FTTP connection rates
FTTP connection rates
Hi there! FTTP speed is confirmed at your home, but the mesh network and powerline connections are lagging. It seems the router’s 200mbps promise isn’t fully reaching those setups. Could be the mesh system’s design limits performance beyond that range, or maybe the powerline setup isn’t optimized for high throughput. Checking signal quality and ensuring proper cabling might help.
A clear diagram showing all hardware with make/model tags would be very useful. It should illustrate how devices connect and interact. PL might be contributing to speed and latency challenges. Your setup likely involves two routers linked together, possibly installed by your ISP. Speed tests were probably run via WiFi during connection. The distance from the mesh node matters, as does whether internal walls are solid brick. If the Wi‑Fi signal passes through walls or floors during testing, that could affect results.
The Whole Home WiFi seems to function as a separate mesh network rather than relying on your router. It’s unusual that the instructions don’t mention turning off the router’s WiFi, since this would remove one access point (the router) and reduce mesh performance. Ideally, I’d connect a wired device with a Gigabit port into the existing cable to verify it works properly. Typically, the limitation to under 100Mbit is due to a cable or port issue rather than a network design flaw.
After further investigation, it seems the Ethernet port on the powerline adapters we possess is 10/100 Mbps. These adapters seem to feature a gigabit port, which could potentially address the issue. Nonetheless, I'm familiar with the challenges of powerline connectivity—MoCA is known for better performance but comes at a higher cost.
We used a Linksys SPNMX55 router from our ISP. It connects to the main BT Whole Home Wi-Fi AC2600 mesh network, with two additional nodes inside the house. In reality, it functions more like a switch than an active router. The BT mesh provides the wireless connection, while the ISP router simply routes traffic. This setup worked well without fiber, offering only 70 Mbps, and we conducted speed tests directly next to both devices, avoiding any interference from walls.
This setup confirms the Powerline and BT mesh nodes are linked to the Ethernet ports of the SPNMX55 device.
I just tested this and achieved the same around 90 speeds straight through the ISP router. Since all our cables are Cat 5e, I switched to a Cat 8 we had on hand and got 200! It seems the cables were the problem, and the whole-home mesh is now running at 200 Mbps. I’ll need to get some new Ethernet cables soon. Thanks for your assistance!
It's important to note that the ISP router serves more than just switching functions—it acts as the central hub for your network. It links to your ISP and manages data flow between your local network and the Internet. WiFi operates as a virtual switch, while your router also includes a physical Ethernet switch. These components work together in a single device, allowing you to integrate external devices that handle certain tasks, such as WiFi management or additional networking functions.