Airport Extreme reducing speed by at least 10 Mbps

Hi - I have verified that my ISP is providing the speed they say they are (25 down / 2 up) by connecting my MBP directly to the modem.
But when the Airport is connected, and I check the speed of my internet connection, I am only getting about 12-14 Mbps download rates. How can I improve this? Or is the router going bad?
Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.
Mike

Which model of AirPort Extreme do you have? The model number is usually embedded in the foam base. It starts with an "A" followed by four numbers. Something like A1143 for example.
You mention that you have connected the MBP directly to the modem and get @25 Mbps. What speed to you measure when you temporarily turn off the wireless on the MBP and connect it to one of the LAN <-> ports on the AirPort Extreme?
If you turn the wireless back on and click the AirPort icon at the top of the MBP, how many other wireless networks can you see?
If you can, download and install a utility like WiFi Explorer or WiFi Scanner that will reveal more information about the quality of your wireless connection on some future checks that we may need to run.
Mac App Store - WiFi Explorer - iTunes - Apple
Mac App Store - WiFi Scanner - iTunes - Apple

Similar Messages

Airport Extreme Internet Speed Loss

Hello All,
Just bought a Airport Extreme base station and i have the following issue.
When i connect my iMac directly to the Cable Modem is receive a speed of:
UP: 9.97Mb/s
Down: 118.91Mb/s
Ping: 8ms
But when i connect my Base Station to my Modem and connect the iMac (wired) to the Basestation, i receive:
UP: 8.74Mb/s
Down: 78.90Mb/s
Ping: 9ms
This is nog occasional, this is each time i switch between Modem or Basestation.
Can this have to do something with the settings?
Please help...
Thanks,
Richard

Wow, I'm jealous. I pay $60 monthly for 30mbps. I've heard the US is way behind the rest of the developed world in internet access but I didn't know we were that far behind... Thanks for the reply.

Airport Extreme Upgrade Speed Increase???

1) We currently have an Airport Extreme version 7.6.4 in our home. What version of wireless is this running? How do we determine this?
2) How much speed will we gain if we upgrade to the newest version of the Airport Extreme which offers next-generation 802.11ac Wi-Fi technology (assuming that all of the portable devices in the house are upgraded as well to the newest technology)?
3) As part of this query, we have a Comcast modem that feeds straight into our current old Airport Extreme. To get any of the hoped for speed increases, would we have to do anything with this Comcast/Xfinity cable modem?
Sorry these are such basic questions that likely reflect my poor understanding of this technology. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated!

Last question first.
3) As part of this query, we have a Comcast modem that feeds straight into our current old Airport Extreme. To get any of the hoped for speed increases, would we have to do anything with this Comcast/Xfinity cable modem?
The Internet connection speed on your network will not improve. That speed is limited by your modem and the plan that you have with your provider.
Right now, the current AirPort Extreme that you have is capable of far greater speeds than your service provider can ever hope to deliver, so a new AirPort Extreme will not provide any improvement in terms of Internet performance.
) How much speed will we gain if we upgrade to the newest version of the Airport Extreme which offers next-generation 802.11ac Wi-Fi technology (assuming that all of the portable devices in the house are upgraded as well to the newest technology)?
The wireless speed capability will double to triple over what you have now, but these higher speeds will only be realized when you have both an 802.11ac router and 802.11ac capable devices.
There are no 802.11ac capable iPhones or iPads, so you will pick up faster speeds on a new MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, or iMac, etc.
The faster speeds will only help you if you are copying data from one computer to another or making backups of one device to another.
As mentioned previously, your Internet connection speeds will remain the same that they are now.
We currently have an Airport Extreme version 7.6.4 in our home. What version of wireless is this running? How do we determine this?
Please look on the bottom of the AirPort Extreme to locate the model number. It will start with an "A" followed by four numbers. Example.....A1143......A1301.....A1354.....A1408.
Post back with the model number, and we will tell you a bit more about the product.

Airport Extreme modem speed

My Airport Extreme will connect at 28.8 only even though the Airport Utility modem is set for v90.. it never ever connects at any higher speed... the modem in the iBook will connect at higher speeds when directly pluged into phone line.. is there some restriction built into the Airport regarding connect speeds? Or some other settings I should try?
Stuck in dial-up country (ugh)
Bud Baker

A simple reset of powering off the AirPort Extreme for a minute, then powering it back up will force the device to conduct a scan of channels that are available for a wireless connection in your area, so hopefully that might improve things a bit.
If you are unlucky enough to live a crowded area like an apartment complex, condo, etc. there often are not enough wireless channels available to handle all of the wireless routers that are trying to use them. The result is overcrowding, with slow and/or dropped wireless connections.
You should not expect wireless to equal the speed of a direct connection, so if you have your computer about 10-15 feet away from the AirPort Extreme with line-of-sight between the devices, you might get 85%-90% of the direct connection speed. As the computer moves further away from the router, or there are any obstructions in the signal path between the computer and AirPort, the speed will drop as well.

Airport Extreme Maximum speed

I was wondering if the Airport Extreme has a maximum speed? I have the n version dual band.
I just got a QWest DSL yesterday and they try a speedtest and was accessing the web at 35 to 38MB (I'm paying for 40MB/s, so on the technician laptop the speed was impressive.
I hook they modem to my AE and wirelessly on my new iMac I get max 25MB.
Is there anything I could do to improve the speed regarding setting in my AE.
I can provide info but not sure what needed.
Thanks for any input
Thierry
Actually an update: I tried from QWest site: http://seattle.speedtest.qwest.net/ and I get 38MB. I try from the speedtest site: http://www.speedtest.net/ and I get 25MB. Both test are run from the same company: Ookla. Very strange
Thierry
Message was edited by: ThierryR

Welcome to the discussions, ThierryR!
I just got a QWest DSL yesterday and they try a speedtest and was accessing the web at 35 to 38MB (I'm paying for 40MB/s,
Most service providers specify the rate in Mbps, not MB, so I think you meant to use Mbps here.
I was wondering if the Airport Extreme has a maximum speed?
That would be 1000 Mbps for an ethernet connection
300 Mbps for a wireless connection on the 5 GHz band
130 Mbps for a wireless connecton on the 2.4 GHz band
As you can tell, your Internet connection is the major "choke" point on your network.
I hook they modem to my AE and wirelessly on my new iMac I get max 25MB.
25 Mbps is very good, about 4-5 times the average that most users are getting. There is always going to be some loss in the routing process and performance of the firewall in the AirPort Extreme. You may be able to bet a bit higher speed if the computer is closer to the AirPort Extreme and/or you minimize any obstructions in the signal path.

What's the actual Airport Extreme-N speed?

Hey guys, I'm starting to think about getting one of those nice Airport Extreme (n) stations for all the nice features it has (printer and hdd usb port).
I'm also looking at other brands such as Netgear or Belkin. They seems to be very bold to state what are their max speeds whereas Apple (as far as I've seen) doesn't really say what's the max speed. Apple only says it runs as fast as 2.5x, but what is that? 135Mbps?
Does that make sense? One of the Netgear products I was looking at states it runs at up to 270 Mbps.
Anyway, I suppose I'll have to think about it, there's many things to consider yet such as the price (of course), the features others offer, and also the possibility of a new Aiport Express-N base station coming soon (just to benefit from the AirTunes feature). This last thing I don't know for sure since somehow I've got the feeling that the AppleTV seems to be the ultimate Airport Express.
Any input is welcomed and thanked for.

All of the above use multiple streams of data to get speeds of 300Mbps or higher. The approved 802.11n draft, in fact, spells out data rates as high as 600Mbps in some cases. 802.11n will also have backward compatibility with current Wi-Fi products. Metalink's Rude says, "That interoperability is a market requirement that's not questioned — it's a given." Chances are good (though not guaranteed) that such "Pre-N" products using the above chips will be software upgradeable to the final 802.11n standard when it's finalized.
These fiqures apply to all N Draft Wireless Routers. (ALL)
Don

Airport Extreme N speed test????

I just installed my airport extreme. did a few speed test. The fastest speeds I'm getting are 1436 kbps download and 190 kbps upload.
The N channel is enabled on the iMac (I checked).
Now I just ran a speed test on the same wireless newtwork with my 3 year old PC laptopwith a 802.11b card and I got faster speed..***???? (1453 kbps download and 192kbps upload respectively)
So is this N channel just a bunch of BS???
did I wast $179 on my airport extreme??? I was running a cheap $10 wireless B+G router with okay results
Or am I doing something wrong??
Thanks for any advice.

So is this N channel just a bunch of BS???
No. I presume you did a speed test off the Internet. The Internet connection you have tops out at, perhaps, 1500Kbps down and 256Kbps up. An 11b connection is capable of real-world speeds of about approx 6000Kbps, an 11g capable of 25000Kbps and 11n much faster than that.
The limiting factor here is your Internet connection. Having a faster link between your iMac/laptop and the router is not going to get you any faster speed than what your Internet connection can give you.
did I wast(e) $179 on my airport extreme???
In a sense, yes. Especially if all you do with the wireless link is access the Internet. If you do frequent computer-to-computer file transfer within your home network, then you will be able to benefit from the faster link. Otherwise, even the 11b would have been fast enough for you.

Airport Extreme n Speed - What Apple Advertises

I successfully set up my airport extreme n router, updated the firmware, and have an all "n" network - the router is set to "n" only and my network adapters are all "n". Apple advertises on its Apple Store website and so do many of its competitors up to a fivefold increase in speed for an "n" network over a "g" network - up to a 300 mbps speed for the extreme "n" router. I am getting, according to my windows computers, a 130mbps speed, a far cry from the advertisement. Apple says there is nothing wrong with the router so they cannot help. Does anyone have any ideas or are you experiencing anything similar? Point of Note: when I click "connect to a network" in Windows and hover my mouse over my network name - a popup appears saying "Radio Type - 802.11g". I have disabled my g adapters that are installed inside my notebooks so that should not be an issue. I have external adapter cards which are "n" and are the only enabled adapters. I will definitely appreciate anyone's help or experience with this speed issue. Thank you.
Dell Inspiron 8600, Mac: Original 17" Flat Panel Imac, Dell 9200c, and eMachine M6811 Windows Vista
Dell Inspiron 8600, Dell Dimension 9200c, Mac Original 17" inch Flat Panel Imac, and eMachine M6811 Windows Vista

I also have an Apple TV. I don't believe that there has been a significant problem with streaming from iTunes to the Apple TV (this is not an Apple TV forum so I want to make this quick). Where things really slow down is when you are syncing your computer (iTunes Library) and downloading songs to the Apple TV via a wireless system - it is really really slow. I downloaded 4000 tracks from my G5 tower to the disk in my Apple TV and it took in the neighborhood of 12 hours. If I would have done it via ethernet it would have been much faster but the Apple TV and my main household computer are four floors apart.
Also note that my system, although I have an 802.11n AEBS, is all b/g - two desk tops and two laptops.
I also have three Expresses at various levels of my house as part of a WDS that have powered speakers attached and to extend range and they all work flawlessly with superb sound from my JBL Thing speakers. Couldn't be happier.

Airport Extreme Sudden Speed Problems

Router: Latest Airport Extreme model with the most up to date firmware
Main Device: 2012 Retina 15" running 10.9.4
Problem
I am having a rather unusual problem with my router. Until about 3 days ago, my computer iPad and other devices had consistent internet connection quality and speed. Now I am experiencing a slow internet connection, constant dropped calls in Skype, failure to access that App store, and a host of other internet problems on my Retina display 2012 15" macbook as well as slow connection on my iPad and iPhone. Websites will "hang" as they begin to load, nothing will happen, and then they will load a bit later. Streaming of videos is very slow and large file streaming and downloading is significantly inhibited (if it works at all). I have a fast broadband connection that is working very well with Xbox live (direct connection to the router) so I am quite sure that the router is the issue, not the internet connection. Interestingly, when I clock my speed my connection I get 10 and 1 mbps (using speedtest.net). I have all full wifi signal strength according to the indicator in the upper right.
Strange Airport Utility Readings
In airport utility, the internet symbol appears to be going orange (disconnected) and back to green. In the past, I have noticed a flashing orange light on my airport extreme but I would just restart it and it would go green. The light is currently green.
Troubleshooting
I have tried a factory reset and it has not done anything to help. I have tried changing the channel and it also does not seem to help.
Any help or direction would be much appreciated. I am hoping this is a problem that can be resolved here at home but I am beginning to suspect I may have a faulty router.

Yes, pack it up and take back to apple for checking / replacement. I think they are often unreliable.
See the long thread about this issue.
New Airport Extreme (6th Gen) Dropping Connection from Time to Time.
This has been ongoing since the AE gen6 came out..
And there are many many threads started like yours that don't get much attention.. but it is the same today..
Wireless issues with airport extreme for external sites only
And it is better to just let Apple deal with it..

Airport Extreme 802.11n (4th Generation) vs. MBP 2006. The MBP is losing :(

GRRRRRRRRR— I feel like this is a version of a problem I see repeated here endlessly, but none of the threads I see about it is quite the same, or fixes my problem.      We have a network with:
Airport Extreme 802.11n (4th generation), connected to DSL modem. Firmware 7.5.2
MBP 2006, running OS 10.6.7 ****
MBP 2008, running OS 10.5.x
ipads, iphone, shared printer, drive, etc.
Everything works fine EXCEPT the MBP 2006. It connects to the network, works for a while, and then after a certain amount of time (anywhere between a minute and several hours) it's dropped. The menu bar still shows a connection and full signal, but there's no connection (TCP or afp) and when I launch the Aiport Utility, it just says that no base stations can be found.   The menu bar seems to be lying. Using the menu to turn Airport off and back on (or sleeping the laptop) works to reestablish the connection.
I do not have this problem with the MBP 2006 on other wireless networks (at work, or at my other home in another city). Just with the Airport Extreme
I've tried changing the channels, disabling IPv6 on the laptop and on the Airport Extreme, setting up a manual DHCP address, and changing the setting for "radio mode" of the base station from Automatic to 802.11a/n - 802.11b/g/n.   I also read that there might be troubles with "mixed" networks with both 802.11g and 802.11n, so I upgraded the Airport card in my MBP 2006 to an AirPort Extreme 802.11 a/b/g/n, which made disk sharing much faster when it's working, but didn't put an end to the cut-outs
Hjalp? Why does the Airport Extreme keep dropping my MBP 2006 (or vice versa)? Are there other things I should be changing or disabling?

OK, two possible leads:
1) Using the AirPort Utility, I disabled 802.11n, setting the AirPort Extreme to b/g only. This seemed to help— I didn't fall off the network all afternoon. (Setting it to 'n' only did not work, unfortunately, or else that would have been better, since it would have let me take advantage of the faster speeds for Time Machine to the shared disk)
2) Soon thereafter, for seemingly independent reasons, we starting having trouble with our DSL connection. We reset the AEBS to factor settings, which didn't solve the DSL problem (had to get a Windstream technician out for that), but since that reset, I've been connected with 802.11a and the MBP hasn't fallen off the wireless network once.
We'll see how it holds up, but for now, the recommendation seems to be first to reset the AEBS settings to factory default, and then try disabling 802.11n...

Airport Extreme upload speed never goes past 18 KB/s

That's always been the case, and it's very frustrating when I want to upload, say, an MP3 from GarageBand or attach it to an email. Is there any way to speed it up? I'm comfortable with UNIX, if the solution requires Terminal.

I looked with a packet sniffer at the actual packets from the router to the LAN Mac.
The MacBook finder connection is usually IP6 but is sometimes IP4. Packets are no larger than 1500 and in IP4 the don't-fragment bit is set.
When it is moving a file to the LAN Mac I see this pattern on the TCP connection that is repeated:
The MacBook sends a full packet of bytes three times (sometimes with one segment missing) and they are acked. The LAN Mac acks a couple more times and then things stop for a second and a half. The MacBook resends a segment and this is repeated.
Earlier I saw a problem with large packets that become fragmented, but here things seem to fail on the 3rd or 4th of four Ethernet sized packets.
Transmitter failing after a burst of data?
Bug in OS X /n driver?
Router dropping wireless packets?
I would think that if there is interference that the communication between the wireless router and the MacBook would cause an immediate resend.
If I knew this was a problem with the SMS Baracuda then I could get an Airport and be done with it, but I suspect my MacBook is broken.

What's the maximum speed that AirPort Extreme can share with Wifi?

The thing is that I am going to buy a new Wifi Router, but I was considering an AirPort Extreme from Apple but is not specify what's the maximum speed of Internet connection for the Wifi to share, I know that the limit might depend on my service provider, but I don't know what is the theoretical maximum of the AirPort Extreme, does anybody knows?

1,000 Mbps on an Ethernet connection
450 Mbps on a wireless connection, assuming you have a new computer and it has line of sight with the AirPort Extreme. Otherwise, the speed will be lower due to obstructions absorbing the signal.

Toshiba A665 wireless slow using airport extreme

Slow even with no encryption. Works well with other routers I have tried. The wireless driver is current. Toshiba support has no idea.

I know this is an old thread, and I hope the OP solved his problem. If not, or if there are other people having this issue, I wanted to share my situation and what worked for me to solve it.
Bottom line: Try switching your encryption type from AES to TKIP and see if that helps.
Full Story:
I too have a Toshiba A665 laptop that works perfectly on every wireless network I've ever connected to with the sole exception being the network at my parent's house, where they have an Airport Extreme router.
I knew my laptop wireless was fine due to the fact it worked everywhere else. But I also knew that my parent's network was fine because everyone else's wireless connection was working as it should.
My computer would connect, but it was *painfully* slow. It was worse than dial-up (if you can remember those days). Pages would time out, email took forever to load, etc.
The connection strength was excellent, ping times to the router were perfect (3 ms or less), the connection speed was at least 65 Mbps, and it was connecting via 802.11n, which was great. Basically, I couldn't find any obvious reason why there was a slowdown.
After pulling my hair out trying multiple "solutions" and not finding any help online, I FINALLY stumbled on the answer (at least for me).
I am connected to the Airport using WPA2-Personal security. Intially, I was using AES encryption. On a whim, I changed that to TKIP instead and voilà! It works perfectly now.
It's hard to describe how frustrating this was to deal with and track down a solution for, but I'm hopeful that someone else can benefit from this fix as well.

How to increase Airport Extreme signal strength

I post this in the way of advice, which anyone is free to accept or ignore.
I recently switched to Comcast ("triple play") from an in-complex Ethernet internet system. On my Mac Pro (MP), using speedtest.net, I attained download speeds of at least 22 Mbps. Very fast, I must say. However, I noticed that my Mac Book Pro (MBP) speeds were considerably slower, sometimes only a tenth of those on the MP. I am happy to report that after some reconfiguration I'm attaining almost identical speeds between the MP and MBP. What did I do?
I had initially configured the Airport Extreme (AEx) to operate at 802.11n with 5 Ghz only. Using iStumbler, I discovered that my signal strength was a bit under 60% and the "noise" was 13%. Other wireless devices appearing in the iStumbler window (we live in a downtown apartment complex) showed the "noise" levels at 9%--across the board. I fiddled with the location of my cordless phone (5.4 GHz) and even disconnected it. There was no change in the noise level. I moved the MBP up against the AEx and, while the signal strength increased, upwards of 70%, the noise level remained the same--at 13%.
So, I reconfigured the AEx to 802.11n (b/g compatible). Voila. Not only did the noise drop to 9%, just like the other devices, but the download speeds on the MBP zoomed to around 20 Mbps, or just about the same as the MP.
Too boost the MBP speeds even further I set up an Airport Express (AE) right next to where I use my MBP. I configured it to extend my wireless network.
By the way, I have my MP connected directly to the AEx via Ethernet. The AEx is directly connected to the cable modem. I configured my wireless network as "closed," using interference robustness. I left the multicast rate in default mode, which is 2 Mbps. Transmit power is at 100%.
What I seemed to have learned from this experience is NOT to use the 5 GHz only setting on an AEx, if one wants maximum Internet download speeds. (This seems counterintuitive, I know, because the theoretical limit of 5 GHz is 300 Mbps under 802.11n and "only" 54 Mbps using the 2.5 GHz setting.)

Purchase another Apple AirPort Base Station such as the $99 Express to "wirelessly extend" your AirPort wireless network.

My airport extreme in french

Hi,
I recently upgraded to Lion - I need do disconnect my hard drive on my Airport Extreme - but the application is in French? or Portuguese not sure...(no offense to either the good people of either country...)
Many thanks...

The AirPort Extreme setup manual is pretty clear. The Extreme should be be mounted horizontally out in the open on a desk or top of a cabinet to allow for proper cooling and correct operation of the wireless antennas.
If the media cabinet happens to be metal, locating any router inside of an enclosure like this will severely affect the performance of the device.
Here is the info from the Setup Manual, which you have:
AirPort Extreme Placement Considerations The following recommendations can help your AirPort Extreme achieve maximum wireless range and optimal network coverage.
Â Place your AirPort Extreme in an open area where there are few obstructions, such as large pieces of furniture or walls. Try to place it away from metallic surfaces.
Â If you place your AirPort Extreme behind furniture, keep at least an inch of space between the AirPort Extreme and the edge of the furniture.
Chapter 4 Tips and Troubleshooting 31
Â Avoid placing your AirPort Extreme in areas surrounded by metal surfaces on three or more sides.
Â If you place your AirPort Extreme in an entertainment center with your stereo equipment, avoid completely surrounding the AirPort Extreme with audio, video, or power cables. Place your AirPort Extreme so that the cables are to one side. Maintain as much space as possible between the AirPort Extreme and the cables.
Â Try to place your AirPort Extreme at least 25 feet (7.6 meters) from a microwave oven, 2.4 or 5 gigahertz (GHz) cordless phones, or other sources of interference.

Airport Extreme reducing speed by at least 10 Mbps

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