Could I get some advice for optimal Cake settings?

[Zenophilious]

So, after following a guide I found here to set up my router again, I'm a little curious about optimal Cake settings for my connection. My router is an Asus TUF AX5400 running 388.1-gnuton1 firmware, and I'm using the built-in Cake configuration menu.

I've been playing with various settings that I've either seen here on this forum or here, but I can't quite get the results I'm hoping for. My internet is fixed wireless, and provided by a radio link on the roof pointing to a wireless PoP via line-of-sight. An ethernet drop runs from the radio to the side of the house, and then through a wall penetration and plugs directly into our router. Nothing I've found so far has basically any info about settings for fixed wireless service, including ATM/PTM or the recommended MPU value. My speeds average out to about 85 down/60 up without QoS; default Cake set to auto brings it up to high 90s for both, but the latency spike is massive.

As of now I haven't added the full Cake config menu addon. I can definitely do that if it's recommended, but from what I've seen it's mostly used for fine-tuning. I'm hoping to get latency as low as possible, since I'm not able to run ethernet to my room, and my only realistic solution for wired is with powerline adapters.

 

[L&LD]

Welcome to the forums @Zenophilious.

You need to specify the settings you've tried.

How far away (feet, walls, floors) is your bedroom away from the router?

What client device and WiFi card are you using?

If you can buy a garage sale router that has Media Bridge mode on it, you will greatly increase your connection strength and reduce the latency to the minimum.

 

[Zenophilious]

You need to specify the settings you've tried.

I've honestly cycled through a good chunk of Cake settings trying to find a good set. I failed to record some of my better grades on Waveform test, but I remember getting full load latency under 30 at one point before trying another set of tweaks, which ruined it. I've tried dslreports' test as well, but no matter what I do I can't get it to work properly for me. Part of what's throwing me is the lack of obvious options for WAN packet overhead. Is 44 overhead/84 MPU/Normal a reasonable guess for my setup, or is it basically going to involve large armounts of tests and tweaking before I can find a baseline?

How far away (feet, walls, floors) is your bedroom away from the router?

As far as I can tell, my bedroom is directly underneath the router. Signal penetration is pretty much just through the ceiling and past the bedroom floor. I'm not 100% on the distance, but it's most likely less than 15-20 ft, in terms of direct measurement to the second story floor.

What client device and WiFi card are you using?

Client device is a custom-built gaming PC running Windows 10, with an Archer TX3000E wifi card.

If you can buy a garage sale router that has Media Bridge mode on it, you will greatly increase your connection strength and reduce the latency to the minimum.

I'm open to buying a used router for that purpose. Are there any general recommendations for routers to set up as media bridges? As far as I know, I don't have any spares laying around, but I can double check tomorrow. If I did have a spare router, they'd be from around 2014-2016.

 

[L&LD]

Your cake settings paragraph still isn't giving any useful info.

Directly beneath (or above) a router is typically the worst area (think of a donut and you're in the hole).

I don't know the TX3000E, but it does seem suspect to me (in addition to it's location directly beneath the router).

The RT-AC56U was an excellent Media Bridge router (many still in use for many customers). Today though, they are hard to find. Any 3x3:3 (or better, a 4x4:4) router with Media Bridge capabilities will far surpass the Archer you're currently using.

 

[sfx2000]

I don't know the TX3000E, but it does seem suspect to me (in addition to it's location directly beneath the router).

It's a standard Intel card - AX201 if I recall

AX3000 Wi-Fi 6 Bluetooth 5.2 PCIe Adapter

Utilizing the Wi-Fi 6 foundation, Archer TX3000E, is designed to liberate your gaming from cables and fully optimize your gameplay.

www.tp-link.com