Fibre+ Gateway (XB6) v Fibre+ Gateway 2.0 (XB7) (2024)

So reverting back (Down grading according to Shaw Support) to an XB6 Gateway has given me back the use of my five 2.4Ghz Broadlink smart plugs which had more or less stopped working with the XB7 Gateway!

As for speeds on a Fibre+ 500 package I get 530 Mbps over CAT5E cable.

5Ghz WIFI with an 802.11ac 2x2 wireless card in my laptop, 8ft from the Gateway I get 454 Mbps; a floor up (where I used to get 330 Mbps on Fibre+300) I get 380-390 Mbps, so quite an improvement over the XB7 Gateway which was only 250 Mbps at best.

So definitely proving that the WIFI6 Gateway is setup for WIFI6 devises & NOT WIFI5 devises. To use the XB7 you need to be using WIFI6 devises or add adapters (as above) or you'll loose range & speed, so a backward step in my honest opinion.

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I recently “upgraded” from the XB6 to an XB7 (1 Gbs) and my wifi performance also seemed to degrade. Even after trying the modem in different spots around the house the wifi range seems to be reduced leaving weak or dead areas. My solution was to add my own wifi mesh routers which now cover the whole house. I did not do any speed tests prior to adding my routers but now achieve 300-400 Mbs over wifi and ~ 950 Mbs over wired.

I understand that the new XB7 actually has fewer internal antennas than the XB6 which may account for the changes in wifi performance.

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daleshort, you're right the XB6 had 10 arials, 2 x 2.4Ghz & 8 x 5Ghz, the XB7 has only 8, 4 of each band!

But it says "The Fibre+ Gateway 2.0 is Shaw's first Gateway to support WiFi 6. With this technology, the Gateway is capable of faster speeds, better range, and more efficient communication between all devices." - I'm not impressed with this backward step!

What speeds do you get 8ft away from the gateway? I'm only getting 263 Mps with only air between, where I used to get 330 Mps through a floor!

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@daleshort--I did not do any speed tests prior to adding my routers but now achieve 300-400 Mbs over wifi and ~ 950 Mbs over wired.

Which WiFi network-adapter do you have in your computer? Does it max-out at that 300-400 Mbps speed?

Have you separated the 2.4 Ghz and the 5 Ghz networks -- assigning different SSIDs to each, and then measured the speed when connecting, one at a time, to each SSID?

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@daleshort....

Using the Shaw Speed Test app, I ran a few tests, using a DLINK AC1300 USB adapter, connected to a USB 3 ("SuperSpeed") socket on my desktop computer (3.3 Ghz quad-core processor).

When connected to my XB7's "5 Ghz" SSID, I got 271.2 Mbps for download, and 101.9 Mbps for upload.

When connected to my XB7's "2.4 Ghz" SSID, I got 96.6 Mbps for download, and 68.3 Mbps for upload. Much slower!

There was only one interior wall between the XB7 and my desktop computer -- drywall & wood-frame construction -- not metal.

I have Shaw's "Fibre+ 500" service, and get over 550 Mbps for downloads over Ethernet.

I do not have a "WiFi 6" wireless adapter to use for testing, but I suspect that it will be much faster.

So, my speeds are in the same ball-park as your observed speed.

@daleshort

My wifi testing has been on an iPhone 13. I’m not familiar with its network specs but would assume it is using reasonably current standards such as wifi 6. The wifi mesh routers I purchased are Linksys MX5500 (qty 3) which support wifi 6 standard. When testing wifi in this configuration I have never achieved speeds faster than the 300-400 range.

I did not split the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands.

Cheers

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mdk, Thanks for your input.

I have split ssid's, HP laptop with Intel dual band wireless AC8260 card with a max speed of 867Mbps (just looked it up).

I've put the XB7 back in the basem*nt where the XB6 was which I got 330Mbps download speeds from.

2.4Ghz = 88 Mbps download, 103 Mbps upload.

5 Ghz = 288 Mbps download, 107 Mbps upload.

This is through a floor (wood) with open stairway.

Ethernet = 530 Mbps download on Fibre+ 500.

So our figures are pretty much the same, these gateways must be biassed towards WIFI 6 to the detriment of older 802.11 ac equipment.

I'm waiting for a XB6 gateway to be delivered & going to change back as we also don't have any WIFI 6 equipment.

Another issue since changing to XB7 gateway is all 5 of my Broadlink smart plugs have started intermittently loosing connection & not working, the Kasa ones seem unaffected. (all use 2.4 ghz)

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> The gateway was in the basem*nt a floor below.

Test with your device(s) NOT directly one floor about the XB7.

I just purchased an ASUS USB WiFi adapter that uses "WiFi 6".

It comes with a USB extension cable that has a "mount" socket at one of the cable. So, the adapter can sit a few feet above the computer.

The device-driver software for the adapter is a partition integrated into the USB adapter. So, the first-time I connected it, my computer detected the partition as my "E:" drive-letter, and I ran the software to install the device-driver. Cool! No more downloading of device-drivers, and no more misplacing/deleting a download.

I connected the USB cable to a "USB 3" ("Super Speed") socket on the computer, and ran the Shaw Speed Test.

I have "Fibre+ 500" service, and the test-results were just as good as Ethernet: 554 Mbps download and 106 Mbps upload, with the computer about 6 feet away from the XB7, but with an interior wall (drywall and wood framing, no metal) between the computer & the XB7.;

So, for me, WiFi 6 is amazing!

@tiger955

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So it looks like you have proved my theory that the XB7 Gateway is just geared up for WIFI 6 to the detriment of older 802.11 ac equipment.

With my laptop 3" from the XB7 I don't quite get 300 Mbps (Fibre+ 500) over 5Ghz WIFI, where with the XB6 through a floor I got 330 Mbps on a Fibre+ 300 account.

So we need Shaw to provide a handful of those USB WIFI 6 adapters with each XB7 Gateway they roll out!!

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