AirPort Extreme (AC) Data Rate of 100 Mb/s over Ethernet

[kppolich]

Here is my home network.
My Modem is connected to the Base station (WAN Port) via CAT6 Ethernet
Base Station (LAN Port) to the Basement AirPort Extreme (WAN Port) via CAT6.
Basement AirPort Extreme (LAN port) to the Garage AC (WAN Port) via CAT5.
Also, an Airport Express (N) upstairs connected to an older printer, not extending the network just for AirPrint as a wireless client.

In the house and downstairs I'm getting the expected 200 Mb/s over Wifi, but outside in our detached garage when connecting my iPhone 12 mini or M1 MBA to the Garage AirPort Extreme I can only get ~100 Mb/s.

When I view the 'Garage' unit on my Airport Utility I can see it's limited to 100 Mb/s

Everything is connected via Ethernet, yet the speed is 50% in the garage on 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz

Is CAT5 really limited to 100Mb/s? If so, I'll pull CAT6 and we can resolve this.

 

[Euroamerican]

Ethernet Cable Buying Guide: How to Choose the Right Ethernet Cable Category | FS Community

Nowadays, common types of Ethernet cables include Cat5, Cat5e, Cat6, Cat6a, Cat7, and Cat8. It is necessary to purchase the right cable for the intended application. This article will introduce the different categories of Ethernet cables, compare their features and provide guidance on selecting...

community.fs.com

I think you need to pull at least 5E, but just go ahead and do cat 6 and see if it resolves the issue.

 

[MauroDiaz]

I have a similar problem, but I have consistent wiring (Cat5e) for all connections, i.e., broadband to main airport, between airports (through the walls on dedicated conduits) and from airports to devices. The only swing factor could be wire length. How long can cat5e cables sustain signals for?

 

[Fishrrman]

Apple's "Airport" products were fine in their day, but "their day" is past.

If you want faster, it's time to look for replacements.
"Mesh" type systems seem to be the way to go now...

 

[Juicy Box]

I would check the cables, and all of them.

If there is a damaged pair inside the cable, the link speed could drop to 100Mbps.

Also, many ethernet cables that come with devices that do not need a Gigabit connector such as printers, VoIP, etc., might only have two wire pairs inside, and this will drop the link speed to 100Mbps.

Also, swap the AirPort extremes and see if you have the same problem, just a different location, maybe it is a HW issue.

I have seen ethernet start to fail on some of the early AirPort Extreme units, the 6th gens are starting to age so maybe it is happening to yours.

The only swing factor could be wire length. How long can cat5e cables sustain signals for?

IIRC about 330ft before signal starts to degrade, and that is a single straight run without anything in-between like a router to give it more power.

If there is a problem with the cable, or any of the connectors, the link speed could drop to 100Mbps.

Apple's "Airport" products were fine in their day, but "their day" is past.

If you want faster, it's time to look for replacements.
"Mesh" type systems seem to be the way to go now...

IDK about that.

I had a very different experience a year ago when trying out an expensive and highly rated Mesh system to replace my aging 6th gen AirPort Extreme that was having some issues. Normally I would troubleshoot these things, but in this case, I thought that the AirPort was getting old and a new Mesh system would be faster in every way possible.

Long story short, the Mesh had the same problems as the AirPort with the congestion on the 2.4GHz band, and the 5GHz band was actually slower on the brand new Mesh system.

I finally troubleshooted both my new mesh system and the AirPort to find out the issues I was having on the 2.4GHz band. I separated the bands, and just started using the 5GHz band for everything I could.

I thought about keeping the Mesh system and using it with the bands separated, but for the cost, I expected it to run circles around the old AirPort.

The performance of the AirPort was really impressive once I separated the bands, and it was actually better than the three node Mesh system I purchased.

Some other issues I had with the Mesh system, had to do with the not-so seamless band switching (before I separated the bands), and the not-so seamless roaming node switching.

I would only be a few feet from the parent node, and it would switch to the 2.4GHz band, even though the 5GHz band was so much faster and had great single strength.

Also, when walking throughout my home, I expected that my mobile devices would automatically switch to the node with the best single (that is what is said on the packaging), but it would stick with one node to the point that it would drop packets like crazy.

The AirPort didn't have these issues, and actually performed as well and in some cased better than the Mesh system. I just needed the single to go a little further to where I parted my car.

I returned Mesh and ended up buying another 6th gen AirPort Extreme, and haven't had any issues with it since.


Actually, I just recently purchased a home that is larger than my current one, and have purchased two more 6th gen AirPort Extremes to add to my network. They currently sell for $40 on eBay, so you could have one for every room of a medium sized home and it cost cheaper than some of the mesh systems.

NOTE: to be fair to the Mesh System, almost all of my devices are older, and maybe if I had newer devices, the Mesh system might have performed better. That said, I have a new M1 Mac, and the transfer speeds on it are really good using the AirPort Extreme.


Here is a post I made a while back with details of my experience trying a Mesh system:

I have used been using Apple AirPort for almost 20 years, and have enjoyed them for the most part.

Sometimes last year, I started to have some Wifi issues on the 2.4GHz band, and figured that my aging 6th Gen AirPort Extreme (lastest gen) might be due for a replacement.

Normally I would troubleshoot, but in this case, I figured my AirPort was about to go, maybe I would try a Mesh Wifi system that I kept reading about, and maybe it was time to move on from Apple's legacy network equipment.

There was one thing in particular that I was looking forward to with the mesh wifi, that was the seamless band switching and seamless roaming feature, as I would put a node near where I park my car enabling me to have good signal when sitting in my car getting ready for my morning commute. With the AirPort, I would have signal, but it wasn't good where was car was at.

I bought the expensive Linksys Velop Tri-band 3-node system:

Velop Mesh WiFi System, Homekit Router, 3-Pack (White) | Linksys | Linksys: US

Enjoy full-strength WiFi in every room of your home with the Velop Mesh Wifi System. Homekit-enabled. 3-Year Limited Warranty. Free ground shipping on US orders.

www.linksys.com

At first, I was mildly impressed with it, but then I started having a few issues, mainly with periodic slowdown. The seamless band switching didn't seem to work either. As it would sometimes switch my stationary laptop from the faster 5GHz band to the slower 2.4GHz band, even though I was only a few feet from the parent node.

Another thing that was a disappointment was the seamless roaming, as it wasn't seamless. I would sit in my car and the internet didn't work, even though I was just about 20 feet from a node. I found out that my iPhone was still connected to my bedroom node, which was on the other side of the house.

I looked up solutions for the seamless roaming problem, and the support page said to turn of Wifi on the iPhone and turn it back on. It worked, but it wasn't what I considered "seamless".

As for switching to 2.4GHz band, and the slowdowns, I finally did some troubleshooting, and it turns out that the 2.4GHz band issues on both the AirPort and Linksys was because of over saturation of the band in my area.

I split the bands on the Mesh system, and kept most things on the 5Ghz band, but some of my devices will only connect to the 2.4GHz band.

I tried doing the channel finder, but the connection speed on 2.4GHz was still erratic. I talked to Linksys tech support and the higher tier tech support for many hours, trying things, testing, but in the end, there was not an improvement.

I ended up returning the Mesh system a few days before the return period ended, thinking I would try something else.

I went back to using my AirPort Extreme, but this time put almost everything on the 5GHz band, and I was surprised that the transfer speeds were actually much better on the aging AirPort than the new, updated tech Mesh system.

I then decided to get another AirPort Extreme for a fraction of the price of the Linksys Velop, and hardwire it into the network. I moved it close to my parking spot, and everything has been fine.

The 2.4GHz band still sucks, but the performance was actually better on the AirPort than the new Linksys.

I am unsure of what you will make of my story, but I guess what I am trying to say is that just because it is new, has great reviews, and expensive, doesn't mean it will be as good as your current setup.

 

[MauroDiaz]

I would check the cables, and all of them.

If there is a damaged pair inside the cable, the link speed could drop to 100Mbps.

Also, many ethernet cables that come with devices that do not need a Gigabit connector such as printers, VoIP, etc., might only have two wire pairs inside, and this will drop the link speed to 100Mbps.

Extremely useful response, thanks for taking the time. What I have are straight connection from time capsule to both airport extreme's. Both are from the same cat5e cable (far less than 330ft - thanks for that info) on dedicated ducts. Interestingly, the first attempt to connect the cable to the ethernet plug did not work, and after trying again, I had connectivity; however, your comment about a pair being potentially damaged or poorly connected makes perfect sense. At least I have something to try and fix.

Lastly and interestingly, I also had mixed results when using newer mesh system despite the extensive features, hence why sticking to the straight forward apple units.

Thanks again for the reply

Mauro

 

[Juicy Box]

Ethernet Cable Buying Guide: How to Choose the Right Ethernet Cable Category | FS Community

Nowadays, common types of Ethernet cables include Cat5, Cat5e, Cat6, Cat6a, Cat7, and Cat8. It is necessary to purchase the right cable for the intended application. This article will introduce the different categories of Ethernet cables, compare their features and provide guidance on selecting...

community.fs.com

I think you need to pull at least 5E, but just go ahead and do cat 6 and see if it resolves the issue.

CAT5e is perfectly fine for 1000Mbps, and it can actually even do 10,000Mbps as well on short runs.

I guess it is possible, but the chances of the OP using anything prior to CAT5e are probably pretty low, as CAT5 hasn't really been used for a long time, and the cable would have to be over 20 years old.

I would bet that a cable is damaged or that it is one of CAT5e cables that are missing two wire pairs that I mentioned in my last post.

 

[Juicy Box]

Is CAT5 really limited to 100Mb/s? If so, I'll pull CAT6 and we can resolve this.

I am assuming you meant CAT5e, as CAT5 hasn't been around in a few decades.

As I mentioned in the last post, CAT5e is rated at 1000Mbps @ about 330 feet, but it can actually go much higher, even 10,000Mbps link speed (maybe higher than that) at short runs.

If you CAT5e cable is good, then getting CAT6 probably will not improve anything, so I wouldn't invest the money. But, if you have a damaged cable, and you were going out to purchase something new anyways, a CAT6e or CAT7 cable would probably be worth the extra cost for future proofing.

 

[Juicy Box]

Interestingly, the first attempt to connect the cable to the ethernet plug did not work, and after trying again, I had connectivity; however, your comment about a pair being potentially damaged or poorly connected makes perfect sense. At least I have something to try and fix.

A damaged cable or maybe a damaged port on the AirPort might be the issue. I would try a different cable and see if that makes a difference.

Kinks in the cable can also cause link speed to drop, so try not to let the cable kink, as the damage is usually permanent to the cable.

Lastly and interestingly, I also had mixed results when using newer mesh system despite the extensive features, hence why sticking to the straight forward apple units.

Yeah, I wasn't impressed by the Mesh system I got.

I don't know if it is because Mesh systems get so much hype, or maybe the 6th gen AirPort Extreme is so good, but I was expecting night and day experience and not only did things not improve, but my networking experience got worse with a Mesh system.

I got a few replies before saying that I should have tried a different Mesh system, but the one I tried, the Linksys Velop Tri-band is really expensive and had near perfect reviews from 1000s of reviewers, so I don't think my experience would have been too much different with another brand/model.

I think maybe the AirPorts are just really good performing devices.

 

[kppolich]

I am assuming you meant CAT5e, as CAT5 hasn't been around in a few decades.

As I mentioned in the last post, CAT5e is rated at 1000Mbps @ about 330 feet, but it can actually go much higher, even 10,000Mbps link speed (maybe higher than that) at short runs.

If you CAT5e cable is good, then getting CAT6 probably will not improve anything, so I wouldn't invest the money. But, if you have a damaged cable, and you were going out to purchase something new anyways, a CAT6e or CAT7 cable would probably be worth the extra cost for future proofing.

Its an older house and the previous owners used the CAT5 cable to run an older intercom in the garage to the house. 99% sure its CAT5 but will try shortening the cable a bit and putting new ends on to see if that helps.

 

[kppolich]

Apple's "Airport" products were fine in their day, but "their day" is past.

If you want faster, it's time to look for replacements.
"Mesh" type systems seem to be the way to go now...

We only have 250mb/s at home so no need for more than the existing network and no need for mesh with multiple wired access points in the house. It's an old house so I assume the mesh system would have the same issues going through multiple layers of brick walls.

 

[Juicy Box]

Its an older house and the previous owners used the CAT5 cable to run an older intercom in the garage to the house. 99% sure its CAT5 but will try shortening the cable a bit and putting new ends on to see if that helps.

That makes sense.

New RJ45 connectors might just do the trick as they could oxidize or corrode over time. Also check for kinks and tight bends. Check out any patch cables being used as well. Even if they are new, patch cables could be the two-pair type which will automatically drop the link speed to 100Mbps.

How long is the run?

While it is only rated at 100Mbps, CAT5 will still link 1000Mbps in short runs. IIRC, CAT5 and CAT5e is almost identical in spec, but CAT5e has either better shielding or tighter winding to reduce interference, and allowing it to link 1000Mbps to at least 330 feet.