1GB Fiber Throughput with RT-AC68u

[serious]

I just got 1GB fiber connected and I'm having some issues with trying to maximize the throughput. I'm using a brand new MacBook Pro with 802.11ac and connecting to the 5Ghz channel from the RT-AC68u running Merlin 376.49_5. I have the Technicolor c2000T modem in transparent bridge mode with the router and the wifi turned off on the modem. The modem and router and linked with a cat6 ethernet cable.

Now, with the same ethernet cable plugged into my Macbook Pro (using Thunderbolt to ethernet dongle), I'm getting 930 Mbs down/up. However, off the 5Ghz channel and sitting right next to the router I only get 530 Mbs down/up, which is expected.

The real problem is that the router is in the living room and my office is about 30 ft away. In the office I only get 80 Mbs down and 40 Mbs up. Seems like a HUGE waste to be getting 1GB fiber and then only practically having 80/40 Mbs available to use. I live in a 1,000 sq. foot 2 bedroom, that is all one level. But it's an old place, with lathe and plaster walls.

Any idea how I can bump up my throughput to my office? Most of the admin settings on the router were left to default. I checked the wifi channels in the area and I picked a channel that wasn't crowded. Just connecting to the 802.11n network on the 2.4Ghz channel directly gives me 60/30 Mbs.

All above speeds in megabits.

The reason I'm making such a big deal out of it, is I bought this router because it claims "1300 Mbps over 5Ghz." I kinda expect then to get something better than 80 Mbs.

 

[L&LD]

Welcome to the world of wireless. Connection speeds do not equal throughput speeds.

Wireless does not only depend on the router and clients, but also on the environment it is used in too. Including physical obstacles and other networks that are near enough in range to interfere with ours.

WiFi right now is not only half duplex - it is essentially one duplex for any devices on the same band and within the interference range of the channel selected. Only one device per channel (including close-by interference channels other than the main / control channel) is allowed to communicate with a router at a time. What effect this has is that any one of our devices are only allowed a small time slice of the available frequency spectrum. The rest of those time slices are spent for other devices on our or other networks with the same / similar channel or for simply polling them and making sure they don't want to communicate with their routers too.

The makeup of the walls and other materials in the home is another way that throughput drops.

Also the claims of 1300 Mbps is missing the required (and present, in the fine print) 'up to' part.


To try to increase the range and throughput of your router's signal;

• Locate the router as close to your most used or most important location(s) that you can.
• Position the router at least 10' off the earth / ground (not just the floor).
• Don't put the router in a cabinet, closet or other enclosure. Leave at least 3' around the antennae.
• Adjust the antennae to where the throughput is at the maximum at the most important location.
• Change and test each and every channel and choose the one with the highest throughput.
  • Don't worry about indicated connection speed, signal strength or other measurements.
    • Throughput and how consistent it is, is all that matters.
• Finally, upgrade to the latest RMerlin firmware.
• Consider the hggomes fork too (with higher output possibilities).
  • After upgrading your firmware, reset to factory defaults and manually and minimally configure your router enough to connect to your ISP and secure it too.

 

[aublumberg]

I don't have any specific recommendations for your case, but just for comparison here are some figures that I see based on a GigE connection, all figures through the AC68U using Merlin 378.51_0 (a bit newer than yours, so perhaps give it a bump and try again):

- wired Mac mini (2014): 927 Mbps down / 765 Mbps up
- wireless Mac mini (2014): 320 Mbps down / 480 Mbps up
- wireless iPhone 6: 203 Mbps down / 246 Mbps up

Of course you won't get anywhere near wired speed on the 5 GHz, but triple digit Mbps should definitely be on the cards ...

 

[L&LD]

Are your tests in the same room? What is the distance and the obstacles between the router and the clients you quote?

 

[aublumberg]

Same room, line of sight, about 5 meters distance.

 

[L&LD]

serious is about twice as far and has lathe and plaster walls (didn't specify number) between the client and router.

Just curious how your router is located in 3D space? What is the distance above earth / ground and the floor / walls? What are the immediate surroundings? How are the antennae orientated or positioned?

 

[Magnus]

What is the rate of the wireless link?

1. Hold down the Option key, click the Wi-Fi status icon
   
   in the menu bar, then choose Open Wireless Diagnostics.
   
   - Show the performance window using the menu bar to get a nice graph.

... Also have a look at my comment at the bottom of this thread.

 

[serious]

OK, I updated to the latest Merlin and it didn't make a difference. I will go ahead and take L&LD's advice and try out the different channels and see if it does anything. Right now the router is up about 3ft off the ground on a shelf, with a wall behind it. I'll also play with the antennas, but I've done that before and feel like the \|/ "W" works best.

Thanks Magnus for inquiring about the rate. In the same room as the router I get a txRate of 867Mbs. In the office, I get txRate of 88Mbs. I'll include the screenshots.

The router has about 3 walls to get through, but there are open doors in each wall (if that matters).

 

[Magnus]

Your values look terrible. My router is placed in the basement, with concrete walls. The roof/floor is wood, and the distance is about 7-9 m:

 

[serious]

Therein lies the problem... I bought an n-repeater (Netgear EX2700) for my bedroom, to help with stuff like the Roku that could barely pickup the router's 2.4Ghz channel from 30ft away.

Something must be wrong. I'm hearing similar reports to Magnus, of people's RT-ac68u blasting a powerful signal through their house, through the garage, basement and all the way to the second floor and backyard. Anyone have a clue how I get my router's 5Ghz signal to travel 30ft and not drop off so poorly? Do I need those fancy antennas? Is there a setting in the current Merlin I can optimize?

FYI - The middle graph is what happened when I walked my laptop from the router to the back room, 30ft away.

 

[sm00thpapa]

I just got 1GB fiber connected and I'm having some issues with trying to maximize the throughput. I'm using a brand new MacBook Pro with 802.11ac and connecting to the 5Ghz channel from the RT-AC68u running Merlin 376.49_5. I have the Technicolor c2000T modem in transparent bridge mode with the router and the wifi turned off on the modem. The modem and router and linked with a cat6 ethernet cable.

Now, with the same ethernet cable plugged into my Macbook Pro (using Thunderbolt to ethernet dongle), I'm getting 930 Mbs down/up. However, off the 5Ghz channel and sitting right next to the router I only get 530 Mbs down/up, which is expected.

The real problem is that the router is in the living room and my office is about 30 ft away. In the office I only get 80 Mbs down and 40 Mbs up. Seems like a HUGE waste to be getting 1GB fiber and then only practically having 80/40 Mbs available to use. I live in a 1,000 sq. foot 2 bedroom, that is all one level. But it's an old place, with lathe and plaster walls.

Any idea how I can bump up my throughput to my office? Most of the admin settings on the router were left to default. I checked the wifi channels in the area and I picked a channel that wasn't crowded. Just connecting to the 802.11n network on the 2.4Ghz channel directly gives me 60/30 Mbs.

All above speeds in megabits.

The reason I'm making such a big deal out of it, is I bought this router because it claims "1300 Mbps over 5Ghz." I kinda expect then to get something better than 80 Mbs.

I would recommend going with the TP-Link power line adapter kits. Way better than wifi IMO.