Is there a problem with my Wi-FI Router, or?

[GemStater]

Question: Do I have a deficient NETGEAR Wi-Fi router?

- OR -

Question: Is the YouTube mobile app problematic?


Here's a semi-quick overview of my home network:

Stand alone NETGEAR High-Speed Broadband DSL (VDSL/ADSL) Modem (DM200-100NAS)

From the modem, am Ethernet cable goes to a NETGEAR switch. From the switch, one Ethernet cable goes to the home PC. The other Ethernet cable goes to NETGEAR N300 Wi-Fi Router with High Power 5dBi External Antennas (WNR2020v2)

My Wi-Fi router is centrally located on the main floor.

When I do an Ookla speed test at my home PC, I get 40mbps which is my service limit.

When I do an Ookla speed test on my Samsung smart phone or iPad, I come up with 20mbps.

The only issue I really have is when I stream YouTube to my phone or iPad, both devices continuously buffer. Even when I'm only ten feet away from the router.

I also have a TCL Roku TV in the basement which is about twenty feet from the router. We stream Netflix to it and haven't had any issues.

When I use the NETGEAR genie app on my phone, the only way to get my signal strength up to to -5 dBm is when I physically touch my phone to the router. Otherwise it is -50 dBm or less.

What's the likely problem here?

 

[wwillson]

Can you tell if your phone and iPad are using 802.11n or 802.11AC? If 802.11n, which channel and it the channel set to auto or locked?

802.11ac is MUCH better at avoiding frequency congestion and should be used if you have the option.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: GemStater
Here's a semi-quick overview of my home network:

Stand alone NETGEAR High-Speed Broadband DSL (VDSL/ADSL) Modem (DM200-100NAS)

From the modem, am Ethernet cable goes to a NETGEAR switch. From the switch, one Ethernet cable goes to the home PC. The other Ethernet cable goes to NETGEAR N300 Wi-Fi Router with High Power 5dBi External Antennas (WNR2020v2)

Just curious, but why do you have a switch between your modem and your router?

If you were to plug your modem directly into the router, and then plug your PC to one of the Ethernet ports on the router, would you still get 40 mbps?

 

[OVERKILL]

Is the NETGEAR N300 Wi-Fi Router configured as an access point, or are you doing double-NAT?

 

[GimmeTorq]

If you haven't look for possible external interference in the channel, I would get an app like Wifi Analyzer and check for other devices (like your neighbor's router) operating in your current channel. I get different interferers depending where I'm located in the house. Some newer routers have channel hopping, which would allow the router to switch to a channel it considers a better channel (less interference) but it doesn't always work well.

 

[rshaw125]

I have used 3 different wifi routers. My ethernet speed is consistently 96 - 97 mbps. I have received 36 mbps,60 mbps and current router 70 mbps. All on routers that are rated 300 mbps. Tweaking never seemed to make much if any difference.

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Is the NETGEAR N300 Wi-Fi Router configured as an access point, or are you doing double-NAT?


In simpler (?) terms, I bet the wi-fi router still has its DHCP server turned on. You need exactly *one* thing on your network doing this, which is likely your un-wifi switch, but it could be your modem.

Did you have a working wired network first, and added this wifi router last? How much configuration of the wifi (via its internal webpage) did you do?

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
You need exactly *one* thing on your network doing this, which is likely your un-wifi switch,

Which would make it a router.

If his wifi router is also doing DHCP, like you guys are suspecting, then throwing out that switch (wired router) in the middle should help fix the problem. Hopefully the modem is just a modem and is not doing DHCP as well.

OP, what is the model number of this device that you refer to as 'switch'?

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Hopefully the modem is just a modem and is not doing DHCP as well.

I was just reading the owner's manual of his modem. It says:

Quote:
By default, the modem functions as a DHCP server

OP needs to log into the modem and verify if it's currently configured to act as a DHCP server. If it is, then he should disable DHCP on his wi-fi router.

 

[JMJNet]

What people are saying/asking:
What kind of switch? smart or passive?

If I were you, I reverse the order.
Modem to WIFI router (which I think should have some LAN port) to Switch.
Disable the switch ability to be a router if it has that feature.

Use the WIFI router as WIFI and cable connection router.

If that is still giving you issue, then that means there is a limit on the router.

If you want to upgrade router, go with ASUS WIFI router with AC capability.
I have just done that coming from Linksys.
Big difference with ease to setup due to built-in WRT firmware.

 

[OVERKILL]

Your "Modem" is actually a single-port gateway with DSL WAN capability. Calling it solely a modem is a misnomer, as in reality, whilst it does indeed provide modem function, it performing NAT makes it functionally a gateway.

So, that makes the topology depicted here a bit more logical with the switch in middle, however the question about the double-NAT still stands, as that can cause all sorts of exciting issues.

1. If you are getting good speed via ethernet connected via the WAN-facing device, this would indicate that its performance doing NAT and DHCP are sufficient. Thusly, I would leave this alone.

2. Given the DM200 only has one LAN port, that explains the switch.

3. This brings us back to how the N300 is configured. If it is "out of the box" and you have a cable running to its WAN port or you did not explicitly configure it as an access point, you are doing double NAT/PAT. You want to fix that.

So, you want to either:
1. Login to that device and give it a LAN IP address within the scope being handed out by the modem, disable its DHCP server, and move the cord connecting it to the switch to one of its LAN ports

or

2. Change the operating mode of the DM200 to a modem in bridge mode, move the switch (if still needed) to the other side of the N300, connect the DM200 to the WAN port of the N300 and have the N300 perform NAT/PAT and the DHCP server role.

 

[GemStater]

Thanks everyone for the help.

The modem has DHCP turned ON. The router also had DHCP turned ON. I turned DHCP OFF on the router.

This is the make/model of my switch: http://www.netgear.com/support/product/FS105.aspx

I had the Ethernet cable from the modem plugged into port #5. I switched it to port #4

Ran speed test(s) and speeds are the same as before.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: GemStater
This is the make/model of my switch: http://www.netgear.com/support/product/FS105.aspx

I had the Ethernet cable from the modem plugged into port #5. I switched it to port #4

What is the reason for having this switch? Why can't you run an Ethernet cable from your modem directly to your wi-fi router? You should be able to connect your PC with an Ethernet cable directly to one of the LAN ports on your wi-fi router.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: GemStater
Thanks everyone for the help.

The modem has DHCP turned ON. The router also had DHCP turned ON. I turned DHCP OFF on the router.

This is the make/model of my switch: http://www.netgear.com/support/product/FS105.aspx

I had the Ethernet cable from the modem plugged into port #5. I switched it to port #4

Ran speed test(s) and speeds are the same as before.


How do you have the router connected to the switch? Which port on the router? WAN?

Your topology should resemble this based on your update:
Code:


MODEM SWITCH

LAN PORT------------------->PORT 1 WIRELESS ROUTER

PORT 2------------>LAN PORT 1

PORT 3------>DESKTOP PC

 

[GemStater]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: GemStater
This is the make/model of my switch: http://www.netgear.com/support/product/FS105.aspx

I had the Ethernet cable from the modem plugged into port #5. I switched it to port #4

What is the reason for having this switch? Why can't you run an Ethernet cable from your modem directly to your wi-fi router? You should be able to connect your PC with an Ethernet cable directly to one of the LAN ports on your wi-fi router.


The reason for the switch is because I recently changed service providers from Cable to DSL which meant service access points to the house changed. The use of the switch was an easy way, I thought, to reconcile my home’s existing Ethernet without rewiring everything. Didn't envision interference with the switch?

Edit to my pervious post: My smart phone wouldn’t connect to Wi-Fi. Said there was no IP address. I switched the router back to DHCP ON. Now my phone is connected back to Wi-Fi.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: GemStater


Edit to my pervious post: My smart phone wouldn’t connect to Wi-Fi. Said there was no IP address. I switched the router back to DHCP ON. Now my phone is connected back to Wi-Fi.


This is because you are doing double-NAT. In order for it to work with DHCP OFF on the Wireless Router (turned access point) you need to follow the steps I outlined earlier.

However, to make this easier, I'll re-detail them here:

1. On your desktop (which is on the subnet hosted by the your modem/gateway) open a command prompt and do an "ipconfig". Note the IP address, this is the subnet you'll want to use. So, for example, if it is 192.168.1.52, the subnet is 192.168.1.0/24.

2. With the above information, connect a device that is on the LAN side of the Wireless Router (preferably a laptop) and login to its management interface. Change its LAN IP address to be within the subnet provided by your modem/gateway. So if it was 192.168.2.1 for example, you'll want to change it to 192.168.1.254 which will be outside of the DHCP scope usually but within the same subnet. Save your changes. You may need to wait on a reconnect for your device to the wireless if it reboots.

3. Using the new IP address we defined above, log back into the wireless router and disable the DHCP server. Save your changes.

4. Take the cable you have running in the WAN interface on the wireless router and move it to one of the LAN ports. This will allow the modem/gateway to now hand out addresses to the wireless clients and turns the router into an access point (functionally).

 

[GemStater]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL


Your topology should resemble this based on your update:
Code:


MODEM SWITCH

LAN PORT------------------->PORT 1 WIRELESS ROUTER

PORT 2------------>LAN PORT 1

PORT 3------>DESKTOP PC


Novice question: Is "WIRELESS ROUTER LAN PORT 1", referenced above, is this the blue "broadband modem port" here->

 

[OVERKILL]

No, one of the black ports. the blue port is the WAN port, which is the one you do NOT want to be using, which is completed in STEP 4 of my above instructions.

 

[GemStater]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: GemStater


Edit to my pervious post: My smart phone wouldn’t connect to Wi-Fi. Said there was no IP address. I switched the router back to DHCP ON. Now my phone is connected back to Wi-Fi.


This is because you are doing double-NAT. In order for it to work with DHCP OFF on the Wireless Router (turned access point) you need to follow the steps I outlined earlier.

However, to make this easier, I'll re-detail them here:

1. On your desktop (which is on the subnet hosted by the your modem/gateway) open a command prompt and do an "ipconfig". Note the IP address, this is the subnet you'll want to use. So, for example, if it is 192.168.1.52, the subnet is 192.168.1.0/24.

2. With the above information, connect a device that is on the LAN side of the Wireless Router (preferably a laptop) and login to its management interface. Change its LAN IP address to be within the subnet provided by your modem/gateway. So if it was 192.168.2.1 for example, you'll want to change it to 192.168.1.254 which will be outside of the DHCP scope usually but within the same subnet. Save your changes. You may need to wait on a reconnect for your device to the wireless if it reboots.

3. Using the new IP address we defined above, log back into the wireless router and disable the DHCP server. Save your changes.

4. Take the cable you have running in the WAN interface on the wireless router and move it to one of the LAN ports. This will allow the modem/gateway to now hand out addresses to the wireless clients and turns the router into an access point (functionally).


Thanks for your patience.

My modem/gateway address is 192.168.5.1

My router address is 192.168.1.1

The LAN TCP/IP Setup on my router is:

IP Address: 192.168.1.1
IP Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Gemstater

Thanks for your patience.

My modem/gateway address is 192.168.5.1


Perfect.

Originally Posted By: Gemstater
My router address is 192.168.1.1

The LAN TCP/IP Setup on my router is:

IP Address: 192.168.1.1
IP Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0


So change that to 192.168.5.254, as per my instructions.