Asus RT-AC88U / Gigabit Internet Slow Speed Help

[krosenberg]

I just got RCN 1 Gigabit internet. I have an ARRIS SB8200 cable modem. When I connect my computer directly to the modem, I am seeing the speeds I expect. About 850-900Mbps (I am using Cat5e). When I connect my computer to the AC88U, I max out at about 410-450Mbps but mostly seeing 350-400. My wireless devices seem to max out at about 500Mbps on the 5Ghz network.

I am using the latest AI Mesh stock firmware (3.0.0.4.384_20379-gc0714df). I have an AC68U setup as an AI Mesh node.

I turned off QoS and NAT acceleration as I read those will cause speed issues.

What can I do to increase my speed? I know the router is the choke point right now, but I am not sure what I can change to make the speed more inline with what I should be getting.

 

[doczenith1]

Turn ON NAT acceleration! 450 Mbps is ballpark for that model without NAT acceleration. My old 3100 would do around 500 Mbps. The 88U can easily do 940 Mbps with NAT acceleration on.

I run a pretty basic setup the following options changed from the defaults and have no issues.

Wireless 2.4 GHz Professional
Turbo QAM - Disable (Only helps with clients that support it and there are not very many)
Airtime Fairness - Disable
Multi-User MIMO - Disable
Explicit Beamforming - Disable
Universal Beamforming - Disable

Wireless 5 GHz Professional
Airtime Fairness - Disable
Multi-User MIMO - Disable (FWIW I got better 5 GHz speeds with MU-MIMO disabled)
Universal Beamforming - Disable

500 Mbps on wireless is about right for 2x2 AC but it's weird that the wired speed is slower than the wireless.

What firmware did you have before you flashed your current version? Was it possibly 380 branch? Have you performed a factory reset since flashing your current fw version?

 

[krosenberg]

Thank you so much! That did the trick for the LAN. Enabling NAT Acceleration worked like a charm, my speed is much closer to what I am expecting (800-900Mbps).
I tried your settings for the 5Ghz network and the speed maxes out at similar to what I had already~500 Mbps. With the 2.4Ghz, I cap out at about 100Mbps but I messed with the settings and they are a little different than what you have listed.

I was using Merlin firmware (382.2) before I went to the AIMesh firmware and I am almost positive I did a factory reset. If I didn't could that be causing some issues?

Turn ON NAT acceleration! 450 Mbps is ballpark for that model without NAT acceleration. My old 3100 would do around 500 Mbps. The 88U can easily do 940 Mbps with NAT acceleration on.

I run a pretty basic setup the following options changed from the defaults and have no issues.

Wireless 2.4 GHz Professional
Turbo QAM - Disable (Only helps with clients that support it and there are not very many)
Airtime Fairness - Disable
Multi-User MIMO - Disable
Explicit Beamforming - Disable
Universal Beamforming - Disable

Wireless 5 GHz Professional
Airtime Fairness - Disable
Multi-User MIMO - Disable (FWIW I got better 5 GHz speeds with MU-MIMO disabled)
Universal Beamforming - Disable

500 Mbps on wireless is about right for 2x2 AC but it's weird that the wired speed is slower than the wireless.

What firmware did you have before you flashed your current version? Was it possibly 380 branch? Have you performed a factory reset since flashing your current fw version?

 

[doczenith1]

I know it was recommended to do a reset when going from 380 to 384. I believe it's also recommended to do a reset when switching between Asuswrt-Merlin and stock firmware. Remember to do the reset after updating the firmware and do not restore a settings file.

If I didn't could that be causing some issues?

It can be hit or miss on whether or not you'll see issues depending on your setup. If everything seems to be working ok then you can roll with it but if you do see any issues the first thing I would do is a reset before any other trouble shooting.

 

[kronic_187]

I know it was recommended to do a reset when going from 380 to 384. I believe it's also recommended to do a reset when switching between Asuswrt-Merlin and stock firmware. Remember to do the reset after updating the firmware and do not restore a settings file.


It can be hit or miss on whether or not you'll see issues depending on your setup. If everything seems to be working ok then you can roll with it but if you do see any issues the first thing I would do is a reset before any other trouble shooting.

doczenith,

My brother has a big house and wanted to get 4 routers (AC5300) for the 4 corners of his home. He has cat6a in all rooms and living areas. Big house with corner to corner I would say 150+ feet in "U" shaped structure, so he can't have nothing in the middle of the home.

XB6 Xfinity modem and gigabit internet.

1. Should he use the Merlin firmware or the AiMesh firmware?
2. Should he use his Xfinity modem/router in DHCP mode with wifi disabled and have the 4 AC5300 in AP mode or disable it and use 1 AC5300 as router/DHCP and the other 3 in AP mode with direct Ethernet connection?

The new ASUS RT-AX88U AX6000 Dual-Band Gigabit Router looks good. Should he wait till end of October and get the AX88U instead of a AC5300? Will it have Merlin fw.

Thanks,

 

[doczenith1]

My first question is does he really need the extra 5 GHz band that the 5300 includes? How many 5 GHz devices does he have? I could see maybe using 5300's if he was using wifi backhaul with one of the 5 GHz bands dedicated to backhaul but with ethernet backhaul not really needed unless he has a lot of high bandwidth 5 GHz devices. Based on my experience and opinions that I have read on this site I would recommend using AC86U's. The 86U is a generation newer than the 5300 and they are around $100 cheaper also. I would start with two of them strategically placed and see how the coverage is. Then add more one at a time until you get full coverage.

Disclaimer: I have zero experience with AiMesh or using access points. That said, I would bridge the Xfinity gateway and use one of the Asus routers as the router and the others as access points with ethernet backhaul. You could try AiMesh. Seems like it works good for some and not so good for others. If you decide against AiMesh I would recommend Merlin's firmware.

The AX standard is only in draft right now. I believe I read that it won't be finalized until next year sometime and then I doubt you'll see any AX capable clients until late 2019. I recommend sticking with AC for now and letting AX mature. Merlin won't know whether or not he will be able to support the AX88U until it comes out.

 

[kronic_187]

My first question is does he really need the extra 5 GHz band that the 5300 includes? How many 5 GHz devices does he have? I could see maybe using 5300's if he was using wifi backhaul with one of the 5 GHz bands dedicated to backhaul but with ethernet backhaul not really needed unless he has a lot of high bandwidth 5 GHz devices. Based on my experience and opinions that I have read on this site I would recommend using AC86U's. The 86U is a generation newer than the 5300 and they are around $100 cheaper also. I would start with two of them strategically placed and see how the coverage is. Then add more one at a time until you get full coverage.

Disclaimer: I have zero experience with AiMesh or using access points. That said, I would bridge the Xfinity gateway and use one of the Asus routers as the router and the others as access points with ethernet backhaul. You could try AiMesh. Seems like it works good for some and not so good for others. If you decide against AiMesh I would recommend Merlin's firmware.

The AX standard is only in draft right now. I believe I read that it won't be finalized until next year sometime and then I doubt you'll see any AX capable clients until late 2019. I recommend sticking with AC for now and letting AX mature. Merlin won't know whether or not he will be able to support the AX88U until it comes out.

Makes a lot of sense. There might be even issues or fixes needed with the AX88U. I don't think he needs lots of band bandwidth, if anything max 10-15 devices using the internet. 3-4 phones, 2 computers, 4 TVs, etc. Do you recommed the AC88U over the AC86U? Price wise won't bother him, its more of what is the best that he could put without upgrading for the next 3-4 years.

Thanks,

 

[ApexRon]

Overall, I concur with doczenith1. However, there are two areas of concern:

1. Number of concurrent telephone conversations
2. Number of concurrent video streams

First, be concerned with WiFi coverage. One router may have limited location options dependent on the entry point within the home for the ISP connection. Actual WiFi coverage will be dependent on router location and physical objects the signal has to pass through.

The AC86-U would be a better choice. I would use the mesh technology of the routers, at least initially. However, be prepared to implement multiple SSID as well should it come down to that.

I would further recommend the investment of a WiFi mapping app like NetSpot (www.netspotapp.com) for a laptop which will allow you to survey a house to determine WiFi coverage.

 

[doczenith1]

Despite the numbering scheme the 86U is a newer and more power router than the 88U.

 

[ajmaravilla]

Where do I find NAT Acceleration on my RT-AC86U? I can't find it anywhere

 

[Grisu]

its hidden now in GUI, auto-enabled.