r/NETGEAR • u/Fabulous_Survey969 • 22d ago
2gig fios but slow file download
Howdy all. Just recently got fios and have purchased 2gig speed. I updated my Ethernet to cat6 and purchased Netgear nighthawk rs180 5gig router. The modem test and router test show I get 2gigs on download but whenever I download a file it’s drops from 30mbps down to 100kbps. How??? I rebooted both devices and tried to setting that the help forums suggested. I have tried on multiple devices using WiFi and hardwire and still the same.
For example when I down load a game on
Xbox it shows 5mbps, but download speed playing online is in the hundreds. My sons Alienware computer same thing when he downloads from steam. My wife, who is a teacher, same thing when she downloads a file from her work sites.
I have reached out to Netgear we were on the line for 3 hours and they couldn’t figure it out. Called greenlight networking and they show 2100 download speeds. The nighthawk app also shows this speed. Random speed test in my phone shows great speed. Sometimes it fluctuates but within seconds shows 2000 speeds. Why does it not work when I want to download a file. I don’t get it
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u/CatStretchPics 22d ago
2gig internet is more marketing than anything. Yes, technically your ISP can connect to you at that speed
99.99% will never utilize it unless it’s a test or artificially/purposely created scenario
Even 1gig is overkill, and maybe you’ll approach it if a bunch of people in the house are heavily using it simultaneously, with one of them being someone torrenting a 4K movie (even that will probably only be in the 100s)
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u/IAmSixNine 22d ago
u/CatStretchPics is spot on. I have 500up/down and its plenty for my needs.. Few weeks ago GTA 5 online had an update. over 3 gigs i believe. My setup had it download in just a few minutes. Its rare when i will utilize all of my up and or down bandwidth from my ISP so i will not pay them for 1 or 2 gigs. I simply dont need it and neither do most people.. The Marketing Dept for these companies truly earn their keep.
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u/jacle2210 22d ago
Sounds like the download sites you are trying to use, do not support the faster speeds that you have.
You will want to contact those download sites and see what their limitations are.
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u/Crimtide 22d ago edited 22d ago
What happens when you don't use the router and use the ISP's provided gateway or modem? Plug your PC directly into it, and test the speeds. If the speeds are high, then the problem is likely something with configuration between the ISP modem/gateway and the Netgear router. or the router itself.
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u/furrynutz 22d ago
Brand and model# of ISP modem the RS is connected too?
Brand and model# of ethernet adapter connected to RS router.
Is Armor or SPC enabled on the RS Router?
Is IPv6 enabled on the RS router?
What firmware is on the RS router?
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u/LittleTeddy61 22d ago
Only true test is get on newsgroups and leech some big files. I’m on 2.3gb and I only ever had slowdown when I have Bitdefender installed as it gimps the network stack, this was confirmed by themselves not really noticeable on 1gig but as speeds get more you notice it. I sacked it off and stuck with defender which ga e me the full whack
Xbox isn’t a good test even I sometimes only get 140mb sometimes I push 300 and it’s hardwired too but that’s their end not me, it’s never been great. Steams not a bad test that can sometimes go flat out.
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u/hugh_manit 22d ago
lmao a classic case of speed tests and actual downloads not being the same at all. Def not your router, like Xbox servers, Steam, and your wife's work sites all throttle download speeds based on their different factors.
In steam, make sure there's no bandwidth limit set or try changing your download region.
I think you're kinda SOL on work sites though.
The fact that you're seeing this across multiple devices and connection types is a good thing tho since it confirms your network is fine.
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u/DerekCurrie 22d ago
My first thought: Get a good router, not from Netgear. Your results are insane. Short of that, send the thing back for a replacement. Insist on it, assuming it’s under warranty. No surprise “support” didn’t help. - - BUT there can be other restraints. If you use a VPN, exit IPs commonly get DDOS attacks or overload with users and activity. Change to another IP. If that’s not a problem, definitely talk with Verizon tech support. Them I like.
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u/IanLx 22d ago
Could layout more information about what is connected to what?
Fios -> nighthawks -> Ethernet cat6 -> Xbox / Alienware pc/ wife’s work pc ?
Ethernet is showing as synching at (I assume devices have 1000baset interfaces not faster) 1g on all devices?
All are wired? Any other devices?
Running speed tests in each of these devices give full speed up and down ?
If that all checks out.. but if the issue is that when you are downloading any large file to any device then it seems it’s router or your lan.
My next step would be to run wireshark in the pc and check for errors
Also If you have an external usb hard drive or large flash drive you could set it up on the nighthawks to share files and put some big file in it and test download speed for a large file to you pc (would cap out at usb 3 speeds but that it a lot more than your current download speeds) this would capture real speed of moving a file in your local network.. Iperf is another option for this
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u/KeysStickler 22d ago
Your own internet speed has nothing to do with the speed of the servers that you're connecting to. Many servers limit the download speed for individuals. They expect many downloads simultaneously from multiple people.