20mbps download speed or lower when I should be getting 40-50! 2 or lower upload speed.

[Jsun]

I have been having issues with my wifi for a few months now (since we moved into a new house) and I feel like I have tried everything and i’m out of ideas now so ANY help would be great! So around about June, after we moved in the wifi seemed okay at first. I would get about 45 mbps download speed while playing video games (around 30-40 ping depending on the servers). Keep in mind, I have a 50 mbps download speed plan, non-fibre. About a week or two later, I would start having lag spikes or drops in the download speed. I’m talking it would drop down to around 5-10 mbps download speed (around 600 ping). I would have these drops every few seconds/minutes and they would last for maybe 10-30 seconds. So we called telus, and they sent a technician. The technician tested the speed via ethernet. He tested our router at the time and also a new one he had brought. The new one had faster speeds (around 50) so he just gave us that one. He also moved the boosters further from the router so it wouldn’t cause conjunction. So this had fixed the problem for about a few days, and then I started getting speed drops again. I ended up trying many things. Putting a fan on the router, restarting the router, etc... I ended up dealing with it till about mid-August until it became even slower. Instead of only having drops in the speed, it would STAY at a slower speed. It would just stay at a steady 10-20 mbps download speed and go up to 35-45 for a few seconds or minutes and then drop back down. (keep in mind this is when i’m the ONLY one on the wifi). So I called telus again, and they sent a technician. This time, the technician said it was switching from 2.4G and 5G, so he made it two different networks for me instead of it just being automatic. He also gave me a “secondary router” to help with the amount of devices that could be causing conjunction. So it worked for probably two days, but I was still getting miniature speed drops. (20-30) mbps. A few days ago, it has gone back to normal, even before the second time the technician came. The speeds are staying at around 15 and only going up to 40-45 for a few minutes or seconds. Even after I restart my router, It’s fast for maybe half an hour, with 45 mbps then all of a sudden it drops to around 20 mbps. Keep in mind this even happens when i’m not playing video games. Just on my phone, being the ONLY one using the wifi. I use speedtest by Ookla to test my speeds. Please, help me find a solution, anything will help!

[xray]

You mention a few things that happened but you didn't provide any details which might shed some light on the problem.

1) You said the technician tested the speed using Ethernet. What was the result? Was the speed the same as what you were getting on WiFi?

2) You said you now have smart steering turned off and have 2 separate SSID's (one each for 2.4 and 5 GHz) Which one are you connectect to when you do your speed tests?

3) You say "gave me a “secondary router” to help with the amount of devices" and then you say "Just on my phone, being the ONLY one using the wifi". This is contradictory. Do you have a lot of devices on the WiFi or not?

[Jsun]

Yes, my bad I did not mention the fact that the technician only tested with ethernet the FIRST time he came. The speeds were fast, 45-50 mbps so we kept that router. Ethernet speeds with the old router was around 35-40. I run tests on 5G while I am standing literally right besides my router. I have tried on my phone and computer. I live with my family and we do have around 12 devices (excluding TVs) but when I am home alone, usually everyone else’s computers are shut down i’m basically the only one using the wifi at times. I’d literally take any advice at this point :). I appreciate the response, as you can see I am not very good at explaining these things.

[RonAKA]

@Jsun, When you test using Ookla, are you using the closest Telus server? When diagnosing a problem with your home router and wiring, I think it makes sense to take as much of the internet out of the picture as possible.

[Jsun]

Yes I usually use the Burnaby one but I have tried the others too and gotten the same results. I just feel like it should be reaching 45-50 and staying there. Even when there aren’t many devices on it, I feel like there is just something stopping it from staying up there and there is a problem somewhere that I do not know of. The thing is, the technicians that came said that 20mbps was under the acceptable speed so that’s why they were trying to fix it. After they left it was up to 45-50 for a few days, then back down. Idk what to do now.

[NFtoBC]

What happens if you connect your computer to the router with an Ethernet cable?

[Jsun]

The speed with ethernet is usually fast (45-50) mbps but sometimes I do not have access to it (PS4/phone)

[Jsun]

I’m less concerned about getting good speeds on ethernet. I seriously think there’s something wrong with my wifi and idk what. The thing is, even when none of my family is home, TVs are off, playstation is shut down, my phone’s wifi is off, I’d expect the wifi to be good without ethernet right? Because there’s literally no devices on the wifi. Yet when I do the speedtest (on wifi, not ethernet) it may start off at 40mbps for a few seconds then drop straight down to 10-20. I just can’t seem to figure out what is causing that. So my goal is to figure out what’s happening. Because just because i’m getting good wifi for one device using ethernet doesn’t mean the rest if my family is too.

[xray]

If you are consistently getting good Ethernet speeds then your Internet speed is not the issue. As you suspected it's your WiFi.

What model phone you have?

Do you have other WiFi devices and if so are you able to do speed tests on them to cmpare?

How many other WiFi SSIDs do you see from your phone? Could be a channel congestion problem.

[Jsun]

I’ve tested on multiple devices. (computers and phones) and I did actually suspect a conjunction problem with the servers or something but I am not sure what to do😅.

[Jsun]

Oh and the results were the same on the other devices too so it’s not just my phone.

[RonAKA]

@Jsun 

For what it is worth, I am on Internet 75 with a bonded modem (two copper lines), and  I just tested my ethernet connected PC. It came out at 75 Mbps, with a 4 ms ping. My iPhone 8 which is connected to the 2.4 GHz SSID just tested as low as 34 Mbps, and as high as 59 Mbps, 10 ms ping. It seems quite variable on the WiFi, and quite consistent and high on the ethernet. 

I used to have a 50 Mbps modem, which was also bonded. It has some speed issues when it was first installed. One tech that came to the house tested the two lines and decided one was weak. He said there was a "tap" on the line that should not be there. I don't fully understand it, but I think that means when I was not using the one line somebody connected another line to it (and probably should not have). In any case it was repaired and the signal strength improved. It is something you could ask about. However, if you are getting good ethernet speed, then it seems it is a WiFi problem within your home. 

[Jsun]

Thank you, I will try and ask about that. What do you mean by tested both lines? Lines meaning 2.4g and 5g?

[RonAKA]

@Jsun 

I think to get 50 or 75 Mbps they have to use two copper lines coming into your house. That requires a bonded modem. They split the signal between the two lines at the wire centre, and then bond it back together at your home with the bonded modem. At least that is my memory of what they used for the 50 Mbps service. I switched to the 75 Mbps service when I called to complain about the price of the 50 Mbps. As a result of my call I got the 75 Mbps service for less than I was paying for the 50. I am also on Telus Optik, so perhaps the need is driven by the combination of TV and internet...

[RonAKA]

I just tested an older Asus laptop that is on the 5 GHz WiFi and it ranged from a 30 to 34 Mbps upload, a bad 18 ms ping, but a consistent 20 Mbps upload. 

[Jsun]

I am also on Telus optik. So just to update, today I tested Ethernet and it would be at 43 for a second and then go down. My final results after three tests were 29 mbps download speed, 29 again and then 20. I’m confused because I did the test not too long ago and it was at a steady 45-50. I am calling Telus, I also think it’s a problem with the modem. Btw, would it be better to have the modem and router separated? Instead of combined.

[Jsun]

Sorry i keep forgetting to answer your question for some reason. I have an Iphone XR, 64gb storage.

[Jsun]

2 Wifi SSIDs (2.4G and 5G).

[xray]

When I asked about how many SSIDs you see I meant other people's SSIDs (your neighbors).

[Jsun]

about 11, including my own

[RonAKA]

Do you have your router secured with a password? Could your neighbours be signing into your WiFi?