New-bought ASUS RT-AC86U throttles WAN connection?

[Icy_Thought]

The following message has been forwarded from Reddit for the sake of increasing the coverage of the following issue and thus resulting in more resolutions available on the internet to help improve the network connection of other ASUS RT-AC86U users.

Sorry for the odd title, but this has unfortunately been the case for my new bought ASUS router. The internet speed experienced through the wan port is showing a speed of 500/550 while the router is distributing a WiFi speed of 150/189 and sometimes even 34/53 for some odd reason and thus I searched around the internet but ended up with nothing but more questions than answers.

What is more odd is random disconnections from the internet, which are resolved automatically after few seconds; this was not the case when smart control was enabled.

The following solutions have been attempted to resolve the issue but failed miserably:

1. Enabling/disabling QoS.
2. Enabling/disabling smart connect, where smart connect being enabled has proven to show faster internet speeds and less random disconnections than enabling separate networks.
3. Enabling/disabling IPv6.
4. Enabling/disabling Firewall.
5. Replacing stock firmware with Merlin firmware + factory resetting the router.

I don't know if the following has had any effect, but this is my current changes on the initial factory settings:

1. UPnP has been disabled.
2. Password is 18 characters long with random symbols + letters and characters.
3. The name of the router exceeds 8 characters. (Don't think this is supposed to affect the internet down/up speeds?)

Anymore information required to debug this issue can and will be provided when requested. I appreciate the effort being made by everyone attempting to help me resolve this issue!

 

[Grisu]

What I know you must not use more than 15 or 16 char. long password.
Downgrade to older firmware and everything will be fine, or wait for fixes.

 

[Icy_Thought]

What I know you must not use more than 15 or 16 char. long password.
Downgrade to older firmware and everything will be fine, or wait for fixes.

Changed the password and that seems to have no effect on the total internet speed provided by the router.

 

[L&LD]

@Icy_Thought, you may want to have a look at the link in my signature below for the M&M Config and the Nuclear Reset guides to get your router to a good/known state.

In my experience, changing just one or two settings on an unstable/unreliable or non-optimally performing router isn't enough to get the most from it. A full reset as outlined in the guides above will either be successful or may indicate hardware issues.

I would recommend the latest RMerlin firmware for your router followed by the steps in the guides.

The following links may also prove helpful too.

https://www.asuswrt-merlin.net/download

https://www.snbforums.com/threads/ax88-packet-loss.62891/#post-563326

If you are going to be exploring the scripts that are available with RMerlin firmware (via amtm by @thelonelycoder), the following links may be useful too. Note that installing all the scripts isn't what I'm suggesting/recommending. Just their order.

With RMerlin 384.15_) and later, amtm is included by default and is the recommended/official way to get Entware installed on your router. The guide below was written before it was included in the firmware. Just ignore that part of it.

And, ignore all of it before you get your router and network performing as you expect, of course.

https://www.snbforums.com/threads/order-of-installing-popular-scripts.61854/#post-551865

amtm Step-by-Step https://www.snbforums.com/threads/amtm-step-by-step-install-guide-l-ld.56237/#post-483421

Welcome to the forums.

HTH.

 

[OzarkEdge]

The following message has been forwarded from Reddit for the sake of increasing the coverage of the following issue and thus resulting in more resolutions available on the internet to help improve the network connection of other ASUS RT-AC86U users.

Sorry for the odd title, but this has unfortunately been the case for my new bought ASUS router. The internet speed experienced through the wan port is showing a speed of 500/550 while the router is distributing a WiFi speed of 150/189 and sometimes even 34/53 for some odd reason and thus I searched around the internet but ended up with nothing but more questions than answers.

What is more odd is random disconnections from the internet, which are resolved automatically after few seconds; this was not the case when smart control was enabled.

The following solutions have been attempted to resolve the issue but failed miserably:

1. Enabling/disabling QoS.
2. Enabling/disabling smart connect, where smart connect being enabled has proven to show faster internet speeds and less random disconnections than enabling separate networks.
3. Enabling/disabling IPv6.
4. Enabling/disabling Firewall.
5. Replacing stock firmware with Merlin firmware + factory resetting the router.

I don't know if the following has had any effect, but this is my current changes on the initial factory settings:

1. UPnP has been disabled.
2. Password is 18 characters long with random symbols + letters and characters.
3. The name of the router exceeds 8 characters. (Don't think this is supposed to affect the internet down/up speeds?)

Anymore information required to debug this issue can and will be provided when requested. I appreciate the effort being made by everyone attempting to help me resolve this issue!

New bought vs new stolen?

None of what you have done seems too relevant... you certainly don't want to disable the firewall.

We could discuss speed and what to expect where, but I would first install firmware 81352, reset the router, and configure it minimally from scratch. My notes may help.

Then wire a PC to the router LAN and speed test.

Next connect a PC to a router WLAN and speed test. Know the PC's connection link rate... something like 866 Mbps for AC with 2 streams... 2 antennas on the PC.

OE

 

[Val D.]

router is distributing a WiFi speed of 150/189 and sometimes even 34/53

To what client? To see the full 500Mbps speed through WiFi you'll need a 3x3 AC client close to the router.

 

[Icy_Thought]

To what client? To see the full 500Mbps speed through WiFi you'll need a 3x3 AC client close to the router.

To all the devices available at home, even while standing next to the router.

 

[Icy_Thought]

@Icy_Thought, you may want to have a look at the link in my signature below for the M&M Config and the Nuclear Reset guides to get your router to a good/known state.

In my experience, changing just one or two settings on an unstable/unreliable or non-optimally performing router isn't enough to get the most from it. A full reset as outlined in the guides above will either be successful or may indicate hardware issues.

I would recommend the latest RMerlin firmware for your router followed by the steps in the guides.

The following links may also prove helpful too.

https://www.asuswrt-merlin.net/download

https://www.snbforums.com/threads/ax88-packet-loss.62891/#post-563326

If you are going to be exploring the scripts that are available with RMerlin firmware (via amtm by @thelonelycoder), the following links may be useful too. Note that installing all the scripts isn't what I'm suggesting/recommending. Just their order.

With RMerlin 384.15_) and later, amtm is included by default and is the recommended/official way to get Entware installed on your router. The guide below was written before it was included in the firmware. Just ignore that part of it.

And, ignore all of it before you get your router and network performing as you expect, of course.

https://www.snbforums.com/threads/order-of-installing-popular-scripts.61854/#post-551865

amtm Step-by-Step https://www.snbforums.com/threads/amtm-step-by-step-install-guide-l-ld.56237/#post-483421

Welcome to the forums.

HTH.

First of all, I appreciate the time you spent writing such detailed answer to help me resolve this issue!

I have attempted replacing the stock firmware with RMerlin and factory reset the router previously, but failed to resolve the issue and since then not arrived at a conclusion. What I am aware of, after countless testing, is the ability of the router's LAN ports to distribute the same amount of network speed as the speed, provided through the WAN port, flowing in to the router. This finding makes me wonder if there is something else causing this issue to arise or of it's caused by the interference of other routers in the neighborhood.

I'll attempt to factory reset the router with the help of the information you provided in your message and update this thread when I have completed that task.

 

[Icy_Thought]

New bought vs new stolen?

None of what you have done seems too relevant... you certainly don't want to disable the firewall.

We could discuss speed and what to expect where, but I would first install firmware 81352, reset the router, and configure it minimally from scratch. My notes may help.

Then wire a PC to the router LAN and speed test.

Next connect a PC to a router WLAN and speed test. Know the PC's connection link rate... something like 866 Mbps for AC with 2 streams... 2 antennas on the PC.

OE

Since I do not understand the first sentence of yours, I will disregard it or ask you for further information regarding what you are trying to tell me.

I do understand that non of the above could've been relevant to the issue but due to the lack of understanding how the firmware of the router is built, I could not tell what could've caused the router speed to reduce itself drastically than what was to be expected. And as mentioned above, I attempted a speedtest where I had hooked my personal laptop to the router's LAN port and to my surprise I found out that the speed provided through the LAN port of the router was identical to the speed flowing in to the router through the WAN port and thus contributed to more suspicion regarding what could be the cause of this issue.

This image shows the internet speed experienced through the LAN port of the router:
https://imgur.com/a/yLtSAjz

 

[Val D.]

To all the devices available at home, even while standing next to the router.

And what those devices are capable of? For example, 1x1 AC mobile device can achieve about 200Mbps throughput, 2x2 AC can get about 400Mbps, 3x3 may get you full ISP speed, if the wireless channel is not very busy. Slower 1x1 and 2x2 N devices may not be able to reach 150Mbps throughput ever. 2.4GHz devices may not get even 50Mbps. You can reset the router 15 times and it won't fix anything. The router may not be the issue here at all.

P.S. I don't have any WiFi devices at home capable of 500Mbps throughput, for example.

 

[OzarkEdge]

Since I do not understand the first sentence of yours, I will disregard it or ask you for further information regarding what you are trying to tell me.

I do understand that non of the above could've been relevant to the issue but due to the lack of understanding how the firmware of the router is built, I could not tell what could've caused the router speed to reduce itself drastically than what was to be expected. And as mentioned above, I attempted a speedtest where I had hooked my personal laptop to the router's LAN port and to my surprise I found out that the speed provided through the LAN port of the router was identical to the speed flowing in to the router through the WAN port and thus contributed to more suspicion regarding what could be the cause of this issue.

This image shows the internet speed experienced through the LAN port of the router:
https://imgur.com/a/yLtSAjz

So, your router is delivering ISP speeds to your LAN, as it should... ISP is good, router is good, LAN is good. That just leaves WiFi and your clients...

Now, connect your laptop PC to each WLAN and measure that speed. Also, note the Windows network connection status link rate speed for each WLAN test.

OE

 

[Val D.]

That just leaves WiFi and your clients...

Exactly. I just transferred some large files over WiFi as a test. The WiFi channels around are kind of busy these days and the best I could get from a 2x2 AC client connected at maximum link speed 866Mbps (in the same room as the AP) was about 52MB/sec or about 420Mbps. Not bad actually. I'm not sure what exactly @Icy_Thought expects from WiFi connections.

 

[Grisu]

Possibly he expects 11000 or 2900Mb/s with 86U. Wont never happen.

 

[Icy_Thought]

And what those devices are capable of? For example, 1x1 AC mobile device can achieve about 200Mbps throughput, 2x2 AC can get about 400Mbps, 3x3 may get you full ISP speed, if the wireless channel is not very busy. Slower 1x1 and 2x2 N devices may not be able to reach 150Mbps throughput ever. 2.4GHz devices may not get even 50Mbps. You can reset the router 15 times and it won't fix anything. The router may not be the issue here at all.

P.S. I don't have any WiFi devices at home capable of 500Mbps throughput, for example.

I apologise for not including that information in my earlier message.

The devices connected to the internet through the router are: Samsung Note 10+, Samsung S9+, Samsung Note 8, Huawei Mate 10 Pro, iPhone 8+, iPad mini 4, Lenovo Thinkpad E595, PS4 and Samsung QLED TV (don't remember the model). It's worth mentioning that the speed tests were conducted where the laptop was the only device connected to the router.

 

[Icy_Thought]

Possibly he expects 11000 or 2900Mb/s with 86U. Wont never happen.

Nowhere has it been mentioned nor claimed that I was expecting such speeds. On the other hand was my expectations of the network speed through WiFi connection somewhat close to the LAN speed, around 400-500 Mbps.

 

[cplay]

Nowhere has it been mentioned nor claimed that I was expecting such speeds. On the other hand was my expectations of the network speed through WiFi connection somewhat close to the LAN speed, around 400-500 Mbps.

Go into system - wireless log.

Note spatial streams (1, 2, 3, or 4). Then look at your link rate. at best you will get half of that in actual speed as wifi is half duplex. I.e. 866 mbps means a MAX realistically of 433 mbps.

Then you can work out why your speeds are slower than 500mbps.

You will need 3 spatial streams on your client device (iphones etc) for your to manage 650mbps throughput (even though link rate will be 1300)

make sense?

Realistically most of your devices on 5ghz if channel isn't crowded will get 433mbps MAX as they will likely have two spatial streams (2x2).

 

[ColinTaylor]

Note spatial streams (1, 2, 3, or 4). Then look at your link rate. at best you will get half of that in actual speed as wifi is half duplex. I.e. 866 mbps means a MAX realistically of 433 mbps.

That's a pretty good rule of thumb but not always the case. Just because WiFi is half duplex it doesn't mean that the throughput in one direction will be capped at 50%, because the volume of traffic during a speed test will be very asymmetric.

For example, my laptop with 2 antennas has a max link speed of 866Mbps. I can get a download speed of 515Mbps which is 94% of my ISP feed. However, to get that speed there has to be no other WiFi clients active otherwise the speed drops to a more typical 480Mbps (depending on what the other clients are doing of course).

 

[cplay]

That's a pretty good rule of thumb but not always the case. Just because WiFi is half duplex it doesn't mean that the throughput in one direction will be capped at 50%, because the volume of traffic during a speed test will be very asymmetric.

For example, my laptop with 2 antennas has a max link speed of 866Mbps. I can get a download speed of 515Mbps which is 94% of my ISP feed. However, to get that speed there has to be no other WiFi clients active otherwise the speed drops to a more typical 480Mbps (depending on what the other clients are doing of course).

Totally agree, I was simply giving a rule of thumb based on normal network conditions under normal load.

But yeah, I completely agree with what you are saying

 

[Val D.]

However, to get that speed there has to be no other WiFi clients active...

I know you're right, but I also know I don't want to get into victims of domestic violence list.

 

[ColinTaylor]

I know you're right, but I also know I don't want to get into victims of domestic violence list.

That's why us IT guys prefer to work in the middle of the night. It's the only time those pesky users aren't spoiling our network.