New 1 gig service in MacOS household can't get 1 gig speeds
mudixon
Enthusiast - Level 2

I'm at my wits end. Recently upgraded to 1gig speed and got the Fios Extender. I've talked to tech support, who sent me to customer support, who sent me to tech support (different tech)...all giving me conflicting info. One says I can't get speeds greater than 500 because that's the limit of the Fios Extender. Someone said I needed to run Ethernet from the Gateway router to the Extender. Someone told me I'm provisioned to 750/750. I have all the latest Verizon equipment.

1gig speeds test out OK when running the router test (verizon to the house). Device speed tests are where I have the problem. I never get speeds greater than the 400s (sometimes peaks over 500 briefly during testing at Verizon's speedtest page).

My computers (recent iMac, recent MacBook Air) all have network hardware capable of handling 1gig speeds. My wireless devices like the latest AppleTV, iPhone 7, etc. all get mediocre speeds (WIFI typically is in the 200s), AppleTV strangely tests faster with WIFI than Ethernet...by a large margin.

My neighbor is a new 1gig Verizon Fios customer. He has no problems getting speeds in the 800-900s, even with WIFI. He has the same set-up as I do, except he has 2 Extenders and I have one. His computers are all Windows, but his family members have iOS devices. So there is something crazy going on and Verizon phone tech support doesn't seem to have an answer. 

I'm testing everything with Ethernet, using Cat5e (mostly Cat6) cabling. My 30 days after installation is closing in fast, so I need urgent help and I don't feel like phone support will solve it. I have a big bill coming up with all the one-time charges due, and I feel duped. Anyone out there care to take a stab at this? 

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Re: New 1 gig service in MacOS household can't get 1 gig speeds
mudixon
Enthusiast - Level 2

So I finally reached a supervisor. Had me test Ethernet coming out of the wall and directly to the computer (they disabled the IP address of the router to allow this). I got advertised speeds on the computer at 900/900 or so. Hard rebooted router. Reconnected wall Ethernet to it. Connected computer via Ethernet. Speed test: 800/800+. Great! Rebooted Extender. Connected Ethernet to it from the same computer (and cable). 400/400. 

Supervisor's suggestion: to get true 1gig speeds, don't use the Extenders. Buy multiple Gateway routers and pay extra to run Ethernet to both. Then you'll experience what they advertise. Running Ethernet from router to the Extender won't work. So, the techs that told me this were misinformed. 

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Re: New 1 gig service in MacOS household can't get 1 gig speeds
jonjones1
Legend

To quote you would make this too long.

first off no wifi device with any router be it Verizon's or Netgear or any other brand will get 1 gigabyte speeds. None.

also the extender will top out around 400 since it is normally half of direct Ethernet connections.

now when you hook any computer or tablet via Ethernet the device speeds will vary, not every computer is set optimally to garner those speeds to or from the router.

my new iPhones and iPads on wifi get a device speed anywhere from 300 to 400 and that is about what it should be.

if your speed test is from Verizon's proprietary network servers to your home router can be varied as well. I get 980/910 sometimes or variations like 890/880 and sometimes lower. So again it's not a guaranteed speed.

verizon states "speeds up to 980/880" it does not say you will sustain that speed.

additionally the nic cards in many computers cannot give those speeds, and couple that with wifi radios in different devices you still will not achieve 1024/1024 in any real world scenario.

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Re: New 1 gig service in MacOS household can't get 1 gig speeds
mudixon
Enthusiast - Level 2

Many thanks for your quick reply, JonJones. I appreciate your help! As a follow-up, I am only using Verizon network equipment (routers, their extender). You are getting network performance I wish I had (and I should have).

The Verizon Fios Extender isn't a typical WIFI extender. It has coax going directly to it from the main feed to the house (just like the Gateway router receives it). It is rated (and bonded) to be able to deliver up to 1 gig speed (the Gateway isn't bonded). It's made clear in Verizon's own documentation. I know I'll never get that, but I should get more than 400.

My issue is with the poor performance of Ethernet speeds I'm getting. I know WIFI is always iffy and defintiely slower. I'm fine with that. But I'm getting 1/2 (or less) than what was advertised via wired connection. Regarding wireless, I don't get 300-400 on my iOS devices via WIFI (more like 100-200)... and I'm within 5 feet of the router. 

My argument is based on how Verizon sold me on 1gig speeds, with no mention of the Extender causing any degredation of household speeds. I know they consider anything 750 and up to be acceptable. I'm not there yet.

Just to verify, my MacOS computers all can handle 1000baseT speed.

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Re: New 1 gig service in MacOS household can't get 1 gig speeds
jonjones1
Legend

@mudixon wrote:

Many thanks for your quick reply, JonJones. I appreciate your help! As a follow-up, I am only using Verizon network equipment (routers, their extender). You are getting network performance I wish I had (and I should have).

The Verizon Fios Extender isn't a typical WIFI extender. It has coax going directly to it from the main feed to the house (just like the Gateway router receives it). It is rated (and bonded) to be able to deliver up to 1 gig speed (the Gateway isn't bonded). It's made clear in Verizon's own documentation. I know I'll never get that, but I should get more than 400.

My issue is with the poor performance of Ethernet speeds I'm getting. I know WIFI is always iffy and defintiely slower. I'm fine with that. But I'm getting 1/2 (or less) than what was advertised via wired connection. Regarding wireless, I don't get 300-400 on my iOS devices via WIFI (more like 100-200)... and I'm within 5 feet of the router. 

My argument is based on how Verizon sold me on 1gig speeds, with no mention of the Extender causing any degredation of household speeds. I know they consider anything 750 and up to be acceptable. I'm not there yet.

Just to verify, my MacOS computers all can handle 1000baseT speed.


I would say that you should call 1-800-VERIZON ask for tech support, have the rep get ahold of an engineer and get a trouble ticket to have your service provisioned to the new speed. A new ONT or Ethernet cabling may need to be swapped out. 

My wifes iMac when connected directly is seeing 920/840 and since I know absolutely zero about iMac systems I could not even do a screen shot to show you.

in our house I have guests that like to get strong connections to our wifi and I use a Netgear extender plugged into the electrical outlet in our yard patio. There are two direct connects for computers, and our 2.4 & 5 ghz are full strength. 

But the Verizon extender should function even through coaxial so I am thinking it could be your service was not provisioned correctly.

as a side note, after we got gigabyte service I checked the speeds and they were not acceptable. When I called the representative made a comment about "what am I complaining about, since I had 150/150 before and now you have 700/600 etc"

i explained I am not paying for the lower speeds that is why I am calling. I had to get another representative who put in a work request and two days later it was blazing fast.

so be persistent.

Good Luck 

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Re: New 1 gig service in MacOS household can't get 1 gig speeds
mudixon
Enthusiast - Level 2

Thanks Jon! Just to be clear, your wife's iMac is getting device speed test speeds of 920/840? Or is that the speed test results for the router? Is the iMac connected directly into the Verizon router?

I will be persistent! I just dread the long phone call I'm about to embark on!

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Re: New 1 gig service in MacOS household can't get 1 gig speeds
mudixon
Enthusiast - Level 2

Here's an update. I contacted tech support, this time by Chat so I could get a transcript. There is a firmware update available, and Ethernet could be run to the Extender. That's the part that perplexes me, since previous techs said you couldn't run Ethernet to the Extender (no WAN port, just two LAN ports).

So I have to wait until I get home, then call back so they can schedule a technician (why can't they schedule a tech when I call from work? Odd.).

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Re: New 1 gig service in MacOS household can't get 1 gig speeds
jonjones1
Legend

@mudixon wrote:

Thanks Jon! Just to be clear, your wife's iMac is getting device speed test speeds of 920/840? Or is that the speed test results for the router? Is the iMac connected directly into the Verizon router?

I will be persistent! I just dread the long phone call I'm about to embark on!


From The router test to verizons speed test server in NY.

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Re: New 1 gig service in MacOS household can't get 1 gig speeds
mudixon
Enthusiast - Level 2

So I finally reached a supervisor. Had me test Ethernet coming out of the wall and directly to the computer (they disabled the IP address of the router to allow this). I got advertised speeds on the computer at 900/900 or so. Hard rebooted router. Reconnected wall Ethernet to it. Connected computer via Ethernet. Speed test: 800/800+. Great! Rebooted Extender. Connected Ethernet to it from the same computer (and cable). 400/400. 

Supervisor's suggestion: to get true 1gig speeds, don't use the Extenders. Buy multiple Gateway routers and pay extra to run Ethernet to both. Then you'll experience what they advertise. Running Ethernet from router to the Extender won't work. So, the techs that told me this were misinformed.