[R7000][Q]Wifi Performance Slow?

[kduke]

Hi!

A few weeks ago, I've bought a new R7000 router from Best Buys. My Netgear router currently sits on top of my network printer along with my modem (ARRIS SURFboard SB6183). My older brother flashed my router (with my permission ) to AdvancedTomato (nice GUI, great QOS, excellent features), although he didn't fool around too much with it's settings. Recently, however, I was using internet through my laptop and I noticed slow performance through my web searches. I thought it was my ISP, so I plugged my laptop directly to my modem. I'm currently paying for 200mb/s down and 50mb/s up through Time Warner cable; when I performed a speedtest through Ookla (Time Warner Cable's version), I was getting 230 and 20 up, which is pretty good. I unplugged the laptop and did a speedtest again wirelessly (I'm very close to the router - about a ruler stick away): this time, 15 down and 15 up with a consistent speed (no jumping from 15 to 2). When I travel about 30-50m away from the router and did the test again, I also get 15 down and 15 up. My laptop wifi is only capable of 2.4ghz , so I did the same test with my smart phone, which unfortunately got the same 15 down/up on 5ghz. Rebooting both the router and modem and clearing NVRAM didn't solve the wifi issue. Looking briefly at the control panel of my router, QOS and CTF are disabled (people reported disabling these helped their internet, but not me). AdvancedTomato is up to date.

Is there something up with the Tomato firmware? Is this normal? Does interference/wifi cause the connection speed to drop drastically? I didn't perform a speed test while I was on Netgear Genie so I'm not sure if it's a wireless, setting, or firmware issue. I'm very new to networking and hardly experienced with it (fair to say I'm a noob), so go easy on me . Also, if you guys think returning to Netgear genie or moving to DD-WRT will help the Wifi speeds, mention that as well.

If returning to Netgear Genie does yield more WiFi performance and gives maybe 50% of my ISP speed: I looked at this video:

and http://tomato.groov.pl/download/K26ARM/118/R7000/ but I'm not sure if I should flash the ofw file due to it's age...advice?

Does DD-WRT work well with this router with no problems?

 

[Hawk]

Couple of things to look out for, first wifi is subject lot interference and can result in slower speeds. Only reliable way as you observed yourself is through wire.

Also if cut through forwarding (CTF) is disabled router will never reach it's full speed. I will recommend that you use netgear original firmware and see what you get in terms of speed. Do factory reset after you install and do not load save setting, instead do it manual.

 

[kduke]

Hi, thanks for responding!

I will recommend that you use netgear original firmware and see what you get in terms of speed. Do factory reset after you install and do not load save setting, instead do it manual.

Should I flash the ofw file as provided in the link of my post then flash the firmware from http://support.netgear.com/product/R7000? Sorry for asking this dumb question; I want to make sure my router won't brick from the old firmware...

I appreciate your response!

 

[System Error Message]

what client did you use to perform the test? Wireless a/b?

Instead of doing an internet test with wifi do a LAN transfer test first.

another thing you havent tried is shutting the router of for a while and letting it cool down.

 

[kduke]

what client did you use to perform the test? Wireless a/b?

Instead of doing an internet test with wifi do a LAN transfer test first.

another thing you havent tried is shutting the router of for a while and letting it cool down.

On my first post, I specified that my LAN speed (direct connection to modem, also direct connection to router through ethernet) is in fact faster than the ISP promised speed (my speed is 230 down 20 up compared to 200 down 50 up). Unfortunately, this is not the case with WiFi, which is 15 down 15 up...

Also: I've changed the 5 Ghz to "N Only" and 2.4 to "b/g mixed", but they didn't help. Fooled around with these settings too, no avail. Thanks for your answer!

 

[Hawk]

what client did you use to perform the test? Wireless a/b?

Instead of doing an internet test with wifi do a LAN transfer test first.

another thing you havent tried is shutting the router of for a while and letting it cool down.

Good point I totally overlook that, but cool down shouldn't be necessary if it is well built.

 

[Hawk]

On my first post, I specified that my LAN speed (direct connection to modem, also direct connection to router through ethernet) is in fact faster than the ISP promised speed (my speed is 230 down 20 up compared to 200 down 50 up). I've changed the 5 Ghz to "N Only" and 2.4 to "b/g mixed", but they didn't help. Thanks for your answer!

Try changing 2.4 to N as well and see if it helps. Your laptop only handle 2.4 with b/g as you have done you really limit your speed.

 

[kduke]

Try changing 2.4 to N as well and see if it helps. Your laptop only handle 2.4 with b/g as you have done you really limit your speed.

Tried this. On my laptop the speed went up about 5 mb/s (20mb/s for down, 17 mb/s up). Went to test my smart phone wifi speed (released 2013, my laptop released 2009). 5 ghz at "N" is actually slower; it dropped to 10mb/s down and 10 mb/s up, but on 2.4ghz "N" my phone increased to 35 mb/s down. So that's some progress! Thanks!

But again, I can't help but stress: Flash the ofw file in the link, then official firmware? Is the ofw file too old? Will it significantly increase my wifi performance? I don't want to brick my router, as I've got no cable to hard flash it.

 

[Hawk]

Netgear Original firmware is with extension of chk, just flash directly onto router and then do reset. Do it over wired connection not wireless.

 

[kduke]

Netgear Original firmware is with extension of chk, just flash directly onto router and then do reset. Do it over wired connection not wireless.

So OFW -> CHK -> Reset? Just making sure...

 

[Hawk]

So OFW -> CHK -> Reset?

load original netgear firmware and factory reset. No need for ofk or anything.

Firmware download
http://downloadcenter.netgear.com/en/product/R7000#searchResults

 

[kduke]

load original netgear firmware and factory reset. No need for ofk or anything.

Firmware download
http://downloadcenter.netgear.com/en/product/R7000#searchResults

/tmp/flashDkNYxo: Bad trx header
???
What I did:
1. Downloaded the firmware from the link you provided.
2. Login to router
3. Adminstration > Upgrade
4. Selected the Netgear chk file, and checked the "Erase NVRAM". Confirmed flash.
5. Uploaded firmware...then error screen popped up, showing message of bad trx header.

 

[Hawk]

/tmp/flashDkNYxo: Bad trx header
???
What I did:
1. Downloaded the firmware from the link you provided.
2. Login to router
3. Adminstration > Upgrade
4. Selected the Netgear chk file, and checked the "Erase NVRAM". Confirmed flash.
5. Uploaded firmware...then error screen popped up, showing message of bad trx header.

Did it happen right away? Also you shouldn't have checked Erase NVRAM.
Power of router and then turn on router, wait for it to initialize.

Then try again

 

[kduke]

Did it happen right away? Also you shouldn't have checked Erase NVRAM.
Power of router and then turn on router, wait for it to initialize.

Tried again, without checking the "Clear NVRAM". Same error.
It says it's uploading, but 3 seconds in it displays that message and reboots.

My heart is pounding...so nervous!

 

[Hawk]

Tried again, without checking the "Clear NVRAM". Same error.
It says it's uploading, but 3 seconds in it displays that message.

When you turn it on, can you tell me how lights are blinking. do not try upload anything yet.

Also try reset router by pressing reset button, it will factory reset.

 

[kduke]

When you turn it on, can you tell me how lights are blinking. do not try upload anything yet.

The whole router lights up, including the orange leds, then shuts off around 4-5 seconds. The power light turns on, orange. Stays orange for about 30 seconds, LAN1 flickers white (thats my PC). Then power turns white, then all the networks lights light up. To access the router again, I have to disable and re-enable my LAN. AdvancedTomato will pop back up.

 

[Hawk]

The whole router lights up, including the orange leds, then shuts off around 4-5 seconds. The power light turns on, orange. Stays orange for about 30 seconds, LAN1 flickers white (thats my PC). Then power turns white, then all the networks lights light up. To access the router again, I have to disable and re-enable my LAN.

Okay so you router is okay just factory reset is needed. Use reset button on router to reset to factory default.

 

[kduke]

Okay so you router is okay just factory reset is needed. Use reset button on router to reset to factory default.

When I access the router, it's back at AdvancedTomato. I'm assuming the file actually didn't flash; it must did some check and found something broken before it flashed. But I should still do a factory reset by holding the reset button through paperclip? And for how long?

Did I mention: I'm really scared, I might actually end up with a bricked router...

 

[Hawk]

When I access the router, it's back at AdvancedTomato. I'm assuming the file actually didn't flash; it must did some check and found something broken. But I should still do a factory reset by holding the reset button through paperclip? And for how long?

Did I mention: I'm really scared, I might actually end up with a bricked router...

If it back to tomato it didn't flash. Don't do reset if you can access Advanced Tomato. Can you access Internet through router?

 

[kduke]

If it back to tomato it didn't flash. Don't do reset if you can access Advanced Tomato. Can you access Internet through router?

Yes. Pretty much the whole time I responded was through my router, no cell data used.