Q: Slow web page loading and connection speeds with Airport Extreme
About 5 days ago I noticed a significant slow down in loading web pages. In some cases, I see a blank white screen for up to a minute before the page loads. In others, the page never loads at all. And sometimes they do load very quickly as expected. This happens with my iMac that is connected to an Airport Extreme router via ethernet, as well as my Macbook Air connected via Wifi.
I have a high speed Comcast/Xfinity cable internet connection: Blast 250Mbps.
I tried connecting my iMac directly to the cable model (Arris Surfboard SB6183), and there is no problem. Download speed was 300Mbps and upload 30Mbps.
I then hooked up my Airport Extreme router again, and connected the iMac to the router via Ethernet. Download speed dropped to 100Mbps!
So it seems the issue may be with the Airport Express. It's not a wireless problem, because as you can see the download speed dropped from 300Mbps when connected directly to the model to 100Mbps when connected to the Airport Extreme.
How do I troubleshoot/fix this?
iMac, OS X Yosemite (10.10.4)
Posted on Apr 1, 2016 7:24 AM
I bought the Motorola because I read that it was the best choice for fast internet connections like the 250Mbps I have. I see a few other modem recommendations for fast internet connections, including the Netgear CM600, Zoom 5370 and SCM D3CM1604. All are compatible with Comcast and are well-reviewed. Do you have any idea if these work better with the Airport Extreme?
I would suggest the Zoom 5370. Again, the Motorola is a very good modem, it's just not compatible with the Extreme and unless you came to a forum like this beforehand you wouldn't have known.
Or would it be better to get a different router and keep the same modem? Routers are more expensive than modems, and I'd prefer to stay within the Apple ecosystem with the router if there's a modem that is more compatible with the Airport Extreme.
That's a great question! It really comes down to your overall networking requirements. For example, if security is your top-most criteria, you may want to consider routers from other manufacturers. As an example, a number of routers have more sophisticated features to meet those goals. FWIW, I use a Cisco RV180 as my "main" router and use Apple base stations to provide my wireless network.
Posted on Apr 2, 2016 8:40 AM