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Themaninblack's avatar
Themaninblack
Joining in
2 years ago
Solved

Explanation of Virgin media router/wifi speeds

Hi All!

I am new to VM, having just had my Broadband service installed and on 5th December. I am signed up to the 1Gb package. I have questions however as to how the WiFi speed is so drastically different from the designated 1GB speed. According to samknows website speed into the hub. Is around the 1Gb mark. However any device connected via WiFi is at most around 300 mbps. Why is there is a massive difference? With my old sky hub, WiFi speed was roughly comparable with the speed the router was getting. Is Fibre different? I am sitting next to the hub, using a 2021 MacBook and only getting between 200-300 mbps. How can this be the case? I surely should be around the 1Gb mark within reasonable margins? Can anyone advise?

thanks

Iain

  • Client62's avatar
    Client62
    2 years ago

    With Sky internet perhaps your connection speed was 40 or at most 80 Mb/s, in this situation your Wi-Fi device could  draw data from the Sky Router much faster than it could be provided. 

    With the VM 1Gb/s service your Wi-Fi device is drawing data at 200 - 300 Mb/s from the VM Hub, the Wi-Fi device has become the limiting factor.

    For some computers the software complement degrades the performance, products such as complex security suites, web content blockers, advert blockers, VPNs inc Apple Relay / Private Browsing tools can all be quite a burden.

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  • Client62's avatar
    Client62
    Alessandro Volta
    2 years ago

    With Sky internet perhaps your connection speed was 40 or at most 80 Mb/s, in this situation your Wi-Fi device could  draw data from the Sky Router much faster than it could be provided. 

    With the VM 1Gb/s service your Wi-Fi device is drawing data at 200 - 300 Mb/s from the VM Hub, the Wi-Fi device has become the limiting factor.

    For some computers the software complement degrades the performance, products such as complex security suites, web content blockers, advert blockers, VPNs inc Apple Relay / Private Browsing tools can all be quite a burden.

  • Adduxi's avatar
    Adduxi
    Very Insightful Person
    2 years ago

    VM only guarantee a WiFi speed of 30Mb. To explain how Wifi works for any ISP would take many pages. There are just too many factors that affect WiFi speeds, hence VM’s low speed guarantee. 

  • legacy1's avatar
    legacy1
    Alessandro Volta
    2 years ago
    Themaninblack wrote:

    I surely should be around the 1Gb mark within reasonable margins?

    Wifi is not by wire your expecting too much and even more from the hub.

    If you think you can do better get your own router and AP's 

  • asim18's avatar
    asim18
    Rising star
    2 years ago

    Yes, WiFi is a mess and it's getting messier by the day because broadband installers simply plonk WiFI access points in the easiest location and turn up the TX power to max. Then when customer has poor wifi they just send out stupid "pods" without a proper installation nor even a basic site survey with a false assumption that flooding the entire neighbourhood with RF will solve the problem. In fact this makes it definitively worse for absolutely everyone.

    If broadband installers did the job properly from day 1, and installed wire-backhauled APs in strategic locations with proper TX power adjustments there would be far less problems. The fact that I can pick up over 30 WiFi access points from my living room is a testament to absolutely irresponsible RF transmitter installation.... If I was in charge of Ofcom, I'd make this illegal. And what do ofcom know? They think it's a "positive" thing that complaints about broadband are at the same HIGH levels as last year!!! Link 

    If ISPs were run by real qualified people with doctorates in physics/computer science and regulated by proper regulators who knew how to regulate the airwaves, then WiFi situation in this country would be infinitely better. Unforunately ISPs are run by people with a 2 week business course in cash-cowing and are regulated by people who think complaint levels being the same as last year is a "positive thing" Link  .

    Also, I think 300mbps is acceptable for wifi. 300mbps is not speed it's bandwidth. Speed is measured in milliseconds and Ethernet is always at least 5 times faster than WiFi in terms of speed, so I personally use Ethernet whenever possible.

  • carl_pearce's avatar
    carl_pearce
    Superstar
    2 years ago

    Which HUB do you have?

    HUB 4 = Wi-Fi 5 = 887Mbps connection speed (MIMO 2x2 at 80MHz channel width) = 300 - 600Mbps + real world speed to one device.

    HUB 5 = Wi-Fi 6 = 2400Mbps connection speed (MIMO 2x2 at 160MHz channel width) = 500 - 1100Mbps + real world speed to one device.

    The above is best case scenario where your device supports those standards. Devices can be several different standards and the HUB will no longer be the limiting factor (For example I have an Asus Wi-Fi 6 router, however, my Samsung mobile is Wi-Fi 5 at 433Mbps so real world 200 - 350Mbps. I also have an Asus Wi-Fi 6 laptop which connects at 2400Mbps and can pull 1000Mbps + depending on distance from router).