wireless performance merlin builds

[seth_space]

Recently i stumbled upon a discussion where the comparison between DD-wrt, Asus Stock and Merlin builds performance was questioned.
Kong ( dd-wrt developer) showed iperf test results

I have no idea what speeds you get with stock or RMerlin, but as I have this unit right next to me I just did a benchmark with iperf between one wired and one wireless with a Netgear A6200:

RX: 220Mbps
TX: 140Mbps

http://www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=159637&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=1050


So it would be nice to have some comparison between the builds..

Any recent test with asus stock or merlin builds?

 

[Pericynthion]

I couldn't help but notice that that test was done with an explicitly AC setup - so interesting test, but not sure how realistic it is.

One other comment from Kong himself later in that same thread was;

"I'm saying it again, there is no reason why dd-wrt would be slower in these kind of tests, same hardware same driver, maybe a few revisions difference.

Only place dd-wrt can't currently keep up is NAT performance as OEMs use CTF. But CTF does not allow any full blown firewall/qos."

So I don't think ddwrt vs Merlin vs asus is a fair comparison, you'd be better off looking for a performance comparison between the different revisions of the GPL/wireless driver that Asus provide - and from what I see from Rmerlins comments, Asus aren't very clear about what driver version/when/how etc. so it could be very tricky to tell which is which.

Also any kind of performance testing is very circumstantial (varies depending on your devices, their drivers and your environmentals) - so for a fair reflection everyone should do their own testing. What works best for me may not suit people with different types of clients or configurations because of the embedded features or firmware aspects I may be unknowingly using.
I personally prefer the Merlin build for it features and close tracking of the Asus GPL, but if I needed some of the more complex VLAN configs (as I have done in the past) I'd be on dd-wrt regardless of the performance.

Short answer - which version do YOU find gives you the best performance?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[aph]

I did some tests after I first flashed, this is 3 or 4 revisions back

So plenty fast and super consistent meaning no dropouts like I've experienced with other setups. At this point it really comes down to the machines, the peripherals and the protocols. For example VNC to the iPhone is still choppy but overlaying a ghosted (in DWM terms) session of Airplay over it and I get 60fps, not coming close to even a fraction of a percent of bandwidth utilization

On daily tasks I find the slowest link to be the interface, so if I'm transfering to an mounted SSD storage via USB 3.0 I'll see speeds of around 40 mbytes/sec where the cap appears to be in the SATA interface

Hard to get anywhere near whatever the limit is on these builds...

Yes an all-AC set up is necessary. My laptop only had N so I replaced its mini PCI-E NIC with an AC one for $32 from NewEgg. It was around a half hour job since I hadn't opened that laptop before and took my time

 

[Mordred]

@aph, how did you test and what router did you use.

I have the AC66U and can only get around 190Mbps with an Intel 7260 AC.
Which is pretty much the same Tim measured in his review:

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wire...reless-ac1750-gigabit-router-reviewed?start=2

 

[seth_space]

@Pericynthion

Also any kind of performance testing is very circumstantial (varies depending on your devices, their drivers and your environmentals) - so for a fair reflection everyone should do their own testing.

Well alright, and share the results here

Of course you pick the firmware that has the right features. But it's nice to know the differences in speed.
of course: If it's AC or N is important.

 

[RMerlin]

@aph, how did you test and what router did you use.

I have the AC66U and can only get around 190Mbps with an Intel 7260 AC.
Which is pretty much the same Tim measured in his review:

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wire...reless-ac1750-gigabit-router-reviewed?start=2

I get closer to 250 Mbps with an Intel 7260. The Asus USB-AC53 is a bit slower, closer to 220 Mbits if I recall (I posted actual numbers a few weeks ago).

 

[seth_space]

just tested my setup. It seems i have a problem on my network.

Wired: 500Mbps on 1Gb connection.

Wireless 5Ghz: 102Mbs max
If i place the laptop within 1 meter or behind two walls on 10 meter distance has no impact on the reading 96 versus 102

Netgear a6200 on the laptop.
Merlin 3.0.0.4.374.35_4

 

[aph]

Yup that is a 7260 and the router is the AC68U.

The other side is a wired connection to a very cheap Intel gigabit card. The key with that metric is to optimize the number of simultaneous data streams to reach max throughput. I used 8 streams of 10MB each and that probably doubled the results from using a single stream.

Still, my understanding is that screenshot is on the upper end of the practical possible limit for a single link. It did happen though and I had quite a few of them when I was testing that day that were north of 400 Mbps

 

[balcy24]

Out of curiosity, I just installed Lan Speed Test and LST Server on my home network. My laptop has an Intel 7260 AC wireless card connected to an Asus RT-AC68U with Merlin 374.39. My desktop is connected using wired gigabit. My max test speed was 239/319 Mbps going from laptop to desktop (same packet size/packets.