[RT-AC66R] WiFi is slow - should I install new FW?

[hoopitz]

So the long story short is that I'm with Time Warner Cable and they just updated my internet to 300 Mbps, but I wasn't getting anywhere close to that speed. They replaced my modem with a new Ubee modem, and now, when I'm plugged in to either the modem, or my Asus RT-AC66R with Cat5e, i'm getting ~300+ Mbps. When i'm on the 5 GHz wireless, however, i'm only getting ~80-90 Mbps.

Here's a little info and things I've tried...

- My NIC is a Qualcomm Atheros AR946x Wireless Network Adapter
- My computer is only about 15 feet away from the router
- 5 GHz settings are - Wireless Mode:Auto, CB:80 MHz, Channel:36
- I've used inSIDDer and it looks like my router is the only thing putting out a 5 GHz signal, so I don't think there is any interference
- My router is giving me an error: The WAN IP is not the external IP. External IP-based services will not work.
- I've disabled the Ubee modem's Wi-Fi
- I've reset the modem and router multiple times

If anyone has any ideas, I would really appreciate it. Not sure if I need to adjust the settings on my router, my NIC, the modem, or all. Also not sure what to do about the error that my router is giving me.

Thanks!

*UPDATE* I seem to have gotten rid of the external IP error by changing a bridge setting on the Ubee modem. Still slow Wi-Fi though.

 

[doczenith1]

First thing I would do is upgrade to the latest firmware from the Asus support site (3.0.0.4.380.4005). After upgrading the firmware do a factory reset to defaults and then minimally configure the router. DO NOT load a previous config file.

I did some searching and it looks like your adapter is a 2x2 adapter but I couldn't verify if it is AC or just N capable. If it's N only then your max theoretical 2 x 150 Mbps = 300 Mbps. Typical real world speeds are about half of the max theoretical so around 150 Mbps.

 

[W4RH34D]

I would try each channel on the 5ghz.

 

[hoopitz]

First thing I would do is upgrade to the latest firmware from the Asus support site (3.0.0.4.380.4005). After upgrading the firmware do a factory reset to defaults and then minimally configure the router. DO NOT load a previous config file.

I did some searching and it looks like your adapter is a 2x2 adapter but I couldn't verify if it is AC or just N capable. If it's N only then your max theoretical 2 x 150 Mbps = 300 Mbps. Typical real world speeds are about half of the max theoretical so around 150 Mbps.

I installed the new firmware and reset it to default settings - I seem to be maxing out at about the same speeds ~90 Mbps. I THINK it's AC capable based on this info - https://www.asus.com/us/Networking/RTAC66R/overview/

I would try each channel on the 5ghz.

I tried every channel and they are all giving me the same speed.

 

[W4RH34D]

If that's the case I'd see what the TX power is at, can you find out what your RSSI is when connected at 5GHZ? I'd be thorough and get the readings right next the unit line of sight with no obstructions and again where ever it is you are shooting for.

If the signal is fine, back off the power and see if the speed gets better.

 

[doczenith1]

The router is AC but I was wondering about the Atheros AR946x. Open up the router GUI and go to System Log>Wireless Log. Start a speedtest (to make sure the adapter is not in a power save mode) and note what the Tx rate and Rx rates are for the NIC. Scroll down to the bottom to see the Tx rate and Rx rates. That will help diagnose what type of connection there is between the router and computer.

For example my log shows:
Chanspec: 5GHz channel 155 80MHz (showing that the router is using a channel bandwidth of 80 MHz)
Primary channel: 157
Tx rate of 866.7 which indicates a 2x2 AC link speed (cell phone). My tablet shows a Tx rate of 150 which indicates a 1x1 N link speed.

 

[hoopitz]

The router is AC but I was wondering about the Atheros AR946x. Open up the router GUI and go to System Log>Wireless Log. Start a speedtest (to make sure the adapter is not in a power save mode) and note what the Tx rate and Rx rates are for the NIC. Scroll down to the bottom to see the Tx rate and Rx rates. That will help diagnose what type of connection there is between the router and computer.

For example my log shows:
Chanspec: 5GHz channel 155 80MHz (showing that the router is using a channel bandwidth of 80 MHz)
Primary channel: 157
Tx rate of 866.7 which indicates a 2x2 AC link speed (cell phone). My tablet shows a Tx rate of 150 which indicates a 1x1 N link speed.

Sorry - my apologies. I didn't understand you were talking about the network card. Here's a screenshot of the 5 GHz band. I disconnected all of my other devices, leaving just the computer with the Atheros card.

 

[doczenith1]

So looks like you have a 2x2 N card which should be able to do 150 Mbps without a problem. You mentioned that you tried all the channels, did you try the higher channels 149-165?

 

[hoopitz]

So looks like you have a 2x2 N card which should be able to do 150 Mbps without a problem. You mentioned that you tried all the channels, did you try the higher channels 149-165?

Yeah, I tried them all. Currently I'm on 161 and same thing. If anything, I'm getting more inconsistent speeds while I'm on this channel. Should I be fiddling with any of the settings of my NIC?

 

[L&LD]

http://permalink.gmane.org/gmane.linux.kernel.wireless.general/78670

That 2x2 card is kind of old. I wouldn't expect it to do what current 'N' class clients can, let alone current 'AC' clients are capable of.

 

[doczenith1]

I don't know much about the NIC settings as all my computers are hard wired. Perhaps one of the experts on this site will chime in with some other ideas on why your speeds are slower than expected. I'm by no means an expert in this topic but learning new things weekly as I browse the forums on this site.

On edit: And sure enough as I was typing one of the experts has chimed in

 

[hoopitz]

I don't know much about the NIC settings as all my computers are hard wired. Perhaps one of the experts on this site will chime in with some other ideas on why your speeds are slower than expected. I'm by no means an expert in this topic but learning new things weekly as I browse the forums on this site.

On edit: And sure enough as I was typing one of the experts has chimed in

You've been really helpful - I appreciate you taking the time!

http://permalink.gmane.org/gmane.linux.kernel.wireless.general/78670

That 2x2 card is kind of old. I wouldn't expect it to do what current 'N' class clients can, let alone current 'AC' clients are capable of.

Can you recommend an option? I'm using an all-in-one PC, so I can't swap out the card. Possibly a USB Wireless option? Something like this? http://www.bestbuy.com/site/netgear...usb-3-0-adapter-black/8860004.p?skuId=8860004 or https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FB45USW/?tag=snbforums-20

 

[doczenith1]

The Asus AC56 is an AC 2x2 (866 Mbps link speed) adapter. The AC68 is a 3x3 (1300 Mbps link speed). Someone will correct me if I'm wrong but I would anticipate about half of those speeds in real world performance.

Does your computer have USB 3 ports? If not the USB 2 port will be your bottleneck. Rated speed of USB 2 is 480 Mbps. My brief research says that the USB 2 will do about half that in actual use. USB 3 is rated at 5 Gbps.

 

[Nullity]

Just for reference, with my (ancient) Linux laptop and an Asus USB-N53 WiFi adapter I could achieve ~120Mbit with my RT-N66U, IIRC. My Nexus 9 can achieve ~160Mbit with that same RT-N66U.

If I were to buy another USB WiFi adapter, I would check out what chipsets are "best" through wikidevi.com and find the cheapest device with said chipset. TP-Link seems to be a good choice.


Like @doczenith1 said, USB has it's own limitations.

 

[hoopitz]

The Asus AC56 is an AC 2x2 (866 Mbps link speed) adapter. The AC68 is a 3x3 (1300 Mbps link speed). Someone will correct me if I'm wrong but I would anticipate about half of those speeds in real world performance.

Does your computer have USB 3 ports? If not the USB 2 port will be your bottleneck. Rated speed of USB 2 is 480 Mbps. My brief research says that the USB 2 will do about half that in actual use. USB 3 is rated at 5 Gbps.

Thanks again for all of your help - I'm going to do some research and order the one that would be the best for my setup. I have USB 3.0 on my computer, so that should limit me a little less.

Just for reference, with my (ancient) Linux laptop and an Asus USB-N53 WiFi adapter I could achieve ~120Mbit with my RT-N66U, IIRC. My Nexus 9 can achieve ~160Mbit with that same RT-N66U.

If I were to buy another USB WiFi adapter, I would check out what chipsets are "best" through wikidevi.com and find the cheapest device with said chipset. TP-Link seems to be a good choice.


Like @doczenith1 said, USB has it's own limitations.

Thanks for the input - I know how I'm spending this afternoon

 

[L&LD]

USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 won't limit the throughput of any 2x2 AC class adaptor. The overhead with wireless and the USB protocol itself ensures that the ports limits are never reached.

http://www.techhive.com/article/209...802-11ac-wi-fi-usb-adapters-to-the-limit.html

I was surprised to discover that the type of USB interface seemed to have no impact on the adapter’s performance. The Asus USB-AC56, which has a USB 3.0 interface, turned in the highest throughput overall, but the Netgear A6200 placed second, despite its USB 2.0 interface. And the Trendnet TEW-805UB, which has a USB 3.0 interface, was the slowest overall performer by a wide margin.

The hardware (chips and antennae) and software (drivers) are much more important than the USB protocol in use.

 

[Nullity]

The max real-world speed of USB 2.0 is 280Mbit, which seems to be far below what a 2x2 802.11ac link should be capable of.

IIRC, Merlin benchmarked his Nexus 9 (2x2?) connected to his RT-AC68U at over 700Mbit real-world throughput. (I dunno any other real-world results off the top of my head...)



I cannot find any links to support this at the moment, but I think USB 3.0 has less overhead or some sort of off-loading feature that will lower the CPU usage. On my laptop, my CPU would hit almost 30% load when doing full-speed ~120Mbit with with my USB 2.0 USB-N53.

 

[L&LD]

That link is based (or reporting) on old information. As can be seen from the link I provided above, two of the (closer) tests with the NG A6200 USB2.0 based adaptor are above the 280Mbps limit.

And at the farther test locations, the USB 3.0 adaptor is (much) worse than the A6200 USB 2.0 adaptor. Even if at close range the USB 3.0 adaptor allowed for 30% faster throughput.

The theoretical capabilities of the underlying link is not indicative of the actual performance possible (particularly at normal/medium and far ranges).

 

[W4RH34D]

Did you ever find out what your signal strength is?

I can go right now and put my antennas in a wonky position and easily break my speeds down to 10mbps.

 

[hoopitz]

Did you ever find out what your signal strength is?

I can go right now and put my antennas in a wonky position and easily break my speeds down to 10mbps.

When I run inSIDDer, it shows my 5 GHz signal strength is -55 dBm.