Moved 1/4 mi & now wifi very slow (same cox pkg & router)

@slvaughn

You would likely see much better wifi speeds with a dual-band device vs. the one you have now but you should still be getting better results with the setup you have now. Is the wired PC using a gigabit Ethernet port?

What are your wired speeds? Wireless isn't magic. It is effected by environmental effects just like anything else is. What the house is made of, how many other wifi networks are around, cell towers, HAM radios, all can effect wireless speed and range. Try a wireless scanner to see what networks are around you and what channels they use.

Also, I would suggest upgrading to a separate modem and router if you are a serious gamer. The gateways are cheap POS and you get what you pay for.

@ChrisI.

I get good speeds on my wired PC, but I have no idea what type of ethernet port it is.  The Cox tech set it up.  I think last I checked the DL speed was 120.   But my son's download speed (the gamer) who's computer is very close to the modem/router is at around 6!!!   He said his ping is about 1000!   Yes, I may have to get a better router, but it is just frustrating because this router worked just fine at our previous house which, as I said, is just down the road.  Very similar/age neighborhood.  And the wifi extender doesn't seem to be doing anything!  He gets slows speeds whether he connects to the router or to the extender. 

@Tecknowhelp

Do you have any suggestions for a good separate modem and router....good for gaming.  The house is about 1800 sf.  Also, any ideas for how to improve ping and latency for my gamer?

Did you have a price range in mind? Economical? High end? Somewhere in between?

My default go to right now is the Asus RT-AC68U and the Arris SB6183 which blows a gateway away in both wireless range and features. 

However, that isn't to say a new router will fix your problem. It will probably "help" but it all depends on what is causing the latency. The best way to find out what server he is playing on and perform a tracert to that server. If it's a Blizzard game, see here for instructions. If it's something else, reply with what and I can look up those servers but the process should be the same. Feel free to post the tracert here for review.

The reasons why gateways are inferior IMO to separate modem and routers are many. First, it's easier to isolate ISP from network issues by bypassing the router. Second, it lets you control the firmware of the router, and router firmware upgrades can help UPnP used in gaming. Also, modem/router combos (AKA gateways) are made for the common user where simplicity and low price are a priority. The comparsion I use is the car-boat. Even the best car-boat  combo in the world will NEVER be as fast as the best car or best boat separately. They just weren't designed to be. Last, Cox and other ISP usually remove many features from the gateways to further ease the support they have to give. Sometimes even port forwarding is disabled, which makes running a game server almost impossible. All this makes gateways a headache for gamers.

@Tecknowhelp -

Yes, somewhere in between. these two prices look reasonable.  I'm just hesitant because if I spend the money and then the problem isn't fixed, I'm not going to be happy....lol.  I thought about renting a new router from Cox - that way if it doesn't fix the problem then I could give it back. I"m not sure what the rules are on renting one of thos.  

Thank you for the information about gaming.  I'll find out from my gamer about the server locations.  

slvaughn said:
I thought about renting a new router from Cox

Cox doesn't rent routers AFAIK. They only sell routers and sell/rent modem+router combo gateways. 

slvaughn said:
I'm not going to be happy....lol.

Understood. That is why I suggested troubleshooting the problem first. The reason I mentioned the gateway is even when everything it working, it is still not optimal for gaming. A tracert will show where most of the extra latency is occurring to increase the ping to the game. If the latency is mainly happening between the computer and gateway, or inside the gateway, then troubleshooting the equipment can help, including the different modem and router. However if the latency is happening between the gateway and Cox or between Cox and the rest of the internet, then a new equipment probably WON'T help.

@Tecknowhelp

Very helpful information!  THanks so much!  I will report back after we dot the tracert.

@tecknowhelp

Any idea how to do a tracert for League of Legends?  He doesn't play any of the Blizzard games.  Tried to google it, but he's saying that League of Legends hides their IP in their networking logs.  Any ideas?  THanks! 

Try these instructions. Basically the same as the Blizzard instructions but tracert to 192.64.170.1 and the instructions below save it to a log. Also note you can't ping the IP because of  RIOT's firewall, but you can still tracert it. 

OBTAINING A TRACERT:

• Press the [Windows Key] (that is the key on the left side of the space bar, between ctrl and alt) + R
• Type cmd in the search bar and click "Ok". You should now see a black window with white letters.
• Highlight and copy the command based on the server you are trying to connect to: 
  NA Server:(tracert 192.64.170.1) > "%USERPROFILE%\desktop\Tracert.txt"