Continuous slow speeds on ultimate package

Could you include some technical data on the problem? Modem/router? Wired vs wireless? Speedtest results?

The modem is a Motorola surfboard SB6121, router is a Cisco Linksys E2500. We all use wired connections because wireless isn't reliable as it occasionally spikes. Speedtest results are 25-40 mbps download with ~23 mbps upload (using speedtest.net AND testmy.net).

First thing I see is your modem (SB6121) is not approved for Premier and above. See here for what modem you need for each plan. Also, what plan do you have? Ultimate or Premier? 

Second, the E2500 is a pretty old router, and maxes out at 92Mbps, even with most features turned off. This is mostly because of the 10/100Mbps ports. What speed do you get directly to the modem?

Last, what are your signal levels? Should be able to find them at 192.168.100.1 webpage.

We have the ultimate package for up to 150 mbps. We will look into getting new equipment since it's nto approved and outdated.

Directly to the modem, we are getting ~65 mbps whereas through the router its ~50.

What signal levels are you asking about? I see signal to noise ratio (average of 36dB) and then signal stats for different channels.

Again, I appreciate the help!

Allen

Allen.ms said:
We have the ultimate package for up to 150 mbps.

Anyone know if a service change is required when upgrading to a 16x8 modem with Ultimate 150? I know it is required for the Ultimate 200 to 300 change. 

Allen.ms said:
Directly to the modem, we are getting ~65 mbps

I think that is a mixture of congestion (since modem has less channels) and signal issue. 

Allen.ms said:
What signal levels are you asking about?

Basically everything from Channel ID to Uncorrectables. Should look like this. If any of your SNR is below 36, that probably a big part of your problem. For a break down of what your signal levels should be, see here.

What do you mean by service change? 

The mixture of congestion and signal issue, do you mean the difference between the router and the modem speeds of ~10?

These are the values I am getting when I go to the IP.

http://imgur.com/HIN0AyZ

Allen.ms said:
What do you mean by service change? 

You can disregard. That wasn't a question for you, as much as it was for other members of the forum. In CA, Ultimate was upgraded from 200Mbps to 300Mbps. However, this speed was only offered to people with modems that had more then 16 downstream channels. See this thread for a example. I can give more info, but lets wait until we know it is even relevant to your situation. 

Allen.ms said:
The mixture of congestion and signal issue, do you mean the difference between the router and the modem speeds of ~10?

I was just speculating on what I thought was the cause based on the facts at the time. I didn't think the issue was JUST a modem issue or router issue, or a modem signal issue, but a mixture of all 3. By congestion, I meant that you were trying to get more speed from less channels. Think of it like a highway. If you can only drive in 4 of 16 lanes, a traffic jam in one lane is going to effect you more because you can't drive around it.

Allen.ms said:
These are the values I am getting when I go to the IP.

Your signal levels aren't horrible, but they aren't great either. Of most concern is the signal to noise (SNR)  being 35 on channel ID 53. The SNR is the clarity of the signal, and anything below 36 really causes performance issue. If you reboot the modem, how fast do you get uncorrectables? Uncorrectables are listed at the bottom, AKA Uncorrectable Codewords.  

I think your first step is to get a modem that can handle the speed your paying for. The Motorola/Arris SB6183 is a direct upgrade to the modem you have now. Then test direct to the modem to see what speed you get. If still not 150Mbps, then a technician probably needs to look at the signal going to the modem, but you can also check out any internal cable wiring problems. Old splitters, old cable wires, etc. Once you have 150Mbps direct to the modem, then start shopping around for a new router. I have the Asus RT-N66U and can't say enough good things about it. It has features even 500$ business routers don't have. However, we can look at what you need and your price point and give you some options. Let us know how it goes.

Sorry for the long post. Just wanted to be detailed. 

Tecknowhelp said:

Your signal levels aren't horrible, but they aren't great either. Of most concern is the signal to noise (SNR)  being 35 on channel ID 53. The SNR is the clarity of the signal, and anything below 36 really causes performance issue. If you reboot the modem, how fast do you get uncorrectables? 

Those values are not too long after having it reset last night and then today by Cox themselves (they said they refreshed the signal to the modem).

Tecknowhelp said:

I think your first step is to get a modem that can handle the speed your paying for. The Motorola/Arris SB6183 is a direct upgrade to the modem you have now. Then test direct to the modem to see what speed you get. If still not 150Mbps, then a technician probably needs to look at the signal going to the modem, but you can also check out any internal cable wiring problems. Old splitters, old cable wires, etc. Once you have 150Mbps direct to the modem, then start shopping around for a new router. I have the Asus RT-N66U and can't say enough good things about it. It has features even 500$ business routers don't have. However, we can look at what you need and your price point and give you some options. Let us know how it goes.

Sorry for the long post. Just wanted to be detailed. 

Thanks alot! We will look at new equipment. We were already looking at the Arris SB6183 and haven't quite decided on a router. We aren't exactly sure what to look for in them. Apparently the current one is pretty lame. The Asus RT N66U looks nice. What are some other that would be able to handle up to 150mbps we should be looking at?

Allen.ms said:
What are some other that would be able to handle up to 150mbps we should be looking at?

First thing to figure out is if you want Wifi AC or just Wifi N. Can any of your devices connect with Wifi AC? If you want, you can list your devices and I can look up their capability.

Second, you need a router with 10/100/1000Mbps ports, AKA Gigabit ports. Most new routers will have it, but some bargin router try to sneak by with 10/100Mbps ports. 

Third, is there anything special you need? VPN support for work? Need to use USB Printer share? Airplay? DLNA server? If you don't know what any of these are, chances are you don't need them. But anything special you had to configure for your current router? 

Last, to research what might be best for you, check out Newegg and Smallnetbuilder.  Newegg is a good place to start by comparing different features of different routers at certain price points, and comparing user review. Once you have a few in mind, look them up on Smallnetbuilder for a very detailed break down, from performance tests to the physical layout of parts inside. Once you have a router in mind, don't be afraid to price shop between Bestbuy, Amazon, and other online retailers. 

As far as features, we don't really use many. We do have the wireless printer hooked up to the network to allow for wireless printing. We use Iphones and a few androids to connect to the wifi. Those devices as well as chromecast and that about sums it up for us. 

Allen.ms said:
We do have the wireless printer hooked up to the network to allow for wireless printing.

As long as the connection between printer and router is wireless, it should work with any router. It's only if you use USB to connect the printer to the router do you have be aware of the feature in other routers you may be looking at.

Allen.ms said:
We use Iphones and a few androids to connect to the wifi.

Which Iphones and Android phones? For example, Iphone 6 and 6S have Wifi AC. The Samsung Galaxy S4 and above also have Wifi AC.

Tecknowhelp said:

Which Iphones and Android phones? For example, Iphone 6 and 6S have Wifi AC. The Samsung Galaxy S4 and above also have Wifi AC.

One has an iPhone 4s, 5c and a 6. The android is a lenovo thinktab s6000 tablet. 

Allen.ms said:
One has an iPhone 4s, 5c and a 6. The android is a lenovo thinktab s6000 tablet. 

Iphone 4S - Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n

Iphone 5C - Wi-Fi  802.11a/b/g/n (Dual Band 2.4 and 5Ghz) 

Iphone 6 -  Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, (Dual Band 2.4 and 5Ghz) 

Lenevo S6000 - Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n

Looks like the Iphone 6 is the only device you mentioned with Wifi AC. For that reason, and to future proof yourself, I would suggest a Wifi AC router. What price point were you looking to stay in? The Asus RT-66U might be a good fit. Or if you want a little more Wifi N speed, Newegg offers a combo of SB6183 and a Asus RT-AC68U.   Ofcourse I can edit my suggestions if you are looking to spend less money. 

We went ahead and purchased the SB 6183 and the ASUS 66U as recommended. Should be here tomorrow. All we have to do is hook up the modem and call cox to change the equipment, is that correct? And when that is done we should be getting close to 150mbps per the ultimate package? We bought new cables too so that shouldn't be a factor anymore.

Allen