Product test

The Swisscom Wi-Fi speed test: is the Internet-Box 3 any good?

25.6.2020

Translation: Eva Francis

How strong is your signal if you only use the router that your provider gives you? I’m putting the Swisscom Internet-Box 3 to the test.

Swisscom's Internet-Box 3 offers bandwidths of up to 10 Gbps and Wi-Fi-6. According to the data sheet, the Wi-Fi that's built into the box reaches up to 4.8 Gbps (5 GHz). How good is the signal in a real flat? Read this speed test to find out.

The Swisscom Internet -Box 3 specs:

Ports: 1 × FC port, 1 × RJ45 WAN, 5 × RJ45 LAN (1 × 2.5 Gigabit, 4 × 1 Gigabit), 2 × USB 3.0 Type-A, 2 × phone connection
5 GHz network standards: IEEE 802.11ax/ac/n/a
2.4 GHz network standards: IEEE 802.11ax/n/b/g
Transmission rate 5 GHz: up to 3.8 Gbps
Transmission rate 2.4 GHz: up to 860 Mbps
Encryptions: WPA3
Modes of operation: router
Dimensions: 21.3 × 3.3 × 23.7 cm
Operation: WLAN on/off button, WPS/DECT pairing button, reset button
Features: firewall, Guest WLAN, parental control, DynDNS, VPN Server, DLNA Media Server and more

Apartment floor plan and router location

My apartment is a maisonette with about 140 m². It has 5.5 rooms and several Wi-Fi obstacles. There's underfloor heating and the ceiling between the two floors seems to be made of reinforced concrete. I'm not sure about this, but whenever I try to drill a hole into the ceiling, I hit metal after about 5 millimetres. My Bosch Truvo agrees – the metal detector beeps across the entire ceiling. There's something more than a steel support system in the way. I place the Swisscom-Box on the second floor. This is where my most central cable connection is and where I'll place any routers that I'll test in the future.

The second attic floor. Router location: Wi-Fi icon in green.

Getting set up

The Box can be set up via a smartphone app or via the web interface by entering the IP address 192.168.1.1 in a browser. But this only works properly with a Swisscom subscription and a running Internet connection. My internet provider is UPC. Therefore, my box has already been preconfigured by Swisscom, who have provided me with the test device. All I need to do is plug it in.

If you wanted to connect additional devices to the Internet-Box 3, you can, as it features five RJ45 ports. One offers 2.5 Gbps and all others 1 Gbps. There's also a USB 3.0 Type-A port for an external hard disk or SSD.

Speed, ping and signal strength per room

As I did when I tested the UPC Connect Box with Wi-Fi 5, I use the same AX-capable notebook to measure the new WLAN. I measure the new installation with a Wi-Fi-6-capable notebook and the «LAN Speed Test» app. I upload a 1 GB file to my NAS, which is located in the living room, three times in total. Then I determined the latency of the DOS console by pinging my NAS. For the signal strength, which is specified in decibel milliwatts (dBm), I used the «NetSpot» software. The heat maps further down were also provided by NetSpot.

Results

The Internet-Box 3 performs as follows:

Location	5 GHz frequency band Speed / Ping / Signal strength	2.4 GHz frequency band Speed / Ping / Signal strength
Entrance hall	458,23 Mbps / 2 ms / -64 dBm	135,46 Mbps / 3 ms / -64 dBm
Living room	155,35 Mbps / 4 ms / -78 dBm	48,98 Mbps / 5 ms / -77 dBm
Dining room	127,94 Mbps / 5 ms / -83 dBm	54,61 Mbps / 5 ms / -75 dBm
Kitchen	240,57 Mbps / 3 ms / -75 dBm	128,03 Mbps / 3 ms / -65 dBm
Balcony	0 Mbps / kein Ping / -92 dBm	16,52 Mbps / 12 ms / -85 dBm
Room 1	357,59 Mbps / 3 ms / -71 dBm	106,37 Mbps / 4 ms / -65 dBm
Bathroom	382,80 Mbps / 3 ms / -71 dBm	108,42 Mbps / 3 ms / -71 dBm
Corridor	718,72 Mbps / 2 ms / -47 dBm	150,74 Mbps / 2 ms / -54 dBm
Room 2	446,76 Mbps / 3 ms / -64 dBm	88,33 Mbps / 4 ms / -70 dBm
Room 3	795,61 Mbps / 2 ms / -38 dBm	176,88 Mbps / 2 ms / -45 dBm
Room 4	475,07 Mbps / 3 ms / -60 dBm	86,32 Mbps / 4 ms / -64 dBm
Shower/WC	628,98 Mbps / 2 ms / -54 dBm	103,29 Mbps / 3 ms / -60 dBm
Ø	*398,97 Mbps / 3 ms / -66 dBm**	100,33 Mbps / 4 ms / -66 dBm

* Average value of rooms that have a signal. The balcony is excluded.

In the 5 GHz frequency band, Internet Box 3 provides an average of 613 Mbps on the entire upper floor. As expected, the signal strength drops considerably on the lower floor, but the box still delivers at least 127 Mbps to all rooms except the balcony. I only have reception on the right side of the balcony and the signal strength is 21.62 Mbps (not displayed in the table). Across the entire apartment, the box boasts a low latency of 3 ms on average and a respectable 398.97 Mbps.

The 2.4 GHz frequency band provides signal where the 5 GHz band failed. I even have reception on the entire balcony, even if it only works at 16.52 Mbps. This is enough stream Netflix at least once in 1080p resolution beside surfing. Online gaming, on the other hand, is a bad idea, as the balcony has an average ping of 12 ms. On average, it offers 100.33 Mbps at a ping of 4 ms.

5 GHz signal level heat map

The heat maps don't only show where the Wi-Fi fails, they also indicate where it might be a good idea to install additional hardware for a mesh Wi-Fi. The best conditions are found in the entrance area. As a reminder, the lower the measured dBm value, the worse the signal strength and the bluer the colour.

5 GHz signal level on the first attic floor.

5 GHz signal level on the second attic floor.

2.4 GHz signal level heat map

The higher range of the 2.4 GHz frequency band helps, even if only marginally, to provide the balcony with Internet access.

2.4 GHz signal level on the first attic floor.

2.4 GHz signal level on the second attic floor.

Comparing with the competition

As this is only the second Wi-Fi speed test in my new apartment, I can only compare the results with one other scenario. And as the UPC Connect Box offers AC-Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi 5) and the Swisscom Internet Box 3 AX-Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi 6), this comparison should be treated with caution. The Internet Box-3 isn't the counterpart of the Connect Box. This would probably be the Internet Box 2.

The 5 GHz comparison:

Location	Swisscom Internet-Box 3 (Wi-Fi 6)	UPC Connect Box (Wi-Fi 5)
Entrance hall	121,36 Mbps / 4 ms / -73 dBm	64,87 Mbps / 6 ms / -66 dBm
Living room	31,71 Mbps / 12 ms / -76 dBm	52,30 Mbps / 7 ms / -69 dBm
Dining room	0 Mbps / no Ping / -82 dBm	31,81 Mbps / 8 ms / -74 dBm
Kitchen	0 Mbps / no Ping / -81 dBm	28,43 Mbps / 8 ms / -76 dBm
Balcony	0 Mbps / no Ping / -83 dBm	16,71 Mbps / 11 ms / -80 dBm
Room 1	23,49 Mbps / 14 ms / -78 dBm	46,17 Mbps / 7 ms / -69 dBm
Bathroom	85,84 Mbps / 5 ms / -75 dBm	63,25 Mbps / 6 ms / -65 dBm
Corridor	456,66 Mbps / 5 ms / -55 dBm	87,12 Mbps / 5 ms / -57 dBm
Room 2	384,16 Mbps / 5 ms / -63 dBm	72,68 Mbps / 7 ms / -60 dBm
Room 3	492,58 Mbps / 3 ms / -46 dBm	93,54 Mbps / 4 ms / -41 dBm
Room 4	432,33 Mbps / 4 ms / -55 dBm	91,09 Mbps / 6 ms / -55 dBm
Shower/WC	382,73 Mbps / 4 ms / -57 dBm	89,96 Mbps / 6 ms / -55 dBm
Ø	*200,91 Mbps / 6 ms / -69 dBm**	61,49 Mbps / 7 ms / -64 dBm

* Average value of rooms that have a signal.

The 2.4 GHz comparison:

Conclusion: Swisscom's Wi-Fi 6 is decent

The Swisscom Internet-Box 3 takes first place – for now. Compared to the competitors' previous-generation products, the latest Swisscom device allows me to surf at twice the speed in my home. It provides almost 400 Mbps. The only place that’s not covered is my balcony with an average of only 16.52 Mbps.

The Internet-Box 3 offers almost the same signal strength as the UPC Box that I previously tested. Does Wi-Fi 6 make the more recent Swisscom Box perform so much better? I don't think so. In my previous home, I've tested Wi-Fi 5 products that performed better than Wi-Fi 6 products.

My only complaint about the hardware and its WLAN performance is that it's not designed to function as a pure modem. If you want to use your own router in combination with this box, you'll need a bridge mode and a workaround using DMZ. This may not be important for most users, but it would still be nice if future products had this feature.

The second Wi-Fi speed test in my new apartment reveals the roadmap for the coming months. I've now tested both AC and AX Wi-Fi. Next, I'm going to test the potential of a Mesh-Wi-Fi. After that, our shop products will follow. I can't wait to see how they'll perform. I'm also excited to find out if UPC will provide me with their latest Internet Box, so I can stage a battle: «UPC vs. Swisscom».

197 people like this article

Martin Jud

Senior Editor

martin.jud@digitecgalaxus.ch

I find my muse in everything. When I don’t, I draw inspiration from daydreaming. After all, if you dream, you don’t sleep through life.

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The Swisscom Wi-Fi speed test: is the Internet-Box 3 any good?

Apartment floor plan and router location

Getting set up

Speed, ping and signal strength per room

Results

5 GHz signal level heat map

2.4 GHz signal level heat map

Comparing with the competition

Conclusion: Swisscom's Wi-Fi 6 is decent

These articles might also interest you

Swisscom Mesh Wi-Fi speed test: is the WLAN Box 2 any good?

Wi-Fi tested: Asus ZenWIFI BQ16 in a double pack

The UPC Wi-Fi speed test: is the Connect Box any good?

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