Ask The Expert: Having issues with slow speed on WiFi? Will a speed upgrade really help? The Expert is here!

Have you been experiencing issues with slow Internet, the WiFi connection dropping out, or not being able to see your WiFi in certain parts of the home?

Seeker1437, one of our subject matter experts, will be here to give you meaningful answers about improving the speed and range of your WiFi network so you can get the most out of your service.

How does this event work?

Come to this Ask The Expert Board and post your question by Friday, October 16, 2020.

Seeker1437 will do his best to answer your questions by Friday, October 23, 2020.

Why should I come to the "Ask The Expert" session?

Do you need tips on improving the speed of your WiFi?
Do you need tips on improving the signal strength or range of your WiFi?
Do you want to know how WiFi works?
Do you want to know the difference between the 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz WiFi bands?
Do you want to know what SON (Self Organizing Network) is all about?

The event will occur on the Ask The Expert section of the Fios Community.

We are looking forward to answering your questions by Friday, October 23, 2020.

Accepted answers

Seeker1437

@Erock70 wrote:
Yes, i just upgraded to the new Fios Router and Extender to 400/400. Still have around 30 mbs in my kids room where they do gaming. Super frustrating. I have no coax or wiring in their room to put in another router. Could really use some help here. Thanks.

I am sorry to hear you are still experiencing issues with WiFi connectivity in the kid's room.

Often those kinds of issues are more commonly associated with WiFi signal strength or interference than your general Internet speed. This is something that I would have someone do in depth troubleshooting session to determine the best coarse of action to resolve that issue.

These are just some of the things I typically take time investigating:

- WiFi Strength [RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator)] (Devices report to the rules a calculated score for how good the signal is for that device)
- WiFi Speed (The router (and sometimes the device) will give you it's theoretical maximum speed, for WiFi typically you can expect the average device to pull 65% to 70% of that speed under perfect conditions, and faster or more purposefully engineered devices may see a higher percentage.)

- Interference (Using the WiFi Analyzer or tracking the strength and speed of WiFi can help you get an idea of if you are getting interference which will make the connection slower on WiFi connected devices)

- The Network (The Fios Quantum Gateway and Fios Router support 2.4GHz and 5GHz WiFi bands which differ in both speed and range)

- The device (The speed of WiFi is usually never the same between two differing devices, faster or more purposefully engineered devices will tend to get better speeds with the right conditions compared to other devices with perfect conditions as well.)

- Positioning (Some routers need to be positioned a specific way to ensure it provides the best signal.)
- Environment (This one is something people often don't think about, what is your house made of? Are some of your walls concrete or stone? Do you have an aquarium? These things can all have a negative impact on your connection, even if you are right next to the router! (sometimes you can also be too close to the router too!))

Beyond that, here is something else you might be able to take advantage of! Try looking into a Power Line Ethernet Adapter. They work by establishing a network connection over the power lines in your walls. As long as their room as power outlets (hehe) it should work. You can use it as a bridge between the router or extender to their room where you can then connect another extender if needed.

Seeker1437

Hey Ace2019,

Unfortunately that varies greatly from device to device and from different points of time, even having two identical devices does not guarantee that they will both be able to get the same speed even if in the same room! WiFi performance in nature varies greatly. It really is just hard to say.

Seeker1437

@Zihna wrote:
My Wifi speed seems to vary depending what device I am using and I wonder why that is?

Is it the WiFi? Is it the Device? Or does it depend how many devices are connected?

Will an upgrade help in this case?

This is because the performance of WiFi on a particular given device is determined by a few things:

- The Processing Speed of the device

- The Standard of WiFi the device supports (i.e. WiFi 4 vs WiFi 6)

- The sensitivity to different the WiFi (some device see WiFi easier than others)

- Device count (usually a very low impact, assume that having 60-100 devices connected is when you start to have noticeable impact provided you have a newer router.)

- Features of the router (Quality of Service, Throttling (extremely rare), Network Priority (Similar to QoS but not exactly the same)).

Sometimes upgrading the router or the speed or the combination can help. I would venture to say it helps less often than you might think, but it never hurts tot ry because you won't know until you give it a shot.

Seeker1437

@dslr595148 wrote:
I have heard/read

If you want speed / reliability, go wired. If you want convenience, go wireless

While I heard/read that - In my own words, I put

#1 Use wired.
#2 Use wireless when and where you have to. For example for Smart Phone(s).

My question(s).

Do you agree with using wired and using wireless when and where you have to?

OR do I agree with what I quoted that I heard/read?

And why or why not?

Please and thank you

The first quote is indeed the way I'd go. For things that are mission critical or need a consistent and reliable connection wired is superior. WiFi (Which is Wireless Fidelity) was made as a way to make it easier to have a connection without wires allowing for mobility. I always wire if I can and use WiFi only if I have to.

All comments

Erock70

Yes, i just upgraded to the new Fios Router and Extender to 400/400. Still have around 30 mbs in my kids room where they do gaming. Super frustrating. I have no coax or wiring in their room to put in another router. Could really use some help here. Thanks.

Whisper_2004

Hi Seeker1437,

What is the speed I should be looking for with my WiFi?

Zihna

Hi Seeker1437,

My Wifi speed seems to vary depending what device I am using and I wonder why that is?

Is it the WiFi? Is it the Device? Or does it depend how many devices are connected?

Will an upgrade help in this case?

Thanks in advance!

dslr595148

I have heard/read

If you want speed / reliability, go wired. If you want convenience, go wireless

While I heard/read that - In my own words, I put

#1 Use wired.
#2 Use wireless when and where you have to. For example for Smart Phone(s).

My question(s).

Do you agree with using wired and using wireless when and where you have to?

OR do I agree with what I quoted that I heard/read?

And why or why not?

Please and thank you

[Deleted User]

Why do I get buffering when watching streams or video conferencing? (Zoom, Webex, Google Hangouts, etc)

My other issue is that I have poor connection in some parts of my house and as soon as I walk out of my patio door into my backyard.
How do I get my WiFi to reach more parts of my home?

Thank you!

Seeker1437

@Erock70 wrote:
Yes, i just upgraded to the new Fios Router and Extender to 400/400. Still have around 30 mbs in my kids room where they do gaming. Super frustrating. I have no coax or wiring in their room to put in another router. Could really use some help here. Thanks.

I am sorry to hear you are still experiencing issues with WiFi connectivity in the kid's room.

These are just some of the things I typically take time investigating:

- The Network (The Fios Quantum Gateway and Fios Router support 2.4GHz and 5GHz WiFi bands which differ in both speed and range)

Seeker1437

Hey Ace2019,

Seeker1437

@Zihna wrote:
My Wifi speed seems to vary depending what device I am using and I wonder why that is?

Is it the WiFi? Is it the Device? Or does it depend how many devices are connected?

Will an upgrade help in this case?

This is because the performance of WiFi on a particular given device is determined by a few things:

- The Processing Speed of the device

- The Standard of WiFi the device supports (i.e. WiFi 4 vs WiFi 6)

- The sensitivity to different the WiFi (some device see WiFi easier than others)

- Device count (usually a very low impact, assume that having 60-100 devices connected is when you start to have noticeable impact provided you have a newer router.)

- Features of the router (Quality of Service, Throttling (extremely rare), Network Priority (Similar to QoS but not exactly the same)).

Seeker1437

@dslr595148 wrote:
I have heard/read

If you want speed / reliability, go wired. If you want convenience, go wireless

While I heard/read that - In my own words, I put

#1 Use wired.
#2 Use wireless when and where you have to. For example for Smart Phone(s).

My question(s).

Do you agree with using wired and using wireless when and where you have to?

OR do I agree with what I quoted that I heard/read?

And why or why not?

Please and thank you