speed and settings changes on Extreme 5th Gen?

Would really help if we knew what make and model number of modem that Spectrum provided you, since the DHCP and NAT router mode setting on the AirPort Extreme would not be the correct setting to use if the new "modem" is really a modem/router or gateway type of device. The wrong router mode setting could certainly affect speeds and cause other issues as well.

But, first things first. Disconnect the AirPort Extreme from the modem and connect your Mac or other computer directly to the modem using an Ethernet cable connection. Be sure to turn off the WiFi on the Mac.

Now run a few Internet speed checks to make sure that you are receiving the 200 Mbps service that you are paying for.

In other words, it does not make sense to try to troubleshoot a speed issue with the AirPort Extreme if your modem is not delivering 200 Mbps speeds. Once we confirm that the modem is working correctly......and.....we know what type of modem that you have......we'll be in much better shape as far as being able to recommend the correct settings for the AirPort Extreme based on your modem type.

Speeds with the old Ubee modem were hitting 100mbps even on a desktop maybe 20-40

feet from the base - through a basement floor and multiple walls around the house...

Now quite slower connectivity - best i'm getting is 80-90 mbps. Just feels laggy.

First task is to check that everything with your new modem is actually working properly.

Remove the Airport completely.. plug a computer directly to the modem by ethernet and check your internet speed and latency.

No amount of fiddling will fix a slow modem or actual ISP problems.

Second task.. since you have almost factory reset.. now is the time to ACTUALLY factory reset.

Anytime you change modems.. YOU MUST reset.. so don't kick yourself.. this was necessary part of changing over routers..

I strongly recommend NOT USING APPLE RECOMMENDED NAMES.

Keep them short no spaces and pure alphanumerics. Passwords same rules but can be longer.

You will not get high speeds of 100Mbps (actual throughput that is) without using 5ghz. And penetration of 5ghz is poor.. plus varies greatly over the channels.. low channels are not amplified.. high channels which are actually poorer are amplified to get better penetration.. so you need to use higher channels.

2.4ghz channels are pretty much just for interference.. usually 8 or 9 is a good compromise.. or just leave it on automatic.

You must set 5ghz name different to the 2.4 so you can identify which is which.. clients must connect to 5ghz.. and therefore that name must be top of the list.. and delete all the others in clients that can use 5ghz.

Find out what channel is in operation right now on a computer that should be fast but is slow.

On the computer hold down option key and click the wifi (airport) icon in the top menu.

This will show you signal strength via RSSI reading.. -52dBm in this case.. pretty OK.

Wireless channel is 112 DFS more below.. but that is good channel.

Tx rate is the link speed with the router.. in this case 867Mbps.. this is AC router.. in the case of a gen5 Extreme the max rate is 450Mbps.. you certainly want a min of 300Mbps to get 100Mbps throughput because wireless is half duplex.. meaning it cannot Tx and Rx at the same time.. so speed is never greater than about half. Remember it is also shared.. so another computer doing upgrades is going to slow the entire network.. you should always test wireless one computer at a time.. everything else OFF.

Best wireless channels on 5ghz are the DFS ones.. these are automatic and cannot be selected.. they cannot be used if it causes interference.. so you cannot force the router to select them.. as that is the case if you want the best.. fix it to one of the higher channels.. above 149.

This is a gen5 extreme same as yours.

Note the latest firmware could also slow things down.. I use it on 7.6.8 instead of the 7.6.9 .. there is slight security reduction if used with extend wireless of another airport which I would never recommend.

There is almost nothing else you can do on airport routers.. so you are not missing anything.. it just is very limited in its controls.

Edit .. bob got in first.. I think we read from the same manual. Drink the same kool-aid is the expression I think you guys use??

I guess I'll do the Factory Reset if i must

Whenever you change the modem or even the service that the ISP provides.....like changing speed plans....you should reset the AirPort back to factory default settings and then set it up again. Reason....the AirPort is still retaining some hidden settings that it used to connect to your "old" modem.....and you won't get the maximum performance out of your "new" modem until you optimize the AirPort with the new modem.

So, that would be the first order of business.

Apple's default settings will provide the best performance for the vast majority of users, so I would check speeds using the defaults first and then consider changing a few settings if speeds or things are not to your liking.

Since you mentioned that your devices will only use the 5 GHz signal from the AirPort, then it would probably make sense to enable the option to assign a different network name to the 5 GHz signal.....and then "aim" your WiFi devices at that signal so they will connect to the 5 GHz signal.

Unfortunately, there are always comprises with any setting on a WiFi router, so setting things up so that devices will connect to 5 GHz will help when devices are close to the router. But.....as you know....2.4 GHz signals are much stronger than 5 GHz signals, so if a WiFi device is a few rooms away from the AirPort Extreme, you will have a stronger signal available at 2.4 GHz and it may well be faster as well.....since 5 GHz signals are absorbed very quickly by any obstructions like walls, furniture, ceilings, etc in the signal path between the WiFi router and a WiFi device.

The bottom line....everything in WiFi involves a compromise. You can have one thing....but you have to give up another thing. There are really no "best" settings that work best in all situations.

If you are getting close to the 200 Mbps speeds when you set up the AirPort Extreme again....I would be tempted to leave things as is......or maybe look at changing a setting or two.

Post back when you have confirmed that the new modem is delivering the speeds that you expect, then we'll concentrate on getting the AirPort Extreme set up in a basic fashion. If things are not your liking, then it would make sense to look at trying a few changes.

If you get things working at 200 Mbps with your Mac connected directly to the modem, then you can go ahead and set up the AirPort Extreme from its factory default settings.

To start, set things up as Apple designed. That means "Automatic" for Radio Mode and "Automatic" for Channels. Do not assign a separate name to the 5 GHz network yet......that will come later.

For now, we need to get some reference settings on the AirPort to know where to go next. It is very possible that Apple's default setup for the AirPort Extreme might just be better than the results after you try a few "tweaks". Be ready for some surprises.

Regarding 5 GHz......these signals will only work well when you have a "line of sight" relationship between your Mac and the AirPort Extreme. Even adding just one wall between the AirPort and your Mac may drop the 5 GHz speeds in half or more. And, you may find that using 2.4 GHz produces a stronger and faster signal than using 5 GHz.

In other words, it is not really the distance between the router and Mac that really matters. It is the obstructions. I can get 200 Mbps on a 200 Mbps connection easily when my Mac is 75+ feet away from the AirPort if I have line of sight between the router and the Mac. All bets are off though, if there is anything between the AirPort and the Mac.

We'll know more after we have you run some basic tests. No reason to run tests though.....until you have full speeds from your modem.

Radio Mode. I gather it's best to leave it in Automatic mode.

Yes, leave it on Auto.

I note right now both on a 5g and 2.4g network, my Tx rates are rather poor... from say, 30 feet.

30ft through a floor and a couple of walls will seriously reduce 5ghz speed.

Remember the absolute top speed on 2.4ghz is 217Mbps with later clients.. otherwise it is going to be 130-150Mbps max. So 2.4ghz is never going to be super fast.

I have setup a TC close to the computer.. I am getting full speed 5ghz on it. ie 450Mbps

What is surprising is how poor the connection is at the other end.

The airport utility will give you a speed at the Mac for each wireless connection.. just roll your mouse pointer over the Client name or IP or MAC address.. whichever is showing up.. a popup will appear as you see below. The signal is excellent.. I am however getting a false reading for link speed.. so you might need to double check this value.. see how you go.

I have another airport.. same as yours.. a Gen5 Extreme in another room but through two brick walls.. and it does not even show up in a scan.

Wireless on this one has name aegenx

Nothing shows in scan.

I also want to point out that the airport does not always pick the right wireless channel.

I have both channels on TC4c set to automatic. It picked 1 for 2.4ghz identical to another AP .. although admittedly with very low signal.. rather than pick 6 between existing.

For signal strength you are always better using the high channels which are now amplified for 5ghz.. but actually test the signal and see how it goes. I did the test and got considerably poorer signal.

I've been with Time Warner / Spectrum for a number of years and have changed plans and speeds a number of times in the past, including a change about a week ago.

The changes were always completed in a manner of minutes. True, you might need to restart the modem and router for the changes to take effect.

Someone forgot to flip a switch at Spectrum if you are still seeing less than 200 Mbps speeds when you connect your Mac directly to the modem.

Suggest that you get with Spectrum and talk to someone who can do more than just talk.

Post back when you are seeing 200 Mbps speeds when you connect directly to the modem and we'll start to tackle the other questions.