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Will I Need a New Router to upgrade to 500Mbps Internet Speed

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Will I Need a New Router to upgrade to 500Mbps Internet Speed

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Will I Need a New Router to upgrade to 500Mbps Internet Speed
Will I Need a New Router to upgrade to 500Mbps Internet Speed
2022-05-30 19:19:31 - last edited 2022-05-31 15:37:19

Hi

I've just joined this forum hoping to find out something I've been unable to find on the wider internet - but let me explain.

A few days ago we received a letter from BT to say that our area could now get full fibre and having had a look at the BT website it looks like we are paying through the nose for standard broadband (fibre to cabinet) plus Halo1 (whatever that may be). However, it looks like we can get 500Mbps for less than we're paying just at the moment for around 36Mbps. Now we have a TP-Link Archer A7 AC1750 router and whilst it has done us proud I do wonder if it is man enough to accept possible speeds of up to 500Mbps from the internet.

Nowhere have I been able to find out what speed INPUT it will accept. Yes, outputs are a theoretical 450Mbps at 2.4GHz and 1300Mbps at 5GHz but what speed input will it accept. If we were to go to a 500Mbps internet speed I suspect we'd have to get a faster router.

Can anyone confirm this please or otherwise put me right and if I'm right and we'd have to change our router, which router would folk recommend - TP-Link of course?

At this point I should say that there are only two of us here and we're both well retired. Currently we only connect a few items via the internet - our PCs of course (three off), two mobiles, a Sky Q box and a Kindle - and thats about it. We don't watch films so have no need of things like Netflix so our needs are fairly basic.

Any help would be most appreciated and if you have any questions then please ask and I'll do my best to help. Thanks.

Tracey

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Re:Will I Need a New Router to upgrade to 500Mbps Internet Speed-Solution
2022-05-30 20:17:45 - last edited 2022-05-31 15:37:19

  @TraceyW 

 

TraceyW wrote

Now we have a TP-Link Archer A7 AC1750 router and whilst it has done us proud I do wonder if it is man enough to accept possible speeds of up to 500Mbps from the internet.

Nowhere have I been able to find out what speed INPUT it will accept.

 

Check here, "https://www.tp-link.com/us/home-networking/wifi-router/archer-a7/" and you'll see this:

 

===========

WiFi Speeds AC1750
5 GHz: 1300 Mbps (802.11ac)
2.4 GHz: 450 Mbps (802.11n)

============

 

The real question WHAT can your devices handle?

 

The N Speed devices normally would get you near 300Mbps, but some are capable of the 450Mbps.

 

AC speed devices will handle the 500Mbps just fine.

 

So look and see what you devices are capable of, the router seems OK.

 

Also, you might need to upgrade some Ethernet Cables to make sure they are 1GB speed capable (CAT 5e or CAT 6) as older ones are only 100Mbps capable.

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Re:Will I Need a New Router to upgrade to 500Mbps Internet Speed-Solution
2022-05-30 20:17:45 - last edited 2022-05-31 15:37:19

  @TraceyW 

 

TraceyW wrote

Now we have a TP-Link Archer A7 AC1750 router and whilst it has done us proud I do wonder if it is man enough to accept possible speeds of up to 500Mbps from the internet.

Nowhere have I been able to find out what speed INPUT it will accept.

 

Check here, "https://www.tp-link.com/us/home-networking/wifi-router/archer-a7/" and you'll see this:

 

===========

WiFi Speeds AC1750
5 GHz: 1300 Mbps (802.11ac)
2.4 GHz: 450 Mbps (802.11n)

============

 

The real question WHAT can your devices handle?

 

The N Speed devices normally would get you near 300Mbps, but some are capable of the 450Mbps.

 

AC speed devices will handle the 500Mbps just fine.

 

So look and see what you devices are capable of, the router seems OK.

 

Also, you might need to upgrade some Ethernet Cables to make sure they are 1GB speed capable (CAT 5e or CAT 6) as older ones are only 100Mbps capable.

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Re:Will I Need a New Router to upgrade to 500Mbps Internet Speed
2022-05-30 20:20:13

  @TraceyW 

 

I missed 1/2 your question...

 

Again, the spec's for the router:

 

===========

Ethernet Ports 1× Gigabit WAN Port
4× Gigabit LAN Ports

===========

 

The INPUT or WAN Port can handle 1GB, assuming you've got a cable coming in that can handle 500Mbps.

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Re:Will I Need a New Router to upgrade to 500Mbps Internet Speed
2022-05-31 15:36:58

  @IrvSp 

 

Thanks very much for your response and based on your replies I have now ordered Full Fibre 500 and its due to be installed on 15th June so I'm looking forward to that.

 

We've had a home network now for many years probably since around 2005 or thereabouts or maybe even earlier (I just can't remember) and since WiFi was pretty slow in those days we determined we'd install Ethernet cables. Got up O2's nose a bit though as they recommended using WiFi only. As a result we finished up leaving them and joining BT who at that time were recommending Ethernet. Since then though things have moved on a more than a bit including the cables.

 

When I installed the cables I know they were at least Cat5 but not sure about Cat5e. Certainly though we've never changed them but whatever we're certainly getting the same speeds on WiFi and ethernet so I guess whatever I installed is still up to the job. We've also both got a half decent WiFi card so I'm not overly concerned since we can switch between the two quite easily.

 

Again thanks for your reply. Incidentally I understand that BT engineers seemed to think our router would be up to the job - they're still going to send me a router though even though I've told them I don't want it!

 

Tracey

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Re:Will I Need a New Router to upgrade to 500Mbps Internet Speed
2022-05-31 18:44:53

  @TraceyW 

 

By the way, on the Archer A7 you can tell the cable connection speed.

 

This is where on the A7 F/W Emulator, https://emulator.tp-link.com/webpages_a7v5_20220421/index.html

 

The BASIC page, if you click on the A7 router icon, at the bottom of the page you'll see the cable speeds per port:

 

The above data it shows on the emulator is fake, but if you see on your router 1000Mbps Full Duplex, you are OK. 100Mbps, cables need to be replaced.

 

 

 

 

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Re:Will I Need a New Router to upgrade to 500Mbps Internet Speed
2022-06-01 09:16:18 - last edited 2022-06-01 09:17:00

  @IrvSp 

 

Thanks very much for the info. I wasn't aware you could get such info by clicking the A7 icon. Nevertheless I do now and its much appreciated. Thank you.

 

As to the info it provides - it would seem I'm OK as it says "1000Mbps full duplex" so our cables would appear to be just fine.

 

Again thanks very much.

 

Tracey

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