Is there a way to check the speed on my Airport Extreme wifi router. I've got 100 mbps coming in directly into the router and my computer that is wired in, but I am only getting about 20 mbps through my laptops. I just cut cable and streaming live TV through Hulu is hit and miss.
T
Current Pro Desktops
Bob,
Hard to believe it was the old "reboot" fix. After rebooting the Airport Extreme and the MacBook, the MacBook's speed tested at 78 mbps vs. in the 20's earlier and my Dell laptop is now testing in the low 60s. That suggestion significantly improved the speed.
I am actually a little embarrassed that I didn't think about rebooting the wireless router in the first place, but this router has performed so well compared to what I've had in the past (meaning it hardly ever goes down requiring a reboot), that I didn't think about that.
Thank you very much. I appreciate your patience hanging in there to help me.
Mike
Bob,
Hard to believe it was the old "reboot" fix. After rebooting the Airport Extreme and the MacBook, the MacBook's speed tested at 78 mbps vs. in the 20's earlier and my Dell laptop is now testing in the low 60s. That suggestion significantly improved the speed.
I am actually a little embarrassed that I didn't think about rebooting the wireless router in the first place, but this router has performed so well compared to what I've had in the past (meaning it hardly ever goes down requiring a reboot), that I didn't think about that.
Thank you very much. I appreciate your patience hanging in there to help me.
Mike
What model is your Extreme? Is it the tall one?
On the Mac.. option click on the wifi icon in the top right menu.
This will give you a good deal of info..
What Band you are connected to.. 2.4ghz or 5ghz.. high speed is only on 5ghz.
It will also show a link speed.. in my case here you can see it is 585Mbps.. thoughput will be usually around 1/3 to 1/2 of that number.
Are you testing the Mac and Dell in the same room as the Extreme?
Are you testing with both connected and perhaps some other devices.. some background things can be happening without your knowledge which is draining your bandwidth.
Let's first try to figure out whether you have a wired or wireless issue. Troubleshooting always begins with a wired connection first......since wireless will never be up to speed if Ethernet is not.
If you have not already done this, connect a computer directly to one of the three LAN <--> ports on the AirPort Extreme and run 3-4 Internet speed checks to get an average using one of the popular utilities like www.speedtest.net.
Post back on your results for Test 1.
but I am only getting about 20 mbps through my laptops.
Are you saying that the laptops are connecting using wireless or via a wired connection? What operating systems are installed on the laptops?
If you have not already done so, restart the AirPort Extreme and locate a laptop in the same room with the AirPort Extreme so that it has line-of-sight with the AirPort.....and then run 3-4 Internet speed checks that way to get an average. Post back on your results for Test 2.
Then, move the laptop further away from the AirPort so that there is one wall in the signal path between the laptop and AirPort Express and perform the same checks again. Post back on your results for Test 3.
Finally, move the laptop to the normal location where you will be using it and perform the same checks again. Post back on your results for Test 4.
How many walls or other obstructions like ceilings are there in the signal path between the AirPort Extreme and the laptop in Test 4?
More checks will likely be needed, so you will need to be patient while we work through the process. There are rarely ever any quick fixes with wireless issues.
My Dell desktop is wired to the ehernet connection (the speedtest rang up at 87 on it). Both of our laptops (one Dell and one MacBook) are speed testing around 20 through wireless connections. That is why I wondered if the Airport Extreme router was the problem, but I can't seem to find what its bandwidth is.
So you are saying that the Dell desktop is connected to one of the Ethernet ports on the back of the AirPort Extreme and that you are getting Internet speeds of about 85-90 Mbps when you check that way?
If yes, then the wireless speeds on your Mac laptop should be in the 80-85 Mbps range if the laptop is in the same room as the AirPort Extreme and it has line of sight to the AirPort Extreme.
What speeds do you measure when you check the WiFi on the Mac laptop this way?
To answer your question about the bandwidth capability of the AirPort Extreme........it is about 350 Mbps on average. But, you won't see those kinds of speeds unless you have a 300+ Mbps Internet connection plan with your provider.
Bob, yes, the Dell desktop is connected to one of the Ethernet ports and is testing at 85-90 mbps. Both my Dell laptop and my MacBook though are testing in the low 20's. I have 100mbps service, so wondered if the Airport Extreme had an issue with bandwidth.
PS - I am going to increase my speed with my internet provider to see if it helps, but wanted to check on any know limitation of the Airport Extreme first.
Thanks,
Thanks for the clarification. Can you check my post again and respond to the question that I asked?
What speeds do you measure when you check the WiFi on the Mac laptop this way?
(Locate the laptop in the same room as the AirPort Extreme with line of sight to the AirPort Extreme)
Once we have that info, we will likely ask you to perform more checks.
Thanks to both. I guess I didn't clarify that my laptops are connecting wirelessly, not through an ethernet port. Both are in the same room as the Airport Extreme. I am not sure of the model, but it is 6 years old and lays flat on the shelf, it is not the tall one. A customer service agent at Cox told me that if I had 100 mbps coming in, but had 4 devices connected wirelessly, that they all would only get a portion of the bandwidth coming from the wireless router. Not sure I buy that explanation, but I did wonder if the Airport Extreme had bandwidth limitations since it was 6 years old (before streaming was a bigger deal). I just don't know how to check it to confirm.
Thanks.
Twice......(Three times, if you include LaPastenague's response)......We have asked you to locate the Mac laptop in the same room as the AirPort Extreme with line of sight to the AirPort and run a speed check that way over the WiFi.
Are you able to do this?
Bob, I appreciate your help, but at least twice (above) and in my previous reply, I've indicated that the MacBook (and my Dell laptop) are hooked up wirelessly and in my last post I indicated that it is in the same room at the Airport Extreme.
Thanks. We did not know where the laptop was located
Now, hold down the option key on your Mac while you click on the WiFi menu at the top of the screen. Post back with the exact info that you see for.......
Channel
Country Code
RSSI
Noise
Tx Rate
PHY Mode
MCS Index
(LaPastenague also asked you to do this as well.)
Very impressive connection.
A Tx Rate of 450 Mbps indicates that your AirPort Extreme and Mac can support a connection of up to 450 Mbps. So, that answers the question about bandwidth. Nothing wrong with your Mac....and nothing wrong with the AirPort Extreme
Power off as many other WiFi devices as you can, but leave the Mac laptop on
Restart the AirPort Extreme
Restart the Mac laptop
Run a few Internet speed checks again using www.speedtest.net to see what your Internet connection might be. It should be in the 80-85 Mbps range, similar to the wired Ethernet connection speed.
Hard to believe it was the old "reboot" fix.
Actually, not hard to believe at all. Simply powering off devices and starting them back up again as we suggested will fix about half of all problems about half of the time.
Glad that you got things working!
Channel 157 (5GHz, 40MHz)
Country Code US
RSSIU -53dBm
Noise -93dBm
Tx Rate 450Mbps
PHY Mode 802.11n
MCS Index 23
Apple Airport Extreme Router Speed Check
