Tiger955, on the Internet, I found: In essence, 802.11ac...

[mdk]

Tiger955, on the Internet, I found:

In essence, 802.11ac is a supercharged version of 802.11n. 802.11ac is dozens of times faster, and delivers speeds ranging from 433 Mbps (megabits per second) up to several gigabits per second. To achieve that kind of throughput, 802.11ac works exclusively in the 5GHz band, uses plenty of bandwidth (80 or 160MHz), operates in up to eight spatial streams (MIMO), and employs a kind of technology called beamforming that sends signal directly to client devices.

If your laptop is just 3 inches away from the XB7, "beam-forming" will be ineffective.

If Shaw were to hand out WiFi 6 adapters, only the Shaw customers paying for any speed faster than "Fibre+ 300", and having an XB7/XB8, would see higher speeds.

I purchased a WiFi 6 adapter at the local MemoryExpress.com retail store. Under $90 CAD. Not a bad price, when you "need" better-than-300 service.

When I purchase a new notebook computer, in late 2025, when Windows 10 achieves its "sunset", my hope is that it will have built-in WiFi 6, and will run Windows 11. Until then, it is Windows 10 for me. I do have a plan for a permanent location for my new WiFi 6 adapter, now that I know that it is very fast.

[tiger955 · Accepted solution]

So reverting back (Down grading according to Shaw Support) to an XB6 Gateway has given me back the use of my five 2.4Ghz Broadlink smart plugs which had more or less stopped working with the XB7 Gateway!

As for speeds on a Fibre+ 500 package I get 530 Mbps over CAT5E cable.

5Ghz WIFI with an 802.11ac 2x2 wireless card in my laptop, 8ft from the Gateway I get 454 Mbps; a floor up (where I used to get 330 Mbps on Fibre+300) I get 380-390 Mbps, so quite an improvement over the XB7 Gateway which was only 250 Mbps at best.

So definitely proving that the WIFI6 Gateway is setup for WIFI6 devises & NOT WIFI5 devises. To use the XB7 you need to be using WIFI6 devises or add adapters (as above) or you'll loose range & speed, so a backward step in my honest opinion.

[rickatk]

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@tiger955wrote:

So it looks like you have proved my theory that the XB7 Gateway is just geared up for WIFI 6 to the detriment of older 802.11 ac equipment.

With my laptop 3" from the XB7 I don't quite get 300 Mbps (Fibre+ 500) over 5Ghz WIFI, where with the XB6 through a floor I got 330 Mbps on a Fibre+ 300 account.

So we need Shaw to provide a handful of those USB WIFI 6 adapters with each XB7 Gateway they roll out!!

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I think it’s the “e” on both the router and the client that gives you the blazing speeds. My older XB7 produced only marginal download speeds 300-500Gbps. Having the XB8 and M2 iPad Pro both equipped with WiFi 6 e makes the biggest difference. Amazon 4K plus and the latest Apple TVs work to the 6e standards.

[tiger955]

So if your going down the WIFI6 route you want to have 6e then, not that I will be changing any devises anytime soon!

I wasn't offered the XB8 only XB7 with the two wireless TV box package, maybe the XB8 is more backward compatible? I'm guessing not in the light of my experience.

What I didn't understand was the 2.4Ghz smart plugs that lost connection most of the time but did connect sometimes, why would they drift in & out??

[rickatk]

I found the XB7 to be very stable with good signal strength. Speeds were somewhat faster on my old iPad Pro 10.5 (450Mbps) down and newer iPhone SE(750 Mbps)down. Still only half advertised performance on a Fibre Gig 1.5 plan. I accepted that it’s not all about download speeds and more about capacity which the Fibre Gig plan offers. When I hooked up my new M2 iPad Pro, download speed increased to 750 - 800Gbps. When I introduced the XB8 into the mix there was a different story. The new M2 iPad Pro is a wifi 6e client. Download speeds were an immediate and impressive 1550Gbps down.

[tiger955]

Again I think this shows that using "older" WIFI5 devises on WIFI6 clients is detrimental to speed & range.

Your old iPad was capable of 866 Mbps (same as my laptop) so would have been capable of more given the the right connection protocols.

These (XB6/7) Gateways don't seem to be very backward compatible as we both found out. I understand Shaw wanting to future proof themselves but how many customers have WIFI6 let alone WIFI6e devises, I don't see me having any in the foreseeable future.

Interesting to see the difference between 6 & 6e.

[mdk]

@tiger955 -- my five 2.4Ghz Broadlink smart plugs which had more or less stopped working with the XB7 Gateway!

Did you create 2 distinct SSIDs -- one for the devices that only support 2.4 Ghz WiFi, and one for the devices that support the 5 Ghz WiFi?

I have done so with my XB7, and all my older WiFi devices work fine on the 2.4 Ghz band.

[tiger955]

Yes I have one for each, 2.4Ghz ssid & 5Ghz ssid, copied over with the Bluecurve app from gateway to gateway (which by the way doesn't copy all the settings!).

I should have checked the signal strength of the 2.4Ghz to see if it was low causing them not to connect, that being said one was only 10ft through a wall (drywall). And I had connected my laptop to 2.4Ghz at one point & it worked. Maybe it was a faulty XB7 out of the box, who knows??

[pat604]

Yes, more 2.4Ghz antennas and fewer 5Ghz antennas in the XB7 would be better for penetration through walls than distance.

[alak20]

Same here, Its not as good as old modem. They increased my plan (speed and price) both but output is worst. Sometimes connectivity issue within 6 feet.