WiFi speed

[Andrewkha]

Hello

I've got a Asus RT-N66U router with the latest Merlin firmware.
The network is configured as 5Ghz wireless N mode only.

Also have a laptop supporting N mode. But when copying the files from the local NAS to the laptop the speed is not higher than 50-60 Mbit/sec. I understand that theoretical 300 is not achievable but guess 50-60 is too low. any recommendations/ideas why it happens?

 

[L&LD]

Suggest to configure the router as Auto wireless mode and leave it there.

What NAS are you copying from? How is it connected and what network devices are in-between?

What WiFi card does the laptop have and is the speed 50-60 Mbit/sec or 50-60MB/s and at what distance and obstacles in-between?

What specific firmware is installed (latest RMerlin firmware is not very indicative) and did you do a reset to factory defaults after flashing to this firmware? Did you then configure the router manually and minimally to secure it and connect to the ISP?

Have you tried different channels one by one to find the one with the most throughput in your environment?

Not only do the above play a part in the throughput possible, but the type of files you're transferring do too. If you're transferring a single large file (1GB or larger), it will be a faster transfer than transferring a folder of small files that total the same 1GB size.

 

[stevech]

when you say 50Mbit/sec... is this the indicated WiFi connection rater or is it the net yield at the IP layer? The latter is typically 60% of the former.

 

[Nullity]

I get 80-120Mbit/sec real-word throughput with my RT-N66U and my 2x2 (300Mbit) clients.

Some people have achieved 270Mbit real-world throughput with a 3x3 client like the Asus USB-N66U.
http://www.snbforums.com/threads/asus-usb-n66-performance-and-issue-track-how-to.21139/


There is a huge number of reasons for poor wireless throughput. I would update the client/laptop's drivers first. Make sure your antennas are vertically oriented, as the radio signal is distributed like a large donut surrounding the antenna.

 

[Andrewkha]

Hi!

Thanks for the responses. Will try to provide more info.

1. Asus RT-N66U, FW 378.51. The wireless network config like attached. I didn't do a factory reset after flashing the FW.
2. NAS is QNAP TS 210 connected to the same router directly with ethernet cable
3. Wireless card is Intel Centrino Andvanced-N 6205
4. The way I measured the speed - just was copying a large video file from NAS (~2Gb, I know that a large number of small files will give different result) to my laptop. The download speed is usually 6-8 MB/sec

What should be the 'normal' speed? Still think mine is too slow...

 

[azazel1024]

Something to check with the intel, make absolutely SURE that you have the latest wifi drivers for it. Then make sure that U-APSD support is disabled!!!

I have had problems with several routers when U-APSD is enabled. It drops my actual performance in to the tubes, about 4-5MB/sec with an Intel 7260ac*. So that may be what is going on with yours.

*And then with it disabled I was getting 25MB/sec to my N600 router

 

[L&LD]

Your download speed is slower than the NAS's capabilities.

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/networking/2010/11/29/qnap-ts-210-turbo-nas/2


And the wireless card you have is more than sufficient to give you the full capabilities of the NAS.


First off (see also the Fourth point), I would recommend you try changing the Wireless Mode to Auto and don't mess with this setting. Reboot the router too before you try another throughput test.

Second, I would NOT use Auto for the primary channel. Try each channel, rebooting the router each time, and see what gives you the highest throughput. Do you need to leave the channel width to 20/40MHz (you do if you have 1x1 5GHz clients that you want to connect to the 5GHz band). If not, change that to 40MHz width.

Third, if things still haven't improved, change the ssid on the router, or, 'forget' and re-associate the router on all clients (with a reboot of those systems in-between tests). I recommend a new ssid as it's easier to just associate each client you want connected.

Fourth or First (depending on how much total time you want to spend on this): Even with enhancements with any or all of the above, I would still do a reset to factory defaults followed by a manual and minimal setup of the router to secure it and connect to your ISP.


I suspect that points one and two are primarily responsible for your low throughput. But they are exacerbated by the other points too, probably the reset to factory defaults most of all.

 

[Andrewkha]

Your download speed is slower than the NAS's capabilities.

I suspect that points one and two are primarily responsible for your low throughput. But they are exacerbated by the other points too, probably the reset to factory defaults most of all.

Thanks! And which speed will be OK? So trying options above, when should I say - well, now it's OK - and stop any further trying.

 

[L&LD]

Well, the article I linked indicates 35MB/s is possible from the NAS. But when should you stop trying for better speeds?

Never! Why?

Because that article is from 2010 and many things have changed since then including the NAS's firmware (you do update it, right?), wireless capabilities in general and the weather too (including our wireless environments).

Test every single channel period. Choose the channel with the highest throughput and the best consistency.

 

[jerry6]

Hi!

Thanks for the responses. Will try to provide more info.

1. Asus RT-N66U, FW 378.51. The wireless network config like attached. I didn't do a factory reset after flashing the FW.
2. NAS is QNAP TS 210 connected to the same router directly with ethernet cable
3. Wireless card is Intel Centrino Andvanced-N 6205
4. The way I measured the speed - just was copying a large video file from NAS (~2Gb, I know that a large number of small files will give different result) to my laptop. The download speed is usually 6-8 MB/sec

What should be the 'normal' speed? Still think mine is too slow...

Transfer rate with my N-66 was 9-12 MB/s over wireless intel 5300 N series client, now getting 19-24 MB/s with the 3200 and AC client . So 6-8 is not terrible depending where you are located with respect to the router .

 

[Andrewkha]

Well, the article I linked indicates 35MB/s is possible from the NAS. But when should you stop trying for better speeds?

Never! Why?

Because that article is from 2010 and many things have changed since then including the NAS's firmware (you do update it, right?), wireless capabilities in general and the weather too (including our wireless environments).

Well, that's true, but actually I wanted to check different thing regardless of my NAS. Which WiFi speed is OK? Again theoretical 300Mbit/sec sounds like a miracle but which bandwidth should my router provide?

 

[L&LD]

Unless your ISP provided speed is much greater than the capabilities of the router, the only way to test throughput is by copying a large file from the fastest wired computer or other device you have to a wireless client.

Even then, testing with an ISP of sufficient capability is really testing routing speeds too and that depends on other things than just wireless performance. The cpu plays a large part there too.

With an indicated 300Mbps connection rate and a large file transfer, expect around 180Mbps throughput at best. Or less than 25MB/s.