Frontier mi424wr Rev I Wireless connection speed.
AdamPD
Newbie

Hi all,

Was hoping someone could assist me on behalf of a friend.

She has the FIOS service and a Frontier MI424WR Rev I router/modem.

She's just purchased a Realtek 8811CU WIFI Adapter, so it capable of connecting on Wireless B/G/N and AC.

I understand her router is B/G/N only, but the adapter for some reason only shows a link speed of 65Mbps. The signal quality is excellent, as the router is roughly 1.5 metres from her desk.

It's a little hard to troubleshoot from my end as I'm in the UK, but I logged into the router and the Wifi type was set to Compatibility mode, so I changed that to Performance mode, but the adapter still only connects at 65Mbps.

Her laptop which also has an Wireless G/N chip, also seems to be limited to the same speed as well.

I was just wondering if there were any suggestions or thoughts as to why?

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Re: Frontier mi424wr Rev I Wireless connection speed.
gs0b
Community Leader
Community Leader

Consumer electronic devices do not have an expiration date.  "Seven years" has no basis in fact.  Most equipement will last for many years operated in a typical home environment.  I've had plenty of gear that has lasted for decades. 

While old, the Actiontec Rev I. was a decent router.  I routinely got over 100Mbps on 802.11n with mine.  In fact, I was recently running it as an AP in my basement and got good speed out of.

Do make sure it's updated with the latest firmware, as older versions didn't have WPA and that's a security risk.  You'll have to plug it into a Frontier network to get upgraded.

Switching to performance mode is important to getting higher speeds.  The other thing you can do is check if the assigned channel is congested.  If it is, WiFi will slow down.  The best channels to try are 1, 6 and 11.  If you can get a WiFI analyzer going, that will give you good guidance.

You should also check if the WiFi adapter has any relevant settings and that she's using the latest driver.

If your friend isn't on Verizon FiOS, a new router is an easy solution.  Many aren't terribly expensive.  If she is on FiOS, she may need a Verizon router depending on if she has Verizon TV service and/or if she cares about getting support from Verizon.

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Re: Frontier mi424wr Rev I Wireless connection speed.
Cang_Household
Community Leader
Community Leader

Three points to mention.

First of all. Does your friend has Verizon FiOS or Frontier FiOS? If she has Frontier FiOS, it would be the best for you to post on their Forums. You know, it is kind of "out of jurisdiction" of this Forum for Products and Services other than Verizon's.

What is the exact wireless protocol used by the connection? 802.11b, g, or n? You can ask her to find out this information either on the router's GUI or on the device's wireless card control interface.

Third, MI424WR Rev I is old. An electronic device has a typical life span of 7 years since the date of manufacture. May be consider update the router to a newer model to avoid security risks.

Re: Frontier mi424wr Rev I Wireless connection speed.
AdamPD
Newbie

Oh good point, apologies, I didn't even realize Verizon/Frontier were different services, I just assumed it was the brand of her modem.

I'll double check the protocol it's connecting to, but given that it's 7 years old,  yes, I think 'im going to say to her, get a new one. Then at least she'll have wireless AC

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Re: Frontier mi424wr Rev I Wireless connection speed.
Edg1
Community Leader
Community Leader

@AdamPD wrote:

Oh good point, apologies, I didn't even realize Verizon/Frontier were different services, I just assumed it was the brand of her modem.

I'll double check the protocol it's connecting to, but given that it's 7 years old,  yes, I think 'im going to say to her, get a new one. Then at least she'll have wireless AC


The Rev I is wireless N whether you have verizon or frontier. You’re not going to get over 75 mbps on that router. I would definitely upgrade. 

Re: Frontier mi424wr Rev I Wireless connection speed.
gs0b
Community Leader
Community Leader

Consumer electronic devices do not have an expiration date.  "Seven years" has no basis in fact.  Most equipement will last for many years operated in a typical home environment.  I've had plenty of gear that has lasted for decades. 

While old, the Actiontec Rev I. was a decent router.  I routinely got over 100Mbps on 802.11n with mine.  In fact, I was recently running it as an AP in my basement and got good speed out of.

Do make sure it's updated with the latest firmware, as older versions didn't have WPA and that's a security risk.  You'll have to plug it into a Frontier network to get upgraded.

Switching to performance mode is important to getting higher speeds.  The other thing you can do is check if the assigned channel is congested.  If it is, WiFi will slow down.  The best channels to try are 1, 6 and 11.  If you can get a WiFI analyzer going, that will give you good guidance.

You should also check if the WiFi adapter has any relevant settings and that she's using the latest driver.

If your friend isn't on Verizon FiOS, a new router is an easy solution.  Many aren't terribly expensive.  If she is on FiOS, she may need a Verizon router depending on if she has Verizon TV service and/or if she cares about getting support from Verizon.

Re: Frontier mi424wr Rev I Wireless connection speed.
AdamPD
Newbie

Thank you all for the advice.

If she wanted a better wireless range and speed (for the internal LAN/Wifi), could she simply get a router and plug an ethernet cable from the routers WAN port into one of the Frontiers LAN ports, then disable wifi on the Frontier?

Or is it more complicated than that?

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Re: Frontier mi424wr Rev I Wireless connection speed.
gs0b
Community Leader
Community Leader

Attaching another router or AP to a primary router's LAN is a common way to improve WiFi coverage.  This is not unique to any ISP.  This can work for your friend.  Note care must be taken to address network segmentation if the 2nd router is in NAT mode.

In some cases, the primary router can be completely replaced by a newer router.  The support for this varies depending on the ISP and the subscribed services.  Verizon does not officially support the use of a non-Verizon router, although a non-Verizon router works fine for people not subscribed to Verizon TV service.

I do not know what Frontier supports or how their TV service interacts with their routers.  Your should find a Frontier forum to explore this topic further.