ASUS RT-N66U Extremely slow wireless speed on 2.4Ghz

[Trademarked]

Hoping to get some help not to sure where to start, so after a quick google search, figured I'd start here.

The problem is simple, I just bought this router RT-N66U, and my wireless speed for 2.4Ghz is at a snails pace on all my devices.

Firmware Version:3.0.0.4.376_3657

Internet connection 100down / 10up - I think I put those in the right order*

I use an iPad / Macbook / iPhone. So when I use the 5Ghz, on my laptop I'm getting speeds of 107mbs download on speedtest.net. On my iOS devices I'm getting in the 84 range.

However, when I use the 2.4Ghz, I'm getting 4-7mbs on all devices.

Can anyone suggest what is the problem, besides saying something snarky like ditch Apple?

Wireless Mode: Auto
Control Channel: 11
and that b/g protection box is checked.

Previously I was using DIR-655 by D-Link and received wireless speeds of 16-22 mbs on iOS devices, and laptop would get i belive 60's or 70's, don't really remember.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[doczenith1]

I'm by no means an expert but a few things you can try while we wait for the experts to chime in are setting the wireless mode to n only with neither box checked, setting bandwidth to 20/40 and authentication to WPA2-personal. It might be worth trying those one at a time to see which one, if any, is the culprit. Hope that helps.

Al

 

[KevTech]

I would use 20 only as 20/40 will most times end up 20 anyway "good neighbor policy".

 

[Trademarked]

So I'm starting to play with it more, but not seeing much results.

When I make a change and hit apply, am I able to test right then? Cause that's what I'm currently doing.

Or do I need to log out of page for change to take effect?

 

[doczenith1]

I'm pretty sure you just hit reply, wait for it to reboot then you're good to go. You should see your wireless devices lose the connection momentarily while the router reboots.

 

[KevTech]

Firmware Version:3.0.0.4.376_3657

I do not believe there is a firmware by that number for the RT-N66U.

The latest I see on the website is 3.0.0.4.376.3602

I have 2.4 set like you see in the attachment.

 

[RMerlin]

I do not believe there is a firmware by that number for the RT-N66U.

The latest I see on the website is 3.0.0.4.376.3602

I have 2.4 set like you see in the attachment.

3657 was uploaded Monday. It's possible the mirror you are connecting to wasn't updated.

http://www.asus.com/Networking/RTN66U/HelpDesk_Download/

 

[Trademarked]

So, I shut the machine off and back on, moved the router to a different spot, and changed my channel to 1.

I'm now getting about 26-34mbs which is an improvement on what I was getting before I bought this router.

Also, the 5Ghz is still blazing, hit 107mbs on my iPad.

My question is, for 2.4Ghz, is 26-34mbs what I should expect? I honestly thought I'd be hitting close to 100 on all my devices on 2.4Ghz, and the 5Ghz dedicated to my AppleTv.

 

[doczenith1]

I tried all combinations of wireless mode and channel bandwidth on 2.4 and each one got me around 50-55 mbps. My connection is 100/20.

On 5 ghz I get high 50's with a channel bandwidth of 20 and just over 100 with a channel bandwidth of 20/40.

Using a 2013 Nexus 7 in the same room as the router.

I did some googling on b/g protection and it may reduce speed. Sound like n only is the way to go if you don't have any b/g clients.

There are around 3-5 networks nearby on the same channel as me with signal strengths from -85 to -90 so not much interference. I have a signal strength of -35 while testing.

 

[RMerlin]

I tried all combinations of wireless mode and channel bandwidth on 2.4 and each one got me around 50-55 mbps. My connection is 100/20.

On 5 ghz I get high 50's with a channel bandwidth of 20 and just over 100 with a channel bandwidth of 20/40.

Sounds about right. Stable 40 MHz is very difficult to achieve on the 2.4 GHz band due to all the existing sources of interference (not just other routers), so that's why you get the same numbers as you get with the 5 GHz band at 20 MHz width.

 

[doczenith1]

My new chromebook gets over 100 mbps on 20 Mhz. Does that have something to do with MIMO? This wireless stuff is somewhat new to me but I'm trying to learn.

 

[TechBari]

Hoping to get some help not to sure where to start, so after a quick google search, figured I'd start here.

The problem is simple, I just bought this router RT-N66U, and my wireless speed for 2.4Ghz is at a snails pace on all my devices.

Firmware Version:3.0.0.4.376_3657

Internet connection 100down / 10up - I think I put those in the right order*

I use an iPad / Macbook / iPhone. So when I use the 5Ghz, on my laptop I'm getting speeds of 107mbs download on speedtest.net. On my iOS devices I'm getting in the 84 range.

However, when I use the 2.4Ghz, I'm getting 4-7mbs on all devices.

Can anyone suggest what is the problem, besides saying something snarky like ditch Apple?

Wireless Mode: Auto
Control Channel: 11
and that b/g protection box is checked.

Previously I was using DIR-655 by D-Link and received wireless speeds of 16-22 mbs on iOS devices, and laptop would get i belive 60's or 70's, don't really remember.

Any help would be appreciated.

Asus removed 3657 go back to 3602. the description of that update looked suspicious anyway. saying only 'applies to all versions', or something to that effect, no further details of improvements or fixes. Anyway, it's now gone, so revert beck to 3602 and perhaps that will solve the problem with slow speeds.

 

[RMerlin]

Asus removed 3657

It's still available for me.

http://www.asus.com/Networking/RTN66U/HelpDesk_Download/

 

[L&LD]

Yes, it is still available for me too. Asus v3657.

Description is not suspicious over at the Asus website. At least not if you read what if fixes over the bad (depending on your region) 3602 version.

 

[wouterv]

Maybe this helps:
http://dlcdnet.asus.com/pub/ASUS/wireless/RT-N66U_B1/FW_RT_N66U_30043763657.zip

Asus firmware distribution methods are fuzzy, one site does show the latest firmware (https://www.asus.com/Networking/RTN66U/HelpDesk_Download/), others don't even days after December 1 (http://support.asus.com/Download.aspx?SLanguage=en&m=RT-N66U (VER.B1)&p=11&s=2).
Not even speaking of the automatic firmware update feature of the router it self, using outdated firmware lists by nature.
I must say that the release notes of 3657 are very minimal, you should be aware of issues in 3602 to understand what 3657 brings.
I also suggest that Asus takes away the bad 3602 release, why leaving people confused.

 

[wouterv]

Back to the topic (slow speed on 2.4 GHz):
Realise that the 2.4 GHz band can be very overloaded in crowded areas.
You shall use a tool like InSSIDer to monitor the usage of the wireless radio spectrum.
Use InSSIDer on the different locations in your home and set the 2.4 GHz section of your router to the least used channel out of 1, 6 or 11 and fixed to a bandwidth of 20 MHz.

Besides using the least used channel, realise that the wireless link is using radio signals. The ideal situation is a free line of sight between the router and your wireless device. Place the router away from concrete, steel and liquid filled objects, do not place the router in a cabinet. Experimenting with the router location and antenna orientation can make the difference.

The advantage of 2.4 GHz is the longer range (usually your whole house), the disadvantage is neighbor disturbance.
The advantage of 5 GHz is less neighbor distrurbance, the disadvantage is the shorter range (usualy a single room only). Another advantage of 5GHz technique is the 802.11ac standard that allows higher throughput (not for the RT-N66U).

 

[Flying Dutchman]

Back to the topic (slow speed on 2.4 GHz)

Wouter, realize that this issue is a replacement of a D-Link router for an Asus. If you keep the router in the same position and use the same channel there is no reason to believe that the cause is with your site: it is the router!

With the new Broadcom firmware the RT-N66U has been degraded heavily to an average router.