Receive inaccurate internet performance.
Receive inaccurate internet performance.
Hi Everyone,
I got an email from Comcast today saying my internet speed went up from 300 to 400 Mbps. After restarting my router/modem and checking on my laptop, it was about 280Mbps—still within the expected range. I confirmed with my phone that it reached 370 Mbps, which matches. I assumed something might be wrong with my account, but this shows it’s working now.
I’m still puzzled why my computer isn’t getting the upgraded speed. My router is a TP-Link Archer CR700, and my laptop is a Dell Inspiron 7586 with an Intel Wireless AC 9560 chipset. According to Intel’s specs, that card can handle up to 1.73 Gbps, so it shouldn’t be limiting anything. My phone is a Samsung Galaxy S21, not the plus or Ultra model.
I’ve tried several things: restarting my computer, turning the network card on/off, and running ipconfig /renew and ipconfig /flushdns commands.
Could anyone help me figure this out?
Laptop Wi-Fi cards generally perform worse than desktops or phones. For instance, on my B660M motherboard PC with a Wi-Fi card, Steam downloads reached 8-9 Mbps—slow for a third-world connection—but my ROG Strix G531GU with an AC 9260 managed only about 2.5 Mbps. Both were using SSDs and had room in their CPUs, so the speed gap was mainly due to download performance. The AC 9260 supports Wi-Fi 5, but since my router also uses that standard, the difference isn’t noticeable. This reflects actual usage, not just speedtest results. Interestingly, my phone downloads are much faster than on my PC or laptop.
Wifi offers limited performance. The advertised 1.3ghz or adapter speed is just that—idealized. Real-world results will fall short even under perfect circumstances. To confirm genuine speeds, you must physically connect your laptop to the modem or router and run tests.
WiFi depends on both transmitting and receiving devices along with their antennas. Your phone might have a superior antenna or interface compared to your laptop. As noted earlier, a wired link is usually the most accurate method for gauging actual performance. I haven’t observed a WiFi connection reaching its full theoretical limit.
Horse shoes and hand grenades represent two distinct gadgets with separate WiFi chips and unique antenna shapes. Claimed WiFi performance is based on combined frequencies. Pay attention to the specific band you're using and its maximum rate. Your router might support 1300 Mbps at 5GHz, but even with WiFi 6, achieving gigabit speeds on WiFi is unlikely if your device is WiFi 5. For better performance, consider Cat5e or Cat6 cabling. On a related note, "Full Speed" typically translates to around 480 Mbps for Comcast connections, adjusted by network load. I haven’t restarted the modem yet, but I expect roughly 480 Mbps once it does, depending on congestion.
I've determined the issue. The Wi-Fi adapter in my laptop only handles a maximum speed of 1.73 Mbps with a contiguous 160MHz channel. Separate non-contiguous 80 MHz or 80+80 MHz setups aren't compatible. The S21 model supports the 80+80 configuration, but my router doesn't.