How to achieve xfinity multi-gig "Gigabit extra" 1200mbps connection

[devinrhode2]

TL;DR:

If you have a router with a 2.5g wan port, and a modem with a 2.5g port, and you go into asus router settings and run a speed test from the router directly to modem, and you aren't seeing the full speeds your ISP says you're capable of, then you can:
1. Call your ISP, be a karen, schedule a tech to come out to diagnose
2. If your ISP calls trying to explain you don't need a tech to come out, hold firm

Speed test really late at night/really early in the morning. Retest after 24 and 48 hours (excluding weekend).

You don't need link aggregation to achieve 1444mbps downlink, granted your modem and router both have 2.5g ports, and you are using a good ethernet cable (I'm using cat8)

=====

So.. I just bought an asus ax11000 pro, which supports wan aggregation.

I recently bought an Arris s33 modem, but, just learned that it doesn't support wan aggregation.

However, apparently an arris T25 DOES support link aggregation.

I currently pay for xfinity's "Gigabit extra" plan at 1200mbps..

And I'm really curious.. should I just call xfinity and say I'm not getting the full speeds?

My modem has a 2.5g port which is meant to support +1gbps speeds... but idk... WHY does the arris s33 have 2 ethernet ports if not for link aggregation...???

Here's the (rather impressive) documentation from asus on wan aggregation. I found this by clicking "WAN Aggregation faq" inside my new routers settings.. https://www.asus.com/support/FAQ/1039053

All my speed tests (done inside qos settings) show the speed hovers around 800-940mbps

 

[Tech Junky]

I used a mb8600 and turned on lacp and plugged in two cables and worked great for years.

If you have a 2.5 port on the Asus look at the mb8611 which has one as well

 

[CaptainSTX]

So.. I just bought an asus ax11000 pro, which supports wan aggregation.

I recently bought an Arris s33 modem, but, just learned that it doesn't support wan aggregation.

However, apparently an arris T25 DOES support link aggregation.

I currently pay for xfinity's "Gigabit extra" plan at 1200mbps..

And I'm really curious.. should I just call xfinity and say I'm not getting the full speeds?

My modem has a 2.5g port which is meant to support +1gbps speeds... but idk... WHY does the arris s33 have 2 ethernet ports if not for link aggregation...???

Here's the (rather impressive) documentation from asus on wan aggregation. I found this by clicking "WAN Aggregation faq" inside my new routers settings.. https://www.asus.com/support/FAQ/1039053

All my speed tests (done inside qos settings) show the speed hovers around 800-940mbps

Did you go into the modem's firmware and activate LAG if that is an option? I am using an mb8600 with LAG activated and it works fine on that modem. After activating you need to reboot both the modem and router.

Don't bother calling xfinity since you own both the modem and router it is your problem.

 

[Clark Griswald]

Don't bother calling xfinity since you own both the modem and router it is your problem.

Sadly, if you use anything but their equipment, then xfinity will always blame your equipment.
Our 2-year contract ended, but I don't have enough "positive mojo" to deal with xfinity to work a deal. I would enjoy having the speeds of gigabit pro, but zoinks $300/month for internet, would clearly wipe-out the home entertainment budget for Casa Griswald.

 

[Tech Junky]

gigabit pro, but zoinks $300/month for internet

But you would have fiber and symmetrical speeds. Though shopping for a local fiber provider would be cheaper in most cases if you're close enough to their loop to get service.

If I were two blocks closer myself I could get symmetrical gig+ for under $100. Since I diy my setup just need a nic with an sfp and done deal.

 

[devinrhode2]

Did some more research.

I found one article on futurism.com on the best docsis 3.1 modems, and it mentions that the arris s33 supports link aggregation. I think the author is mistaken. I found a second source that suggests using both ethernet ports requires getting a second ip address issued by your internet provider: https://arris.secure.force.com/consumers/articles/General_FAQs/S33-Ethernet-Ports/

So... I COULD try and call Xfinity and.. TRY and convince them to issue me a second public ip... which would then allow me to use a dual wan setup [I think]

So... Now my question is.. what's better: Dual WAN or Link Aggregation?

I've been reading about link aggregation. Here's a great article (again) from asus themselves, on Dual WAN:

[Wireless Router] Dual WAN introduction and setup - Failover and Load Balance | Official Support | ASUS Global

Since I have a 900mbps connection (baseline), I don't really need more bandwidth for the most part. While going from 900 to 1400 certainly seems cool, downloads will download faster.. I'd prefer improved ping..

Will Dual WAN improve ping? idk.

Honestly, the biggest improvement to my connection will come from getting a hard-wire setup from the basement up to my desk upstairs.

I heard this on how link aggregation affects latency:
- Latency will potentially be improved because each physical interface in the LAG will be processing less data and will therefore have better throughput. If the individual interfaces weren't under significant load, there won't be any improvement at all.

 

[devinrhode2]

Called comcast just now.

First, I just said I'm not getting my full speeds. Explained I get 940 at most.

They say unplug modem power, then coax. Wait one minute. Then plug in coax. Then power.

Boom. 1056mbps! Apparently it should get faster over few hours...

 

[Tech9]

Will Dual WAN improve ping?

Dual WAN doesn't even work properly on Asus routers along with Link/WAN Aggregation. All very basic and used mostly for marketing purposes. Impressive in theory only. What you need is a modem with 2.5GbE port connected to your router's 2.5GbE WAN port. Nothing else will work better. And then careful what features you enable in firmware because the router's hardware with no NAT acceleration can do about 400Mbps WAN-LAN.

I wouldn't even bother for 940 to 1200 speeds. You won't see any difference in real life except speedtest and occasional slightly faster download.

 

[devinrhode2]

Thanks for all the input.

Based on my research, it seems most people get 1200-1400mbps by using link aggregation.

Therefore, I thought I must be at a ceiling around 940mbps.

However.. after calling comcast, just using the 2.5g port on my modem and router.. I was able to achieve 1056 when testing during active hours.

Since I still wasn't sure if I was simply hitting a _different_ ceiling of about 1056.. I had scheduled an appointment for an xfinity tech to come out thursday this week.

UPDATE: Got a call last night around.. 8-9pm.. it was a person from xfinity who knows something about high speed connections. Their goal is really to just avoid having a tech come out to my house. We want back and forth on and on. Eventually, I decided I want to keep my appointment, because I want to see how the "supersonic" XB8 gateway will perform.

I did a test at about 6:17am cst, and I saw it peak at about 1444mbps! Upload still tops out around 42mbps.

So, I can conclude that my modem is *great*, no need to exchange it. Link aggregation is not necessary to achieve 1444mbps speeds.

There's probably a few downsides to link aggregation.

I never figured out if I need to get an additional IP from comcast. But I heard this mentioned as necessary even for link aggregation.

Separately, I think Dual WAN "load balancing" disables AiProtection.

 

[devinrhode2]

Couple modem notes:
s33 has 1gb of ram. One 2.5g port, one 1g port.
sb8200 has 3gb of ram. Two 1g ports.
Heard one mention that this doesn't matter (I think that's possible, under normal conditions).

mb8611 I think has .5gb ram.

 

[devinrhode2]

Dual WAN notes:

I tried setting up Dual WAN. First, checked if the second ethernet port on the modem works when connected directly to my laptop. No go.

So I enabled dual wan in the router settings, and then connected to a second cat8 cable to my routers lan 4 port. (Using 2 identical cat 8 cables, so 100% certain the are the "same spec" which asus said was necessary for link aggregation... ‍:shrug

I asked xfinity about a second ip. Person seemed confused. Might try posting on the xfinity forums sometime. Generally, it seems an additional ip address is only available to business accounts. You can check the "rate card" for your area here: https://www.xfinity.com/support/rate-card (need to login) Although there is mention here of still being able to get a second IP even if it's not listed on your "rate card": https://forums.xfinity.com/conversa...ast-1200mbps-service/60d7c6574be6c333aae64c5c

I feel like I should probably disable Dual WAN, but I don't really know ‍:shrug:

This is what I see on the "network map": http://192.168.50.1/index.asp

 

[devinrhode2]

Did you go into the modem's firmware and activate LAG if that is an option? I am using an mb8600 with LAG activated and it works fine on that modem. After activating you need to reboot both the modem and router.

Don't bother calling xfinity since you own both the modem and router it is your problem.

s33 doesn't have any options for activating LAG, it's just flat out not supported

 

[devinrhode2]

Dual WAN doesn't even work properly on Asus routers along with Link/WAN Aggregation. All very basic and used mostly for marketing purposes. Impressive in theory only. What you need is a modem with 2.5GbE port connected to your router's 2.5GbE WAN port. Nothing else will work better. And then careful what features you enable in firmware because the router's hardware with no NAT acceleration can do about 400Mbps WAN-LAN.

I wouldn't even bother for 940 to 1200 speeds. You won't see any difference in real life except speedtest and occasional slightly faster download.

Agreed, I just don't know what else to do with my time. Looking for a job, but need something other than video games to keep me sane with all the free time. It's 2023, and if the occasional download is faster, that's great in my book.

 

[Tech9]

With about 20 devices on your network this expensive Gaming RGB tri-radio router is a form of donation to Asus and I'm sure they truly appreciate it.

 

[devinrhode2]

Yeah.. I was just getting a little fed up with poor signal upstairs. Wife doesn't really like the idea of running ethernet across the house.

What would be a more suitable router?

 

[Tech9]

Perhaps you could save some money with GT-AX6000. It has the same hardware, but dual-band. You don't need 3-band router for small number of devices. In most households high-bandwidth devices are under 10 and only a few active at the same time. GT-AX6000 perhaps has very similar Wi-Fi coverage.

 

[devinrhode2]

Looks like the RT-AX88U also has a 4x4 radio.. probably anything that has "AX6000" would be comparable.

 

[Tech9]

There is a new RT-AX88U Pro model coming. It looks more like a router and less like a toy:

RT-AX88U Pro｜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

 

[devinrhode2]

That model has one feature, range boost plus, which may be of interest in my situation..

This is how asus describes the feature:

"Expanded Coverage with RangeBoost Plus
RangeBoost Plus is the latest, most powerful evolution of the renowned and exclusive ASUS collection of wireless network technologies. It includes the next-gen Broadcom WiFi chipset and CPU plus multiple cutting-edge ASUS features to expand signal range and overall coverage by up to 38%*.

*Measured using WiFi 6 client connected at 200 Mbps to WiFi 6 router with RangeBoost Plus, compared to the same WiFi 6 client connected at 200 Mbps to WiFi 5 router without RangeBoost Plus.

 

[devinrhode2]

Not sure what makes this one less of a toy. Care to elaborate Tech9?