1gbps getting 300mbps speeds

[LBurgess]

Hello All,

Hope you can help, as I cannot find a way to contact Virgin direct. I recently received my 1gbps package and it seems that the highest speeds I can achieve on a test in roughly 300mbps. I have looked at the router advanced settings, and based on other posts, I should be looking at the downstream channels, the highest of which registers 379000000, which I read at 379mbps top speed.

I suspect that my router is therefore not configured correctly, though I have tried restarting the router, but it does not affect the speed. It is worth noting that I am using devices capable of 1400mbps+ on a wireless connection, so I do not think it is my devices that are the issue here.

Any advice as to how I can go about getting my paid for speed?

Many thanks

[Andrew-G]

I think you're misreading the highest locked frequency of downstream channels as speed. 

There's a built in speedtest capability for the Hub 4 if you go looking in the tools or admin menus.  Or, if you've got a device connected by ethernet cable, use Speedtest.net and see what that shows. 

[LBurgess]

Hi Andrew,

I used the SamKnows test which is the one I think you are referring to, and that registers that the hub is receiving 1070mbps, but my devices are only receiving max of around 300mbps. Again, these devices are all capable of wifi speeds well over 1gbps, so does not account for the dramatic difference in speed. I am unsure how to continue, what I need to do to improve these speeds, as it seem the the speed the hub is putting out is much lower than it is receiving from Virgin.

Many thanks

[Andrew-G]

It is typical for most wifi devices to "top out" at around 300 Mbps using the 802.11ac protocol that the Hub 4 uses.  Real world speeds are always a country mile off the theoretical speeds a wifi device is capable of, and the Hub 4 has a low specification and doesn't support the superior Wifi 6 protocol that high end devices have sported for a couple of years now. 

Close to the Hub 4, with a high end device you might see up to 600 Mbps, but that depends on a range of different factors.  Obviously the hub can at least in theory output the full speed across a range of devices, eg 250 Mbps concurrently to four separate devices, wired or wireless.

Ignoring home made techno-lashups, the fastest speed you'll ever see on a single device attached to a Hub 4 is about 940 Mbps on a gigabit capable device connected by ethernet cable.  

[LBurgess]

But 802.11ac is capable of speed of up to 3.5gbps, so it seems odd that it couldn't even reach speeds that 802.11n can achieve.

I'll try an ethernet connection later and do a speed test then, just to be sure, the will try find a contact for Virgin

[Andrew-G]

@LBurgess But 802.11ac is capable of speed of up to 3.5gbps,

Not in the real world.  Link below compares 802.11ac performance with the sucecssor standard 802.11ax (Wifi 6).

https://www.pcmag.com/news/how-fast-is-wi-fi-6

[LBurgess]

Yeah, so I tried an ethernet connection and sure enough, it had downloads speeds of about 950mbps. I must confess it is slightly disappointing not to be able to get my full speed over WiFi, and as the wall bracket is in a bedroom in the top corner of the house, I won't be able to make use of the ethernet connection ever.

Ah well, suppose I know for future when I need to renew contract to go for the 350mbps package

[John_GS]

Hi LBurgess

Thanks for posting and welcome to the community.

My apologies for the lower speeds.

I've ran a check on the system today and there is a congestion issue affecting the services. We are planning to undertake some upgrades to support the increased demand for our services in your area. When completed, any slow broadband speeds and buffering on TiVo apps you may be experiencing (particularly at peak times) will be resolved.

Your fault reference number is F008734268 and the estimated fix date is the 26th May

Kind regards,