Visitor
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3 Messages
Wifi Speeds are very low
I started with using my own router/modem (Arris G34-RB) and everything was working great and had good wifi speed over 200 mbps. I had issues with one computer that would drop wifi and after much failed troubleshooting decided to switch it out and use the xFi gateway. I set it all up and the internet works but I am only getting about 20 mbps on all devices. I have tried all of the troubleshooting. I rebooted the gateway, I stood next to the gateway, I restarted devices, went through the xfinity support chat. Nothing Helped. I do a speed test and it says i should be getting more that 500mbps but I still only get about 20mbps. What can I do to fix this? Does the gateway need to be replaced?
XfinitySara
Official Employee
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2.3K Messages
21 hours ago
Hello, @user_9091ba, and thank you for creating this post with your speed concerns. I'm sorry to hear about the trouble you've had, and I'd love to see what we can do to help! Before you swap the hardware again, here are a few targeted steps that the standard support chat sometimes misses:
1. Check for "Ghost" Settings
Since you recently moved from your own Arris modem, our system might still be associating your account's MAC address with the old hardware or stuck in a "provisioning" loop.
- The Fix: Log into the Xfinity App, go to WiFi tab > View WiFi equipment, and ensure the new Gateway is the only active device listed. If the old Arris is still showing as "Online" or "Active," it can cause routing conflicts.
2. Disable "Advanced Security" Temporarily
Our Advanced Security (found in the app) can sometimes adjust speeds or misidentify legitimate traffic as a threat, which caps the bandwidth.
- The Fix: Toggle "Advanced Security" OFF in the app settings and run a speed test. If your speeds jump back up, you’ve found the culprit. You can try toggling it back on after a few hours to see if it stabilizes.
3. Verify the Ethernet "Baseline"
We need to rule out a hardware defect in the gateway's radio.
- The Test: Plug a laptop directly into the back of the Gateway using a Cat5e or Cat6 Ethernet cable.
- If you get 500+ Mbps: The gateway's WiFi antennas are likely defective or experiencing massive interference.
- If you still get 20 Mbps: The gateway is likely "misprovisioned" (it thinks you are on a much lower speed tier) or the unit is malfunctioning.
4. Splitting the Bands (2.4GHz vs 5GHz)
Modern Xfinity gateways use "Smart Connect," which merges the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands into one name. Sometimes, the gateway mistakenly shoves all your devices onto the 2.4GHz band, which is much slower (often capping out around—you guessed it—20 to 50 Mbps).
- The Fix: In the Xfinity App, try to rename the 5GHz band specifically (e.g., "HomeWiFi_5G") to force your high-speed devices onto that frequency.
And please let me know if this helps!
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