Fibe TV And Fibe Internet 16+ Speeds - Canadian TV, Computing and Home Theatre Forums

scooter62 · 2012-05-15, 02:38 PM

Just received Bel Fibe TV and Fibe Internet 16+
Just wondering about the speeds i am seeing:

If I connect my laptop to the modem with an ethernet cable, and do a speedtest, I see 25 Mbs which is what I am expecting

If I connect the same laptop wirelessly and do the same speedtest I see 14 Mbps

This is with no TVs on of course.

Why the difference ?
I have the sagecom modem/router; I would not expect this much of a difference !

Is this telling me that the Sagecom wireless is no good ??!!

Scooter62

nitra · 2012-05-15, 05:47 PM

There are many variables at play on wireless, the Sagemcom is the better modem, some of the Cellpipes could barely hit 5Mbps. 14 Isn't bad throughput on wireless 802.11g, it's normal to see 10-20.

scooter62 · 2012-05-15, 10:29 PM

Thank you Nitra for confirming that; I feel a bit better :-)

Scooter62

Gogie · 2012-05-16, 09:01 AM

Here's a question: which is better to use for a wireless network, the Sagemcom provided by Bell or an Apple Time Machine connected to the Sagemcom via ethernet? I have both options set up.

daveharr · 2012-05-17, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Here's a question: which is better to use for a wireless network, the Sagemcom provided by Bell or an Apple Time Machine connected to the Sagemcom via ethernet? I have both options set up.

Depends. Where is your Bell modem relative to your usage areas? My Bell modem is in the basement, conveniently near all of my structured wiring, but very inconvenient in terms of providing a good signal where I actually need it.

Also, I have a Macbook Pro with a three-stream antenna which my Airport Extreme fully supports (means 400 Mbps+ speeds when using the Mac near the Airport) while the Bell modem doesn't support this.

For me, turning off wifi on the Bell modem and relying on my Airport Extreme was an easy decision.

Gary320 · 2012-05-17, 12:58 PM

Daveharr:

On that topic, I get a strong signal (full bars) to the modem, but still have a inconsistent surfing sessions at times. Would using a router really change anything.. If I'm getting full bars, I dont think another router would improve anything would it.

secotton · 2012-05-17, 06:37 PM

An external router will help big time, particularily if you get one that is dual band (2.4Ghz / 5Ghz).

The only / best way I can consistently get good speed is to use 5Ghz wireless. I'm currently connecting use 2.4Ghz wireless for other reasons, and it allows me to usually attain around 21Mbps without issue, but it sometimes is inconsistent too.

The wireless on the Cellpipe sucks big time. Most I can ever get is 10Mb. It sounds like the Sagemcom is a bit better, but not by much

Gary320 · 2012-05-17, 06:58 PM

Well that's the thing, I have a Sagecom modem. I'm using WIFI from the router in the room next to me and most of the time I get some great surfing browsing, other times... it's alright.. sometimes I get nothing. It usually floats around 20-40.. I've never seen it at 50 with Wifi. Thinking of trying the router to see if it makes any difference. (I have no issues with enthernet cable)

-
Edit
-

So I put a router, internet seems to be more consistent now. Seem to get about the same number 30-40 for the past few minutes. Will have to judge after a day, but internet seems to go alot faster than normal. Can the Sagemcom router be really that bad?

nitra · 2012-05-24, 05:36 PM

I feel the need to debunk a few things regarding wifi here.

First, do not pay attention to the throughput numbers on the routers, 54/72/150/300/450 etc etc etc.
If you don't understand how it works, you won't understand why you're not getting the "maximum" speed.
You will never get the advertised maximum throughput speed on any wireless device, even if you're sitting directly on the router, it will not happen.

Now that we've got that out of the way, here's some details so you can understand how wifi at home works.

First large point here.
Do note that while the older and newer WiFi standards are often compatible, a connection will only be as quick as the slowest legacy device. You can connect your 802.11g laptop to a 802.11n router, but you’ll only be able to obtain 802.11g speeds.

Mimo, Wide Band, 40Mhz/20Mhz.
These only apply to 802.11n and the draft ac. 40Mhz doesn't generally play well at the 2.4Ghz range which is part of the reason most will tell you if you're having any issues at all, fix it at 20Mhz, I would advise anyone to only use 2.4 @ 20Mhz, setting it to auto will always cause it to drop to 20Mhz. Also, channel bonding can slow down your throughput, it's very well documented.
The reason for this in simple terms, there's a lot of devices that use 2.4Mhz, and 40Mhz is a lot of space to use on the spectrum, it doesn't leave room for other devices, Bluetooth, Wii remotes, and countless others, in fact there's some devices that will not work at all because of it.
The 40Mhz can easily be used on the 5Ghz band, it's much less cluttered and has far less to worry about.
For Mimo to work, you need to have 802.11n devices that support it, and support the same type of temporal spacing/streaming, most laptops still don't have this capability, and if they do, they will generally have 2/1.

WMM, turn off the power save option.
If you only have 802.11n devices, in the router, set it to N only, and remove the "Mixed" mode option.

Also, a good general rule of thumb, if you are running at 50% of the "connected" speed, you are doing well, the 2.4 spectrum is excessively cluttered and is only getting worse. If speed is really an issue, run a cat 5 cable and never worry about it again.

2012-05-15, 02:38 PM	#1
scooter62 Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 115	Fibe TV And Fibe Internet 16+ Speeds Just received Bel Fibe TV and Fibe Internet 16+ Just wondering about the speeds i am seeing: If I connect my laptop to the modem with an ethernet cable, and do a speedtest, I see 25 Mbs which is what I am expecting If I connect the same laptop wirelessly and do the same speedtest I see 14 Mbps This is with no TVs on of course. Why the difference ? I have the sagecom modem/router; I would not expect this much of a difference ! Is this telling me that the Sagecom wireless is no good ??!! Scooter62 Last edited by scooter62; 2012-05-15 at 02:59 PM. Reason: indicated Fibe Internet 16+

2012-05-17, 06:37 PM	#7
secotton Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Toronto Posts: 190	An external router will help big time, particularily if you get one that is dual band (2.4Ghz / 5Ghz). The only / best way I can consistently get good speed is to use 5Ghz wireless. I'm currently connecting use 2.4Ghz wireless for other reasons, and it allows me to usually attain around 21Mbps without issue, but it sometimes is inconsistent too. The wireless on the Cellpipe sucks big time. Most I can ever get is 10Mb. It sounds like the Sagemcom is a bit better, but not by much __________________ Panasonic TC32LX60 \| Denon AVR890 \| Klipsch RB-61 / RC-10 / RW-10D \| Motorola VIP 1232 (Bell Fibe)

2012-05-17, 06:58 PM	#8
Gary320 Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 30	Well that's the thing, I have a Sagecom modem. I'm using WIFI from the router in the room next to me and most of the time I get some great surfing browsing, other times... it's alright.. sometimes I get nothing. It usually floats around 20-40.. I've never seen it at 50 with Wifi. Thinking of trying the router to see if it makes any difference. (I have no issues with enthernet cable) - Edit - So I put a router, internet seems to be more consistent now. Seem to get about the same number 30-40 for the past few minutes. Will have to judge after a day, but internet seems to go alot faster than normal. Can the Sagemcom router be really that bad? Last edited by Gary320; 2012-05-17 at 09:23 PM.

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2012-05-15, 05:47 PM	#2
nitra Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 249	There are many variables at play on wireless, the Sagemcom is the better modem, some of the Cellpipes could barely hit 5Mbps. 14 Isn't bad throughput on wireless 802.11g, it's normal to see 10-20.

2012-05-15, 10:29 PM	#3
scooter62 Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 115	Thank you Nitra for confirming that; I feel a bit better :-) Scooter62

2012-05-16, 09:01 AM	#4
Gogie Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 65	Here's a question: which is better to use for a wireless network, the Sagemcom provided by Bell or an Apple Time Machine connected to the Sagemcom via ethernet? I have both options set up.

2012-05-17, 12:58 PM	#6
Gary320 Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 30	Daveharr: On that topic, I get a strong signal (full bars) to the modem, but still have a inconsistent surfing sessions at times. Would using a router really change anything.. If I'm getting full bars, I dont think another router would improve anything would it.

2012-05-24, 05:36 PM	#9
nitra Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 249	I feel the need to debunk a few things regarding wifi here. First, do not pay attention to the throughput numbers on the routers, 54/72/150/300/450 etc etc etc. If you don't understand how it works, you won't understand why you're not getting the "maximum" speed. You will never get the advertised maximum throughput speed on any wireless device, even if you're sitting directly on the router, it will not happen. Now that we've got that out of the way, here's some details so you can understand how wifi at home works. First large point here. Do note that while the older and newer WiFi standards are often compatible, a connection will only be as quick as the slowest legacy device. You can connect your 802.11g laptop to a 802.11n router, but you’ll only be able to obtain 802.11g speeds. Mimo, Wide Band, 40Mhz/20Mhz. These only apply to 802.11n and the draft ac. 40Mhz doesn't generally play well at the 2.4Ghz range which is part of the reason most will tell you if you're having any issues at all, fix it at 20Mhz, I would advise anyone to only use 2.4 @ 20Mhz, setting it to auto will always cause it to drop to 20Mhz. Also, channel bonding can slow down your throughput, it's very well documented. The reason for this in simple terms, there's a lot of devices that use 2.4Mhz, and 40Mhz is a lot of space to use on the spectrum, it doesn't leave room for other devices, Bluetooth, Wii remotes, and countless others, in fact there's some devices that will not work at all because of it. The 40Mhz can easily be used on the 5Ghz band, it's much less cluttered and has far less to worry about. For Mimo to work, you need to have 802.11n devices that support it, and support the same type of temporal spacing/streaming, most laptops still don't have this capability, and if they do, they will generally have 2/1. WMM, turn off the power save option. If you only have 802.11n devices, in the router, set it to N only, and remove the "Mixed" mode option. Also, a good general rule of thumb, if you are running at 50% of the "connected" speed, you are doing well, the 2.4 spectrum is excessively cluttered and is only getting worse. If speed is really an issue, run a cat 5 cable and never worry about it again.