RT-AC66W

[Pesbee]

Hi,

So I recently had purchased this router to replace and outdated netgear router. For the first month, it ran completely flawless, setting up was easy and it was actually giving me the speeds I was supposed to be getting.

However, until recently, I don't know what has happened but my internet speeds have dropped so low that I can barely stream without having to buffer, or even download things past 1 MB/s. I have the 50 Mbps/10 Mbps up connection from comcast. I am now getting anywhere from 1~11 down, but the up is still the same. What could be wrong? Is it something with my settings on the router?

I was using the merlin firmware, I believe it was the .43 version, then I had upgraded to the newest one, and it was still fine until a few days ago. I've been getting so frustrated trying to fix this problem, I just don't know what more I can do.

Oh, I might add that I ran the speedtest on my phone and it semed to be getting regular speeds (40~50 Mbps down/10 up). My phone is connected through the 5 ghz channel, whilst my laptop only supports 2.4ghz.


If anyone is able to help, I can post logs, or whatever else may be required in order to isolate the problem. Please and thank you!

 

[Pierino]

What are your wireless settings on the 2.4ghz band? Are you using the best channel available to you? Have you used a tool such as inssidr to determine which channel to use?

 

[Pesbee]

These are the settings for the 2.4 ghz band. I just changed the channel from auto to 11, as inssider told me that 11 was the best and least congested. This is the speedtest result now, it's not getting any better. I don't know if it's an issue with the ISP, or the router is just faulty because after I posted this last night, the speeds were almost back up to the regular ~40-50 Mbps. However, now it's back to the same slow speeds. The upload is unaffected though.

 

[L&LD]

Sounds like you have some kind of new interference in your area that is not directly wifi related. That is why they won't show up in inssider.

Just an idea to consider.

 

[Pesbee]

It might be, but as far as I know nothing has changed or nothing new has happened in my area. I have gone ahead and called a comcast tech to come out and check it out. The weird thing is that sometimes the speed is fine, sometimes its not. I'm starting to think its a faulty router because if it was the internet, the 5 ghz channel would also be having problems, no?

Attached are the speedtests for both my phone and my laptop. Even the phone isn't giving me the full speed, but that could be due high traffic time, as it's in the mid-afternoon here.


I'm also seeing something odd on inssider. I seem to be picking up more signal from routers around the area than I am of my own, which is just upstairs in my bedroom. Even if I'm in the room, literally feet away from the router, I can't get 100% signal, it hovers around 50~60%. It's constantly changing though.


Also just noticed that the wifi seems to get dropped sometimes, even though it shows that it is connected. Other times, I'll try to visit websites and it will keep redirecting me to my router.

 

[Pesbee]

So I think I may have figured out what the problem is. It might not be the router or the internet at all, rather my wireless card on my laptop. I have just tried the speedtest on my other laptop, and the result is: http://www.speedtest.net/result/3745795078.png whilst on this one I get:
http://www.speedtest.net/result/3745835254.png
Now I'm wondering whether I can update the driver, or would I have to look into getting a new wireless card? I have attached the information about my wireless adapter. If anyone could help out with the next steps I should take, it would be greatly appreciated!

 

[RMerlin]

Look for a driver update from the interface manufacturer (not from the laptop manufacturer - they never keep these up-to-date on their support sites). It can sometime help indeed.

 

[Pesbee]

Look for a driver update from the interface manufacturer (not from the laptop manufacturer - they never keep these up-to-date on their support sites). It can sometime help indeed.

I've looked everywhere on realteks website, and I cannot seem to find my device? Or I'm just blind and am looking in the wrong place.


Update:

I tried completely uninstalling the driver and re-installed it again. It seems to be back to normal, for now. I've ran multiple tests and I'm getting the correct speeds now. I'll keep trying in a few hours and update the thread.

http://www.speedtest.net/result/3746003447.png

 

[Pesbee]

So I've realized after a few days that the problem came back, and again only with my laptop. I'm almost positive that it is my network adapter that's going bad, and I've read online that it gives a lot of people problems. I want to know whats an alternative to this, should I get a new one? Or are there usb-adapters that are good?

 

[RMerlin]

So I've realized after a few days that the problem came back, and again only with my laptop. I'm almost positive that it is my network adapter that's going bad, and I've read online that it gives a lot of people problems. I want to know whats an alternative to this, should I get a new one? Or are there usb-adapters that are good?

If you are technically-savvy and you have a laptop that doesn't use a BIOS-based whitelist, you could look into simply replacing the mini PCI-E card inside your laptop. I have upgraded my Asus laptop twice over the past years this way, I'm now using an Intel 7260AC internal card instead of the original craptastic Azurewave 150 Mbps card (which was almost immediately replaced with an Intel 6230, for a whooping 30$).

Otherwise, USB interfaces can be an alternative, altho it's not always practical. It depends on your typical use of the laptop.

 

[virtueme]

If you are technically-savvy and you have a laptop that doesn't use a BIOS-based whitelist, you could look into simply replacing the mini PCI-E card inside your laptop. I have upgraded my Asus laptop twice over the past years this way, I'm not using an Intel 7260AC internal card instead of the original craptastic Azurewave 150 Mbps card (which was almost immediately replaced with an Intel 6230, for a whooping 30$).

Otherwise, USB interfaces can be an alternative, altho it's not always practical. It depends on your typical use of the laptop.

Not or now?

My HP has a whitelist, so I have a INTEL 7260AC internal card that I can't use until I have blinded pin 20.

 

[RMerlin]

Oops now indeed.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk