Slow Ethernet connection on i3812v

[jmcross9972]

Just has u-verse internet and tv installed a few weeks ago.  As I have discovered when trying to reconnect all of my devices via wireless connection, the i38hg access point lacks the coverage and link speed that I had with my wireless n router.  I've read several posts about connecting my wireless g to the access point via hard wire connection.  I've also read that you can connect directly to the ethernet port on the inid unit outside, so that's what I want to do.  Just to run a test to see how it would work, I logged in and enabled the port in the user interface of the 2 wire.  Took my laptop outside and connected a cat 5e cable to the laptop and the inid.  I'm able to get on the net, but after running a speed test, the results aren't very impressive.  I have the 18Mbs package and when I run the test at the inid, I get somewhere around 3 up and 1 down.  If I disconnect the cable from the inid and connect it to one of the ports on the back of the 2 wire and run a speed test, I get somewhere around 10-12 down and 2-3 up.  Am I missing something here?  I don't quite understand the results that I'm getting.  Any ideas or suggestions.  Thanks in advance.