amp895

Q: Very slow speed despite full connection

Hello,

 

Setup

I own a latest generation airport extreme running 7.7.3 firmware a latest gen macbook pro with Airport Utility 6.3.6. I have fiber through my local fiber internet provider. The connection comes straight into my apartment and plugs into my airport's WAN port. When first setup or after a few restarts, my macbook will get 250-300Mbps down over my 5Ghz connection. When I plug my MacBook directly into the ethernet I consistently get 600+ Mbps. This is expected.

 

The Problem

Whenever I check my download speed my download is choked to 25-50Mbps over 5Ghz, it's even slower on 2.4Ghz. I have full connection on my device, sitting only several feet from my router. After restarting (sometimes I have to restart a few times) the download speed jumps back up to the 250-300 I expected. I should also note that this has happened with two different ISPs. Before I had fiber and with my most recent fiber provider, so I feel confident isolating the device as the problem, not the service.

 

What I've Tried

  • Setting DNS to Google's 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4
  • Changing the 2.4 and 5Ghz Channels
  • A separate 5Ghz network
  • Calling my ISP

 

More Setup Details

Internet

  • Connecting via DHCP
  • Configure IPv6: Automatically
  • IPv6 Mode: Native
  • Enabled IPv6 Connection Sharing

Wireless

  • Separate not-hidden 5Ghz Network
  • 2.4 channel: 3
  • 5 channel: 153
  • No Guest Network
  • WPA/WPA2 Personal Security

Network

  • Router Mode: DHCP and NAT
  • No reservations or port mapping
  • 1 Day reservations
  • Enabled NAT Port Mapping Protocol

Disks

  • An external hard drive used for Time Machine Backups

 

Any suggestions? I'm scratching my head and I can't find any similar posts to my specific problem. My internet is not disconnecting, it's just really slow for what the ISP is sending over the pipe.

MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013), OS X El Capitan (10.11.3), null

Posted on Mar 5, 2016 7:37 AM

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Q: Very slow speed despite full connection

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Tesserax,

    Tesserax Tesserax Mar 5, 2016 9:36 AM in response to amp895
    Level 9 (54,427 points)
    Wireless
    Mar 5, 2016 9:36 AM in response to amp895

    Your settings look correct. One suggestion would be to change the Configure IPv6 setting to: Link-local only

  • by amp895,

    amp895 amp895 Mar 5, 2016 9:41 AM in response to Tesserax
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 5, 2016 9:41 AM in response to Tesserax

    Thanks @tesserax,

    I've updated that setting. After restart my speed looks good, which is typical. I will try again in an hour or so and let you know if it maintains the desired speed.

  • by amp895,

    amp895 amp895 Mar 5, 2016 10:15 AM in response to Tesserax
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 5, 2016 10:15 AM in response to Tesserax

    @tesserax,

     

    Back to slow speeds as usual. No luck

  • by Tesserax,

    Tesserax Tesserax Mar 5, 2016 10:31 AM in response to amp895
    Level 9 (54,427 points)
    Wireless
    Mar 5, 2016 10:31 AM in response to amp895

    Unfortunately, fiber is something that the Apple routers are still "new" to as far as Internet service. We see numerous posts here from folks having issues using their AirPort routers with fiber service. This may be one of those cases as well.


    Have you always had this problem or did it just start happening? There is a possibility that your Extreme may be faulty. One last thing I would like for you to try before considering replacing it is to downgrade its firmware to version 7.7.1

  • by amp895,

    amp895 amp895 Mar 5, 2016 12:20 PM in response to Tesserax
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 5, 2016 12:20 PM in response to Tesserax

    Thanks @Tesserax

     

    I haven't been able to find any place to download 7.7.1

    As far as I know this has always been an issue for me.

  • by Bob Timmons,

    Bob Timmons Bob Timmons Mar 5, 2016 12:40 PM in response to amp895
    Level 10 (105,067 points)
    Wireless
    Mar 5, 2016 12:40 PM in response to amp895

    While you can downgrade firmware on the previous 802.11n versions of Apple routers, once you have updated to 7.7.3 on the AirPort Extreme 802.11ac or AirPort Time Capsule 802.11ac, you cannot go back.

     

    Apple won't provide an "official" reason for this, but it is a known fact that firmware version 7.7.3 included important security updates to address some issues that existed at the time. Since we cannot speak for Apple, a guess would be that Apple does not want users to be exposed to the security risks that existed before 7.7.3 was introduced.

     

    On a separate note, some users have reported that inserting a Gigabit Ethernet switch between the "modem" and the AirPort has helped with speed stability issues. The theory here is that the switch does a better job of negotiating speeds than the AirPort. Might be worth a try if you have  a switch handy.

  • by Tesserax,

    Tesserax Tesserax Mar 5, 2016 12:40 PM in response to amp895
    Level 9 (54,427 points)
    Wireless
    Mar 5, 2016 12:40 PM in response to amp895

    You should be able to access firmware upgrades/downgrades via the AirPort Utility.

     

    ... However, as Bob has pointed out, it may be impossible to downgrade from 7.7.3

  • by Tracie M,

    Tracie M Tracie M Mar 9, 2016 10:27 PM in response to Bob Timmons
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 9, 2016 10:27 PM in response to Bob Timmons

    in response to Bob Timmons, amp895, & Tesserax

     

    i also have the AirPort Extrem and unfortunately, I did upgrade to the latest 7.7.3 just about 3 weeks or so ago.  I have Cox as a provider, and everyone in my home runs desktops and laptops which are Windows based, however, we have 7 various Apple products, from iPad Pro to iPhone 4s. Ever since the firmware update, I need to hard reset the Extreme, and I'll be lucky if it stays up for an hour, at best.  I followed the entire thread here as well as viewed others regarding the firmware and the Cox modems not being able to "handshake" any further. please forgive my ignorance but almost every post in every thread discusses changing the "Configure IPv6 setting to LocalLink only". As a Windows user, I can't seem to figure out how that translates to my side of the board. I do have the airport utility app on my Pro here and it does have an Internet setting which appears to be editable (yet greys out and nothing in the fields): 

    IPV6 DNS SERVER  Primary: Optional    Secondary: Optional ( Optional under each are greyed out even if I hit edit, no selection/pull down box).

    And finally, to your point, about not being able to go back or downgrade, and prior to finding this thread, FYI, in case it's of help to amp895, I found this quote on one of Apple's support pages:

    Does AirPort Utility for OS X keep an archive of all my AirPort base station firmware updates?

    AirPort Utility keeps an archive of all Wi-Fi Base Station firmware updates you install, and stores them in ~/Library/Application Support/Apple/AirPort/Firmware

    OIf I have a computer or device that doesn't work well with my AirPort Base Station after I have installed an update, how can I install an earlier version of firmware if it is available?

    OS X

    1. Open AirPort Utility.
    2. Select the base station you want to downgrade.
    3. Hover the mouse pointer over the version number and hold down the Option key to turn it into a pop-up menu. Press the mouse button to open the menu.
    4. From the menu that appears, select a firmware version and click OK. If you select Other, you will be prompted to manually locate the firmware update.


    Based on what I've read in your post, Bob, neither of these apply to me, is that correct?  It appears the only shot I may have is the gigabyte Ethernet switch from Airport to Cox modem. Otherwise, until Cox catches up to Apples tech, I'm basically out $200+ for the Extreme I purchased just a year and 10 days ago ( just out of phone and walk into store support). Tech is not my strong point but I'm doing my best with all the knowledge I've collected thus far. If you happen to have anything else to add, or have heard of any other solutions, I would be eternally grateful!

  • by Tracie M,

    Tracie M Tracie M Mar 9, 2016 10:50 PM in response to Tracie M
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 9, 2016 10:50 PM in response to Tracie M

    It may have taken a lot longer but I finally found the setting on the app and changed it to LocalLink only!  I do hope I'm following your thoughts and directions carefully, I'll be interested to see if this works with the network!

  • by Tesserax,

    Tesserax Tesserax Mar 10, 2016 9:18 AM in response to Tracie M
    Level 9 (54,427 points)
    Wireless
    Mar 10, 2016 9:18 AM in response to Tracie M

    As a Windows user, I can't seem to figure out how that translates to my side of the board.

    For Windows 10, you would use the AirPort Utility for Windows. (Note: This utility was designed to work with Windows 7. However, it does work in both Windows 8, & 10 ... but it will not work properly for an 802.11ac AirPort base stations ... so I wouldn't recommend using it.)

     

    Where you would find the IPv6 setting in the utility, would be as follows:

    • Run the AirPort for Windows utility.
    • Select the base station.
    • Select Manual Setup.
    • Select Advanced > IPv6 tab
    • Change IPv6 Mode to: Link-local only
    • Click on Update and allow the base station to restart.

     

    ... and thanks for the reference to the Apple Support article on downgrading firmware.

     

    ... and if you don't think you are tech savvy, you fooled me!

  • by Bob Timmons,

    Bob Timmons Bob Timmons Mar 10, 2016 9:40 AM in response to Tracie M
    Level 10 (105,067 points)
    Wireless
    Mar 10, 2016 9:40 AM in response to Tracie M
    Based on what I've read in your post, Bob, neither of these apply to me, is that correct?

    Different support documents can sometimes produce confusing and conflicting results, but if you have an AirPort Extreme and you have updated the firmware to 7.7.3.......as I said above, you cannot go back.

     

    You can go back if you have updated to firmware 7.6.4 on another Apple router, which would be an earlier generation model.

     

    If you have an iPhone or iPad, you can also use that to administer the AirPort Extreme that you have.  Download and install AirPort Utility for iOS.

     

    AirPort Utility on the App Store - iTunes - Apple