Router/Modem??

billfox428

I own an Arris SB6141 (343Mbps) modem and a Linksys AC1900 router. Nest support is telling me to get a new router and Xfinity support is telling me a new modem is necessary. What is the experts recommendation on what to do now? Router/Modem combo? Replace the old modem? 

PowerSpec_MikeW

If you can verify it's the modem. Disconnect the router, connect directly to the modem via ethernet. Power cycle the modem, it's going to be bound up on the router until you do. Test the speed from there. If you can't pull 200Mbps and your ISP says everything is good on their side, I would replace the modem.

TSTonyV

billfox428 said:

Thanks to TSMikeW and wow! Getting over 200Mbps download speeds when connected to the modem via ethernet. Haven't seen any better than about 80Mbps since February. Thanks for you help and advice. Can I presume that means I'm suffering from a router issue rather than the modem? Any recommendations are appreciated and thanks again!

Yeah, definitely sounds like a router issue then. There are a lot of routers thatt should suit your needs, it just depends on what you're willing to spend on one. 

ASUS and Netgear both make good routers in my experience, so I would start with looking at those. I personally have an ASUS RTAC-68U which has been great for me, but that could be little expensive for some people.  The RT-AC66U is the little brother of the router I have and it should also work well.

PowerSpec_MikeW

Yes, so long as the router has gigabit LAN you shouldn't suffer any slowdowns at all. Make sure it's gigabit LAN. If not, you're going to be capped at 100Mbps at the router. 

TSTonyV

Based on everything else you've describe, I would predict that when your router is hooked back up, you'll start getting the lower speeds again. Since the modem is clearly providing full speeds via direct connection, it's probably the router that's slowing you down in the first place. 

TSTonyV

What exactly are they recommending a new modem or router for? Are you having issues with your network? Any more detail you can provide would be helpful. 

billfox428

We've been having issues with our Nest and their support said it was due to unstable wifi connection. The Nest battery was below it's recommended voltage. I next complained to Xfinity about our download speeds and they claimed I needed to upgrade the modem.

TSTonyV

Do you know what download speeds you're actually paying for from Xfinity, and what kind of modem you current have?

I better router could potentially solve both those problems. Bad wifi connections can affect download speeds, and sometimes low quality routers can prevent you from taking full advantage of the connection your ISP is providing. At the very least, the hardware Xfinity has already given you should be able to provide the full speeds that your plan is set up for, even if you're not always at 100%. 

billfox428

Thanks Tony. Just ran another speed test just now and despite the fact that we pay for 200Mbps downloads, tonight's result was 10.7Mbps! I did get as high as 81.1Mbps this afternoon but that was a month or two high water mark. Again, Xfinity claims it's my Arris modem as I have no interest in their products and the accompanying security issues I believe exist with those. So it seems upgrading from my 4 year old Arris modem and not yet on the AC1900 Linksys router might be worth a try?

billfox428

Thanks to TSMikeW and wow! Getting over 200Mbps download speeds when connected to the modem via ethernet. Haven't seen any better than about 80Mbps since February. Thanks for you help and advice. Can I presume that means I'm suffering from a router issue rather than the modem? Any recommendations are appreciated and thanks again!

billfox428

This community has been incredibly helpful! Last question from me is if I can expect the similar download speeds from my network after the router is back in the system that I experienced with the direct modem connection? Thanks again for your assistance!