Anyone Getting over 2G on the 2.5G WAN port of RT-AX86U?

[phillyaj]

I had my RT-AX86U connected to my Arris S33 modem via the 2.5G ports on both. I only had 1G down service at the time and was seeing an average of 900Mbps+ at the router (via spdMerlin). I did see peaks at 1.3 - 1.5G at times...

I recently upgraded my service (xfinity) to 2G down and 230Mbps up. I had to get their gateway/modem (XB8). It has a 2.5G port on it, which I connected to my router's 2.5G port and now I'm only getting 600-700 Mbps down max.

I have an xfinity tech coming out but they tell me they are seeing 2100Mbps at my gateway. Kinda have a feeling their gateway is a P.O.S and although the ports acknowledge a 2.5G connection (both the Gateway and the AX86U indicate "connected at 2500Mbps"), I'm thinking the xfinity product can't handle it.

Anyone else able to get 2G or more off their WAN port?

Driving me nuts. I'm about ready to just go back to my good old 1G down/43M Up service.

 

[Tech9]

I'm about ready to just go back to my good old 1G down/43M Up service.

You can't really use 2Gbps service to any single wired or wireless client anyway. If this service is more expensive - you're paying more money for the same user experience. Wired clients are limited by Gigabit LAN ports, Wi-Fi clients are limited by what wireless can do - about 800Mbps to 2-stream AX client at common 80MHz wide channel. You may want to keep the new service for the better upload speed, if you need it. Test the blue WAN port, see if you are getting steady 940Mbps there. If yes - 940/230 sounds better than 940/43. I don't know what the 2.5GbE port issue is, sorry.

 

[phillyaj]

You can't really use 2Gbps service to any single wired or wireless client anyway. If this service is more expensive - you're paying more money for the same user experience. Wired clients are limited by Gigabit LAN ports, Wi-Fi clients are limited by what wireless can do - about 800Mbps to 2-stream AX client at common 80MHz wide channel. You may want to keep the new service for the better upload speed, if you need it. Test the blue WAN port, see if you are getting steady 940Mbps there. If yes - 940/230 sounds better than 940/43. I don't know what the 2.5GbE port issue is, sorry.

Appreciate your comments, however that is not the issue. If I'm being sold 2G service, and I have a device (Modem) that says it will receive 2G service, then I should be getting somewhere close to 2G service. Not 600/700 Mbps. And yes...I do not expect my devices to get close to 2G on the LAN side, but my core network should be seeing it. My question was really to inquire if anyone was using the AX86U with the 2.5G port on a 2G+ Wan connection. I don't think it's the AX86U's ability to handle the 2.5G (as evident by the fact that I had over 1.5G peak with my old service).

 

[tiddlywink]

Did you put the XB8 in bridge mode and reboot it?

 

[jetpack42]

I have an XB8 modem as well (although not with xfinity, I am subscribed to one of the totally lovely ISP's up here in Canada) and I have it bridged with my AX88U-Pro's 2.5Gb port connected to the modem's 2.5Gb port. My plan is a 1.5Gbps plan.

Here is my experience:

I had the same issue. My main PC has a 2.5Gb Ethernet port and I subsequently have it connected to my router's 2.5Gb LAN port. I would get a completely random speed whenever I ran a speedtest. Some days I would get my 1.5Gbps down speed, some days I would get 1.6Gbps, and most days I mostly hovered around 300-700mbps. This was the case if I used the XB8 in bridge mode (as described above), or if I disabled bridge mode and had the PC directly connected to the 2.5Gb port on the modem itself

I still have the plan but I eventually gave up trying to get the speeds I was advertised. Myself and support was unable to diagnose the issue. It felt like the planets needed to align, the weather conditions perfect, and whether or not my modem was in a good mood in order to get the advertised speeds (I joke, but it felt like this some days.). Once I am able, I am going to switch back to a plan with less speed.

As @Tech9 said, very few devices will take advantage of the 2Gbps plan xfinity sold you. It is an unfortunate reality of having cable internet that speeds will be inconsistent (especially at higher speeds). This is why most cable internet providers (at least in Canada, I would imagine it is the same in the US) will say "up to 2Gbps" to remove any guarantee of speeds that you'll get.

I am sorry I can't provide much help in diagnosing the issue, but I hope this helped to assure that you're not the only one with this issue using the XB8.

 

[phillyaj]

Did you put the XB8 in bridge mode and reboot it?

Yup...Numerous times.. Even took it out of Bridge mode and same.

 

[CaptainSTX]

I had my RT-AX86U connected to my Arris S33 modem via the 2.5G ports on both. I only had 1G down service at the time and was seeing an average of 900Mbps+ at the router (via spdMerlin). I did see peaks at 1.3 - 1.5G at times...

I recently upgraded my service (xfinity) to 2G down and 230Mbps up. I had to get their gateway/modem (XB8). It has a 2.5G port on it, which I connected to my router's 2.5G port and now I'm only getting 600-700 Mbps down max.

I have an xfinity tech coming out but they tell me they are seeing 2100Mbps at my gateway. Kinda have a feeling their gateway is a P.O.S and although the ports acknowledge a 2.5G connection (both the Gateway and the AX86U indicate "connected at 2500Mbps"), I'm thinking the xfinity product can't handle it.

Anyone else able to get 2G or more off their WAN port?

Driving me nuts. I'm about ready to just go back to my good old 1G down/43M Up service.

How are you testing the speed? If you are using the speed test built into the router firmware the router's processor doesn't have the processor capacity to reach such speeds particularly when it is busy being a router. I have an AX86S as my primary router and an AC1900P as my AP. I have spMerlin running on both and I consistently see higher speed test results on the AC1900P as it doesn't have much to do other than broadcast on its radios.

To confirm if your ISP is or is not delivering the offered speed you need to connect a powerful PC with a 2.5gig LAN port directly to the modem and run a speed test on the PC. Again it must be a PC with a powerful processor as when I connect my 13 year old laptop with a gig LAN port and an I5 processor to my LAN and run a speed test across the LAN if is lucky to test at over 500 Mbps. A newer more powerful PC with an I7 processor is able to hit 940 Mbps.

Also since I believe that your AX86U only has a single 2.5 gig port how are you planning on getting 2.5 gigs from the WAN to any single device on your LAN?

 

[phillyaj]

I have an XB8 modem as well (although not with xfinity, I am subscribed to one of the totally lovely ISP's up here in Canada) and I have it bridged with my AX88U-Pro's 2.5Gb port connected to the modem's 2.5Gb port. My plan is a 1.5Gbps plan.

Here is my experience:

I had the same issue. My main PC has a 2.5Gb Ethernet port and I subsequently have it connected to my router's 2.5Gb LAN port. I would get a completely random speed whenever I ran a speedtest. Some days I would get my 1.5Gbps down speed, some days I would get 1.6Gbps, and most days I mostly hovered around 300-700mbps. This was the case if I used the XB8 in bridge mode (as described above), or if I disabled bridge mode and had the PC directly connected to the 2.5Gb port on the modem itself

I still have the plan but I eventually gave up trying to get the speeds I was advertised. Myself and support was unable to diagnose the issue. It felt like the planets needed to align, the weather conditions perfect, and whether or not my modem was in a good mood in order to get the advertised speeds (I joke, but it felt like this some days.). Once I am able, I am going to switch back to a plan with less speed.

As @Tech9 said, very few devices will take advantage of the 2Gbps plan xfinity sold you. It is an unfortunate reality of having cable internet that speeds will be inconsistent (especially at higher speeds). This is why most cable internet providers (at least in Canada, I would imagine it is the same in the US) will say "up to 2Gbps" to remove any guarantee of speeds that you'll get.

I am sorry I can't provide much help in diagnosing the issue, but I hope this helped to assure that you're not the only one with this issue using the XB8.

Appreciate the reply... I get that I'm not going to have 2G down on my LAN devices....but I would be happy to see anything close to 2G at my Router. As stated previously...I was fairly content with my 900+ avg download speed with my 1G service.. Occasionally, I would see peaks of 1.3-1.4G....but overall average during a month was 925MBps. I had a Xfinity tech out today and he ran a test on the line and was able to get over 2G on the Coax. Unfortunately, he had nothing to test the XB8 Output (LAN) side. I have an open chat with Xfinity forum support to see if I can get an Internet Home Service visit to come out.

 

[Tech9]

In my opinion home AIO routers with weak CPUs relying heavily on NAT acceleration are not optimim choice for >Gigabit ISP lines. They may have 2.5GbE or 10GbE ports, but can't do >500Mbps with simple Bandwidth Limiter enabled on a Guest Network. The advantages - cheap and user friendly.

 

[KevTech]

So you are using Port #4 with the red stripe on the XB8?
Did you try putting the XB8 in bridge mode then on the AX86 set the 2.5 port as the WAN port?
By default it runs as a LAN port unless you set it to WAN.
Leave Dual WAN off but set 2.5 port to be the WAN.

[Wireless Router] How to set 2.5G port as WAN type? | Official Support | ASUS Global

 

[phillyaj]

So you are using Port #4 with the red stripe on the XB8?
Did you try putting the XB8 in bridge mode then on the AX86 set the 2.5 port as the WAN port?
By default it runs as a LAN port unless you set it to WAN.
Leave Dual WAN off but set 2.5 port to be the WAN.

[Wireless Router] How to set 2.5G port as WAN type? | Official Support | ASUS Global

I have it set to 2.5G WAN....However, I don't think the AX86U can handle it. I was just able to confirm I CAN get 2G from the Xfinity XB8- Port #4. So it has to be the AX86U.

 

[phillyaj]

I had my RT-AX86U connected to my Arris S33 modem via the 2.5G ports on both. I only had 1G down service at the time and was seeing an average of 900Mbps+ at the router (via spdMerlin). I did see peaks at 1.3 - 1.5G at times...

I recently upgraded my service (xfinity) to 2G down and 230Mbps up. I had to get their gateway/modem (XB8). It has a 2.5G port on it, which I connected to my router's 2.5G port and now I'm only getting 600-700 Mbps down max.

I have an xfinity tech coming out but they tell me they are seeing 2100Mbps at my gateway. Kinda have a feeling their gateway is a P.O.S and although the ports acknowledge a 2.5G connection (both the Gateway and the AX86U indicate "connected at 2500Mbps"), I'm thinking the xfinity product can't handle it.

Anyone else able to get 2G or more off their WAN port?

Driving me nuts. I'm about ready to just go back to my good old 1G down/43M Up service.

Ok....here's the latest. After doing some testing with my beefy desktop, I was able to get 2G down from the Xfinity XB8 gateway. So that means the Rt-AX86U can't handle the 2G coming from the Gateway/Modem. Now what? A new Router?

 

[Tech9]

Now what? A new Router?

It all starts with an ISP promotion. You take the good deal and then start chasing the speed by paying more. With the new router comes new 2.5GbE switch, then 2.5GbE NICs and so on. Businesses are happy, you just pay more for the same day to day Internet user experience, some occasional faster downloads. Investing in speed tests, basically. Now you know what was the promotion all about. Very few customers will change their Internet use habits, some won't be able to even use the new plan (sounds familiar?), but all of them will pay more one way or another.

 

[jetpack42]

Ok....here's the latest. After doing some testing with my beefy desktop, I was able to get 2G down from the Xfinity XB8 gateway. So that means the Rt-AX86U can't handle the 2G coming from the Gateway/Modem. Now what? A new Router?

I have no knowledge of your setup (I am basing this on your signature), so feel free to ignore. Have you considered maybe using the XB8 on it's own? Your signature says that you are using the ASUS routers in AP mode which means that they are not doing any routing and has many of its features disabled... If the XB8 gateway is already handling all of the routing anyways and if you find better performance from the XB8 when you cut out the ASUS routers, it might be worth a try. I felt that the wireless performance of the XB8 is much better than its predecessors (the XB6 and XB7) and I believe (?) it has mesh and MoCA capabilities.

 

[Tech9]

I am basing this on your signature

Perhaps an old signature based on firmware versions.

The whole promotion is good executed marketing campaign for increased sales. The old Gigabit plans were shared between X subscribers. The new 2Gbps plans will be shared between 3X subscribers. All the plans are usually "up to", not guaranteed. The ISP knows very well current limitations of consumer wired and wireless devices. As a result the total traffic won't increase 2X, but there will be 3X paying customers with "up to 2Gbps".

 

[phillyaj]

I have no knowledge of your setup (I am basing this on your signature), so feel free to ignore. Have you considered maybe using the XB8 on it's own? Your signature says that you are using the ASUS routers in AP mode which means that they are not doing any routing and has many of its features disabled... If the XB8 gateway is already handling all of the routing anyways and if you find better performance from the XB8 when you cut out the ASUS routers, it might be worth a try. I felt that the wireless performance of the XB8 is much better than its predecessors (the XB6 and XB7) and I believe (?) it has mesh and MoCA capabilities.

Yea. I’m mulling that over. I hate that I have to rent Xfinity equipment. I’ve owned my own modems forever. I guess at some point in the future they may have a compatible modem from Arris or others.
You are correct. I have two AC68Us that are acting as Mesh nodes. Mostly as wireless repeaters. I also have two MoCa adapters. 1 used as a backhaul for one of my AC68Us and the other to bring Ethernet to one bedroom.

I’m really surprised the AX86U is not handling the 2G from the XB8. I’m gonna play with some settings and mule over my options.

 

[bennor]

Ok....here's the latest. After doing some testing with my beefy desktop, I was able to get 2G down from the Xfinity XB8 gateway. So that means the Rt-AX86U can't handle the 2G coming from the Gateway/Modem. Now what? A new Router?

A couple of troubleshooting suggestion if you haven't tried them already. Your sig line indicates the RT-AX86U is running Merlin 388.1 firmware. That firmware version is a year and a half out of date. As a troubleshooting step, update to the latest Merlin firmware - 3004.388.7.

Disconnect everything but one wired computer from the RT-AX86U. This includes disconnecting any attached USB devices. Then perform a hard factory reset on the RT-AX86U.

[Wireless Router] ASUS router Hard Factory Reset - Method 2 | Official Support | ASUS Global

After the hard factory reset, do a basic initial configuration of the router. Just enough to get it up and running. Do not import a saved router.cfg file. Do not attach a USB hard drive to the router. Do not setup AiMesh or attach any other local network clients to the router, just use one single computer wired router. Set the 2.5Ghz port to be the WAN port in the router GUI and connect that 2.5Ghz port to the XB8's 2.5 Ghz port (red stripe port). Then perform a speed test on the router to see what speed it indicates. The idea is to leave the router as default as possible and not taxed by anything else like AiMesh or any non default settings if possible. If the router indicates the proper speed at the basic default configuration then you can start configuring the router as your setup needs, testing speed along the way to see if or what is causing the speed issue you experienced before doing a hard factory reset.

 

[phillyaj]

A couple of troubleshooting suggestion if you haven't tried them already. Your sig line indicates the RT-AX86U is running Merlin 388.1 firmware. That firmware version is a year and a half out of date. As a troubleshooting step, update to the latest Merlin firmware - 3004.388.7.

Disconnect everything but one wired computer from the RT-AX86U. This includes disconnecting any attached USB devices. Then perform a hard factory reset on the RT-AX86U.

[Wireless Router] ASUS router Hard Factory Reset - Method 2 | Official Support | ASUS Global

After the hard factory reset, do a basic initial configuration of the router. Just enough to get it up and running. Do not import a saved router.cfg file. Do not attach a USB hard drive to the router. Do not setup AiMesh or attach any other local network clients to the router, just use one single computer wired router. Set the 2.5Ghz port to be the WAN port in the router GUI and connect that 2.5Ghz port to the XB8's 2.5 Ghz port (red stripe port). Then perform a speed test on the router to see what speed it indicates. The idea is to leave the router as default as possible and not taxed by anything else like AiMesh or any non default settings if possible. If the router indicates the proper speed at the basic default configuration then you can start configuring the router as your setup needs, testing speed along the way to see if or what is causing the speed issue you experienced before doing a hard factory reset.

Thanks for the suggestion...I was thinking the same thing!! !(FYI...I do have 388.7 firmware...Just need to update my Signature) . I did some additional testing this morning, before the family was awake. I didn't do the 'strip-down' test, but I'm thinking that the next step.

Just to base-line. Here's my config:

• Firmware Version: 3004.388.7
• AI-Mesh: Yes...Two Nodes- One with ethernet backhaul, One with Wireless backhaul.
• USB: YES - Both Ports attached to Storage devices.. (One is a USB-SD-Card, One is a USB-M.2)
• SW Add-ons: Two: spdMerlin - Running speedtest twice an hour on WAN: dn-vnstat - Monitoring data usage

Here's what I tested this morning

- With XB8 in BRIDGE mode...Connected my Desktop (with 2.5G ethernet) to the 2.5G XB8port. = CONFIRMED i can get 2G down.

- Switched the AX86U WAN port to 1G, Connected it to the 2.5G port of the XB8. Rebooted XB8, AX86U Rebooted. = Same Result...700-800 Mbps down
- Switch the AX86U WAN port back to 2.5G, XB8 still in the 2.5G port. Rebooted Both = Same Result.

- Just because I was curious, I connected my USB 2.5G Ethernet adapter to one of the 3.0 USB ports of the AX86U, Switched it to USB WAN. Believe it or not....It worked, however, slower than 700-800 Mbps..and definitely not anywhere close to 2G.

- Switched back to AX86U back to 2.5G WAN port, Rebooted Both devices. Back to 700-800 Mbps.

**I did try playing with NAT Type, DHCP Query Frequency , and Extend the TTL Value on the WAN config page, but they had no effect (Didn't think they would).

Next Steps:
- Start stripping down the AX86U (As suggested here). Remove the USBs, Remove the SW add-Ons, Remove the AI-Mesh nodes. See if that helps.
- "IF" any of this resolves the issue...slowly add some things back.. Priority 1) AI-Mesh, 2) SW..At least spdMerlin, 3) USB.

- SERIOUSLY think about ditching the ASUS router and using the XB8 as my router, with MoCA (either Built-In or my current config). and the xfinity PODS as Wi-fi Extenders. A few concerns about this.

• I read that the XB8 wireless doesn't support separate SSIDs for 2.4 and 5 Ghz WiFi. Currently have separate SSIDs with lots of Home automation devices connected to the 2.4.
• I also have some devices locked to certain AI-Mesh nodes to distribute load....Might need to re-do alot of that...or not.
• It's major DOWNTIME....which my family will surely complain about...
• I have 3 ASUS routers that are not door-stops

Thanks to all for the suggestions and support.

Cheers,
Andy

 

[bennor]

Just to base-line. Here's my config:

• Firmware Version: 3004.388.7
• AI-Mesh: Yes...Two Nodes- One with ethernet backhaul, One with Wireless backhaul.
• USB: YES - Both Ports attached to Storage devices.. (One is a USB-SD-Card, One is a USB-M.2)
• SW Add-ons: Two: spdMerlin - Running speedtest twice an hour on WAN: dn-vnstat - Monitoring data usage

What else do you have enabled for router features? QoS, AiProtection, media serving, Samba, FTP, VPN (server and or client), or anything else?

Based on your additional "here's my config" information I personally would definitely disconnect everything from the router but one single wired PC, then do a hard factory reset. Then perform an initial config and test, with router 2.5Ghz port connected with the XB8 2.5Ghz port, without any of the extra stuff connected and with as little changed from default settings as possible.