Level 1

0 points

Slow wifi since upgrading to 7.6.4

I have experienced very slow wifi speeds on my Time Capsule (4th generation) 802.11n Airport network since upgrading the firmware to 7.6.4. Since reading many of the discussions on this forum I have downgraded the firmware to 7.6.1, but that hasn't fixed it. None of the fixes in any of discussions I've seen have fixed it.

I'm getting speeds of only about 1 to 2 Mbps. I've checked for other local networks using iStumbler, and have manually selected a 2.5 Ghz band channel that doesn't overlap with the 3 other wifi networks in my neighbourhood. But network interference doesn't seem to be the problem, because I'm also only getting 1 to 2 Mbps on the 5 Ghz band network, and there are no other 5 Ghz networks in the neighbourhood (according to iStumbler).

I'm connecting with a 2013 Macbook Air. iNet reports a Signal Level for the wifi connection to be about -39 dBm, and the Noise Level to be about -90 dBm, and the S/N Ratio fluctuates around -50 dBm, which I understand to be a very strong signal.

I've done multiple resets and reconfigurations of the Time Capsule, but it hasn't helped. It's definitely a wifi issue, as if I connect directly to the ethernet port on the Time Capsule I get speeds an order of magnitude better.

What could I be overlooking?

Posted on Oct 4, 2013 10:42 PM

23 replies

Oct 7, 2013 6:24 AM in response to emheenan

Ok.. very bad news...

It is why I do want you to install the switch or use the crossover cable though, between the TC and modem.. just to see if that works as a method of maintaining it.

This is too much to hope for but before you upgraded to 7.6.4 did you happen to export the configuration.. If you export a configuration before and then after we could actually see what changed..

The file is XML and easy to open in a text editor and just look at it.

Without the earlier version though we don't have much to compare.. I am happy to give you one.. but it is going to be wrong region and wrong time and wrong setup etc.. you need two the same setup with only difference being the firmware update.

Anyhow keep plugging away.. you are making progress.

emheenan Author

Level 1

0 points

Oct 7, 2013 6:52 AM in response to LaPastenague

You might have your threads crossed - why do I need a switch or crossover cable?

I don't have an export of the Time Capsule configuration. It was pretty basic though. And I've done a number of factory resets during this process to try to get it working again and it hasn't made any improvement.

Oct 7, 2013 2:17 PM in response to emheenan

emheenan wrote:

You might have your threads crossed - why do I need a switch or crossover cable?

I don't have an export of the Time Capsule configuration. It was pretty basic though. And I've done a number of factory resets during this process to try to get it working again and it hasn't made any improvement.

Doubtless, I am trying to work through similar issue in several threads.

If I haven't raised it before.. there can be issues with the WAN port not connecting correctly.. we have tried to overcome that internally by setting a speed via the utilities.

There are a couple of other ways to overcome the problem externally.. one is to use a switch. A simple cheap 10/100 switch stuck between the TC and the modem. That has actually solved the issue for some..

I think there is port timing issues on the ethernet in the TC and AE.. that is why setting the speed down to 10mbit is fixing it. A switch in between is able to adjust the timings and buffer packets between the two devices.

The idea of a crossover cable is similar .. it fixes the automatic switch over from MDI to MDIX which is how switches now handle plugging one switch into another.. in the old days you needed a crossover cable .. now I think Apple are returning to their roots.. a crossover cable has fixed the problem.. cheaper and easier than a switch.

Nov 30, 2013 1:28 PM in response to LaPastenague

I've been having a similar issue with a 2TB Time Capsule running 7.6.4.

I replaced it with a 3TB Time Capsule. It worked great until I upgraded it to 7.6.4 and it too began having the same problem.

I can report that I swapped the patch cable out for a crossover cable and that seems to have solved the problem.

Nov 30, 2013 6:53 PM in response to Michael R from Canada

I can report that I swapped the patch cable out for a crossover cable and that seems to have solved the problem.

M

Thanks.. that is very helpful.. and a crossover cable is cheap and easy to get still.. well worth the few dollars.

I cannot figure out how Apple could manage to make such a hash of something so simple.

DeeRun

Level 1

23 points

Oct 8, 2014 11:57 PM in response to LaPastenague

LaPastenague wrote:

A simple cheap 10/100 switch stuck between the TC and the modem. That has actually solved the issue for some..

How do you do this? I have a 1gbps fibre modem connected to the TC WAN port. Do I plug the fibre modern into a gigabit switch, then from this switch out to the TC WAN port? I take it the switch shouldn't have anything else connected to any of the other ports?

Oct 9, 2014 2:17 AM in response to DeeRun

I have a 1gbps fibre modem connected to the TC WAN port

Honestly if you have gigabit fibre.. go out now.. today.. and buy a new router.. the Apple Router are not up to gigabit connections and they are too problematic.. Buy one of the routers on the top of this table.

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/lanwan/router-charts/bar/74-wan-to-lan

Find the AC airport extreme on the list.. it is a long long way down.. Apple do too much software muddling to get peak performance.. even though the chipset is very good.. they take a perfectly good Linux OEM and rewrite it in NetBSD so it is copyright.

In the process they removed all the hardware acceleration. This is essential if you are going to use your gigabit fibre .. otherwise all you are doing is slowing it down for the Airport or TC to cope.

You can keep using the TC in bridge plugged into the new router for backups.. and apple wireless at short range.

DeeRun

Level 1

23 points

Mar 23, 2015 12:21 AM in response to LaPastenague

Perfect and thank you!

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Slow wifi since upgrading to 7.6.4