Wifi : link speed stuck at 72mbps max SGP 621

[samavb]

Hi,

My Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet sgp 621 is running marshmallow 6.0.1. When I connect to Internet using router, link speed is stuck at 72mbps and doesn't go any higher. 

My laptop & phone are able to connect to the same router with a link speed of 150 mbps except my sony tablet.

In the wifi advanced settings that option to change frequency bands is missing to pick 2.4 ghz or 5ghz or auto.

this option below is missing, not able to find in the Sony xperia tablet wifi options.

I tried searching for an app that can give me the option to switch the frequencies, check the sony hidden codes using #*#*#7378423#*#* but don't know which option will do the trick. Unfortunately, nothing seems to work. Please help.

Thanks.

Sam

[Rickard]

Hi,

I'm afraid there's no setting in your tablet to manually select which frequency band to use. It's always on auto.

What you can do if supported by your router is to set up another SSID for 5GHz only on the router and then connect to this SSID from your tablet.

[samavb]

Hi Rickard,

Thank you so much for the reply. Atleast I know it is on auto now. But if it is in auto mode then why it is not going beyond 72mbps? My other devices on the same network are comfortably setting the link speed to 150 mbps and there by getting the 65 mbps speed that I pay for. On sony tablet however I am getting only 48mbps because of this 72mbps link speed limit. I didnt notice this on Android lollipop 5.1.1 or 5.0.2. Only when I upgraded to marshmallow I noticed it. Since  you said it is said to auto, it is supposed to go beyond 72mbps right?

In another post by another user, he has same Sony SGP621 and he is getting speeds above 144 mbps comfortably. I am not sure if he is using Marshmallow or Lollipop. But the fact that he is able to achieve more than 72mbps is making me wonder how.

Do you think this is because of router? I ordered two routers from amazon and they will arrive on wednesday and then I will have chance to test your solution.

Thanks,

Sam

[Rickard · Accepted solution]

As you get a link speed of 72mbps, it sounds like your router is running 20MHz channel width (which is normal if there are also other WiFi networks in range) and your SGP621 is getting one spatial stream from the router. That gives a link speed of 72mbps on 802.11n standard. Your other devices are probably getting 2 streams (2x72mpbs) or they are connected to 5GHz which probably is on 40MHz channel width which would also give double link speed.

As to why your SGP621 only connects on 2.4GHz or only get one spatial stream i really can't say but test with another router is a good idea or set up a separate SSID for 5GHz to make sure it gets a 5GHz connection.

Depending on your router and the channel width you can use where you're located, SGP621 supports up to 867mbps (using 802.11ac).

[samavb]

Hi Rickard,

Thank you so much for the detailed explanation. Is there any way to check which mode it is on? you said it is in auto mode so can I check in anyway ? by dialing some codes or any other way?

My old router is hotoo travel router which supports 802.11n. It has only one option where it says 20Mhz or 40Mhz. If I put it off then max I see on my sony device is 72mbps. If I put it on then it goes below 72mbps link speed. It is around 52mbps link speed.

 In order to get more than 72 mbps on my sony device, is it sufficient for the router to be 802.11n or it has to support the 5GHZ and dual antenna to get more than 72mbps? the reason I am asking this because I do not know if the two routers that I ordered from amazon support the 5ghz but they are definitely 802.11n and one of them has 5dbi triple antenna.

Thanks,

Sam

[Rickard]

What you can do is go to Settings -> About tablet and here tap the build number 7 times. Then go to Settings -> Developer options and enable "Enable Wi-Fi Verbose Logging". Now go to Settings -> Wi-Fi and look at your network, you should see additional information under the network name. If f=24xx you're on 2.4 and if f=5xxx you're on 5Ghz.

To the best of my knowledge, even if you select 40Mhz channel width, most routers will still use 20MHz if there are other wireless networks in range. The difference you saw might just be coverage related.

Using 802.11n, you can get a link speed of up to 300mpbs but in most cases, you will probably only get 150 as other nearby networks prevents you from using 40MHz channel width. One benefit of using 5GHz is that this spectrum is usually less crowded which means you can have a wider channel width here.

I also forgot to mention, make sure to check the link speed while you're downloading/uploading data with your SGP621 to make sure it's not some sort of power save that makes the link speed go down when it's not in use.

[samavb]

Hi Rickard,

Thank you so much for wonderful explanation. I received my two different routers from amazon.com. Both of them are unfortunately 2.4GHz routers but n standard with max speed of 300mbps.

Please find the two screenshots of my settings from one of my routers that has 3 antennas

as you can see from above pic, I set the router to 40MHz. The other option was 20MHz. And channel 6 was slightly less crowded than other channels in my area based on the wifi analyzer results.

Here can you tell me about 20Mhz/40 Mhz coexistence? I found mixed reviews for this option. Some are saying it should be enabled while others said it should be disabled. Can you give me your expert opinion?

Right now my laptop is connecting at a speed of 270 to 300 mbps link speed while my Sony tab is connecting at 144mbps.

My initial target has been achieved. I wanted my Sony tab to connect at a link speed more than 72mbps and now it does and speed test result shows 65mbps that I am paying for but after looking at my laptop connecting at 270 to 300mbps I want to ask you. Is my sony tab not connecting at 300 mbps because of 2.4GHz? Will my sony tab connect at 270mbps to 300mbps only with 5GHz?

Kindly clarify.

Thanks,

Sam

[Rickard]

I don't have that setting in my access point but as i understand it, turning it off will force the use of 40MHz channel width. If there are other networks in range, i would keep it enabled.

The only reason i can see for your PC getting a higher link speed is that it supports more streams.

While i can't say for sure as it depends on several factors, you would probably get a higher link speed with a dual band router. For highest possible speed, you should get a 802.11ac access point/router.

[samavb]

Hi Ricard,

Thank you so much for patiently answering my queries.

I am leaving that option enabled for now.

Regarding my initial query. I really wish there was an option to select between 2.4GHz & 5GHz on SGP621. I hope I can get that option back atleast in Android N.

Performance of my sony tablet has been outstanding. It was an excellent purchase. Not just Sony tablet but my 32" Sony TV which is nearly 7 years old has been working without any hardware issues and performance has been consistently good.

As a satisfied customer I would like to request you to kindly let your mobile division know that they have done a fantastic job with Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact and many more satisfied customers like me would love to see upgraded version of this tablet in near future with even better specs. I was so eager to see if there was a Sony Xperia Z4 tablet compact available unfortunately that was not the case and I was so disappointed. After using Sony products for many years, I now have lot of trust and confidence in Sony products. I hope Sony releases many more tablets like these in near future with much better specifications at competitive price.

Thank you so much.

Sam

[Rickard]

I'm very glad to hear that and i've forwarded your feedback and suggestion internally