Weird Router Issues
Weird Router Issues
We own the fiber one gig internet plan, yet our connection has been inconsistent for about three months—experiencing drops and only 30mb download speeds. I thought the issue was with the old router (ASUS RT-AC5300), so I upgraded to a new model (AX5400 Netgear nighthawk XR1000). Despite changing the router, setting up new passwords, and connecting no devices, we still face poor performance. The speed drops completely when using the same cable, even with direct PC connection. When plugging in our computer, speeds remain at 30mb. Our ISP technician can’t identify the problem and provided a temporary router that works better (600mb). The new router doesn’t match the previous one’s speed. Am I missing something? Two top brands not working, but an ISP router seems fine. Any help or tips would be greatly appreciated! Thanks all.
You're asking about what might have changed since the connection problems started. The setup you described suggests stable performance for a while, but now speeds are dropping and latency is increasing. It sounds like the hardware hasn't been updated or replaced, yet connectivity issues have emerged.
Yes, all your statements are accurate. You haven’t detected any hardware changes during that time. Recently, I started experiencing slower performance. The speed tests supported my concern about slow internet due to the 30mb upload and download numbers. To rule out network devices causing problems, I disconnected every connected device. The issue persisted. Then I switched to a different router, confirmed using cat6 cables, and it worked better.
It connects straight to the modem without going through a router. You only have three possibilities: the router, the two cables, or the computer. The router is already ruled out since the problem persists with different routers. To fix the wired connection, check if your device supports Wi-Fi 6. Run a speed test on Wi-Fi while the computer runs slowly—does it slow down too? If not, are there other wired computers you can use for testing? Remove the cables entirely by swapping them, even if they seem fine. You’re currently using just one cable (modem → PC). With the router, you’re using two cables (modem → router → PC). Replace both.
I use a Wi-Fi 6 device. I've checked performance both on a wired desktop connection and wirelessly to another Wi-Fi 6 laptop. The speeds look very similar (around 40mb up/down, 30mb down). I've ruled out bad cables by testing several Cat6 connections. My desktop can reach 700mb when connected straight to the modem, but it drops significantly with the same cables when plugged directly into the routers I tested.
This seems quite odd. Yet, what I’ve discovered about fixing hardware and software problems is that things often don’t make sense. The only thing that confuses me is why it stopped functioning properly without any changes. I’m running out of ideas except to spend more money or test different routers that might not help.