Comcast speed issues - slower with more expensive router

[Theo]

Really strange issue I am having trouble with recently. I helped a client move from xfinity router to a netgear nighthawk router, their internet speeds dropped to 30-40 mbps from 90. Figured it was a defective router, and replaced it, still 30-40. Swapped her to a cheap tplink n300 router ($20 router) and it went back up to 90. Installed a new linksys ac2400 router they supplied and speeds went back down to 30-40. Speedtests are all done from the same site, from the same pc, using the same ethernet cables. At a loss for the cause of this. Anyone have any thoughts?

 

[acscva]

Are you testing all of them from wireless or wired? I have seen differences in speeds when connected via wireless as depends on if connecting at 2.4ghz or 5ghz. I know with wired computers there normally isn't any difference. I have used the netgear nighhawk routers as well the Cisco Meraki and WatchGuard. I know when I turn on all of the security services with the WatchGuard it will drop the internet speed by 20-30% due to the filtering it does.

 

[Theo]

All tests were done on the wired network.

 

[Knightsman]

This article might help. Sounds like a firmware issue wit the latest release.

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers...-internet-passthough-speed-weird-problem.html

 

[Theo]

I did check to see if I had the most recent firmware on both the nighthawks, and they did. I didn't check the QoS setting though. I suppose that could be a factor. It doesn't explain though, why the same slow speeds would happen on a different brand router.
I am going to try yet another brand of router next week.

 

[Knightsman]

Well its saying if you downgrade the firmware it fixes the issue, so leads me to believe that its an issue with the latest firmware.

 

[Theo]

That could explain the issue with the netgear router, but what about the linksys router that's doing the same thing?

 

[Galdorf]

I had same problem with Asus router i flashed firmware to tomato and the speed is now max i find using stock firmware limiting that is why i only get routers that can handle tomato or other HyperWRT firmware.

 

[Knightsman]

That could explain the issue with the netgear router, but what about the linksys router that's doing the same thing?

That is a curve ball for sure, but might just be coincidental. I have slowly lost faith in cisco routers honestly.

 

[ohio_grad_06]

I'll say I'm not a huge Cisco fan. For high end stuff yeah, they are probably great. For consumer/small business I'd rather roll with netgear or even Trendnet. Equipment from those companies at least in small environments seems easy to set up and configure and seems to just work.