Weak performance of USB drive on RT-N66u

[ursus]

Hello everyone

I've just bought RT-N66u and while overall I'm satisifed, one of the few things that is weird for me is performance of USB drives.
I'm using firmware 3.0.0.4.374_720.

FTP/SMB over wired connection

Laptop with gigabit ethernet (Intel 8295LM) connected to RT-N66u.

• FTP write performance: 7600kbytes/s
• FTP read perfomance: 17000kbytes/s
  
• SMB write performance: 8MBytes/s
• SMB read performance: 12Mbytes/s

FTP/SMB over 5Ghz Wifi

Laptop with Intel Advanced-N 6205 connected to 2.4Ghz network standing next to RT-N66u.

• FTP write performance: 3600kbytes/s
• FTP read perfomance: 10000kbytes/s
  
• SMB write performance: 6MBytes/s
• SMB read performance: 8Mbytes/s

FTP/SMB over 2.4Ghz Wifi

Laptop with Intel Advanced-N 6205 connected to 5Ghz network standing next to RT-N66u.

• FTP write performance: 3000kbytes/s
• FTP read perfomance: 8000kbytes/s
  
• SMB write performance: 5.5MBytes/s
• SMB read performance: 8Mbytes/s

Laptop with Intel Advanced-N 6205 connected to 2.4Ghz network standing next to RT-N66u.

• SMB write performance:4MBytes/s
• SMB read performance: 5Mbytes/s

So all above shows that wired>5Ghz wifi>2.4Ghz wifi> 2.4 Ghz wifi + worse laptop.

However accross the board these results SUCK.
When I connect this USB drive through USB2 port I get:

• write performance: 45MBytes/s
• read performance: 38Mbytes/s

Bottom line is that I'm really dissapointed by this performance. Are these standard results I should get on this router or maybe I'm missing something and you guys will point me to some tweaks that will make USB drives usable.

 

[RMerlin]

12-15 Mbytes/s is the max you will be able to get from a plugged USB device. The 600 MHz CPU is simply not powerful enough to handle faster rate (you will find the same performance on all other routers of the same class).

You would need an RT-AC56U, or an actual NAS to get better performance from a plugged USB disk.

 

[PrivateJoker]

Bottom line is that I'm really dissapointed by this performance. Are these standard results I should get on this router or maybe I'm missing something and you guys will point me to some tweaks that will make USB drives usable.

Using Helios Lan test, connected over 5ghz (RSSI -53, Tx rate 216Mb from MacBookPro) on a batch of 300MB files on a fast (for a USB stick) thumb drive I'm averaging 6.9 MB/s read & 4.6 MB/s write (via SMB).

Same setup but testing to my NAS (which is hardwired via gigabit, but far from a super fast NAS in this group) I average 16.2 MB/s read & 12.1 MB/s write (via SMB).

Obviously for both, they would be faster with a larger file, but comparison is solidly representative I think.

12-15 Mbytes/s is the max you will be able to get from a plugged USB device.

You should see the unplugged rate!

 

[ursus]

12-15 Mbytes/s is the max you will be able to get from a plugged USB device. The 600 MHz CPU is simply not powerful enough to handle faster rate (you will find the same performance on all other routers of the same class).

You would need an RT-AC56U, or an actual NAS to get better performance from a plugged USB disk.

Ok, but what about Wifi performance?

I can live with 15MBytes, but not 5

 

[PrivateJoker]

Ok, but what about Wifi performance?

I can live with 15MBytes, but not 5

Glad I did those test #s for you per your request and you're completely grounded in realistic expectations.

 

[ursus]

Glad I did those test #s for you per your request and you're completely grounded in realistic expectations.

Thanks man, I trully appreciate that it's just... tbh I wasn't watching router specs for couple years and I thought that with such equipment as my Dark Knight I'll get sth way better.

Well... let's wait another 10 years

 

[ursus]

12-15 Mbytes/s is the max you will be able to get from a plugged USB device. The 600 MHz CPU is simply not powerful enough to handle faster rate (you will find the same performance on all other routers of the same class).

You would need an RT-AC56U, or an actual NAS to get better performance from a plugged USB disk.

BTW: What is BEST you've seen over Wifi?
I have a dream of most of my storage accesible through Wifi.

So, what is possible with current technology?

 

[PrivateJoker]

Thanks man, I trully appreciate that it's just... tbh I wasn't watching router specs for couple years and I thought that with such equipment as my Dark Knight I'll get sth way better.

Well... let's wait another 10 years

I was just giving you a hard time...fwiw I'm running a relatively low end NAS (synology 212+), probably around $500ish w/ 2x 2-3tb drives.

The only time wifi speeds don't really keep up w/ my LAN usage is to do whole system backups. But I'm sure there are use cases where faster WLAN is helpful (sharing & working on high res video, photo, etc, etc - I don't do anything too demanding).

 

[RMerlin]

BTW: What is BEST you've seen over Wifi?
I have a dream of most of my storage accesible through Wifi.

So, what is possible with current technology?

Wifi performance will always depend on a lot of factors: amount of interference, range, link rate, the client used, etc...

Last time I tested raw wireless throughput with my dual-stream interface, I was getting around 150 Mbits, which means I would probably get around 10 Mbytes/s from the network share. I was sitting with my laptop in the same room as the router.

Wireless performance will always degrade with range - this is a fact of the technology. Not much can be done about this, short of switching to a faster standard such as 802.11ac, to compensate for the attenuation.

 

[RMerlin]

BTW: What is BEST you've seen over Wifi?
I have a dream of most of my storage accesible through Wifi.

So, what is possible with current technology?

You better ask that to someone who has an RT-AC66U and a triple stream interface to go with it. My USB 802.11ac interface is only dual stream, meaning a maximum link rate of 866 Mbps.

See Tim's review of the RT-AC66U - he's tested it with a triple stream interface. That will give you a good indication of the maximum throughput that can be attained with current technology.

 

[SebZab]

@ursus, see my solution for improving usb speed to 12MB/s over wifi 5ghz.

http://forums.smallnetbuilder.com/showthread.php?t=7517

Rt-n66u: USB/Samba speed test

 

[p71]

My download speed from AC66 + a Gigabit connected NAS (My Book Duo Live) on 5GHZ is 39 Megabyte/s. The upload is speed is 35-38 Megabyte. The NAS is operating in Raid 1 configuration. The NAS produces the same speed when I directly connect it to my computer. The router is 10 m away from my desktop computer. My WIFI adapter is a PCE-AC66.

USB speed: My Sandisk Ultra USB 3 can maximum transfer speed is 45Mbyte when I connect it directly to the computer. When I connect it to the AC66 router, it produces maximum 12 Mbyte read/write speed.

 

[PrivateJoker]

My download speed from AC66 + a Gigabit connected NAS (My Book Duo Live) on 5GHZ is 39 Megabyte/s. The upload is speed is 35-38 Megabyte. The NAS is operating in Raid 1 configuration. The NAS produces the same speed when I directly connect it to my computer. The router is 10 m away from my desktop computer. My WIFI adapter is a PCE-AC66.

USB speed: My Sandisk Ultra USB 3 can maximum transfer speed is 45Mbyte when I connect it directly to the computer. When I connect it to the AC66 router, it produces maximum 12 Mbyte read/write speed.

@p71 if you get a chance, I'm curious what your adapter measured in RSSI on 5ghz transferring from your NAS at that clip (just so I can compare in my head). And I guess if we're talking comparable speed of file transfer, we should probably note the size of the files we are using in the test. It can make a difference. Testing w/ free LAN Speed Test Lite utility on Windows 8 desktop (via SMB).

Gigabit connection hardwired to router to NAS (Synology 212+) w/ 300 MB file I get 348.59 Mb/s (43.57 MB/s) Writes & 548.11 Mb/s (68.51 MB/s) Reads
Gigabit connection hardwired to router to USB Corsair thumb drive formatted EXT3 (CMFVY3S-32GB) w/ 300 MB file I get 32.95 Mb/s (4.11 MB/s) Writes & 66.00 Mb/s (8.25 MB/s) Reads

 

[ursus]

@ursus, see my solution for improving usb speed to 12MB/s over wifi 5ghz.

http://forums.smallnetbuilder.com/showthread.php?t=7517

Rt-n66u: USB/Samba speed test

I'm already running Win 7 64bit Pro.

 

[SebZab]

Try to make re-installation of system. In my case it helped.

 

[ursus]

Wifi performance will always depend on a lot of factors: amount of interference, range, link rate, the client used, etc...

Last time I tested raw wireless throughput with my dual-stream interface, I was getting around 150 Mbits, which means I would probably get around 10 Mbytes/s from the network share. I was sitting with my laptop in the same room as the router.

Now very silly question as I'm looking for answer and cannot find it anywhere including all the FAQ.

What is two stream vs three stream? I assume it's a setting on router to use more channels? Where to set it up on router?

EDIT: I guess I know already. In review:
http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wire...n900-gigabit-router-reviewed?showall=&start=3

I've found graphic showing tests with two and three stream clients. I have the exact two stream client used in test - Intel Centrino Advanced N-6200.
So I guess I should look at two stream tests. Right?

 

[ursus]

Wifi performance will always depend on a lot of factors: amount of interference, range, link rate, the client used, etc...

Last time I tested raw wireless throughput with my dual-stream interface, I was getting around 150 Mbits, which means I would probably get around 10 Mbytes/s from the network share. I was sitting with my laptop in the same room as the router.

This result sounds cool... am I missing something or you've got better results than SNB official review of this router?

I am able to get 40 MBit write and 84MBit read practically regardless of settings :| When I put 5Ghz into mix 20/40MHz then write degrades a little, but other than that it's all the same. Any tips for improvement?

 

[RMerlin]

Now very silly question as I'm looking for answer and cannot find it anywhere including all the FAQ.

What is two stream vs three stream? I assume it's a setting on router to use more channels? Where to set it up on router?

802.11n (and 802.11ac) allows having multiple concurrent streams between the router and the network client. The more streams you have, the higher throughput can be reached.

A basic 802.11n single stream is 150 Mbps (or 75 Mbps if you are only using 20 Mhz channels). 802.11n allows up to three streams, for a maximum link rate of 450 Mbps.

The majority of laptops currently sold are only single stream, so they can only connect at up to 150 Mbps. That Centrino card that you have is dual stream, so it supports up to 300 Mbps.

 

[RMerlin]

This result sounds cool... am I missing something or you've got better results than SNB official review of this router?

I am able to get 40 MBit write and 84MBit read practically regardless of settings :| When I put 5Ghz into mix 20/40MHz then write degrades a little, but other than that it's all the same. Any tips for improvement?

I have better results on the 5 GHz band, but that review was done with an early FW release. Things have most likely improved since then.

See the Wifi troubleshooting guide I posted yesterday for tips on things to look for.

 

[p71]

@p71 if you get a chance, I'm curious what your adapter measured in RSSI on 5ghz transferring from your NAS at that clip (just so I can compare in my head). And I guess if we're talking comparable speed of file transfer, we should probably note the size of the files we are using in the test. It can make a difference. Testing w/ free LAN Speed Test Lite utility on Windows 8 desktop (via SMB).

Gigabit connection hardwired to router to NAS (Synology 212+) w/ 300 MB file I get 348.59 Mb/s (43.57 MB/s) Writes & 548.11 Mb/s (68.51 MB/s) Reads
Gigabit connection hardwired to router to USB Corsair thumb drive formatted EXT3 (CMFVY3S-32GB) w/ 300 MB file I get 32.95 Mb/s (4.11 MB/s) Writes & 66.00 Mb/s (8.25 MB/s) Reads

Transferred file between the router and computer (on 5G): Windows 8 ISO (2.8Gbyte).
Connection speed 702 Mbps
Signal strength: -60db
Used program: Total Commander
Op system Win 8 (64bit)

I used to check the wireless speed with NAS Tester http://www.808.dk/?code-csharp-nas-performance which produced similar result with the 400Mbyte test file size