Only 400Mb on 1Gb connection with Asus RT-AC68U

[Watson306]

Hi Guys,
I have a 1Gb connection with a VM Superhub 4.
I was getting close to my 500Mb with my Asus router and then I decided to upgrade to 1Gb.
And ever since I am now lucky to get 400Mb connected directly to the Asus router with WiFi turned off and no other devices connected by Ethernet cable.
I initially thought it was the connection, but if I connect a laptop directly to the superhub whilst in modem mode and then obtain a Public IP address I get 860Mb - Now I know thats not 1Gb, and I think thats probably an issue, but I would be happy with that if I could get that through the Asus Router.
Ive also just put SH4 back into router mode and I got over 1Gb.
I dont suppose anyone else has the same Router (running the latest Merlin FW) in conjunction with the Superhub 4, and has experienced these issues and was able to overcome them by changing some settings?

 

[ColinTaylor]

Disable QoS and AiProtection and reboot the router. Then test again from your Ethernet connected client.

 

[Darkje]

I don't read anything about TM stuff... I had this issue before and needed to full factory reset the whole bunch. I just checked (only internal ) and it stocked at about 700Mbit. So I would definitely get a new router. Or lower the ISP speed. Nat acceleration is turned on.

 

[brambil]

First try a total reset/hard reset and change the ethernet cable.

 

[Watson306]

Disable QoS and AiProtection and reboot the router. Then test again from your Ethernet connected client.

I get a small improvement but still not close to 500Mb even.

 

[Watson306]

I don't read anything about TM stuff... I had this issue before and needed to full factory reset the whole bunch. I just checked (only internal ) and it stocked at about 700Mbit. So I would definitely get a new router. Or lower the ISP speed. Nat acceleration is turned on.

I've read online that people have managed to get 960Mb from this router - is that not the case?
On the Nat Acceleration page I have - CTF (Cut Through Forwarding) is enabled. I've read that it needs to be FA, but I only have option of Auto or Disabled, and Auto gives me CTF.
What is TM?

 

[Watson306]

First try a total reset/hard reset and change the ethernet cable.

Do you mean take it back to the Asus FW?

 

[ColinTaylor]

FWIW my Virgin Media connection is only 660 Mbps but I could easily achieve that on my RT-AC68U provided hardware acceleration was enabled.

 

[Watson306]

Ive just tested again with everything disabled, and I got just over 700Mb. Is that about as good as I can expect with this router?
Dont get me wrong I am happy with that - if it stays at that speed.

 

[ColinTaylor]

Ive just tested again with everything disabled, and I got just over 700Mb. Is that about as good as I can expect with this router?
Dont get me wrong I am happy with that - if it stays at that speed.

You ought to be able to get >900 Mbps. But then you said originally that you were only getting 860 Mbps with a laptop connected directly to the Hub in modem mode. It sounds like your problem is an inconsistent speed being provided by VM.

Leave the Asus connected as it is and put the Hub back in router mode. Do you now get 1Gbps again when connected directly to the Hub? Now unplug your PC from the Hub and reconnect it to the Asus and test again. Compare the results.

 

[Darkje]

What ever you do, start with a full reset.

 

[Watson306]

You ought to be able to get >900 Mbps. But then you said originally that you were only getting 860 Mbps with a laptop connected directly to the Hub in modem mode. It sounds like your problem is an inconsistent speed being provided by VM.

Leave the Asus connected as it is and put the Hub back in router mode. Do you now get 1Gbps again when connected directly to the Hub? Now unplug your PC from the Hub and reconnect it to the Asus and test again. Compare the results.

So using the SH4 as the router I get these results:

And then changing back to the Asus - I get this:

 

[ColinTaylor]

Interesting. While doing the test via the Asus what is the router's CPU load like? (Network Map > System Status)

What firmware version are you using, 386.4? I might be worth trying a different firmware (stock Asus or John's fork) if you're not dependent on some particular Merlin-only feature.

 

[Watson306]

What ever you do, start with a full reset.

Just did a factory reset and I got this:

 

[Tech9]

So using the SH4 as the router I get these results:

This home gateway (Intel Atom based dual-core CPU) has much faster packet processing speed than your AC68U (ARMv7 dual-core CPU) router. It also has better 5GHz AC Wave 2 radio. Looks like AC68U router is a downgrade to your ISP provided equipment. You need to upgrade your router to match.

 

[Watson306]

This home gateway (Intel Atom based dual-core CPU) has much faster packet processing speed than your AC68U (ARMv7 dual-core CPU) router. It also has better 5GHz AC Wave 2 radio. Looks like AC68U router is a downgrade to your ISP provided equipment. You need to upgrade your router to match.

I was tempted to look at a new router.
Which is the best value Asus Router that we can put Merlin on, that will be an upgrade on both the SH4 and the RT-AC68U?

 

[Tech9]

Popular choice is RT-AX86U model. I don't know if you need it though. Some modern home gateways are pretty fast already. You may be paying for extra features only with no real world Internet use advantages after the "upgrade". Very few home routers will beat Intel WAV500 routing performance.

 

[ColinTaylor]

I was tempted to look at a new router.
Which is the best value Asus Router that we can put Merlin on, that will be an upgrade on both the SH4 and the RT-AC68U?

It depends on what you're trying to improve on compared to your current setup. Now that you've sorted out the speed issue you're getting the maximum throughput possible over a single gigabit Ethernet connection. What is it that's lacking with the Hub4 as a standalone device or the RT-AC68U?

 

[Watson306]

It depends on what you're trying to improve on compared to your current setup. Now that you've sorted out the speed issue you're getting the maximum throughput possible over a single gigabit Ethernet connection. What is it that's lacking with the Hub4 as a standalone device or the RT-AC68U?

To be honest I have always been happy with the RT-AC68U - was just a bit miffed why I couldnt get over 400Mb.
But I have now resolved that and as I am currently doing my house up to sell - I probably have no need to upgrade in the near future.
Will probably wait until I move before I upgrade now - but may keep an eye out for any bargains on the RT-AX86U in the meantime.

 

[Watson306]

Thanks for everyone's help - I was kinda looking too deeply into the issue and a simple reset was the answer.
I really appreciate all of your input.