Wi-Fi Pod Speed Tests

[Aptic]

Up until recently I was getting between 300-600 mbps on my POD and Hub over wifi. (I don't have wired connections) However, I am at best getting around 150-200 mbps on my POD now (no change with the Hub, and there was no change to my set up).  I rebooted everything to see if it would make a difference, but it remains the same.    This has been going on for about a week, and measured at different times throughout the day.

When I run the Bell wifi checkup, it is showing a download speed of 1.8 gbps on the hub, and 1.5 gbps on the POD - with a strong signal to all my devices.  That said, I see no difference in the performance of any of my devices. I also note that the Bell wifi app is showing my devices are getting 2-3x the speed that I see when I run Speedtest or Fast. 

I am curious as to why the POD speed connectivitiy has dropped in half, and why Bell keeps sending me promotions to upgrade my speed, when I can't even come close to getting the speed I pay for now. 

[dks]

Thank you for your comments. It is a common misunderstanding that the pods will give the same speed as measured in the modem speed tests. They do not. That is part of their design. Speeds when devices are connected to the pods are set by the device itself as it connects. The device's modem hardware and software set the initial connection parameters. My iPhone 15 Pro can connect to my Giga Hub and now my Giga Hub 2.0 at better than 1300 Mbps (6E speed) when it is three feet from the Giga Hub. If I move the device to a pod, which is 30 feet and one floor away, that drops to 400 Mbps. This is perfectly normal behaviour. Speed drops in proportion to distance from the source. This is one of the laws of physics and determines how radios  (which is what the Giga Hub and pods are) operate. 

Additionally, the pods manage devices and their connections by an algorithm. This is set in the pod's software and is not user configurable. The algorithm figures out what is best. 

Finally, the pods are not Bell equipment. Like the Giga Hub, they come from a third party. Bell rents the equipment to their customers. Plume is the pod software manufacturer and provider. Sagemcom is the manufacturer of the Giga Hub and the pod hardware. The two companies are in partnership, I believe, but not related. You can find more about their products by visiting their web sites. 

If the pods are not an effective solution for you, there are other mesh network products you may find more useful to meet your neds. 

[Aptic]

It doesn't matter that the Pods are not Bell equipment - Bell rents them to the customer, therefore Bell is responsible.  Moreover, not everyone is able to install a mesh network.  Either Bell can supply wall to wall internet or not.  Thats what we are paying for.  Full stop.

[dks]

Perhaps we will have to disagree, then. Customers are also free to try other solutions if the pods are not working for them. 

[Aptic]

Ontario's Consumer Protection Act (CPA) governs most personal and household transactions between consumers and businesses, providing protections against defective products and unfair practices.  The company you rent from has a direct duty to you as a consumer. They are responsible for ensuring the product is safe and in good working order for its intended use.

So I guess you disagree with the law.  Take care.

[Symple_Syrup]

Aptic is stating that the solution that was provided is broken.  I can prove and have proven that the firmware running on the Giga Hub has broken the signal distribution. My 6E pod  used to connect to the they Giga Hub on the 6 Ghz channel. My furthest POD which is at considerable distance connected on the 5 Ghz channel to the Giga Hub. Now what happens is my devices will connect to the POD at the 6E speed, which doesn't matter because going back to the modem at 5Ghz. Also ALL the 5 Ghz channels are the same channel number creating congestion on the 5 Ghz band!!! This happened when the 2.14 firmware was installed which fixed up the "capping" that was there for better part of a year for the 6E pods. I cannot get the Giga Hub 2.0 in my area yet.

I have now hardwired one pod. Now that is it hardwired I can get good throughput on the 6E devices that connect to it. Interesting also that it also changed its 5 Ghz channel.

 Again, there is something still broken in the Sagemcom to the Plume PODs management.

[dks]

Thanks for your response. I'm not a lawyer, so I can't respond to a legal question. At the same time, Bell's Terms of Service  which we all agree to on installation, say, 

52. Are there any warranties on the Services, equipment or Devices?
To the extent permitted by applicable law, we make no warranties, representations, claims, guarantees or
conditions, express or implied, including fitness for a particular purpose, merchantability, title or non-infringement,
with respect to any Services, Our Equipment, equipment or Devices.

We assume no liability for any claims, damages, losses or expenses arising out of or otherwise relating to the
unavailability of any Service.

[Aptic]

To the extent permitted by applicable law ....  in other words, they can't overide the law.  

have a nice day.

[Vanadiel]

There are a few things you should check for:

- Bell pods come in WiFi 6, or Wifi 6E. I would verify and make sure you have the 6E version.

- Link speed of 2401Mbps indicates  WiFi 6E linkspeed, so that device is connected to 6E, which leads me to believe you have the correct pods. (I would check anyways, you never know maybe something got mixed up with the order).

- Pixel 10 Pro XL supports WiFi7, which is not supported by any Bell pods but is supported natively by the 2.0 Hub. For connections close by the hub 2.0 it makes more sense to use WiFi7 since that is the better option. Further away WiFi6/6E will be the choice because the pods do not support WiFi7.

- The actual upload/download speed you get from a speed test is dependent on many factors. Under real world conditions you will never be able to reach link speed values using WiFi.

You can read more about Protocols here: WiFi Protocols

Real world WiFi speeds: Practical WiFi speeds 

Of importance is the graph showing the relationship between distance and actual speed.

Somehow lost my edit. I forgot to add to check the ethernet connectivity of the pods. I am not sure if they support 2.5 Gbps ethernet. It's possible they support 1 Gbps (gigabit) ethernet, which is somewhat in line with your speed test results.

[dks]

The full specifications for the pods can be found here. It appears that one Ethernet port on the pod will connect at 2.5 Ghz. Details here. The maximum speed of a WiFi 6 pod is 400-450 Mbps.  Raw single-device WiFi speeds of up to 850 Mbps on a WiFi 6 have been seen under ideal lab situations, according to Plume.