Slow WiFi... again...

[ziggurcat]

Paying for Fibre 750+, but wifi speeds are capping anywhere from 1Mbps - 80Mbps when running speed tests.  I know my devices are more capable than that, so it's not my hardware.  Why does Shaw keep throttling my internet?

[shaw-ada]

@ziggurcat Sorry to hear you're experiencing internet speeds issues! Please run a proper speed test. Have you tried the suggested troubleshooting steps here? More info about speeds and bandwidth. Hope this helps! 

[ziggurcat]

Yes, I have tried all of those things.  I get that WiFi isn't going to get the same speeds as a wired connection, but I know my devices are far more capable than what's being displayed - some of them are newer devices, too.  Is there anything else I can check?

[mdk]

@ziggurcat -- Why does Shaw keep throttling my internet?

If you get the proper speeds on a computer connected via Ethernet, and those slow speeds over the WiFi inside your home, it is not Shaw that is "throttling".

It could be the WiFi circuits inside your cable-modem.

It could be a failing WiFi adapter inside your WiFi-enabled device.

Do you live in a single-family residence, or in a MURB (Multiple Unit Residential Building) ? In a MURB, your WiFi signals could be competing with your neighbours (same level, level above, level below, or even the next-door MURB).

Do you have the Arris Gateway cable-modem, or the BlueCurve XB6 or BlueCurve XB7 modem?

Which WiFi-enabled devices have you tried? Smart-phone? iPad tablet? iPhone? Notebook? Desktop with WiFi?

Sometimes, the position of a desktop with WiFi is "poor" for sending/receiving the WiFi signal, such as inside a "computer desk".

No simple answer.

[ziggurcat]

I did a bit more testing, and I think it might just be the age of the modem I have.  I disconnected the modem to let it cool down, and once I reconnected it all back up, and ran a speed test, my laptop was hitting 280+ Mbps (which is about normal for the age of my laptop since its max is around 300Mbps) and my new iPhone 12 mini was hitting well over 300Mbps (which might be its peak?).   Now, after 14 hours of it being reconnected, it's warmed up quite a bit again, and it's definitely not hitting those figures anymore.  

I do regularly clean the modem, but it seems to me that it could be heat-related, and age.  I'll probably have to look into replacing the modem soon.    

To answer the questions you've asked:

- I live in a condo/former apartment building.  It's concrete construction, so there's probably not much (if any) interference from other units since the walls/floor/ceiling separating them are 1970's concrete.

- I have the XB6 modem.  I received it when I had upgraded my internet plan to the Internet 300 package that was soon after upgraded for free by Shaw to the 600 package.  

- Wi-Fi-enabled devices I have tried are my laptop, my new iPhone 12, my wife's iPad Pro

- Positioning shouldn't be a problem.  The modem is elevated, in open space with nothing enclosed around/blocking it, and I sit on my couch around 10 feet away with my laptop in the same room.