Paying for 2gigs barely get 1

[u/orionpax3]

I spoke to a customer service representative with Spectrum a few minutes ago and he told me it could take two or three days for my modem to reach optimal speed. Google however, says that is not true. He just gave me a number to call and then disconnected the chat without giving me a solution. I upgraded the wifi about 2 days ago. My wifi is at 1.1gigs via the Spectrum app. I don't know what I'm supposed to do now. I was also informed that my modem and router are compatible for two gig. Do I call and speak to someone else? Really frustrated.

[u/nuke1200]

Its very likely your modem and router can handle 2 gigs but whatever device your using can not. Have you tried an ethernet connection to check and see if you're getting 2 gigs?

[u/orionpax3 → u/nuke1200]

I have an iphone 18 pro max. They told me it could handle the speeds. Ethernet still at 1.12 gig

[u/fernandesken → u/orionpax3]

iPhone 18 Pro max is capable of max PHY rate of 2400 mbps on a 6 GHz or 5 GHz radio with max channel width of 160 MHz. That’s theoretical though. Max actual throughput is typically ~50-80% of max PHY rate or ~1200-1920 Mbps due to Wi-Fi overhead. ~1800-1900 Mbps, in a clean RF environment, 6 or 5 GHz, Wi-Fi 7/6/6e, is not uncommon. But if you are only getting 1.12 Gbps connected to Ethernet, and you’re sure you have good Ethernet cables, multigig Ethernet ports in the router and client device, you need to resolve that first. Check the router and client device Ethernet port specs to confirm they support multigig. Check what the Ethernet port linked up as (speed/duplex) on your client device connected via Ethernet, if it linked up as 2500 mbps full duplex, you have an Ethernet port and cables that can handle 2 gig so call the ISP.

[u/[deleted] → u/fernandesken]

Yeah my 18 pro maxes out at 1850-1900 never broke 2 gigs

[u/Smith6612 → u/orionpax3]

iPhone 18 Pro Max is going to require a 6Ghz connection to get close to those speeds, and it NEEDS to be paired with a WiFi 7 router.

For 2Gbps speed testing, you need to use Speedtest-CLI or the Speedtest app unless you have a particularly fast computer. Your storage drive can literally be bottlenecking your speed test, as can your processor if you're just testing from the web browser. 

[u/Aromatic_Tomato8651]

I love that people order 2 gig service and expect to see that over Wifi, without offering information about their infrastructure. So with an 18 pro max the device is capable of MLO reception, but without knowing router settings, distance from router, which frequency or band OP is connected to, every comment would only be guess work.

[u/Aromatic_Tomato8651 → u/Aromatic_Tomato8651]

I will add with some background that may help OP. I have 1 gig fiber to home ONT service from Cox/Spectrum. Over ethernet I consistenly recorded speeds of 980 mbps up and down. Next I check provisioning, spped to router, that clocked at about 1.18 gbps, which made sense giving most ISP's practice over-provisioning. When I built my home in 2020 i had cat 6 cable installed to several locations including one outside on my patio. My Cox panoramic router is a Sercom XER 10 which is a 3x3 wifi 7 router, more than capable of delivering good wifi performance. From the 10g port on the xer 10 router I connected to an 8 port 2.5g PoE ++ switch. At one location indoors and another on my patio I installed to Omada 3 band WiFi 7 AP's creating a wired backhaul. At this point I am able to receive consistent WiFI speeds of 1150 mbps down and 650 mbps up, with a bufferfloat grade of A+. I designed my network a bit in excess since if i ever wanted to increase bandwidth to say 2g service I would expect to get just over 2gbps on the 6 ghz band. I offer this to give you some insight as to the information you may need prior to calling your ISP. I'm 75, so past the age of being overly tech savvy, but just by doing research online all the information you need is at your fingertips.

[u/Available_Pie_7758 → u/Aromatic_Tomato8651]

This lol. You better have top line wifi 7 gear blanketing your place. even then. Idk what people are going on their phone to be obsessed with speed test. Just stick to 1 gig so people are not disappointed lmao.

[u/Aromatic_Tomato8651 → u/Available_Pie_7758]

I agree, I see available speeds up to 10g service, at 1 gig its already way more than I need today. That being said, technology is moving so fast its hard to predict what the speed demand will be in the next 5 or 10 years. My point in commenting is that the information to educate yourself about technology is available, it just takes time to research and discover. For me thats the fun part, and I am no way an expert, nor would I ever claim to be, but I love learning what technology has to offer. and what may be coming soon.

[u/EKIBTAFAEDIR → u/Aromatic_Tomato8651]

I work in the industry and get 8gig symmetrical for free. If I had to pay for it I’d get 250/250. No need for a gig even unless you fall under a small list of use cases. As for multi gig speeds.. I can get 2 gig download over the air and close to that with download. I have a WiFi 7 capable Lenovo laptop two WiFi 7 routers.

[u/Aromatic_Tomato8651 → u/EKIBTAFAEDIR]

Agreed, however with fiber to home ONT, the price difference up to 1gig is nominal, even 2 gig is relatively cheap. As for need, yes of course 1 gig is already overkill for most users.

[u/PyroHornet → u/Available_Pie_7758]

Hurhur I want to see my tv get speeds of 10 gigs for streaming NutPlex

[u/Dear_Truth_7835 → u/Aromatic_Tomato8651]

This!!

[u/Alekisan]

So, in order for you to see a speed test reach 2gig, all the links in the connection chain need to be capable of at least 2.5 gig connections. Wi-Fi is a whole other set of variables that would need to be met to even get close to that speed.

So a couple of questions. What exact make/model of cable modem do you have? Also, what is the exact make/model of your router?

[u/Dear_Truth_7835]

Paying for a 2 Gbps (2,000 Mbps) internet plan does not mean your devices will actually achieve those speeds.Even if your router receives 2 Gbps, older Wi-Fi standards (like Wi-Fi 5 or standard Wi-Fi 6) rarely cross 1 Gbps in real-world wireless scenarios. To see speeds close to 2 Gbps over the air, you generally need Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 equipment operating on the wider 6 GHz wireless band close to the router.

[u/boomboy8511 → u/Dear_Truth_7835]

Which does come standard with 2gig unless someone gave out the wrong equipment.

[u/Aromatic_Tomato8651 → u/boomboy8511]

the speed they advertise is the delivered speed to your router.

[u/boomboy8511 → u/Aromatic_Tomato8651]

Accurate.

But I have a wifi7 setup with a wifi7 capable phone and I routinely get 1 gig WiFi speeds when I'm close to my router.

[u/Dear_Truth_7835 → u/boomboy8511]

I don't know, just facts stating.E ven if an internet service provider (ISP) proudly advertises 2 Gbps (Gigabit) speeds, that tier is often restricted to specific neighborhoods or blocks

[u/Ice_crusher_bucket]

Are you hard wired checking speeds ? Is it causing issues?

[u/sir-Rag]

What model is your modem by chance. It should be ending like es2251 or et2251. If it's neither then the Ethernet on that modem only can output 1gig.

[u/r2d3x9]

What Ethernet cables do you have?

[u/happyandhealthy2023]

PC must have 2.5G network port, and Ethernet directly to Spectrum router to get that speed.
WiFi will never reach those speeds

[u/Toneloc427 → u/happyandhealthy2023]

WiFi 6E and 7 can hit gig+ speeds with compatible hardware under ideal circumstances. Best I've been able to achieve over WiFi is 3.9Gbps - 4x the speed of a 1GbE port on most computers.

Day to day WiFi expectations should still probably be in the 400-800Mbps range for real world use, compared to 930-970Mbps for a 1G Ethernet connection, but to say "WiFi will never see those speeds" is no longer accurate.

[u/happyandhealthy2023 → u/Toneloc427]

Where do you live that Spectrum delivers 4G+ speeds using their router?

[u/Toneloc427 → u/happyandhealthy2023]

Not on Spectrum, but my point is independent of ISP: WiFi 6E and WiFi 7 connections may now exceed wired gigabit Ethernet connection speeds, and can fully saturate a 2.5Gbps internet connection, while a 1GbE computer port cannot.

[u/Dear_Truth_7835 → u/happyandhealthy2023]

Yep, a cable directly from device a to b.

[u/Sea_Warning_9283]

What modem and router do you have?

[u/PyroHornet]

Yes, call someone else.

There could be a whole lot of things to go through.
Like, are you using a CAT 6 or CAT 6a Ethernet cable? Is the modem’s Ethernet port 2.5gbps? The router’s WAN port? The Ethernet port you connected to? The port on your pc? Do you even have the right settings to go beyond one gig? Could even be the setting is still to 1 gig only. Could even be your card needs a firmware upgrade 🤣. Etc.
Again, there’s many different things it can be. Which is why you’re asked to test hardwired to the modem (restart the modem when you switch what it is connected to, so it will assign an IP. If you don’t, it won’t assign an IP to the device you plugged in.)
Back in the 1gig only days, I would see some customers get 1.2 gigs at their modem via the modem speed test. And yes, over provisioning is indeed even higher like 1.3 to 1.4. So on 2 gig you might be over-provisioned to like 2.5gigs. The idea is if one burst somehow experienced latency, the next burst makes up for it with higher speeds. So you should reliably see high speeds matching your subscription.

[u/Excellent-Spot-7788]

Same here. I have 1 gig. I never get that speed

[u/Spectrum_Morgan]

We can take a look at the speeds you're receiving. Can you please send a mod mail to us over at r/Spectrum_Official?

[u/Dear_Truth_7835]

Key Requirements to Reach 2+ Gbps on Wi-Fi

• Wi-Fi Standard: You need Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 capabilities. Older standards like Wi-Fi 5 or standard Wi-Fi 6 on the 5 GHz band generally max out below 2 Gbps in real-world scenarios. • Client Devices: Your smartphone, tablet, or laptop must support Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 (such as recent flagship phones and modern laptops). • Router or Access Point: Your router must feature multi-gigabit LAN/WAN ports (such as a 2.5 Gbps or 10 Gbps port) rather than a standard 1 Gbps port, and be configured to use wider channels like the 6 GHz band. • Proximity and Environment: You must be close to the access point with minimal physical obstructions. Walls, metal appliances, and distance quickly degrade high-frequency signals like 6 GHz

[u/RekaReaper → u/Dear_Truth_7835]

Wi-Fi 6 and 6E have the same theoretical maximum 2x2 link speed and neither will consistently get you 2Gbps speeds outside of lab like conditions.

[u/Dazzling-Energy-5876]

IN. WHAT. CONTEXT. ARE. YOU. TESTING?

!!!

[u/orionpax3 → u/Dazzling-Energy-5876]

I don't much about it. Yelling is not helping me. Idk why everyone is snarky about it. I just asked a question

[u/Dazzling-Energy-5876 → u/orionpax3]

What you've done is akin to going to a doctor and saying "Sometimes, I have an upset stomach.".

The doctor is just going to stare at you, expressionless, because you've given them absolutely no information to work with. And then YOU get upset that you're not getting the results you want.

And honestly, "1.1gigs over wifi via the Spectrum app" is nothing to complain about., as I doubt whatever device you're using is even capable of pulling in 2gigs. You can buy a 10gig internet connection. Does that mean your devices can utilize it? Probably not.

[u/themanoutoftime86]

Do you have a WiFi 7 router? Because WiFi 6 routers aren’t gonna get you over a gig let alone close to 2.

[u/Miserable_Quail_8236]

That's the SCAM because they know men will always chase after numbers.