Comcast WiFi speed woes

[KeeperOfThePizza]

Hey guys, I having this strange issue with my Comcast service. I'm not sure if its line or the Comcast router but anyways sometimes my WiFi connection is extremely slow on my laptop and lg g3. The only way I can fix the issue is by disconnecting and reconnecting. It happens quite often. I've factory reset my Comcast modem yet its still doing it.

Its like its so slow it takes 3+ minutes to install the twitter app on my phone -___-

[jerzdawg]

I'd assume that it's the router if it's only slowing down over wifi. If you are hard wired in and don't get the same slow downs then the Comcast speeds aren't the problem.

[TechJunkie81]

Sounds like the router is just a lemon.

 

Go Pats.

[KeeperOfThePizza]

Possible, the speeds are good hardwired and what I pay for. Is there any kind of diagnostic I can run on the modem?

Sounds like the router is just a lemon.

Go Pats.

Damn right!

[episode]

Is it one of those terrible combo units that are modem/router/wifi all in one?

 

If so, stop paying them to rent it, and go out and buy a modem and router.

[KeeperOfThePizza]

Is it one of those terrible combo units that are modem/router/wifi all in one?

 

If so, stop paying them to rent it, and go out and buy a modem and router.

Yep. I have to have because of my home phone, I called Comcast and spoke to a tech support guy and he said that he sees "inconsistencies" in my connection and signal, I pay for Blast speeds and i'm not getting anywhere near it.

[episode]

Yep. I have to have because of my home phone, I called Comcast and spoke to a tech support guy and he said that he sees "inconsistencies" in my connection and signal, I pay for Blast speeds and i'm not getting anywhere near it.

 

I would still buy a separate router. You can also tell them to give you a dedicated phone modem that isn't a modem/router combo. 

[neufuse Veteran]

don't use the eMTA / gateway as the router... have it put into bridge mode and put a good router / wifi behind it.. the wifi on those gateways that Comcast pushes is HORRIBLE interms of signal and how far it works... have them bridge it and use it like a normal cable modem / emta without a router built in

I would still buy a separate router. You can also tell them to give you a dedicated phone modem that isn't a modem/router combo. 

you don't need to, they just have to put the gateway into bridge mode

[KeeperOfThePizza]

Well, I downloaded a Wi-Fi channel analyzer and it doesn't show any of them as quality channels, 14 is the only one and that's a illegal channel in the United States. Is there any good apps on pc that i can use to analyze my WiFi channels? 

[primexx]

it should have a graph that shows all the networks it sees, and their channels. choose between 1, 6, and 11 and use the least crowded one. don't use whatever the heck those star ratings are.

[neufuse Veteran]

Well, I downloaded a Wi-Fi channel analyzer and it doesn't show any of them as quality channels, 14 is the only one and that's a illegal channel in the United States. Is there any good apps on pc that i can use to analyze my WiFi channels? 

what gateway did Comcast give you? because most of the ones that stand upright and have a small base on them which are made by cisco and arris have very weak Wifi output, Comcast for some reason doesn't turn it's output level up in the firmware they put out for it... if you do a simple search you will find that there are a LOT of complaints about the wifi signal strength from the gateway device. moving channels isn't going to help in this case since it's the radios turned down in power

[Hum]

If you are using an Open wi-fi channel, maybe someone else is tapping in to it.

 

And higher number channels are supposed to penetrate walls better.

[neufuse Veteran]

If you are using an Open wi-fi channel, maybe someone else is tapping in to it.

 

And higher number channels are supposed to penetrate walls better.

I'd think it would be the other way around, the lower the channel the easier it is to go through walls... if you are on 2.5GHz spectrum, channel 1 starts at 2401 MHz and channel 14 is 2473 MHz, higher frequency makes it harder to pass through walls, which is part of the reason 5GHz bands don't travel to far but since this is a whole like 80MHz band that 2.5GHz channels run on, it really shouldn't make a difference compared to moving up to 5GHz

[+BudMan MVC]

Ok 1st thing is their hardware is normally just crap that your paying what $7 to $10 a month to use.. Buy your own, and it pays for itself normally in the first year.

2nd - so your on blast which is 50/10 -- what do you get wired to the thing? I see 60ish/12ish normally

What wifi client do you have, and what actual device did they give you.. Getting 50+ wifi isn't going to happen if your connected with 2.4 and 20mhz channels with 1 stream.. Just not sorry!

Best you could see is 72 data rate /2 for rough estimate and 35 would be the best you could hope.. I have an older 3rd gen ipad, and I can get 50ish down on it with no trouble, which is really about all you can expect to see with 40mhz on 5ghz with 1 stream.

Your wifi speed is going to have lots of variables.. What is your AP, 2.4, 5, are you g, n, ac? Are you 20,40 or 80mhz -- how many spatial streams (how many ant does your access point have?) Then what can your client support? Many devices are only 1 spatial stream, maybe 2.. So don't expect to fire up any wifi client and just peg your internet connection. Is there any other wifi clients using it? What other wifi in the area? Are you making popcorn in the microwave? etc. etc... Where are you in relation to the AP? What signal do you have? Are there other clients with real low signal connected? Are you running mixed with B,G on your N? Was someone talking on the phone which seems you have over the same connection at the time? Lots of Variables!!

So what is the hardware you have from comcast? What mobile wifi device are you testing with? What do you see from a device wired to the router.. Lets see some actual numbers.. Speedtest.net would be fine - they have a mobile app for ios or android and even believe windows phones, etc. And we can see if your getting what is possible or if really is something wrong. But without actual numbers to work with - you saying something takes a few minutes to download is not good data to work with.

Once we have details - then looking to see what channels other networks are on can be used to determine what best channel to be on. Since you show channel 2, you clearly are only 2.4 and not 5ghz. So most likely only 20mhz, etc. Even with everything perfect your most likely not going to see your 50 down even if your client was 2 streams - what wifi device are you testing with?

If you have a pc/laptop wifi I would suggest the free tool from https://www.acrylicwifi.com/en/wlan-software/wlan-scanner-acrylic-wifi-free/

example - you can all the wifi in the area what signal strengths, what channels, etc.. mine are the 2 I highlighted.

[neufuse Veteran]

Blast is 105/10 now in most areas Budman  (not all, but most)

[neufuse Veteran]

Yep. I have to have because of my home phone, I called Comcast and spoke to a tech support guy and he said that he sees "inconsistencies" in my connection and signal, I pay for Blast speeds and i'm not getting anywhere near it.

what is your location? Blast speed is 105Mbit across most of the country now, except a few areas... need to get an idea of if you should be seeing 105Mbit or 50Mbit

[+BudMan MVC]

Yeah, I am not on a plan that updated to 100.. You needed to be on triple play in chicago area I believe.. But yes I sure hope it updates to 100 soon!!

But that is a good point, he sure is not going to be seeing 100 over wifi

When my buddy got updated to 105 in the area, he sent me the email he got - and in the small print it showed what packages got updated.. Mine not being one of them

Restrictions apply. Not available in all areas. Speed increase applies to the following packages: Starter XF Double Play, Preferred XF Double Play, Starter XF Triple Play, Preferred XF Triple Play and HD Preferred Triple Play. Actual speeds vary and are not guaranteed.

[ViperAFK]

Yeah with a 2.4ghz router you will generally only see 10-80 Mbps depending on the device you are using, distance from the router etc...

 

With comcast, personally I recommend returning the wireless gateway and buying your own modem and wireless router. Can save some money not having to pay monthly rental fees. This modem is really good, reasonably priced and has support for 8x4 bonded streams so should be able to max out any comcast speed plan: http://www.amazon.com/Zoom-DOCSIS-Cable-Modem-5341J/dp/B0063K4NN6/ref=cm_cd_ql_qh_dp_t

 

For a wireless router, there are plenty of good choices such as:  http://www.amazon.com/RT-N66U-Dual-Band-Wireless-N900-Gigabit-Router/dp/B006QB1RPY. Look for a dual band router since you can get faster throughput on 5ghz compared to 2.4ghz (at the cost of less range compared to 2.4ghz though, but a good 5ghz router shouldn't have any issue covering an average sized dwelling with no issue, and the 5ghz band also has the advantage of being far less prone to wifi interference since there are many more available channels).

 

If you'd rather keep the comcast rented modem, I'd still recommend using a separate dual band wireless router and putting the comcast gateway into bridged mode and disabling its wifi.

 

note: even with a good router speeds will vary depending on devices. Many smartphones/tablets for example have pretty wimpy wireless cards and will top out at like 20 Mbps. For really good speeds on wifi you need a 5ghz router, and a device with a wireless card that supports 5ghz + multiple spatial streams (unfortunately as mentioned by budman earlier, many devices only support 2.4ghz and/or 1 spatial stream)

[neufuse Veteran]

Yeah with a 2.4ghz router you will generally only see 10-80 Mbps depending on the device you are using, distance from the router etc...

 

With comcast, personally I recommend returning the wireless gateway and buying your own modem and wireless router. Can save some money not having to pay monthly rental fees. This modem is really good, reasonably priced and has support for 8x4 bonded streams so should be able to max out any comcast speed plan: http://www.amazon.com/Zoom-DOCSIS-Cable-Modem-5341J/dp/B0063K4NN6/ref=cm_cd_ql_qh_dp_t

 

For a wireless router, there are plenty of good choices such as:  http://www.amazon.com/RT-N66U-Dual-Band-Wireless-N900-Gigabit-Router/dp/B006QB1RPY. Look for a dual band router since you can get faster throughput on 5ghz compared to 2.4ghz (at the cost of less range compared to 2.4ghz though, but a good 5ghz router shouldn't have any issue covering an average sized dwelling with no issue, and the 5ghz band also has the advantage of being far less prone to wifi interference since there are many more available channels).

 

If you'd rather keep the comcast rented modem, I'd still recommend using a separate dual band wireless router and putting the comcast gateway into bridged mode and disabling its wifi.

 

note: even with a good router speeds will vary depending on devices. Many smartphones/tablets for example have pretty wimpy wireless cards and will top out at like 20 Mbps. For really good speeds on wifi you need a 5ghz router, and a device with a wireless card that supports 5ghz + multiple spatial streams (unfortunately as mentioned by budman earlier, many devices only support 2.4ghz and/or 1 spatial stream)

if they have voice service from Comcast you will be paying the monthly rental fee to start with unless you buy their gateway... you need an eMTA not a normal modem for voice service.. he's better off having the gateway put into bridge mode and putting his own router on it that way you still have voice and a modem but your own router

[KeeperOfThePizza]

what gateway did Comcast give you? because most of the ones that stand upright and have a small base on them which are made by cisco and arris have very weak Wifi output, Comcast for some reason doesn't turn it's output level up in the firmware they put out for it... if you do a simple search you will find that there are a LOT of complaints about the wifi signal strength from the gateway device. moving channels isn't going to help in this case since it's the radios turned down in power

 

The router they gave me is "ARRIS TG862"

[KeeperOfThePizza]

what is your location? Blast speed is 105Mbit across most of the country now, except a few areas... need to get an idea of if you should be seeing 105Mbit or 50Mbit

My Location is Boston. I did a speed test hardwired and I'm getting 93/15 which seems normal, It's when I connect via WiFi the speeds are horrendous and the Router is legit 2 feet away from me. I can't even get over 40 down and I have 2 Wireless N devices(LG G3/Google TV), Also the connectivity is terrible, I find myself having to constantly connect and disconnect, Playing YouTube videos or even streaming a movie lags or stops and once again the Router is in the same room as all of my devices. I've tried switching security settings to see maybe if that would fix any connectivity issues. No luck. 

[KeeperOfThePizza]

Ok 1st thing is their hardware is normally just crap that your paying what $7 to $10 a month to use.. Buy your own, and it pays for itself normally in the first year.

2nd - so your on blast which is 50/10 -- what do you get wired to the thing? I see 60ish/12ish normally

What wifi client do you have, and what actual device did they give you.. Getting 50+ wifi isn't going to happen if your connected with 2.4 and 20mhz channels with 1 stream.. Just not sorry!

Best you could see is 72 data rate /2 for rough estimate and 35 would be the best you could hope.. I have an older 3rd gen ipad, and I can get 50ish down on it with no trouble, which is really about all you can expect to see with 40mhz on 5ghz with 1 stream.

wifispeed.png

Your wifi speed is going to have lots of variables.. What is your AP, 2.4, 5, are you g, n, ac? Are you 20,40 or 80mhz -- how many spatial streams (how many ant does your access point have?) Then what can your client support? Many devices are only 1 spatial stream, maybe 2.. So don't expect to fire up any wifi client and just peg your internet connection. Is there any other wifi clients using it? What other wifi in the area? Are you making popcorn in the microwave? etc. etc... Where are you in relation to the AP? What signal do you have? Are there other clients with real low signal connected? Are you running mixed with B,G on your N? Was someone talking on the phone which seems you have over the same connection at the time? Lots of Variables!!

So what is the hardware you have from comcast? What mobile wifi device are you testing with? What do you see from a device wired to the router.. Lets see some actual numbers.. Speedtest.net would be fine - they have a mobile app for ios or android and even believe windows phones, etc. And we can see if your getting what is possible or if really is something wrong. But without actual numbers to work with - you saying something takes a few minutes to download is not good data to work with.

Once we have details - then looking to see what channels other networks are on can be used to determine what best channel to be on. Since you show channel 2, you clearly are only 2.4 and not 5ghz. So most likely only 20mhz, etc. Even with everything perfect your most likely not going to see your 50 down even if your client was 2 streams - what wifi device are you testing with?

If you have a pc/laptop wifi I would suggest the free tool from https://www.acrylicwifi.com/en/wlan-software/wlan-scanner-acrylic-wifi-free/

example - you can all the wifi in the area what signal strengths, what channels, etc.. mine are the 2 I highlighted.

wifiinfo.png

Thank you, I'll install that app and report back.

[KeeperOfThePizza]

Ok 1st thing is their hardware is normally just crap that your paying what $7 to $10 a month to use.. Buy your own, and it pays for itself normally in the first year.

2nd - so your on blast which is 50/10 -- what do you get wired to the thing? I see 60ish/12ish normally

What wifi client do you have, and what actual device did they give you.. Getting 50+ wifi isn't going to happen if your connected with 2.4 and 20mhz channels with 1 stream.. Just not sorry!

Best you could see is 72 data rate /2 for rough estimate and 35 would be the best you could hope.. I have an older 3rd gen ipad, and I can get 50ish down on it with no trouble, which is really about all you can expect to see with 40mhz on 5ghz with 1 stream.

wifispeed.png

Your wifi speed is going to have lots of variables.. What is your AP, 2.4, 5, are you g, n, ac? Are you 20,40 or 80mhz -- how many spatial streams (how many ant does your access point have?) Then what can your client support? Many devices are only 1 spatial stream, maybe 2.. So don't expect to fire up any wifi client and just peg your internet connection. Is there any other wifi clients using it? What other wifi in the area? Are you making popcorn in the microwave? etc. etc... Where are you in relation to the AP? What signal do you have? Are there other clients with real low signal connected? Are you running mixed with B,G on your N? Was someone talking on the phone which seems you have over the same connection at the time? Lots of Variables!!

So what is the hardware you have from comcast? What mobile wifi device are you testing with? What do you see from a device wired to the router.. Lets see some actual numbers.. Speedtest.net would be fine - they have a mobile app for ios or android and even believe windows phones, etc. And we can see if your getting what is possible or if really is something wrong. But without actual numbers to work with - you saying something takes a few minutes to download is not good data to work with.

Once we have details - then looking to see what channels other networks are on can be used to determine what best channel to be on. Since you show channel 2, you clearly are only 2.4 and not 5ghz. So most likely only 20mhz, etc. Even with everything perfect your most likely not going to see your 50 down even if your client was 2 streams - what wifi device are you testing with?

If you have a pc/laptop wifi I would suggest the free tool from https://www.acrylicwifi.com/en/wlan-software/wlan-scanner-acrylic-wifi-free/

example - you can all the wifi in the area what signal strengths, what channels, etc.. mine are the 2 I highlighted.

wifiinfo.png

 

This is what I'm seeing on my end. My Network name is "Nope" All of my devices except my laptop(Which is G) are Wireless N devices.. It's not so much the speed that's the issue, It's the connectivity.. I find myself contstantly having to disconnect and reconnect on WiFi on all devices.. It shouldn't take 4 minutes to download the Twitter app on my phone haha.

 

Wireless G, Laptop

 

 

Hard Wired, Laptop

 

LG G3, Wireless N

 

 

[PGHammer]

This is what I'm seeing on my end. My Network name is "Nope" All of my devices except my laptop(Which is G) are Wireless N devices.. It's not so much the speed that's the issue, It's the connectivity.. I find myself contstantly having to disconnect and reconnect on WiFi on all devices.. It shouldn't take 4 minutes to download the Twitter app on my phone haha.

 

Wireless G, Laptop

 

 

Hard Wired, Laptop

 

LG G3, Wireless N

 

 

First off, look for a wireless-N USB stick for the G-only laptop - depending on distance from the router, Tenda has several decent N sticks; most of them even work with OS X (all of them work in Windows).

 

For a dual-band N (no AC) router, I use the Netgear WNDR3700v4 (which has since been superseded by the v5) - it delivers rock-solid connectivity to everything.

[#Michael]

Yeah, I am not on a plan that updated to 100.. You needed to be on triple play in chicago area I believe.. But yes I sure hope it updates to 100 soon!!

But that is a good point, he sure is not going to be seeing 100 over wifi

blastinchicagoarea.png

When my buddy got updated to 105 in the area, he sent me the email he got - and in the small print it showed what packages got updated.. Mine not being one of them

Restrictions apply. Not available in all areas. Speed increase applies to the following packages: Starter XF Double Play, Preferred XF Double Play, Starter XF Triple Play, Preferred XF Triple Play and HD Preferred Triple Play. Actual speeds vary and are not guaranteed.