Low speed from my wireless hotspot kit compared to the main 4GEE router

[HiHop]

Hi I am new to mobile broadband - got my 4GEE home router 2 just last week and I have noticed that the download speed I am getting from my wifi extension kit is much slower (2-3) than the speed from my 4GEE router (approx 30).

I am using an alfa R36 plus USB adaptor & antenna kit to create a wifi hotspot in a nearby outbuilding using the signal from the 4GEE router. (this system worked fine for several years with my previous land line broadband - I would get download speeds of around 4-5, main router 5-6).

I don't currently have an external antenna to boost the 4g signal to my 4GEE home router (get 3 bars signal inside) and the download speed of the 4GEE router is still 20-30 at the point where its signal is picked up by my alfa antenna. 

Will fitting an external antenna to my 4GEE router (to improve the 4G signal it receives) help improve the speed I get from my wifi extender??? Anyone else using a similar kit or can recommend an alternative?? (no direct wired access possible).

Thank you!

[mikeliuk]

The most likely issue is the signal between the 4GEE router and the Alfa R36. In the short term you can try to reposition the two devices to see if a better link is achieved.

Longer term and if you run power from your main building to the outbuilding, it's likely a powerline adapter with wifi functionality in the outbuilding will be the best solution (Devolo is a good brand). This is especially the case if the distance is quite far.

For guidance, if you want to allow 4K streaming in your outbuilding, you will want to target 7.7 Mbps as recommended by Disney+, or 25 Mbps (I think this recommendation is on a whole house basis as you can see by the bandwidth usage when you hit 'Info') as recommended by Netflix.

An external antenna on your 4GEE router is unlikely to help as your bottleneck is not into that router but out of that router to your other device. To have the greatest impact on a situation, it is always the bottleneck that should be addressed. Good luck! 😁