Need help understanding xfinity network speed and my old devices...

[gpspad]

In my area xfinity is the only game in town. I was talked into to upgrading my old account and got what Xfinity calls their GIG Internet service as part of the new package. Its supposed to run at 12000Mbps. I run a NETGEAR CM1000 as a cable mode, run an ethernet from the modem to two apple time capsules that provide good wifi coverage. I have a bunch of iMacs and mac minis connected top them via cat 5 or cat 6 ethernet.

I am trying o figure out if I am getting what I upgraded to, and it seems like even my ethernet connected devicses are not reaching gig speeds. here are some test results from the xfinity speed test....

2015 27" iMac Internal SSD = 640Mbps (Ethernet)
2015 21" iMac external SSD = 600Mbps (Ethernet)
2012 mac mini w/Fusion Drive = 500MbPS (Ethernet)
2012 Mac Mini with aftermarket SSD = 600Mbps (Ethernet)
10.5 ipad pro via wifi = 300Mbps
ATV 4 via wifi = 250Mbps

I am trying to figure if the bottleneck is my old devices, my old time capsules, or my xfinity connection.

 

[Juicy Box]

Its supposed to run at 12000Mbps

I assume you mean 1200Mbps and not 12000Mbps.

Comcast typically over provisions by 20%. So, if you are paying for the 1200Mbps service, you could see speeds over 1400Mbps for download.

That said.....

I run a NETGEAR CM1000 as a cable mode

I think this is rated up to 1000Mbps, so the most you would see would probably be in a little more than 900Mbps.

run an ethernet from the modem to two apple time capsules that provide good wifi coverage.

Maybe it is your time capsules. What generation are they? Maybe one of them is starting to fail?


When troubleshooting, try connecting some of your devices directly to the cable modem.

Even if you use a long temporary ethernet cable from a device to the cable modem just to test it, this could pin point the problematic device.

If you connect directly to the cable modem, and your download speeds improve dramatically, then there could be something wrong with your routers, or maybe one or more of your ethernet cables.

I was talked into to upgrading my old account

I understand this is not what you are asking about, but I am curious why you upgraded your internet speed?

Many people are talked into higher internet tiers that they would hardly ever or never utilize.

A few years ago, I talked to many people in my community via a local forum about how much they are paying monthly to the ISPs, and many of them was paying $150+ for Comcast and FiOS Gigabit internet tier that only used for web browsing, Facebook, and Netflix.

There are of course people that could take advantage of the higher tier speeds, but I think this is not the norm.

With Comcast and many other cable companies, the upload speeds offered really suck, so sometimes people need to pay for the crazy high download speeds just to get decent upload speeds. Even still, this is probably still an uncommon situation for the average Joe.

 

[gpspad]

Thanks for the reply, I’ll check the speed directly from the cable modem with my 2013 MacBook Pro.

I wasn’t sure if the iMac and MacBook themselves were too old and weren’t capable of getting to 1gig speeds.

I agree that I was doing fine with their 250 speed service. The thing that sold us was we were looking at Netflix anyway, and this package popped up that included it anyway. The gig speed was just an added bonus.

Xfinity does a good/sneaky job of getting you into packages with things that you don’t need but have to take anyway to get the good parts of the deal. We have a lamd line and email from them we have never even activated, but have to have them for the package.

in a perfect world I could get something like starry internet for a fraction of the cost, but there is no competition and even home 5G is a long way away. I have been waiting For a competitor like starry to come around for a long time. With xfinity it’s just a matter of getting the most of what I pay for.

 

[gpspad]

Just an update, i tried connecting my 2013 MBP directly to the cable modem. I was having an issue and it would not connect to the internet alone that way. I didnt want to reset the cable modem, so tried the MBP connected to the first time capsule and got about 650Mbps so its not the last time capsule router. I am getting 650Mbps over ethernet.

I then replaced the old 100mbps switch I had connected to my audio video stuff with a D-Link gigabit switch. My ATV4 was then testing at 950Mbps. Which seems strange because that switch is going through time capsules to get to the cable modem.

I guess its time I have to design a new network and dump the time capsules. I really like them because they do both backups and act as a wireless router, but I guess its time to build something else up.

 

[Juicy Box]

I was having an issue and it would not connect to the internet alone that way. I didnt want to reset the cable modem

Do you mean restart the modem?

Simply unplugging the power to the modem and letting it reboot when you connect it to a new device (router, computer, etc.) should work.

My ATV4 was then testing at 950Mbps.

This is wirelessly, correct?

The ATV4 only has 100Mbps ethernet link speed.

That speed is probably as fast as you are going to get with that cable modem. Overkill for most people.

Actually, 1/10 that speed is probably overkill for most people.

I guess its time I have to design a new network and dump the time capsules.

You still didn't say what generation they are.

That said, you don't have to get rid of them. You could always add them to a new network as a wired bridge.


Also, it sounds like you don't really utilize the higher speeds, so there wouldn't be a reason to dump your old network if it more than meets your needs.


What do you currently do with your home network?
Do you transfer files between computers, NAS, or devices?
Is it just stuff like Facebook, web browsing, and Netflix?

The thing that sold us was we were looking at Netflix anyway

Is Netflix you most demanding task of your network?

With a Gigabit internet speed, you could play simultaneously stream Netflix in HD on over 300 different devices, or over 50 different devices in 4K.

I agree that I was doing fine with their 250 speed service.

Was the price of 250Gbps plus the price of Netflix more expensive than your current Gigabit plan?

If not, it just makes more sense to stick with the slower, but more than adequate plan and pay for Netflix separately than to bundle them and pay more for speeds you wouldn't really use.

 

[gpspad]

Another update, when I use a third party gigabit switch after the 2nd time capsule, I get to about 950Mbps on my iMac.

When i go directly from the time capsule I get 600Mbps.

If the time capsule is limiting it to 600Mbps, why does a third party gigabit switch trigger faster speeds.

Also I grabbed a speed test app from the mac store, and the app shows 950Mbps when the xfinity website shows 650Mbps.

All this has caused me to start thinking about building into a Unifi system a piece at a time, its just a lot to jump into all at once.

The apple TV is the 4k version, I was aware of the ATV4 only having a 100base ethernet. I used to use an ATV4 with a maximum of a 100Mbps connection for a while, the stability of 100Mbps was a good trade off compared to a faster wifi connection that sometimes had issues.

 

[dont24]

Same here with Xfinity Gig package. 2012 Mac mini, 16GB , 256GB SSD. Peak hrs with Safari, ~500 down. Speedtest app on the same mac mini , 917 down. Test in the Orbi app, 945. My son's new gaming PC hits ~945 using Xfinity's speed test page.