Getting the Best From What I've Got...

[billyk]

I am wondering if I am getting the best performance from my home network. My home network comprises:
- ISP is Comcast at 50MB/sec down
- Motorola SB5141 modem
- Linksys E2500 wireless router
- NetGear Powerline adapters 85MP/sec down
- WRT54G wireless router (running DDWRT firmware)

The modem and e2500 wireless router are in the same room in my basement, the Powerline adapters connect to my WRT54G used upstairs.

On a computer hard-wired to the E2500, I get a full 50MB/sec. Nice! The E2500 tops at 22MB/sec wirelessly, and the WRT54G runs at about 7MBsec down. Interestingly, the WRT54G runs at about 11MB/sec up!

To improve the WRT54, I disabled the WMM under QOS on the E2500, but that did nothing for that router or the downstream router.

So, is the performance from the WRT54 the best I can expect? I know PowerLine adapters are not always the best, but the upload speed is quite fast on the WRT54. Can I tweak something to make the WRT faster on download speed?

First post here. Hoping someone can help!!

 

[JoeJoe]

Using the Netgear powerline diagnostic software, what does it say the link speed up/down is?

What wireless channels do you have the Linksys E2500 set to and what channels do you have the WRT54G set to?

 

[billyk]

Thanks for the quick reply JoeJoe.

My channels are:

e2500: channel 6
WRT: channel 11

I have no knowledge of the NetGear diagnostic software - I am looking into that now and I'll report back.

 

[billyk]

Spent some time poking around. Can't find diagnostic software for my NETGEAR XET1001 adapters. If you have any idea, please point me in the right direction.

Thanks!

 

[JoeJoe]

Your wireless channels are almost good. Do you have the E2500 setup for Wireless N speeds on 40Mhz wide channel?
If so, move that to channel 1, it could be interfering with the wrt54g on channel 11.

LINK to netgear software.

I have a similar configurations, using a powerline network to extend to a second router.

 

[billyk]

Did my homework. Here's what I found out...

- I moved my e2500 to channel 1, far away from the WRT on channel 11.

- I set the e2500 to "N Only" and 40hz wide, was set on "Auto".

None of these settings changed wifi performance either local to the e2500 or WRT router.

I installed the diagnostic software and the NetGear Powerline adapter connected to the e2500 is running at 40mbs link speed. The adapter connected to the WRT (remote location) is running at 27mbs link speed.

Wifi performance off the e2500 is still 22 down/11 up.
Wifi performance of the WRT is still 6 down/ 10 up.

Still wondering why the download speed suffers on the WRT so disproportionally compared to the e2500.

More ideas anyone??

 

[JoeJoe]

What is the speed when you are connected to the WRT54G via an Ethernet cable, not wireless?

Download the application called inSSIDer, use on a laptop to see what is going in the channel 11 frequency range where you live.
Post a screenshot of the channel graph if you can.

I don't understand your powerline speeds, you should get a two speed ratings between two devices, an up and a down speed.

Forcing your first router to 40 Mhz channels might actually be making those speeds worse, set it to 20 Mhz. Less stepping on toes.

Do you have different SSIDs for each router, to make sure for now, that you are connecting to the 2nd router when testing?

 

[stevech]

I am wondering if I am getting the best performance from my home network. My home network comprises:
- ISP is Comcast at 50MB/sec down
- Motorola SB5141 modem
- Linksys E2500 wireless router
- NetGear Powerline adapters 85MP/sec down
- WRT54G wireless router (running DDWRT firmware)

The modem and e2500 wireless router are in the same room in my basement, the Powerline adapters connect to my WRT54G used upstairs.

On a computer hard-wired to the E2500, I get a full 50MB/sec. Nice! The E2500 tops at 22MB/sec wirelessly, and the WRT54G runs at about 7MBsec down. Interestingly, the WRT54G runs at about 11MB/sec up!

To improve the WRT54, I disabled the WMM under QOS on the E2500, but that did nothing for that router or the downstream router.

So, is the performance from the WRT54 the best I can expect? I know PowerLine adapters are not always the best, but the upload speed is quite fast on the WRT54. Can I tweak something to make the WRT faster on download speed?

First post here. Hoping someone can help!!

Is the WRT54G configured as a access point rather than a double-NAT router? If so, its WAN port would be unused.

 

[JoeJoe]

Thats right, make sure the DHCP server is disabled in the WRT54G. Unless you have third party firmware installed and the WAN reconfigured as a LAN port, only plug into the LAN ports.

With your Netgear software, hover your mouse of the remote module and get a screen capture like I have here. (I'm using Zyxel 500 Mbps modules, but they work with the Netgear software)

 

[billyk]

Easter Sunday morning! Need some time to get back to my network troubleshooting. Maybe later today.

Thanks for the ongoing support (and education)!
-bk

 

[billyk]

It *was* a busy day yesterday, but I did have the opportunity to check into my network performance, and I may want to take this conversation in a different direction...

What I did yesterday is to shut down the entire network, from my new modem down through all of the network hardware. Then, I started them all up in the proper order. My modem is only a week old (got rid of that bogus rented Comcast modem!) and I never really fully "re-booted" my network. Maybe this is why my performance on the remote powerline adapter (6mbs) was so poor?

Then, I checked performance on the e2500 connected directly to my modem. Comcast supplies 50mbs down, and I get 22mps wirelessly out of my e2500. I connected my laptop directly to the remote NetGear powerline adapter, and I got 11mps down. Next, I connected the WRT back up to that powereline adapter, and sure enough, I got all of the 11mbs supplied to that router.

So - good news - in my remote location, I apparently get all of the bandwidth supplied to that area. Rebooting my network almost doubled the bandwidth in that area.

So, here are the questions I have now...

- Is it correct to say that if my e2500 provides 22mbs to the first powerline adapter, the best I can expect at the remoter powerline adapter is half that? You loose 50% bandwidth with powerline adapters, right? If so, that is what I am now getting, so maybe there's no reason to further troubleshoot this.

- Is it expected that when you connect a 50mbs signal to the e2500, the best it can provide wirelessly is about half that bandwidth?

The reason I ask about the e2500 is b/c the downstream WRT provides 100% of the bandwidth wirelessly (11mbs) that it is given, but the e2500 seems to lose 50% of what it is supplied. What's up with that?

 

[JoeJoe]

Then, I checked performance on the e2500 connected directly to my modem. Comcast supplies 50mbs down, and I get 22mps wirelessly out of my e2500. I connected my laptop directly to the remote NetGear powerline adapter, and I got 11mps down. Next, I connected the WRT back up to that powereline adapter, and sure enough, I got all of the 11mbs supplied to that router.

What do you get directly connected to the E2500 with an Ethernet cable, not wirelessly? You should get the full speed that Comcast supplies.

I would like you still to capture the Netgear picture as I described in my last post. http://forums.smallnetbuilder.com/showpost.php?p=65500&postcount=9

 

[billyk]

Hey JoeJoe:

I get 53mbs down from Comcast when I connect directly to the e2500. Only 22mbs when I sit right next to it and connect wirelessly.

When I run the NetGear Utility software you pointed me to, I don't see a page that offers the same information you are displaying in your screen captures. It has a Main, Security, Diagnostic and About tabs, none of which provide a network graphic. Could it be b/c I am not using the encryption feature? I live out in the boonies, so unless the deer/fox/eagles have come up to speed on network hacking, I really don't have much to worry about.

Let me know what you are doing in that Utility software that provides that network overview. I don's see it!
-bk

 

[JoeJoe]

For your e2500 and its wireless connection, when you are connected to it, what connection speed does it report?

What device are you connected to on, a laptop/phone (which one)?

Download inSSIDer and run it on your laptop or android phone, post a screen capture of the scan results.

If you connected to the router via 801.11g at 54 Mbps, then your 22 Mbps is ok. The max I have ever achieved is 26 Mbps over wireless G.

I want to see what your powerline connection is reported as, I want to see the graphic of it, if you can show it.

 

[billyk]

Will do.

In my last post, I indicated that I can't see how that network graphic is created. I don't see that function/capability when I click-through the tabs in teh NetGear app.

Any insight on this would be appreciated.
-bk

 

[JoeJoe]

Show me the screen you see that shows you the connection speeds for the powerline modules, like I did, even if yours is different.

I would like to see that detail please.

 

[billyk]

Will do. At work now...