How do I get fast wifi?
Discussion
I have recently built a new desktop PC and all is going well except the internet is a bit of a problem. Initially I had purchased a PCIE wifi network card to install in the build but foolishly I built on a MATX motherboard which did not give me enough room to install both the GPU and the wifi card. After this happened I went out a bought a "TP-Link Archer T3U AC1300 MU-MIMO USB 3.0 WiFi Adapter" which gave me no end of issues. I could not get it to give me a reliable connection on Windows 10 and spent all day trying to resolve an issue with the DNS servers timing out to no avail so I ended up returning said adapter and purchased a new one. When it did work I was getting about 100mb on my Virgin Media 350mb connection so by no means what I should be getting but it was much better than my old laptop would get.
The new adapter I purchased was a "NETGEAR AC1200 Wifi USB Adapter – USB 2.0 Dual Band" which I got today. Touch wood, up to now it has been stable and hasn't dropped out once but it is only getting about 40mb at the moment which is nowhere near what I would like. Bearing in mind I did a speed test on my Galaxy S8 phone which was hitting 130mb.
So, what the hell do I need to do to get a stable and fast connection?
I would love to run Cat6 from the router to my computer but it is not feasible at the moment. I have done a fair bit of research on powerline adapters and they may be an option but there is as much bad said about them as good what with various makes and models seemingly dropping connection and having throttling power saving modes that wreck the product.
As my phone is hitting 130mb I am going to assume that a new router and then using my Virgin 3.0 Hub as a modem will not drastically improve things although I am sure it would help. Does anyone use a wifi adapter on their computer that is capable is hitting speeds in the 100mb+ range that is also stable on Windows 10?
The new adapter I purchased was a "NETGEAR AC1200 Wifi USB Adapter – USB 2.0 Dual Band" which I got today. Touch wood, up to now it has been stable and hasn't dropped out once but it is only getting about 40mb at the moment which is nowhere near what I would like. Bearing in mind I did a speed test on my Galaxy S8 phone which was hitting 130mb.
So, what the hell do I need to do to get a stable and fast connection?
I would love to run Cat6 from the router to my computer but it is not feasible at the moment. I have done a fair bit of research on powerline adapters and they may be an option but there is as much bad said about them as good what with various makes and models seemingly dropping connection and having throttling power saving modes that wreck the product.
As my phone is hitting 130mb I am going to assume that a new router and then using my Virgin 3.0 Hub as a modem will not drastically improve things although I am sure it would help. Does anyone use a wifi adapter on their computer that is capable is hitting speeds in the 100mb+ range that is also stable on Windows 10?
Shominy said:
LordLoveLength said:
40MB/s is about right for a usb2 connection. Try another brand at usb3.
I thought USB 2.0 had a max of 480mbps so should be more than enough to handle internet well into the 100+ mbps?LordLoveLength said:
It does have 480 MegaBits. You’re looking at MegaBytes though. So you end up with an eighth plus a bit of overheads loss gets you to about 40 Megabytes which is what you’re seeing.
My internet speed is 350mbit. I know even with a Cat6 cable plugged into my machine a foot away from the router I'm unlikely to get that but at the moment I'm getting 40megabits so only transferring data at about 4megabytes a second. I don't see a reason why my USB wifi adapter even though it's rated as USB 2.0 (it's plugged into a USB 3.0 port) shouldn't be able to handle a 100+megabit connection as it would still only be transferring data at 12megabytes a second. How about a different approach? Have a look at a wifi extender with ethernet port, something like this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0725Y1VZ7/ref=sspa_dk...
Is it connecting to the 2.4GHz or 5GHz Wi-Fi (properties for the ssid you're connected to will tell you) ? 2.4GHz works over longer distances but is typically a lot slower (I'll often only get 15mbit/sec on 2.4 but the full 100mbit/sec on 5). If you go into the dongle properties, there should be an option to prefer the 5GHz network.
Also download and install the latest drivers from the Netgear website.
Also download and install the latest drivers from the Netgear website.
Put the Virgin hub in modem mode.
Buy a ubiquiti router, they have some new all in one thing I think that looks like an apple speaker, but is one hugely clever bit of kit
You will get enterprise level stability, and it's very fast.
Many will say wifi 6, but it's actually more sensitive to conditions than 5ghz band, so be cautious of claims if going through walls, ceilings, radiators etc, as all will absorb and diminish speed.
Buy a ubiquiti router, they have some new all in one thing I think that looks like an apple speaker, but is one hugely clever bit of kit
You will get enterprise level stability, and it's very fast.
Many will say wifi 6, but it's actually more sensitive to conditions than 5ghz band, so be cautious of claims if going through walls, ceilings, radiators etc, as all will absorb and diminish speed.
Fore Left said:
Is it connecting to the 2.4GHz or 5GHz Wi-Fi (properties for the ssid you're connected to will tell you) ? 2.4GHz works over longer distances but is typically a lot slower (I'll often only get 15mbit/sec on 2.4 but the full 100mbit/sec on 5). If you go into the dongle properties, there should be an option to prefer the 5GHz network.
Also download and install the latest drivers from the Netgear website.
It's a Virgin Superhub 3.0 which seems to claim it connects to whichever is strongest. Sometimes it is connected to 2.4GHz and other times 5GHz. It is currently connected to 5GHz and a speedtest says 46mbitps. Either the USB wifi adapter I have isn't good enough to receive the 5GHz signal at a speed much more than 46mbitps or something else is causing it. My phone sat right next to me is hitting 130mbitps and presumably that is operating on 5GHz.Also download and install the latest drivers from the Netgear website.
I have the latest drivers installed from the Netgear website so that shouldn't be an issue. The TP-Link adapter I returned seemed to be much quicker but something was inherently wrong with it which I, a reasonably tech savvy person, could not fix.
the_g_ster said:
Put the Virgin hub in modem mode.
Buy a ubiquiti router, they have some new all in one thing I think that looks like an apple speaker, but is one hugely clever bit of kit
You will get enterprise level stability, and it's very fast.
Many will say wifi 6, but it's actually more sensitive to conditions than 5ghz band, so be cautious of claims if going through walls, ceilings, radiators etc, as all will absorb and diminish speed.
I had looked into putting it into modem mode and getting a better router but when I saw my phone was connecting at 130mbits I thought that was more than enough for me so I just needed something to connect to my PC that would be able to match it. Do you have a link to the Ubituiti router you speak of? I've not read too much about them but have seen plenty recommend their products.Buy a ubiquiti router, they have some new all in one thing I think that looks like an apple speaker, but is one hugely clever bit of kit
You will get enterprise level stability, and it's very fast.
Many will say wifi 6, but it's actually more sensitive to conditions than 5ghz band, so be cautious of claims if going through walls, ceilings, radiators etc, as all will absorb and diminish speed.
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