Router-ISP Speed issue

[Mglakner]

New to the forum:

I just upgraded my internet to 250 Megabit Fiber. i've always had 100mb or less. The guy comes to install and tests my line and its well over 250, i saw the reading.

My router is a Linksys EA6500 which is an older model, but still gigabit rated ethernet, but when I test, I can only get 80-90 megabit down/up from the ISP. I understand that the "Gigabit" in gigabit router is LAN transfer speeds, but i've always assumed it also could theroetically handle gigabit ISP speeds. What determines WAN speed or max incoming ISP internet connection?

IMPORTANT DETAILS:
I am full duplex on everything, I am testing hardwired with high quality Cat6 cable (6 foot) to a full Duplex Macbook pro

I know i need a new router, my question is what specification do i need to look for online to know if the new router can handle over 250mb internet speeds? I know almost all of them have gigabit LAN transfer speeds, but what do you look for to know if it can handle like a gigabit internet connection if i were to ever upgrade?

I hope that question makes sense.

[Philip]

Welcome to SG, and yes, your question makes perfect sense.

ISP residential speeds are shared bandwidth, and rated "up to" that rated speed.. So you may not get it in peak hours and weekends when all your neighbors are streaming video. It also depends where/how you are testing from. That said, I just looked up the specs of the Linksys EA6500 and it should have Gigabit WAN(Internet) port as well.. https://www.speedguide.net/routers/link ... -1750-2594 Yes, it is an older model, but it should be able to handle more than 100 Mbps.

Does your ISP provide their own router/modem that connects to the ONT? I would try to disconnect the EA6500 and connect your own client device via Ethernet to the ISP's router to see if you get any better speed reading. If you're getting similar speeds you could eliminate the Linksys for being the culprit at all.

Here are some more troubleshooting questions that may help:
Is your client connection showing that you're connected with Gigabit speed?
Does it show speed in Megabits/s or Megabytes/s?
If you try a speed test from speedtest.net with two devices at the same time (phone+macbook), does the speed get split in half?
Does WiFi speed differ from the Ethernet one?
If your ISP provides their own speed test, does it show different speeds?

Other than that, most current generation routers made in the past ~5 years should be able to handle over 500 Mbps. I have a 500 Mbps AT&T Fiber that I use with an Asus RT-AC86U, before that RT-AC68U (2013 model), both are able to handle 500 Mbps over Ethernet just fine.

[Mglakner]

Welcome to SG, and yes, your question makes perfect sense.

ISP residential speeds are shared bandwidth, and rated "up to" that rated speed.. So you may not get it in peak hours and weekends when all your neighbors are streaming video. It also depends where/how you are testing from. That said, I just looked up the specs of the Linksys EA6500 and it should have Gigabit WAN(Internet) port as well.. https://www.speedguide.net/routers/link ... -1750-2594 Yes, it is an older model, but it should be able to handle more than 100 Mbps.

Does your ISP provide their own router/modem that connects to the ONT? I would try to disconnect the EA6500 and connect your own client device via Ethernet to the ISP's router to see if you get any better speed reading. If you're getting similar speeds you could eliminate the Linksys for being the culprit at all.

Here are some more troubleshooting questions that may help:
Is your client connection showing that you're connected with Gigabit speed?
Does it show speed in Megabits/s or Megabytes/s?
If you try a speed test from speedtest.net with two devices at the same time (phone+macbook), does the speed get split in half?
Does WiFi speed differ from the Ethernet one?
If your ISP provides their own speed test, does it show different speeds?

Other than that, most current generation routers made in the past ~5 years should be able to handle over 500 Mbps. I have a 500 Mbps AT&T Fiber that I use with an Asus RT-AC86U, before that RT-AC68U (2013 model), both are able to handle 500 Mbps over Ethernet just fine.

ISP residential speeds are shared bandwidth, and rated "up to" that rated speed.. So you may not get it in peak hours and weekends when all your neighbors are streaming video. It also depends where/how you are testing from. The provider came out yesterday and tested with one of their routers and it tested 250+, i plugged in my router and only got 90 2 minutes later.

That said, I just looked up the specs of the Linksys EA6500 and it should have Gigabit WAN(Internet) port as well.. https://www.speedguide.net/routers/link ... -1750-2594 Yes, it is an older model, but it should be able to handle more than 100 Mbps. This is what i thought, but it doesnt

Does your ISP provide their own router/modem that connects to the ONT? I would try to disconnect the EA6500 and connect your own client device via Ethernet to the ISP's router to see if you get any better speed reading. If you're getting similar speeds you could eliminate the Linksys for being the culprit at all.see my answer above, yes provider came out and tested with their router and got 250+

Here are some more troubleshooting questions that may help:
Is your client connection showing that you're connected with Gigabit speed?full duplex 1000
Does it show speed in Megabits/s or Megabytes/s? Megabit
If you try a speed test from speedtest.net with two devices at the same time (phone+macbook), does the speed get split in half?havent tried this but when i tested and got 90 my macbook was the only device on the network i had unplugged everything else
Does WiFi speed differ from the Ethernet one?not really, 75-90 megabit
If your ISP provides their own speed test, does it show different speeds? their server was down yesterday when the provide was out here but he tried a test on his router at speedtest.net and got 250+ i tried on my router at speedtest.net and got 90

Other than that, most current generation routers made in the past ~5 years should be able to handle over 500 Mbps. I have a 500 Mbps AT&T Fiber that I use with an Asus RT-AC86U, before that RT-AC68U (2013 model), both are able to handle 500 Mbps over Ethernet just fine. good to know, thank you for your help!

[Philip]

If your router is the only one on the line, and theirs showed 2.5 times the speed, maybe it's time for an upgrade.
Yes, Wi-Fi and ethernet sometimes show different speeds, with newer generations WiFi it isn't uncommon for the WiFi speed to be higher than the Ethernet speed with a single client.
With older routers, you may want to start turning off features you don't use (parental control, transfer logs, etc.) to reduce the resource usage, as their chipset may be the bottleneck with higher speeds.

Happy Holidays

[Mglakner]

Odd turn of events on this one. yesterday when the ISP was here, he suggested factory resetting my router, so i went into the UI and did a software reset. Which resulted in no change.

I contacted Linksys today, i figured maybe they had some input, and the rep there suggested a hardware reset, with the button on the back of the router. i didnt think this would result in any change, but low and behold it works now and i get the full 250+ speeds.

It's the oddest thing, i will still consider upgrading the router, because yes it is old, but as of now i am getting the speeds i am paying for.

Thank you all for your help!

[Philip]

Thanks for following up, I wouldn't have though of hardware reset either. Sounds like the router had some type of process/service stuck eating up resources, or something like that.

Glad to hear it's working as intended!