Help Getting GT-AX11000 Wired/Wireless Over 1gbps!

[thecolin85]

Hi all, newbie here, please be patient with me. I have a "weekend-warrior" level knowledge of tech stuff, but I'm no networking expert. Otherwise I probably wouldn't be asking these questions…
I cannot get my current configuration to provide my 1200mbps+ speeds across multiple devices, even after doing all this research months back and thinking, "Oh if I just buy a multi-port 2.5g switch, I won't have all my devices throttled below 1gbps. And I had thought I had it figured out at one point. I swore I had it once where if I plugged my desktop PC in hardwired, I would get those 1300mbps+ speedtest results, but on WiFi it would NEVER break 1000mbps. Always 900-something mbps. I tried tweaking the router settings, maybe sure all drivers and firmware all up to date etc. No dice.

My hardware:

• Modem: (Motorola) ARRIS Surfboard S33 DOCSIS 3.1 Multi-Gigabit Cable Modem with 2.5 Gbps Ethernet Port
• Router: ASUS ROG Rapture (GT-AX11000)
• Switch: TP-Link TL-SG105-M2 5-Port 2.5G Desktop Switch

Also running the router on the latest firmware of Asuswrt-Merlin. Desktop PC is an x570 Crosshair Hero VIII Wi-Fi (FWIW).

I have tried so many different configurations (using at least CAT6A, CAT7 or CAT8 cables) of what to plug into what first. Currently I have the 2.5g port out of the S33 modem and into the 2.5g port on the AX11000 router. Then out of the AX11000 router's blue (WAN?) port and into one of the four 2.5g ports on the switch. Then out of the switch, I have a 2.5g port and cable running to my desktop PC's 2.5g onboard ethernet port.

I verified I can get 1300 and nearly 1400 mbps speeds when I run the 2.5ge port on the S33 modem straight to my desktop PC. I've also verified I can break over 1gbps Wi-Fi speeds on various PC devices (desktop, laptop) and mobile phones when plugged into the 2.5g port on the router, but then anything hardwired is capped at 900-something MBPS.

I don't know if I should run the modem 2.5ge straight to the router first, then to the switch? Or to the switch, then back to the router… Or am I screwed or limited by the hardware somehow? Should I run a cable from the S33 modem's 2.5ge port to the router's 2.5ge port and then run another cable from the S33 modem's 1ge port to the blue "WAN" port on the AX11000 router?

I could care less if all Wi-Fi devices were capped below 1000 mbps / 1gbps as long as I could have at least my own desktop PC device able to get over 1000mbps when hardwired especially.

 

[TheLostSwede]

It's really quite simple, your router only has one 2.5Gbps port, so the only 2.5Gbps link is between your cable modem and the router.
All the ports coming out of the router are only 1Gbps.
Putting the Switch between the two isn't likely to help, as I presume the modem, is just a modem and doesn't do things like DHCP and routing.

 

[thecolin85]

It's really quite simple, your router only has one 2.5Gbps port, so the only 2.5Gbps link is between your cable modem and the router.
All the ports coming out of the router are only 1Gbps.
Putting the Switch between the two isn't likely to help, as I presume the modem, is just a modem and doesn't do things like DHCP and routing.

Help me out here, I tried accessing ARRIS S33 modem software/firmware and it's very locked down by Xfinity. But I see many options in my ASUS router software that speak to DHCP and routing. If that's where I should be playing with settings vs hardware configurations?

 

[thiggins]

The proper connection for highest bandwidth is modem 2.5 GbE to router 2.5 GbE port configred to WAN. Putting the 2.5 GbE switch between modem and router WAN will put any other devices directly on your ISP's network, a VERY bad thing for security, if it works at all.

As @TheLostSwede said, all other ports on the router are 1 GbE, so that will be your limit for wired devices.

A two stream Wi-Fi 5 or 6 device, which most devices are, on 5 GHz at 80 MHz channel bandwidth, sitting very close to the router will best case get in the 900 Mbps range. If you have MULTIPLE Wi-Fi 5 / 6 devices, you should be able to see > 1 Gbps total throughput if you run simultaneous speed tests and add the results.

BTW, what is your ISP provisioned bandwidth?

 

[leerees]

This is most likely a channel bandwidth issue. You need to enable 160mhz channel width and ensure that channel is set to AX only. You should be getting nearly 2gbps on a 4x4 stream device.

 

[Tech9]

You should be getting nearly 2gbps on a 4x4 stream device.

How many devices on the market have 4-stream AX radios?

 

[thecolin85]

The proper connection for highest bandwidth is modem 2.5 GbE to router 2.5 GbE port configred to WAN. Putting the 2.5 GbE switch between modem and router WAN will put any other devices directly on your ISP's network, a VERY bad thing for security, if it works at all.

As @TheLostSwede said, all other ports on the router are 1 GbE, so that will be your limit for wired devices.

A two stream Wi-Fi 5 or 6 device, which most devices are, on 5 GHz at 80 MHz channel bandwidth, sitting very close to the router will best case get in the 900 Mbps range. If you have MULTIPLE Wi-Fi 5 / 6 devices, you should be able to see > 1 Gbps total throughput if you run simultaneous speed tests and add the results.

BTW, what is your ISP provisioned bandwidth?

The switch is a 2.5ge switch though... 4 ports...

I have the 1200 down / 40 up plan from Comcast / Xfinity

 

[TheLostSwede]

Sorry, but you don't seem to grasp the technological limitations here.

1. Your router only has ONE (1) 2.5Gbps port. You're currently connecting it to your cable modem.
2. The cable modem isn't a router, so you need to connect it to a router to share access to it between your computers and devices.
3. The switch can't sit between the modem and the router, as devices connected to the switch in such a setup, if it even works, would not be on your LAN, nor behind the routers firewall and would require some kind of manual configuration. It's also unlikely that the one IP address you get from your ISP could be used by multiple devices connecting to your modem this way.
4. Most Wi-Fi clients are only 2x2 and could never hit the kind of download speeds that your Internet connection offers.

The solution to your problem is to get a router with at least two 2.5Gbps ports, although two multi-gig ports that supports speeds of 2.5Gbps and higher would also work. The problem is, there aren't many of those types of routers on the market today.
The other option would to get a combo cable modem/router, that has a 2.5Gbps LAN side port, which you could then connect directly to your PC, or to your switch and then to your PC.

 

[thecolin85]

Sorry, but you don't seem to grasp the technological limitations here.

1. Your router only has ONE (1) 2.5Gbps port. You're currently connecting it to your cable modem.
2. The cable modem isn't a router, so you need to connect it to a router to share access to it between your computers and devices.
3. The switch can't sit between the modem and the router, as devices connected to the switch in such a setup, if it even works, would not be on your LAN, nor behind the routers firewall and would require some kind of manual configuration. It's also unlikely that the one IP address you get from your ISP could be used by multiple devices connecting to your modem this way.
4. Most Wi-Fi clients are only 2x2 and could never hit the kind of download speeds that your Internet connection offers.

The solution to your problem is to get a router with at least two 2.5Gbps ports, although two multi-gig ports that supports speeds of 2.5Gbps and higher would also work. The problem is, there aren't many of those types of routers on the market today.
The other option would to get a combo cable modem/router, that has a 2.5Gbps LAN side port, which you could then connect directly to your PC, or to your switch and then to your PC.

You're absolutely right, my feeble mind cannot grasp the technology here. That's why I started this thread saying I'm a newbie, I have "weekend warrior" limited IT knowledge somewhere in between the people who don't know how to turn their PCs on/off and the people who spend a lot of time on a place like SNBforums or perhaps work in this industry or do this sort of thing for fun. I don't know. I just asked to please go easy on me or be patient. My responses:

1. Correct, the GT-AX11000 only has one 2.5g port. I'm connecting it to the S33 modem (two ethernet ports, one of which is the 2.5g port).
2. Correct, I understand my modem is simply a modem (not a combo unit) and my router is a router.
3. What is the point of having a 2.5ge network switch with 4 (four) 2.5g ethernet ports and 1 (one) 1g ethernet port? How could anyone get any use out of the 2.5 ports whatsoever?
4. I don't care so much about the WiFi speeds being over 1gbps. Although I have verified my Wi-Fi "clients" or devices getting well over 1000mbps on speed tests, it just depends on how I have the ethernet port connected between my modem and router i.e. 2.5g port or not, and/or whether or not I have WAN/LAN aggregation or "Dual WAN" settings turned on in my ASUS router settings..... I just want one single wired connection to my desktop PC capable of over 1000gbps while the wireless speeds can stay sub 1000mbps since apparently, it seems I can't have both?


Or would it be better to DOWNGRADE my modem from the Arris S33 back to my older SB8200 which DOES support LAN aggregation? So I could use both ethernet output ports on the SB8200 into my GT-AX11000 router, and THEN turn on those WAN/LAN dual aggregation settings in the router, then I could get 1+1gbps = 2gbps speeds, which would easily handle my 1200+mbps speed package I pay for... and that way I could have both wired speeds to wired devices i.e. desktop PC of over 1gbps+ as well as WiFi speeds over 1gbps if settings configured appropriately?

If I do this... going back to the SB8200 and do the WAN/LAN aggregation thing, how does or could/would my 2.5g network switch come into play? Or would it just not need to exist anymore? But if not, how the hell would I get 1gbps+ wired speeds OUT of one of the Ethernet LAN ports on the router (of 4) to my desktop PC if they're maxed out at 1g?

This stuff really makes my head hurt. It's frustrating and confusing. Is part of this a marketing scam or gimmick by either Comcast/Xfinity, Motorola/Arris, or ASUS when they advertise to the layperson what sounds like the ability to actually get the speeds you pay for (over 1gbps) to all devices, wired or wireless?

Am I making any sense?

 

[TheLostSwede]

You're absolutely right, my feeble mind cannot grasp the technology here. That's why I started this thread saying I'm a newbie, I have "weekend warrior" limited IT knowledge somewhere in between the people who don't know how to turn their PCs on/off and the people who spend a lot of time on a place like SNBforums or perhaps work in this industry or do this sort of thing for fun. I don't know. I just asked to please go easy on me or be patient. My responses:

1. Correct, the GT-AX11000 only has one 2.5g port. I'm connecting it to the S33 modem (two ethernet ports, one of which is the 2.5g port).
2. Correct, I understand my modem is simply a modem (not a combo unit) and my router is a router.
3. What is the point of having a 2.5ge network switch with 4 (four) 2.5g ethernet ports and 1 (one) 1g ethernet port? How could anyone get any use out of the 2.5 ports whatsoever?
4. I don't care so much about the WiFi speeds being over 1gbps. Although I have verified my Wi-Fi "clients" or devices getting well over 1000mbps on speed tests, it just depends on how I have the ethernet port connected between my modem and router i.e. 2.5g port or not, and/or whether or not I have WAN/LAN aggregation or "Dual WAN" settings turned on in my ASUS router settings..... I just want one single wired connection to my desktop PC capable of over 1000gbps while the wireless speeds can stay sub 1000mbps since apparently, it seems I can't have both?


Or would it be better to DOWNGRADE my modem from the Arris S33 back to my older SB8200 which DOES support LAN aggregation? So I could use both ethernet output ports on the SB8200 into my GT-AX11000 router, and THEN turn on those WAN/LAN dual aggregation settings in the router, then I could get 1+1gbps = 2gbps speeds, which would easily handle my 1200+mbps speed package I pay for... and that way I could have both wired speeds to wired devices i.e. desktop PC of over 1gbps+ as well as WiFi speeds over 1gbps if settings configured appropriately?

If I do this... going back to the SB8200 and do the WAN/LAN aggregation thing, how does or could/would my 2.5g network switch come into play? Or would it just not need to exist anymore? But if not, how the hell would I get 1gbps+ wired speeds OUT of one of the Ethernet LAN ports on the router (of 4) to my desktop PC if they're maxed out at 1g?

This stuff really makes my head hurt. It's frustrating and confusing. Is part of this a marketing scam or gimmick by either Comcast/Xfinity, Motorola/Arris, or ASUS when they advertise to the layperson what sounds like the ability to actually get the speeds you pay for (over 1gbps) to all devices, wired or wireless?

Am I making any sense?

Actually, with your current hardware, there is no configuration that would allow you to get faster than 1Gbps to your desktop, unless you connect it directly to the modem, which means that your other devices in your home won't have an internet connection.
You need a router with at least two 2.5Gbps or faster ports, as I mentioned in my previous reply.

Dual WAN aggregation isn't going to help either, as you'll still never go beyond 1Gbps, as aggregation doesn't work like that for Ethernet.
What it would allow you, is that spillover traffic beyond the 1Gbps of a single Ethernet interface, would be able to take advantage of the additional bandwidth available to the second Ethernet interface if multiple devices are using the internet at the same time.
This is a limitation of how aggregation on Ethernet works today.

No marketing scam, as you clearly get faster than 1Gbps speed from your modem. The issue is that your router can't doesn't have another 2.5Gbps port, so no single device can get faster than 1Gbps speeds, unless you have some 3x3 or 4x4 wireless device. It's possible your ISP has some other hardware that would solve this.

So far, there are no consumer routers in retail that I'm aware of that has two 2.5Gbps ports, although Asus has announced one. It's likely we'll get more such devices next year. Asus does have one with two 10Gbps, but then one of them is an SFP+ port, so you'd either have to get a fibre based network card for your PC, or get a transceiver which is around $50 on top of the cost of a very expensive router.

I'm afraid you're a bit stuck with your current hardware and you've pretty much gotten faster internet than there is sensibly priced hardware for. There might be some kind of business router that would solve your problem, but I'm afraid I'm the wrong person to help suggesting something like that.

As for your switch, all the ports are 2.5Gbps, the text is a bit misleading, as the left LED is for 2.5Gbps, with the right being for 1Gbps/100Mbps. For some reason, only one port was labelled up, most likely to save cost. Got to love Xi-nese companies.

 

[TheLostSwede]

This router would solve your problem, but I know nothing about it.

WiFi Router | Zyxel Networks

Share an Internet connection with fast wired and wireless connectivity. Get smoother high-definition video streaming playback. Reduce lag for all your favorite online games. Quickly share files between your connected devices. Do it all with Zyxel‘s home router series.

www.zyxel.com

If you want to stick with Asus, then for now at least, this plus a media converter is your only option.

RT-AX89X｜WiFi Routers｜ASUS Global

ASUS gaming routers provide the very best gaming experience, with an arsenal of features and tools designed to improve online gaming performance and give you the competitive edge you need to win.

www.asus.com

 

[TheLostSwede]

@thecolin85 this should solve your problem.

CommScope Introduces ARRIS SURFboard G34 and G36 DOCSIS 3.1 Cable Modem & Wi-Fi 6 Routers

The technological innovation running through homes today demands incredible bandwidth, speed, and a strong network connection. To meet those increasing demands CommScope introduces two new products: the ARRIS SURFboard G34 and G36 DOCSIS 3.1 cable modem and Wi-Fi 6 routers. Available in the...

www.techpowerup.com

The router has cable connection in, 2.5Gbps out which you can connect to your switch and then to your PC or wherever you want.

 

[slrt]

Actually there is an easy solution with your existing router and modem: Just get a 2.5Gbps USB card like Asus USB-C2500.
USB can only be used for WAN at the moment, however the router's 2.5Gbps port can be configured as either LAN or WAN. Configure it as LAN and connect it to the switch, and use the USB as your WAN connection - by enabling Dual WAN and not using the ethernet port. See more details in this thread.