 25 Mbps. It's a shame because when hardwired it's unbelievably fast. Am I right to think that a better router will sort this problem for me or is it the best I can hope for wirelessly? I love the look of Apple's Airport Extreme but at around £140 it's pretty expensive. Ideally, if I decided to get another router I'd like to get a much better spec, i.e. dual band 300 Mbps etc. Any more advice is very welcome. Have a great day

EATTHERICH said:

Thanks for all the help guys. I tested wirelessly (with the newer router) at around 0100 this morning and I got around 35 Mbps. I've just checked again now at 1100 and I'm getting between 20 and 25 Mbps. It's a shame because when hardwired it's unbelievably fast. Am I right to think that a better router will sort this problem for me or is it the best I can hope for wirelessly? I love the look of Apple's Airport Extreme but at around £140 it's pretty expensive. Ideally, if I decided to get another router I'd like to get a much better spec, i.e. dual band 300 Mbps etc. Any more advice is very welcome. Have a great day

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I'm just curious - have you read either of my posts?

Haha, yeah... I've read your posts. I was kind of rushing this morning when I posted so I might not have worded it as good as planned. Thanks for your advice, it's much appreciated. I'm trying once more with the ISP as we were initially promised the most expensive router by one of their team. After waiting three weeks it didn't turn up and I found out that it hadn't even been ordered. They then said they'll "sort it" for me and I ended up getting another cheap D-Link yesterday. If they can't give me a much better one then I'll look into buying one myself. Can you just confirm what I should be looking for in the spec. It seems like dual band and 300 Mbps is a good start...

Out of curiosity, are any other devices sharing your wireless connection? As I recall, the wireless signal drops to match the slowest device connected. So if an older computer or older wireless G device connects to the N connection, the N will drop to G speed for everyone. You may also, if this is a dual-band router, change it from 802.11G/N to 802.11A/N, moving out of the 2.4Ghz. band into the 5Ghz band, where there's less interference.

BrianLachoreVPI said:

I'm just curious - have you read either of my posts?

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Brians first post especially is telling you what is causing your issue. I am doing some test here with the routers I own and will report back.

Ok, thanks guys - I really appreciate you taking the time to help me with this. Regarding the post about my MacBook Pro, it's a late 2009 model (2.66GHz). I'm not sure about the exact spec of the wireless card but it's the standard AirPort Extreme. System profiler says that it's called "AirPort Extreme (0x14E4, 0x8D)".

Let's say, for example, I went out and bought an Apple Airport Extreme Base Station. This is dual band and seems to have a great spec. Would this give me the best speed/signal that's possible for me to receive? It seems strange how even hardwiring to my wireless router (D-Link DIR-600) that I only get around 20 Mbps, especially seeing as I get 60+ Mbps when going straight from the modem. I'd expect to lose some speed over Wi-Fi when using a wireless router but I expected the hardwired speed to be good still.

Thanks again guys, have a great weekend!

EATTHERICH said:

O It seems strange how even hardwiring to my wireless router (D-Link DIR-600) that I only get around 20 Mbps, especially seeing as I get 60+ Mbps when going straight from the modem. I'd expect to lose some speed over Wi-Fi when using a wireless router but I expected the hardwired speed to be good still.

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Actually, it doesn't. As has already been pointed out, it's the router that has the problem, not the modem or the connection itself. You know what to do, either get the better router from your ISP or buy your own. Pretty simple.

Apples Airport line is a bit expensive but is worth the money IMO.