WIFI extremely slow - Airport Extreme 802.11AC and Motorola Surfboard 6121
First, sorry for the wall of text.
So two days ago, my wife complained that the wifi was really slow on her phone. She complains a lot, so I ignored it and told he I would check. Yesterday when I got home from work, she said she was having a hard time logging into her work computer using LogMeIn and that the connection kept dropping. At about the same time, my uncle mentioned that the wifi seemed really slow, so I decided it was time to check things out.
My setup:
Motorola SB6121 connected to Airport Extreme Refurbished (FE918LL/A) via ethernet. Connected to the Airport is a VOIP phone and an external 1TB HDD.
That's really about it. The computer sits about 5 feet from the router, and the modem is right next to that. Cable line into house splits once, and then there is a straight shot to the modem. All TV's are split after that. At any given time, there are between 15-20 devices connected (2 iPhones, 2 Laptops, 2 iPads, 2 Apple TVs, Xbox, Smart TV, 3 Wireless security cameras, Ecob3 thermostat, and then anyone who comes in the house.)
There is a "Home" network and a "Guest" network set up.
History:
This is all on Comcast. Modem and router have always been in the same place. Started with an older Motorola SB4200i about 10 years ago. Had that hooked up to a Linksys router, you all know the one WRTG54G (can't believe I still remember those model numbers). Replaced the Linksys with the flat airport extreme third gen in 2009. Upgraded the SB4200i to the 6121 a few years back. Don't remember when, but it was probably about 3 years ago. In January of this year, I upgraded the 3rd Gen Airport extreme to the FE918LL/A. Up to that point, never had any real issues. Occasional slow downs through the process, but overall, no complaints. No setting have ever been touched on any of the products. Just plugged everything in and off we went. Just like apple products should work.
Current issue:
The connection literally drops to nothing every 2-3 minutes, and stays down for about 30-40 seconds. Some time more frequently, some times longer duration's. I open airport utility, and I can see the connection go from green to amber. While that happens, I maybe get 1Mbps down. Upload speeds seem fine (steady at 5Mbps up) but download goes to 1Mbps or lower.
What I've tried:
1. Unplug everything, let it sit for 10 seconds, plug it back in. Same issue.
2. Unplug everything, let it sit for 30 mins, plug it back in. Same issue.
3. Remove the Airport Extreme. Direct Ethernet from 6121 to computer. Unplug modem, set up, and test. Download speeds at 30Mbps, upload at 5Mbps (what I pay for). No issues and consistent connection.
4. Plug it all back in after seeing modem was not problem. Same issue.
5. Take out old 3rd Gen airport extreme. Set up, plug everything in. Same issue.
Next step:
So I did most of that between 2am and 5am so my wife could work today. My plan is to wipe the Airport Extreme and reconfigure from fresh to see if that works. I am skeptical. These two have been working well for the last 4 months, and before that, for 3+ years with the old 3rd Gen Airport Extreme. Nothing has been updated as far as I know, and because the modem works flawlessly when connected directly to the computer, I can't imagine that's the problem. So unless there was a firmware update I am not aware of, I'm at a loss.
I could take the Airport Extreme back to apple to get a replacement, but I don't think that's the problem either. I should probably try a new modem, but I'd hate to throw money at a problem that a software update may fix.
I have read about issues with the 6141, but not nearly as many with the 6121. I know the 6121 is at the end of it's life, so is it best to upgrade anyway? Is this more common than I realized?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
