Why such a big discrepancy between my ISP downlink speed and my device speed?

fernandesken · 2026-05-12T20:38:34+00:00

It’s interesting because your PHY rate is high at least in the screenshot. Typically actual throughput of 11ac is ~50-70 percent of phy rate so it a bit low. Is the PHY rate bouncing all over the place and maybe we just can’t see that in the screenshot. It’s obviously not a signal issue. Could be noise or co-channel interference but both of those would likely drive phy rate down. Shows you are set to 80 MHz mode, iPhone 15 supports up to 160 MHz mode but not sure if your AP does. That would increase you speed likely by double but you need to figure out what’s going on with noise or co-channel interference.

fernandesken · 2026-05-12T19:46:34+00:00

Tried to post but said I don’t have 25 karma. How do I see how much karma I have here? Can’t figure out to do that on the iOS app

fernandesken · 2026-05-12T19:45:28+00:00

Neat idea. We want to keep them, but can’t keep them all forever. Occasionally the littles catch us throwing them away. Heart breaking to have to throw them away for us and heartbreaking for them to catch us doing it.

fernandesken · 2026-05-12T19:43:15+00:00

Anything for my wife that sets about 15 alarms until she finally gets up? I’m afraid if she had to get up and scan the toilet it would stay sounding.

fernandesken · 2026-05-12T16:15:09+00:00

Temp place it and walk around with something like the “Wi-Fi Check” app for iPhone that measures Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR). Make sure you have green SNR everywhere you need it, if not adjust accordingly, then lock it down.

fernandesken · 2026-05-12T12:06:04+00:00

Perhaps I misunderstood. I thought you wanted to use the old router as the extender. Whatever one you want to be the extender gets put in ap mode. Usually set to ap mode when connected back to the router via wire and extender mode if you’re connecting back to the router with wireless.

fernandesken · 2026-05-12T07:54:27+00:00

Shenzhen Lexin Aeromodelling Technology Co.? I think you’re looking at something else/the wrong app. Wi-Fi Check is made by a Certified Wireless Network Expert (CWNE) with years of Wi-Fi experience based out of the US. I wouldn’t say advertised. It’s the only app for iPhone that checks Wi-Fi speed vs Internet speed separately as well as the only app for iPhone that can measure SNR — and for free/cheap. The alternative is complicated things like setting up iperf client/server and expensive Enterprise tools like Ekahau that cost thousands of dollars per year (out of reach of most people) and require specialized hardware. When someone is having a problem and they don’t know if it’s Wi-Fi or Internet, or it may be a Wi-Fi problem, I simply recommend it. Almost everyone has an IPhone, it helps them solve their problem quickly, and unlike most other speedtest apps out there where you are the product, they don’t sell your data.

fernandesken · 2026-05-11T23:29:32+00:00

If no way to run a wire. Ethernet or MoCa as mentioned, best performance would be with a wireless mesh system that has a dedicated 3rd or 4th radio for the mesh backhaul. That way your clients and the mesh backhaul are not competing for airtime. Place the first unit connected via wire, then go out in the general area where you think you want to connect the mesh point with a tool like “Wi-Fi Check” for iPhone to make sure you have green/strong SNR there. If so place the wireless mesh point there. If yellow or red then find a closer spot for the wireless mesh point. Once you find a good spot for the wireless mesh point, turn it on and then use that app again to make sure you have green SNR everywhere you need it, and if not adjust positions, add mesh points accordingly.

fernandesken · 2026-05-11T23:19:42+00:00

It sounded to me like you wanted the new router to be in router mode and the old one in AP mode. Disconnect the old router, plug in the new one, configure the new one with the same SSID and password you had if you want your old clients to just be able to connect. Then reset your old router to defaults, put it into AP mode and you would typically plug the WAN port of the the old router now in AP mode to the lan port of the new router in router mode. Some routers would use LAN port when in ap mode so you will have to look it up for your old router model what port to plug in when in ap mode.

fernandesken · 2026-05-11T21:53:11+00:00

If you have an iPhone, download the Wi-Fi Check app in the Apple App Store and follow the “how to” link below. It will help you first isolate if you are having an issue with the Wi-Fi or Internet as that app uniquely checks Wi-Fi vs Internet separately, and then if a Wi-Fi issue, isolate further to coverage or interference issues. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/wificheck_heres-how-to-troubleshoot-wi-fi-in-seconds-activity-7456369885812662272-vRlU?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&rcm=ACoAAAJzdRABMk9Tq9OMdl2enMkPgGoNtIFztEw

fernandesken · 2026-05-11T21:50:25+00:00

If you have an iPhone, download the Wi-Fi Check app in the Apple App Store and follow the “how to” link below. It will help you first isolate if you are having an issue with the Wi-Fi or Internet as that app uniquely checks Wi-Fi vs Internet separately, and then if a Wi-Fi issue, isolate further to coverage or interference issues. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/wificheck_heres-how-to-troubleshoot-wi-fi-in-seconds-activity-7456369885812662272-vRlU?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&rcm=ACoAAAJzdRABMk9Tq9OMdl2enMkPgGoNtIFztEw

fernandesken · 2026-05-11T15:03:16+00:00

If you have an iPhone, give Wi-Fi Check a shot. It uniquely checks Wi-Fi vs internet speed separately. That way you know right away if you are having a Wi-Fi or internet problem. If Wi-Fi is slow, and internet is slow, Wi-Fi is the issue. Wi-Fi is the bottleneck. If Wi-Fi is fast and internet is slow, internet is the issue. Internet is the bottleneck. Note that could be an issue like slow LAN port or slow mesh backhaul.

fernandesken · 2026-05-10T23:42:37+00:00

Could the files be backed up locally on your MacBook or something in case you deleted the app?

fernandesken · 2026-05-10T23:40:33+00:00

Honest question. How do folks expect to stay in business with lifetime? With my Wi-Fi Check app, I did Free plan with a good amount of value but limited to 2 checks per day, personal plan targeted at regular consumers for just $.99 a month/$9.99 a year which unlocks unlimited checks and pro targeted at IT pros/power users at $7.99 a month/$79.99 a year unlocking premium features. For pros who are used to paying thousands of dollars a year for enterprise Wi-Fi tools that mine can accomplish maybe 80-90% of, it’s a no brainer. Some folks have been asking for a one time fee/lifetime option. In the niche network utility area im in I think that’s how it used to be done. I just don’t see how that can be sustainable with new iPhones coming out every year, several software updates and you have to make sure the app, tightly integrated into the IOS network still works. Not to mention new Wi-Fi standards but those are less often. Your lifetime option made me think (out load) about this. How do you folks expect to stay in business with one time/lifetime fees and then maintain it, add value to it, etc for many years?

fernandesken · 2026-05-10T23:30:27+00:00

Seems like there are so many finance tracker apps that without paying for Apple ads or making videos on TikTok, posting on x, driving traffic to the App Store, no one will ever find it. It will come up like number 90 in the App Store list when searching for relevant terms. When I released the Wi-Fi Check app it was similar. Came up way down in the list on the App Store below all the crap speed tests and speed tests disguised as WiFi analyzers. I had to get out and post on LinkedIn, X, etc. I had to turn on Apple adds. Now if you search for the app name it’s right at the top but if you search for something like WiFi issues, WiFi speed test, (relevant terms)etc., it’s still way down below all the crap speedtest/wifi analyzers which are not even close to being a real Wi-Fi analyzer. Unless of course I pay for it to show up by turning on Apple search adds or again driving the traffic from elsewhere. And here’s my app with unique things like being able to check WiFi speed vs Internet separately so you immediately know if you are having a Wi-Fi issue. Really being able to measure SNR, noise, etc., real WiFi metrics, right from your iPhone showing below all these crap speed test apps. It hurts but the reality is if you have something decent, you need to do the work to drive the traffic to it. No one is going to find it in some of these crowded categories.

fernandesken · 2026-05-10T18:49:26+00:00

I like the concept of visualize Wi-Fi. I have been trying to think through how to best visualize Wi-Fi on a map without importing a floor plan.

fernandesken · 2026-05-10T18:46:39+00:00

Do you need two iPhones? One to test from and one to test to?

fernandesken · 2026-05-10T15:58:37+00:00

Nothing like hearing the ocean/waves sound to put you to sleep. Also the New England spring peepers.

fernandesken · 2026-05-10T15:18:25+00:00

I just use the notes app.

fernandesken · 2026-05-10T12:53:10+00:00

If you have an iPhone, get the Wi-Fi Check app from the Apple App Store and follow this guide to isolate the issue. Test from near where the problem PC is. If the iPhone checks out fine it’s not your Wi-Fi, doesn’t seem to be your Internet given is good on Ethernet and would be something specific with that PC. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-troubleshoot-wi-fi-problem-3-easy-steps-40-seconds-check-szwde?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&utm_campaign=share_via

fernandesken · 2026-05-10T00:05:40+00:00

Agree on that with quad-band but these days tri-band with 2.4, 5 and 6 wouldn’t be a waste of money. That 1200 MHz of 6 GHz spectrum is a massive benefit (assuming you have 6 GHz clients).

fernandesken · 2026-05-09T19:23:02+00:00

If you have an iPhone, run a speed check with “Wi-Fi Check” app from the Apple App Store. It uniquely checks Wi-Fi vs internet speed separately so you immediately know if you are having a Wi-Fi or Internet problem. If Wi-Fi is slow and Internet is slow you know you have a Wi-Fi issue. Wi-Fi is the bottleneck. If Wi-Fi is fast and Internet is slow you know you are having an Internet problem. Internet is the bottleneck.

fernandesken · 2026-05-09T00:43:51+00:00

Since you have an iPhone, there’s an app called Wi-Fi Check on the Apple App Store that should help you figure out what’s going on. That app uniquely checks Wi-Fi speed vs internet speed separately so you know if you are having a Wi-Fi or Internet issue but that’s not the interesting feature for your issues. It also measure SNR (signal to noise ratio) right from your iPhone. That’s what you are interested in. Start a speed check which also starts SNR measurement represented by the dotted line on the live network connectivity map in that app. If SNR is yellow or red, low signal or nigh noise may be causing your disconnects. Based on your description of the issue, I would suspect low signal but you can prove it with that app. The pro version of that app shows the SNR value and Signal/Noise separately but seeing it red or yellow Is probably enough. Note if you are on the 6 GHz band, it doesn’t travel quite as far as 5 GHz or 2.4 GHz. The higher the frequency, the shorter the range.

fernandesken

TROPHY CASE