Asus RT-AC68U / Sprint ZTE MF975S / USB WAN Tether issue

[driftmotion]

Hey guys,

I want to start off with being overwhelmed by the amount of information here. However, I don't think I've seen any threads that address my issue. So I'm hoping you guys can help me out here. I think? I have an idea on what's going on, but not 100% sure.

I have a RT-AC68U router running on the latest firmware (3.0.0.4.380.1842). I don't have a good wired internet connection (Verizon DSL with max 1Mb down, very unstable because it's far from the station), so I got a Sprint WiFi Hot Spot instead. It's a ZTE MF975S.

Connecting it through the WiFi hot spot itself (via WiFi or USB directly), I can get up to 13Mb down/3Mb up according to speedtest.net. Without moving the pocket WiFi , connecting it to the Asus RT-68U router and setting it up as the USB WAN into the USB 2.0 port (2.0 or 3.0 port does not make a difference), the download speed reduces to less than 1Mb down/ similar up speed. Ping is about the same at around 50ms. No other device was connected to the router when I was testing the speed.

Another thing I noticed is that the ZTE MF975S is not on the compatibility list (http://www.asus.com/event/networks_3G4G_support/). Therefore I'm suspecting that since it's technically not compatible, therefore the speed is significantly reduced. Again, I'm not having trouble setting up the WiFi Hot Spot device as the USB WAN, just issue with the slow speed.

Adaptive QoS is off, but turning it on does not make a difference.

TD;DR Sprint ZTE MF975S WiFi Hot Spot is fast by itself, but once connected to the RT68U via USB port as USB Wan, Down speed is reduced to less than 1Mb/s.

Any ideas?

 

[Baron2877]

Was there ever any resolution to this issue? I'm seeing the same thing.

 

[Authority]

I've got one two. Did you figure it out?

 

[bluebarron]

Hey guys,

I want to start off with being overwhelmed by the amount of information here. However, I don't think I've seen any threads that address my issue. So I'm hoping you guys can help me out here. I think? I have an idea on what's going on, but not 100% sure.

I have a RT-AC68U router running on the latest firmware (3.0.0.4.380.1842). I don't have a good wired internet connection (Verizon DSL with max 1Mb down, very unstable because it's far from the station), so I got a Sprint WiFi Hot Spot instead. It's a ZTE MF975S.

Connecting it through the WiFi hot spot itself (via WiFi or USB directly), I can get up to 13Mb down/3Mb up according to speedtest.net. Without moving the pocket WiFi , connecting it to the Asus RT-68U router and setting it up as the USB WAN into the USB 2.0 port (2.0 or 3.0 port does not make a difference), the download speed reduces to less than 1Mb down/ similar up speed. Ping is about the same at around 50ms. No other device was connected to the router when I was testing the speed.

Another thing I noticed is that the ZTE MF975S is not on the compatibility list (http://www.asus.com/event/networks_3G4G_support/). Therefore I'm suspecting that since it's technically not compatible, therefore the speed is significantly reduced. Again, I'm not having trouble setting up the WiFi Hot Spot device as the USB WAN, just issue with the slow speed.

Adaptive QoS is off, but turning it on does not make a difference.

TD;DR Sprint ZTE MF975S WiFi Hot Spot is fast by itself, but once connected to the RT68U via USB port as USB Wan, Down speed is reduced to less than 1Mb/s.

Any ideas?

Does anybody have any input on this? I'm having the same issue

 

[networky]

Hey guys,

I want to start off with being overwhelmed by the amount of information here. However, I don't think I've seen any threads that address my issue. So I'm hoping you guys can help me out here. I think? I have an idea on what's going on, but not 100% sure.

I have a RT-AC68U router running on the latest firmware (3.0.0.4.380.1842). I don't have a good wired internet connection (Verizon DSL with max 1Mb down, very unstable because it's far from the station), so I got a Sprint WiFi Hot Spot instead. It's a ZTE MF975S.

Connecting it through the WiFi hot spot itself (via WiFi or USB directly), I can get up to 13Mb down/3Mb up according to speedtest.net. Without moving the pocket WiFi , connecting it to the Asus RT-68U router and setting it up as the USB WAN into the USB 2.0 port (2.0 or 3.0 port does not make a difference), the download speed reduces to less than 1Mb down/ similar up speed. Ping is about the same at around 50ms. No other device was connected to the router when I was testing the speed.

Another thing I noticed is that the ZTE MF975S is not on the compatibility list (http://www.asus.com/event/networks_3G4G_support/). Therefore I'm suspecting that since it's technically not compatible, therefore the speed is significantly reduced. Again, I'm not having trouble setting up the WiFi Hot Spot device as the USB WAN, just issue with the slow speed.

Adaptive QoS is off, but turning it on does not make a difference.

TD;DR Sprint ZTE MF975S WiFi Hot Spot is fast by itself, but once connected to the RT68U via USB port as USB Wan, Down speed is reduced to less than 1Mb/s.

Any ideas?

This fix works for me:
Try selecting one of the other similar USB Adapters in the list. on my ASUS AC-RT68R choosing the ZTE-MF636 works for my ZTE MF975S. I had the same problem you described and found this fix through trial and error.

Update: after a week, it slowed down again, so I tried a different choice. Now using the ZTE-MF626 which is working for a few days.

 

[Rob S]

Having the same situation. Every once in a while, I can get it to go full speed (12-14 Mb/s), but often it drops into one of two slower modes, either 1-3 Gb/s (approx 3g speed) or < 1 Gb/s ( "2g"? )

Repeating the exact same steps doesn't always bring 4g back.

I can tether to my computer and get the 4g speeds, so it seems like the router is intentionally dropping it back.

I did try the "Android Phone" tether mode, which seems to avoid the need to send commands to the (non-supported) modem, and that often returns me to 3g speeds. Still trying to sort it out, and I'll post anything else I learn in the process.

 

[networky]

Update: Still working fine here after four months even with a router firmware update (version 3.0.0.4.380_7743). Here are the settings I used for the internet connection tab. Maybe these will help someone else.

ASUS AC-RT68R settings for USB connection to ZTE-MF975S
WAN Index

WAN Type: USB​

Basic Config

Enable USB Mode: ON
Select USB Device: USB Modem
APN Configuration: Automatic
Telecommunications Standards: CDMA2000 (EVDO)
APN Service(optional): blank
Dial Number: blank
Username: blank
Password: blank
Authentication: None
PIN code: blank
USB Adapter: ZTE-MF626
USB MTU: 0​

Special Requirement from ISP

Extend the TTL value: Yes
Spoof LAN TTL value: No​

Also, in my ZTE modem's config page under "Mobile Network" > "Mobile Settings" I selected "LTE Only" from the "Technology" dropdown. Like this, it won't connect 3g, only 4g LTE.

 

[Rob S]

Thanks! I had my settings prior at "Android Phone" for my ZTE MF920VS from Sprint, because it was stable, albeit slower at maybe 5-6 Mbps. Using these settings*, I've just increased to 10 Mbps.

* I used the same settings, except that I left my MTU value at 1024. I had previously spent quite a bit of time on trial and error and later research to determine that value was best. I may try 0 later, to see if it makes a difference.