Question Strange occurance with line speed. Ideas?

[Skyzoomer]

Just had a strange occurrence with my line speed.

PROBLEM:
My tower PC's line speed was ~600 Mbps in March 2024.
Checked the line speed a few days ago and it was ~95 Mbps.
I did not touch anything in the path but the line speed dropped all by itself.

Here's the configuration:
fiber optic cable >----- (white box)----ethernet cable---(provider's ZYXEL router)---ethernet cable---(provider's Netgear EX7000 wifi range extender)

The ZYXEL router has 1 WAN port and 4 LAN ports.
The Netgear EX7000 has 1 WAN port and 4 LAN ports.

The ethernet cable from my tower PC was connected to one of the Netgear's LAN ports.
It's line speed was ~600 Mbps in March 2024 but dropped to ~95 Mbps when I checked it a few days ago. This happened all by itself. I did not touch anything in the ethernet cable's path, which includes the two routers.

FIX:
I moved my PC's ethernet cable from the Netgear router to the ZYXEL router. The line speed increased to ~600 Mbps. Putting the cable back into the Netgear router, the line speed was ~95 Mbps.

QUESTIONS:
Any ideas why the line speed for my PC decreased from ~600 Mbps down to 95 Mbps when I didn't touch anything?
Can the provider limit line speed from a 3rd party router while retaining the 600 Mbps line speed from their ZYXEL router?
Has anything like this happened to anyone who reads this?

 

[Tech Junky]

Probably related to a FW update on the Netgear or the port's dying. Try a hard default and reconfigure.

 

[In2Photos]

Probably related to a FW update on the Netgear or the port's dying. Try a hard default and reconfigure.

Agreed. When I started seeing a significant drop in speed on my old router I assumed it was the ISP. After fooling around for a while and multiple phone calls with them I decided to buy a new router and test it. No more speed problems. My old router just croaked. Not completely, but enough to slow things down a good bit.

 

[Tech Junky]

old router

I had an Asus that couldn't hit over 300 when I switched to a gig plan. I got sick of disposable routers though and rolled the function into a PC instead years ago. Saves me hundreds in replacements every couple of years. Just connect an AP for WiFi and it's good to go.

 

[Skyzoomer]

Probably related to a FW update on the Netgear or the port's dying. Try a hard default and reconfigure.

By hard default do you mean pressing the rest button to put the Netgear back to factory condition? If so, how can I get the current password and configuration of the Netgear to reconfigure it back to what it is now?

 

[Skyzoomer]

Agreed. When I started seeing a significant drop in speed on my old router I assumed it was the ISP. After fooling around for a while and multiple phone calls with them I decided to buy a new router and test it. No more speed problems. My old router just croaked. Not completely, but enough to slow things down a good bit.

Never knew that a router could decrease in line speed but still work normally in all other respects.

 

[Skyzoomer]

I had an Asus that couldn't hit over 300 when I switched to a gig plan. I got sick of disposable routers though and rolled the function into a PC instead years ago. Saves me hundreds in replacements every couple of years. Just connect an AP for WiFi and it's good to go.

I assume that the Netgear EX7000 wifi extender is like an access point. Is it not?

 

[In2Photos]

By hard default do you mean pressing the rest button to put the Netgear back to factory condition? If so, how can I get the current password and configuration of the Netgear to reconfigure it back to what it is now?

Is the current username and password on a label on the unit? A lot of times the ISP will have a label with pertinent information on it. You could try downloading the configuration or copying the information down for how it's set up and then do the factory reset.

 

[Tech Junky]

By hard default do you mean pressing the rest button to put the Netgear back to factory condition? If so, how can I get the current password and configuration of the Netgear to reconfigure it back to what it is now?

Login and copy the config. SSH might be the easier option if it allows you to use that option.

Never knew that a router could decrease in line speed but still work normally in all other respects.

HW sometimes fails slowly and other times it just dies.

I assume that the Netgear EX7000 wifi extender is like an access point. Is it not?

Depends on a few things. Most of their "extenders" are more of a mesh solution if you don't have them hardwired and cut the speed by 50% to use the wii as a backhaul. Netgear does make APs though but, going with something more SMB/enterprise is a better deal in the long run as you don't get the same crappy FW updates. I use a Zyxel but there are others like Engenius, Ruckus, TPL Omada, Cambium, and so on. They typically only have 1 port but, sometimes have 2 with one as a passthrough for a wired device connected to the AP.

The advantage is you get better RF connectivity because they tend to use better CPU/WIFI controllers inside and you also get better coverage because they use better antennas. Also, you can pick up a 6/6E for under $200 and even a basic 7 for right around $200 depending on the sale. Much cheaper than buying a new router for $300-$500 whenever the standards change which right now is about every 2 years. It adds up quickly if you want the best speeds. Luckily the client side upgrades are usually about $20/client for a new card to put inside.

It comes down to budget and preferences though. If it's cheap though it's a good idea to get a backup because it will have issues sooner than later. It's a you get what you pay for situation with networking.

 

[Skyzoomer]

Is the current username and password on a label on the unit? A lot of times the ISP will have a label with pertinent information on it. You could try downloading the configuration or copying the information down for how it's set up and then do the factory reset.

Username and password not on either unit. I might have the info in our safe. Will have to empty it out and try to find it. (I know the wifi password by memory so I've not had to try to find it for a long time.) Thanks.

EDIT: I called the cable provider's tech support and after a LONG wait of about 25 minutes, talked to a tech. She said user name and password are on the bottom of the ZYXEL router. Nothing there.

She said look at the sticker on the side. That sticker is large (about 4.5" wide and 3.25" high) and is factory printed with the model number, serial number, etc. At the bottom it had the user name and password. I saw that sticker before but never thought it would have the user name and password on it. Posting this info in case it helps others.

 

[Skyzoomer]

Login and copy the config. SSH might be the easier option if it allows you to use that option.


HW sometimes fails slowly and other times it just dies.


Depends on a few things. Most of their "extenders" are more of a mesh solution if you don't have them hardwired and cut the speed by 50% to use the wii as a backhaul. Netgear does make APs though but, going with something more SMB/enterprise is a better deal in the long run as you don't get the same crappy FW updates. I use a Zyxel but there are others like Engenius, Ruckus, TPL Omada, Cambium, and so on. They typically only have 1 port but, sometimes have 2 with one as a passthrough for a wired device connected to the AP.

The advantage is you get better RF connectivity because they tend to use better CPU/WIFI controllers inside and you also get better coverage because they use better antennas. Also, you can pick up a 6/6E for under $200 and even a basic 7 for right around $200 depending on the sale. Much cheaper than buying a new router for $300-$500 whenever the standards change which right now is about every 2 years. It adds up quickly if you want the best speeds. Luckily the client side upgrades are usually about $20/client for a new card to put inside.

It comes down to budget and preferences though. If it's cheap though it's a good idea to get a backup because it will have issues sooner than later. It's a you get what you pay for situation with networking.

Thanks again for your help. Really appreciate it.
Per my other thread that I started after this one titled "how wifi works with 2 routers", I'm going to replace the Netgear EX7000 with a TP-Link unmanaged switch. Will test wifi coverage with the ZYXEL first. And also gather password info that may be stored in our safe.
Thanks!