Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

Question

Home network extension: why am i losing so much bandwidth?

Aug 23, 2018 8:07AM PDT

Hi and thanks in advance for any advice,

I have a 350mbps connection at home - its reliable and i usually get between 325-3509 on a wired connection,

The modem connects to a Linksys wireless router, this is my main router. i get about 350 wired and 250 wireless from this.

As my walls are so thick i have been looking for ways to extend the network for wired and wireless access.

I tried powerline and was getting between 25-50 mbps wired and wireless and worse

So i bought a long ethernet and a new AC router, TP Link Archer C50. This is router 2.

Main router and router 2 are connected by ethernet.

I tired router 2 in access mode and wireless router mode - wit both i get around 40 wired and 70 wireless (i have swapped out the ethernet cable between router 2 and computer in case it was that)However if i plug the ethernet coming from main router directly into my computer it gets to 300 mbps

the wireless SSID i have given the same name the same for both routers.

I'm clearly doing something wrong here but cannae work out what it is!

Thanks

Ben

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
Clarification Request
If the same SSID
Aug 23, 2018 8:53AM PDT

You can't be sure you are connected to the new router. I'd forget that. It's not like a mesh network where it switches almost seamlessly.

That aside, try the unique SSID so you know it's not connecting to the first router. If that doesn't do it, setup the new router as a WAP. Google like this: "How to use a router as a WAP?"

- Collapse -
i tried that :)
Aug 23, 2018 9:07AM PDT

Hi

Thanks for getting back to me

I did try using a separate SSID - the problem being the place is small enough that it doesn't handover very well so when you move from one end of the house to the other it holds onto the weak signal from the other, differntly named SSID

SSID aside the bit i really don't understand is why the ethernet coming from main router givems me 300 when connected directly to computer but 40 when it goes through router 2 through a wried connection to the computer

- Collapse -
Handover is done on Mesh networks.
Aug 23, 2018 9:17AM PDT

And the handover on what you have is well discussed over a decade so I don't want to rehash this area.

One of the common findings is that when we use 100 megabit routers we never get close to that speed. I continue to exchange those for Gigabit routers.

That aside be sure the C50 router firmware is the latest. I've had TP Link models and all needed the firmware updated.

I can't write you'll get top speed with the C50 as it's not a gigabit router.

- Collapse -
ok
Aug 23, 2018 9:20AM PDT

so basically i should get a gigabyte router or a mesh network it seems - i was trying to do this cheaply but seems thats impossible dammit Happy

- Collapse -
You do have a few things to try.
Aug 23, 2018 9:24AM PDT

Firmware, SSID, setup as a WAP instead of a ROUTER, etc.

Be sure you are on the 5GHz when speed testing.

- Collapse -
ill give those a shot
Aug 23, 2018 9:35AM PDT

assuming i give the SSID different names, is there any way to make it handover fro network to network better given its not a mesh system?

- Collapse -
Not today.
Aug 23, 2018 11:49AM PDT

That issue has been here in Windows since it began to support WiFi. As I wrote above I would be repeating prior discussions if I went into that area.

It would not matter if the SSIDs were the same as Windows will switch when it detects the loss of the other connection. SSID does not matter except to let me and you know which AP it is connected to. There's some old lore about using the same SSID but as you get deeper into this you find it's just that and nothing more.

That said, Asus with there routers allow you to convert some models to a mesh model. But you don't have those.

- Collapse -
I'm not on windows...
Aug 24, 2018 6:18AM PDT

well here;s the thing i'm not on windows Happy

im on a mac but the network has macs, ipads, android phones and video games consoles on it to name a few. But no windows Happy

i think the problem may lie in the fact the router i bought was not a gigabit one - i am returning that and replacing with an asus one that is and, coincidentally, it has the aimesh thing you mentioned

I'll see if that fixes the bandwidth issue - if it does i may replace the main router with another asus if their fake mesh actually works

- Collapse -
Sorry about that.
Aug 24, 2018 8:19AM PDT

The switch to another AP is not as quick or smooth as folk want when they have more than one AP in any OS I've seen to date. The mesh systems tackle that and for now I see zero progress on the old AP system about switching.

- Collapse -
Answer
Same SSID
Aug 24, 2018 8:20PM PDT

Both the router having the same SSID or Name which might be causing the problem.
Kindly change the SSID or Name of one of the router.


Promotional link removed by moderator.

Post was last edited on August 25, 2018 1:40 AM PDT