Comcast XFINITY → SBG6580 Ethernet fast, wireless slow

ISP is Comcast; I setup SBG6580 and using Speedtest.net I get a ping time of 10ms on ethernet-connected desktop, with download approx 9mbps and upload about 3.5mbps. However, using the wireless output, and testing also with Speedtest.net on an iPhone 3G placed 1 foot from the gateway, I get a ping time of about 275ms, and download of 2.19mbps and upload of only 1.9mbps. Motorola support was not very helpful at all, suggesting I try different control channel settings (results above are best I could get, and that is on channel 11); IP flood control and firewall are both off. It seems as if I should be able to get faster wireless throughput...can anyone help?

Why did the the Moderator move this from "Hardware" to "Comcast". Did it ever occur to him that the OP has a Hardware issue not a Comcast Issue. Im just saying!!!

I am on TimeWarner and I am having the same issues with my SBG6580. My Wired connection is super FAST, but my wireless connection is Super Slow, sluggish and it drops all the time.THIS IS NOT A ISP issue but seems to be an Issue with the Motorola SBG 6580.

Steps that I have Taken:

1.) Called my ISP had them update my MacAddress.
2.) Disabled Firewall.
3.) Disabled IP Flood Detection.

The I was getting 40+bps for a day or so after that the wireless just slowed to a crawl. My wired connection still gets blazing speeds but the wireless.

Has anyone found a firmware update?

Thanks

firmware is cable company provided

you only need to turn off IP Flood Detection, you can leave your firewall on

Any update from OP guy?

Also, he wrote:
"I was getting 40+bps for a day or so after that the wireless just slowed to a crawl"

How can one measure that? That is, what are the tools to check wireless connection speed (not connection quality of Low, Excellent, but speed)?

When I use say this site's speed tools it does not let me know what speed I see - Internet speed provided by ISP or a wireless connection speed (between wireless router and my laptop)

You can check your speeds with these two sites »speedtest.comcast.net/ and »www.speedtest.net/index.php . And check your connection quality here »pingtest.net/

Thanks.So if I get it correctly, when I am on my laptop and use wireless connection, I can not figure out/distinguish (using any of the links you provided) what are the numbers for my wireless connection (between router and laptop) and what are the numbers for ISP Internet connection, right?

I mean when pingtest.net tells me that connection is poor - is it ISP Internet connection quality or wireless connection quality? No way to tell?

I need to compare wireless case vs direct network cable connection case, right?

Under connection status,you will be able to see maximum link speed, but not actual speed.

This is pretty much why everyone hates "gateway" devices. Put it in bridge mode and buy a router.

So no news for OP? I have same problem - just installed this Gateway for Comcast 12Mb/s:

Ethernet connection works with promised speed (and 10ms ping) but Wireless - 1/3 speed - 4Mb/s or sometimes 1.5 - and 30ms ping

Crud, I just bought the modem/router, but I never measured wireless speeds or any speeds yet since I have not provisioned it yet.
Hope I don't have this problem.

If you are anything more than a casual email checker / facebook farmville'r, you will come to hate the device.

No, I bought it because now I often has to work from home and it's heavy - connect to our servers, etc. For this reason I have just signed for Comcast Internet..

I bought the device because I did not want to have two devices (each with its own several cords!) next to my TV - my wife would hate it

Previously - for years - I had AT&T DSL - with the same kind of setup (i.e. one box) - instead of DSL modem and a separate wireless device I had "wi-fi router/DSL modem" box

So, beachintech, what you are saying is that one must have 2 separate devices (cable modem + wireless router), right?
Or it's just this Motorola "combo" is bad while there are good ones on the market?

I am still within my "30 days after buying" period, so I can return this to Amazon - if I'd know that there are - really - good "combos" out there...

I have yet to find a combo device I like / didn't end up causing problems for a user - and I worked for comcast for a few years and worked with them daily.

I would get a modem and router (2 devices). Put the modem behind the tv where no one can see it, and put the router in view. Only 2 cables going to it, one ethernet and one power cable. Same as what you have now with a coax cable and power cord.

Problem solved.

no such thing as good combo device....in any field......more heat, more solder, more cheap points of failure....ie, tv/vcr combos.....

Thanks. Could you please recommend a model for each? I have 12Mbps account with Comcast so I guess a modem has to be DOCSIS 3.0.

Modem does not have to be DOCSIS 3, but I would reccomend getting one anyway. I would not reccomend a Moto 6120, but either the Cisco D3 modem or the Zoom D3 modem (model numbers escape me currently)..

For a router - anything Cisco (Linksys) or Netgear would not be a bad choice. I liked my old Netgear WNDR3700. Look for something wireless N

Thank you for useful advice!

By the way, I just found out that wireless is "low" when I go to another room via hallway in my house (30-35 ft and walls) - does Netgear usually handles "another room" case?

I was just testing it out, it's still walledgarden as I did not subscribe it yet, but this is not promising: (This is sbg6580 wireless)

2 feet away:

Reply from 10.10.10.1: bytes=32 time=4ms TTL=64
Reply from 10.10.10.1: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=64
Reply from 10.10.10.1: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=64
Reply from 10.10.10.1: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=64
Reply from 10.10.10.1: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=64
Reply from 10.10.10.1: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=64
Reply from 10.10.10.1: bytes=32 time=4ms TTL=64
Reply from 10.10.10.1: bytes=32 time=4ms TTL=64
Reply from 10.10.10.1: bytes=32 time=2ms TTL=64
Reply from 10.10.10.1: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=64
Reply from 10.10.10.1: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=64
Reply from 10.10.10.1: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=64
Reply from 10.10.10.1: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=64
Reply from 10.10.10.1: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=64
Reply from 10.10.10.1: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=64
Reply from 10.10.10.1: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=64
Reply from 10.10.10.1: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=64
Reply from 10.10.10.1: bytes=32 time=2ms TTL=64
Reply from 10.10.10.1: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=64
Reply from 10.10.10.1: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=64
 

But then on a 5 year old wap54g in a differnet room:

Reply from 192.168.1.245: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.245: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.245: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.245: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.245: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.245: bytes=32 time=2ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.245: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.245: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.245: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.245: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.245: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.245: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
 

This isn't promising...

Just about every router will handle covering most of your home just fine.

To respond to myself in the other post, I think I am just going to return the sbg6580 for a dir-655 + zoom 5341(I already have a zoom and router here, but this is for other place)

I wanted the sbg6580 a lot because it supports 8 downstream channel bonds, but I don't have the dosh to waste on this + router. 3 ms of extra latency is nut acceptable to me.

EDIT: Done, I returned the sbg6580 ;'( so much potential

Thanks

So decided to try 2 separate devices and today installed cable modem Ubee U10Co35.32 DOCSIS 3.0 -
nope, it's bad - please advice:

with Motorola Gateway I complained in this thread about wi-fi while for direct Ethernet cable connection it worked just fine - showing speed of 12 Mbps (for which I paying to Comcast) or often even more say 15 Mbps.

With the modem I picked up in Comcast store it's first, intermitten and second, much lower, that is during an hour:

- 10Mbps
- 8
- 3.5
- 7
- 12.5
- 4.5
- then 7 again

Most of the time - 7-8 Mbps

Spoke with Comcast Support 3 times today - they re-set it from their end 2 times and suggested me to diconnect power and other cables and then connect again (did it 2 times today) -
results the same as above

As I still have my Motorola (did not ship it yet back to Amazon) I decided to see what happens if I connect Motorola Gateway with Ethernet cable (hoping that Comcast has this device registered and thus it will recognize it)

With Motorola Gateway direct connection (same coax and Ethernet cables - just diconnected them from Ubee modem) the results are the same as all last week:

- most of the time - 12.5 and much more rare a fluctuation such as say
- 12.5
- 12.0
- 9.5
- then 12.0 again

That is, close values and all close to 12!

*********

Is it a known issue for Ubee modems?

So should I bring this Ubee modem back to Comcast and ask for another model? Which one should I ask for? Or it's just my luck and that specific device was bad while generally Ubee modems are good?

I could avoid getting my $129 back from Amazon and use Motorola Gateway as modem only - as some one suggested earlier in this thread (as Comcast shipped Netgear N-1000 wi-fi router to me - to work with Ubee modem and I've already received it) but it's kind of too expensive to have just cable modem for $129

Also, if I return Ubee back and thus stop monthly service fee of $7 they probably will ask me to bring back Netgear wi-fi router, too, so I would need to buy my own and thus add more $$ to those $129

Tried to use Motorola Gateway as cable modem only and use Netgear N-1000 wi-fi router -
only to find out that wireless is ALSO shows "Low" in another room!
Same thing as with wi-fi provided by "combo" Gaterway

Netgear - as far as I have read - has usually good "house coverage", so it could be my house walls (paper SFBA walls) are too tough for wi-fi routers