Nest Net Update ~ WiFi, Xfinity, And Cat5e 13Aug26

This is really an UPDATE to lame network performance musings HERE... While I was getting almost 1Gbps patched directly into the router, my WiFi experience in some parts of the Nest was not consistent. It seems time-of-day and day-of-week dependent. We know both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands are crowded, which slows down WiFi when the bands are "congested." Still, I don't know yet if it's that or Xfinity itself is congested and slowing, or even throttling me... they do have this problem and this capability. I do not use their gear and they do not control my WiFi, as they do some. I need to find a free scheme to regularly test on the wired and wireless sides to see who is slowing whom. That's not say I'm not much faster, I am. Just inconsistent on WiFi. Remote areas of the Nest now get >300Mbps and decent pings on 5GHz band and the macStudio is strong on WiFi 5GHz but varies with time ~ here's 6pm, 8pm, and 11pm. I plan to do even better.

Cat5e Wired Ethernet Build @ The Nest... So my first move was to terminate the existing Cat 6 cabling with Cat5e/RJ45 jacks and plugs to at least get wired Ethernet into the Nest study and to my macStudio. I don't know why it wasn't done prior here but at least the low voltage wiring was in place. It was painful and laborious to terminate some of the rooms' runs in jacks and add plugs to the like lines in the storage/wiring closet (if one can even call it a wiring closet). I'm gonna need to clean all that up someday but right now I want function. I have rug burns on knees and elbows, and sore hands, but it was worth it.

Network Termination Tools... I asked Kala to assemble the gear & tools and plugs & jacks into a kit that Bob could tote up aboard the BMW adventure bike (as he was inbound for Sierra Ferrell). I needed an impact punch down tool, a ratcheting plug clamper, a bunch of Cat5e jacks & plugs, and a network tester.

Terminations & Test... Since I was a once a product guy at FNET, I was thankfully presented a prototype of the NetTool, which I still use. I really only was using the wiremap function today... I placed a special dongle in the jacks I punched down, went to the "wiring closet" and inserted my new plug termination into the NetTool and it tested the wires for continuity and arrangement. Sometimes I got it right, many times I did not and had to redo (see the handful of spent RJ45 plugs).

Ethernet In The Study... This is the part where we say "it was worth it." I celebrated completion with Vail's Blur.

Blog updates are so much faster now. I just wished it'd help me hike faster and jump further.

Update 16Aug26 ~ Bump WiFi & 2.5Gb Switch... I took a look at WiFi results mid-day in remote areas of the Nest. I didn't isolate WiFi but I did do measurements and changes at the same time. I sense there's a mix of my router's hardware performance, WiFi congestion, and Xfinity variability at play and I want to sort it out. Positioned remote from the WiFi access point (AP) I ran a test with mediocre results.

I did a little WiFi dive and noticed everyone in the area is on channel 153 in 5GHz band (pretty sensible right in the middle). Still, I bumped my AP to run in 161 and ran another test with ~2X the bandwidth without loss of latency. Good update.

I also received a future-proofed 2.5Gb 5 port Ethernet switch I ordered and installed in the "wiring closet." This will give me high performance wired switched access in several rooms of the Nest. Of course I tested in the study again from the macStudio... good to the Internet but only to 100Mbps, though latency is improved, as expected. The run from garage wiring closet can't deliver above 100Mbps?! The link from the router to switch auto-negotiates to 1000BaseT (all the router can do) and delivers 1Gbps when I test directly connected to it. I forced the study link to be 2.5Gbps to the switch. But after the study run and it's patch cord (changed out - not an issue) all I get is 100Mbps. I am not splitting hairs here ~ while it is kindof a long run ~60ft, it should work at 1Gb. I guess I have to yet again review punch-downs and terminations. I expect if I ever add a server here in Summit, performance between local clients and that server needs to be 2.5Gbps. Hmmm... right now WiFi is appreciably better.

While there is still work to do I am much better off as to bandwidth but sacrificed latency. Dang it ~ it's the latency man. Though, I will surely return the new NightHawk RS700S WiFi 7 router/AP as it's been discovered to have a backdoor from the NSA. Sheesh.

Update 29Aug26 ~ Better WiFi But Still Blocked On Wired... Kala and I sped to Summit mainly so I could grab some backpacking gear here. The ride was decent on Sat mid-day ~ Kala had the CrusherNet on her macBook the whole way broadband. Summit is cooler and we did some chores Sat PM. We dined fine at Pure on salmon bowls and headed to hear the Turnpike Troubadours at Copper during their Union Peak weekend. It was mobbed and no parking was to be had within 1.5mi of the stage. We rolled around for 15min and then blew it off. Dang. Back at the Nest we prepped for visitors in Sep26 and did some more net testing and installations. I replaced an aging router/AP and the new one is excellent. WiFi 6 for my mac, Kala's iPad, and my iPhone are better that the congested channels, but 5GHz and 2.4GHz serve spots well still. I tested WiFi "reception" around the Nest to strong results. Here are tests from Nest extreme locations... sure it is off hours but the WiFi rips. I've not even dropped in the 2 additional pucks of the mesh yet.

However, equally remarkable but flipped negative, I've not gotten the uplink from "wiring closet" to study to yield more than 100Mbps. The router does 1G fine, the switch in the "wiring closet" spits 1G fine. But upstairs on the long run with Dave's terminations and punch downs, life still sucks. Hmmm...