WiFi and routers

panther427 · November 03, 2015, 02:59:31 PM

So short version. Bought a smart 4k tv and Xbox one for my bedroom. Now WiFi really matters to me. Before I used it only to not use up my data on my cell phones.

So old router was giving up the ghost. And only supported 10/100. Speed test has me at a very steady 125 Mbps wired directly from modem or any of the following routers I have tried except my old one
Asus ar68p
Asus ac87
Netgear R7300. A best buy version of the R7000

So the original ac87 I bought had a bad antenna it would make noise when you shook it. Tried the net gear but didn't like the interface after using the asus.
The thing that has me so confused is that with these first two router on the 5ghz band in the same room and more I was getting an almost identical speed to wired.

Now with my second ac87 and the ac68p I am only getting 90Mbps in the same areas. Also there two routers have gave me trouble when adjusting settings. I have had to reboot the computer and router to get them to link up again.

First are these signs of a bad router. And why would there be a 35 Mbps difference between two identical routers???
Just seems like something is off to me

I'm really frustrated with all this. Been coming home to tinker it routers after work instead of enjoying my new tv

SHOdded · November 03, 2015, 03:13:33 PM

Ok, a little confused

The original AC87 gave you wired speeds, the replacement AC87 does not? Do you have more than 1 wireless router in the same room? Are the routers set to broadcast at 100% power? What is the wifi spec'd at on your TV (a/b, g, n, etc. and at what speed)? Any other wireless non-networking devices recently added to the room/area?

RTAC68P specs
RTAC87U specs

panther427 · November 03, 2015, 03:35:55 PM

That is correct about the ac87 one was was giving wired speeds over the WiFi when tested using speedtest.net using my LG G4 cellphone. The replacement one is down 35Mbps to 90Mbps over 5Ghz band. I am only running one wireless router at a time in the entire house. I have disabled the Comcast modems built in WiFi.

Most everything else has stayed constant. No other devices added or moved. Not sure if the tv is on the N or AC specs. But I have always just tested with my phone before hooking up any other devices to the WiFi.

As far as I know my settings are the same between the two. Legacy and or b/g protection has been turned off so it should only be broadcasting N or AC signals. I have made sure my channels are good, and beam forming enabled.

SHOdded · November 03, 2015, 04:23:20 PM

Have you tried updating the firmware? I see from the reviews on Amazon that dropouts that happen in the 5GHz band are fixed that way. The update must be done manually.

panther427 · November 03, 2015, 04:43:30 PM

I did the basic firmware update on both that it suggests when you first power it up. But not the manual update. Like download directly from Asus website then choose file and update.

This second unit has been buggy compared to the first. I had to reset to the factory settings half way through my set up and start over.

Ill try a firm ware update and even some 3rd party firmware. There is one called Merlin specifically based and made for the Asus products. But if that does not fix anything ill probably go exchange it.

These new routers are pretty awesome. Its currently in my basement. My bedroom is on the second story of the home. The edge of the room is straight up vertically from the router and on my phone I can still get that max speed what ever it is through a floor and a wall plus almost 20 feet. I'm impressed with these range and speed compared to the old routers. Just feel like this one is wrong. Not working 100% correctly

SHOdded · November 03, 2015, 05:02:03 PM

Yeah, it could be a bad antenna too (do you have a signal strength meter to check?)! The 2.4 GHz band should easily reach that far, but the 5 GHz band, not sure. The higher the band, the lower the distance, unless of course the gain is also turned up differentially. These routers are getting faster all the time 4 sure!

panther427 · November 03, 2015, 05:53:27 PM

Well I have been using some of the free apps that have a signal meter.

I am actually running my Xbox one and the tv on 5ghz. The Xbox usually does very well. They are both 16 feet from the back wall where I can get max speed on my phone. Once I decide on a router to keep ill be moving it around more to get a perfect placement. Right now its in an easy spot to get to and make changes. And keeps my testing as close as possible

I'm so hung up on the issue of the speed differential between the same routers. Its seriously giving me a headache. From my understanding the more speed you have the more you keep as it drops off from distance and interference of walls and that sort of thing

slurppie · November 03, 2015, 05:58:10 PM

Panther, I would suggest toggling your CCAST WG over to "bridge mode" so you're not double NATing. It will give your 3rd party router a public IP (only port 1 on the WG will be active at this point).

Sent via my Speak and Spell

panther427 · November 03, 2015, 09:02:30 PM

That was a good idea slurppie. I had totally forgot to do that with the Netgear router and i was getting Doulbe NAT with that unless i set that router to AP mode.

Any thoughts as why i have had two routers give me 125 Mbps speed over wireless and the other 2 have only given me 92Mbps

slurppie · November 03, 2015, 09:29:25 PM

Wifi is a biatch to troubleshoot. Try to rule out all the variables, make sure you are testing with the same client, same encryption and stand about 10' away for all testing. Too close can have a negative impact. Also, run tests from a few different angles. WIFI doesn't broadcast in a perfect omni directional pattern. Also, disable encryption and see if results change. WPA2 requires processing power and can impact results, especially if the router is under powered.

Sent via my Speak and Spell

ZSHO · November 03, 2015, 09:52:50 PM

If you have no luck you can certainly check this site,not sure if you have a Samsung or not though. Z http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/44808-42-samsung-smart-network-issues

ZSHO · November 03, 2015, 10:23:25 PM

It certainly sound like Slurpie knows a thing or two in this dept,found it intresting that i have a similiar setup as you,rectified my wifi connectivity issues by removing the cordless phones and microwaves as far away as possible to eliminate such inteference,also changed the chanel on my router remotely,it was just to darn crowded with neighbors using the same channel. Z

slurppie · November 03, 2015, 10:37:19 PM

For those running Windows or Android, there is a great tool by Metageek called "InSSIDer". It's very useful in seeing how congested the 2.4/5ghz spectrum is (depending on what radios your client has). 2.4 only utilizes 11 channels in the US so with everything being "wireless" these days, it's congested in a big way. The best channels to use are 1,6 and 11. These are non overlapping channels. Using a wifi tool like InSSIDer, look for other AP's that are sitting on channels other than 1,6 and 11. The goal is to get as far away from these as possible. For instance, if a neighbor is close by and using channel 4 for their AP, look to use 11 provided nothing is overlapping it. On the 5ghz radio, you shouldn't have much to worry about. If I recall, there are 26 channels in the US. Add in the fact that 5ghz cannot penetrate material like lower frequencies can (thus why 5ghz has inherit distance issues) and not many devices use 5ghz, congestion is not an issue.

Sent via my Speak and Spell

panther427 · November 04, 2015, 10:02:29 AM

Yes in fact it is a Samsung tv.Its a 2014 model 55 inch curved 4k tv paid 850 for it from best buy.

So still have not found my lost speed. Tried one custom firmware and a few off the asus website. If anything the others all hurt the consistency of my connection. The original updated firmware was always giving me between 90 and 93. No drops or lag. All others I was seeing speed drop throughout the test or slow speed pickup and not even getting to 90 most of the time. And the other firmware seems to have had a negative effect on wired speed. So I went back to my original firmware.

Not that I was having a problem with range but turned the router 90 degrees and that did significantly enhancethe range. To the very corners of my home.

Nox to find the lost speed or I will be exchange this unit. Got 30 days to return it.

Does anyone know if You can plug a usb WiFi dongle to the tv. I'm pretty sure Its on n band. But with the nature of a curved glass screen I think Its limiting itself to the full speed compared to my Xbox right below it

ZSHO · November 04, 2015, 10:50:04 AM

I'm no expert in this field but in my case with a similiar setup many issues were fixed by installing the splitter inside the house,the bad weather was affecting the performance of the cables,also went with better hdmi,optical cables and as mentioned above went from channel 1 to 11 and had better signal. Z http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003593FWS?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage