RT-AX86U very slow 2.4 GHZ but fast 5 GHZ

[mbflg8r]

Hi. i just purchased the Asus RT-AX86U yesterday. I have searched the forums and set it up as recommended. When i am at a good distance from the router, my download speed on the 5 GHZ is 210 MB/S. (My spectrum internet is 200 MB/S) When i switch to the 2.4 GHZ, my download speed is 10 MB/S. Does this sound right? Why would the 2.4 be so slow in comparison? Thanks.

 

[bbunge]

All depends on your WIFI settings and the receiving radio.
I use: 2.4 GHz @ 20 MHz on channel 1, 6 or 11 - 5 GHz @ 160 MHz on channel 36 - Use Dual Band SmartConnect - WPA2/WPA3-Personal. In Professional Settings Airtime Fairness is disabled. I also use Guest1 2.4 GHz with WPA2. That's about it!
A note about using SmartConnect - With the 160 MHz enabled there is a chance that the 5 GHz could be bounced by RADAR. By using Dual Band SmartConnect the clients will switch to the 2.4 GHz band if the router detects RADAR. Clients will move back to the 5 GHz band. It is better to have some connection than none at all...

 

[mbflg8r]

Thanks. A lot of threads that i have read say to turn off the SmartConnect. Otherwise our settings are the same. I am just surprised. I got better speed and range for 2.4 GHz from the router that I just replaced (Asus AC3100). And that router was over 5 years old. i guess I thought this new router would be better

 

[mbflg8r]

Actually I have the 5 GHz set to the 20/60/80/160 on channel 161? Should I change that to channel 36 and 160 MHz?

 

[Tech9]

Why do you push for 160MHz and DFS on a 200Mbps ISP? Set it at lower channels and 80MHz.

 

[mbflg8r]

No reason why. I think that I read somewhere to put that setting in. i will change it. Thanks

 

[mbflg8r]

Why do you push for 160MHz and DFS on a 200Mbps ISP? Set it at lower channels and 80MHz.

Doing that dropped my download speed from 210 to 120 MB/s

 

[Tech9]

Don’t follow 1-6-11 rule for 2.4GHz. Find your channel with highest throughout and stick to it. No one around you follows 1-6-11, fight for bandwidth.

 

[Tech9]

Doing that dropped my download speed from 210 to 120 MB/s

Your issue is elsewhere. 80MHz wide channel on AC can do about 500Mbps to common 2-stream client. Find your best 5GHz channels.

 

[mbflg8r]

OK. I guess I am wondering if it is normal to go from a 5 year old router to this new one and experience worse 2.4 GHz speed? Could this router be bad? i read about a lot of 2.4 GHz issues on this model.

 

[Tech9]

Don’t expect much improvement on 2.4GHz. The technology is about the same and the radio power is limited by your local regulations. I’ve seen many newer routers with the same or worse 2.4GHz performance. For example, three generations Asus routers have almost the same 2.4GHz performance - RT-AC66U, RT-AC68U and RT-AC86U. I don’t have an RT-AX86U to test, but I also don’t expect it to be any different.

 

[ColinTaylor]

OK. I guess I am wondering if it is normal to go from a 5 year old router to this new one and experience worse 2.4 GHz speed? Could this router be bad? i read about a lot of 2.4 GHz issues on this model.

IIRC 802.11ax / Wi-Fi 6 mode is enabled by default on 2.4GHz. As there are compatibility issues with some clients with that mode (and you're unlikely to have any clients that will be using it) I suggest you disable it. Likewise disable Protected Management Frames. See if that makes any difference.

 

[mbflg8r]

IIRC 802.11ax / Wi-Fi 6 mode is enabled by default on 2.4GHz. As there are compatibility issues with some clients with that mode (and you're unlikely to have any clients that will be using it) I suggest you disable it. Likewise disable Protected Management Frames. See if that makes any difference.

Yes that did help some. The download speed went to 30-40 Mb/s

 

[L&LD]

Agreed the RT-AC3100 was the king of range, and depending on the environment used, may still be so.

RT-AC3100 Report https://www.snbforums.com/threads/s...-go-with-the-rt-ac1900p-v3.34748/#post-281391

(From my 'about' link: About L&LD).

 

[mbflg8r]

Mt Asus RT-AC86U will not go over 40 mb/sec in 2.4 GHZ. The 5 Ghz will go to over 200 mb/s. I have spectrum internet, and my internet speed is 200 mb/sec. Why is the 2.4 so slow? From what I can read, 2.4 can go up to 150 Mb/sec? Is it a setting? I have tried rebooting etc but no luck.

 

[L&LD]

What client device(s) are you testing with?

What distance from the router? How many walls/floors are between them?

Are your router settings at defaults, or have you changed any/all of them?

 

[Tech9]

About 40Mbps is the best I can get on 2.4GHz in my downtown apartment. There are 20+ 2.4GHz networks around. Use the 5GHz band instead. Yes, 2.4GHz is slow in many places, it's useful for longer range and IoT slow devices. This is why we have 5GHz band available for faster devices.

 

[L&LD]

What settings (recommended from 'this group') have you made?

What client device are you testing with?

Have you tried with any other devices to see if they can reach higher speeds?

 

[Waylo]

Mt Asus RT-AC86U will not go over 40 mb/sec in 2.4 GHZ. The 5 Ghz will go to over 200 mb/s. I have spectrum internet, and my internet speed is 200 mb/sec. Why is the 2.4 so slow? From what I can read, 2.4 can go up to 150 Mb/sec? Is it a setting? I have tried rebooting etc but no luck.

Sorry for bringing back up such an old thread, but I am encountering the same issue. Did you ever figure it out?

Had an AC-68U, upgraded to the AX-86U a month ago. 2.4ghz gets 40-50 mbps max, way slower than it should be. 5ghz gets 250-300 mbps, which is expected.

On the AC-68U before the 'upgrade', the 2.4ghz would get 150-180 mbps, which is what I would expect. I test using my Samsung S10e phone on both routers.

I did have YazFi installed (on both), where I did limit a guest wifi account to 50 mbps. I thought maybe the configurations were buggy, so I turned that off. Nope, still 30-50mbps only, when connected with 2.4ghz, on the main and guest networks.

I was/am on the latest FW for each. john's LTS on the AC68U, Merlin's on the AX86U.

 

[Tech9]

which is what I would expect

You have to set more realistic expectations:

Understanding Wi-Fi 4/5/6/6E/7 (802.11 n/ac/ax/be)