Would Upgrading My Router Help On My NBN250 FTTP Connection? [RESOLVED]

meong on 10/06/2023 - 14:38
Last edited 11/06/2023 - 17:48 by 1 other user

Hello all,

I finally upgraded my NBN50 FTTC (TPG) to NBN250 FTTP (More).

I'm currently still using the original modem from TPG which is a TP-Link Archer 1600v

After the upgrade i was able to easily get 200-260Mbps on my Galaxy Fold 4 (using Speedtest app) even from inside my bedroom. However, I'm getting various results even when using different devices after bringing it closer to the router.

For example, using a 2022 HP Envy x360 with upgraded Wifi card to Intel AX210 (previous WIfi card stopped responding) i was getting less than 200Mbps (160-190Mbps).

Using an Iphone 13 I was getting the same as well… Rarely hit 200Mbps.

Using a Legion 5i 2022 with Intel AX201 i was able to get 190-210Mbps

I find it strange that even Iphone 13 was not able to get the same performance as Fold 4. I guess the Snapdragon+Qualcomm chipset is the best performer here out of all the above options?

Would upgrading my router improve the connection or is there a limitation on the chipsets of the above devices?

Thanks

Computing Broadband FTTP nbn Wireless Router

Comments

  • scrimshaw on 10/06/2023 - 16:05
    +2

    If your devices support wifi 6 then yes you should see a noticeable increase to performance and efficiency by upgrading your entry level AC1600 router to a WiFi 6 capable router.

    https://au.pcmag.com/wireless-routers/63154/should-you-upgra…

    If you need even faster wifi there are also WiFi 6e routers, though I think it's only necessary if you're subscribing to 1gig nbn plans or you do a lot of network transfers in your local network

  • scotty on 10/06/2023 - 16:34

    VR1600v only supports upto 802.11ac, but even that it should have no problem pushing more than 250mbps.

    I have also tried to upgrade my laptop's wifi from stock AC9260 to an OEM AX210 card I got from Amazon — turns out it's actually ~10% slower when connecting to my home wifi running AC network. So YMMV.

    • meong on 10/06/2023 - 16:40

      well, it definitely didnt have an issue when i used my Galaxy Fold 4.

      I'm wondering if my Galaxy Fold 4 just have a really extraordinarily strong wifi chipset? even iphone 13 couldnt get anywhere close to the speed i was getting with Fold 4.

      btw, Intel AX210 was released in 2020 but actually have Wifi 6E compatibility whereas the newer AX201 i have on my 2022 laptop doesn't have Wifi6E capability.

  • freefall101 on 10/06/2023 - 16:58

    Assuming it supports it, did you do a speedtest on the router itself around the same time? And make sure there's no other traffic? Just to make sure that's the cause.

    Also try https://speed.cloudflare.com/, it does tests over time and while it tends to initially get a slow speed it picks up over time.

    • meong on 10/06/2023 - 17:06

      are you suggesting to use wired connection as a comparison?

      i didnt think of this because the Fold 4 was able to display the advertised speed. I had assumed that the internet connection itself was fine.

      I know that many laptops (even the expensive gaming ones) tend to cheap out on the Wifi card so I expected the iphone 13 to be able to pick up similar speed as my Fold 4.

  • meong on 11/06/2023 - 17:17
    +2

    Anyway, to anyone that is following this thread, I ended up buying the above Deco X20 from Centrecom and wifi is greatly improved on all devices! I didn't even need to install the 2nd mesh router to improve the connection speed. Wifi6 is a significant upgrade!

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