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Crazy Download Speed Variances

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Curmudgeon10

Occasional Visitor
Not sure if this belongs in this section, so apologies in advance.

I've been trying to improve download performance on my PC. I have three options for connection: a) Wireless to an AP located about 35 feet away and through one wall b) Wireless to an AP located about 17 feet away, also through one wall and b) via ethernet. Both the AP's and the ethernet connection are supplied via Trendnet Powerline adapters. In terms of distance from the Gateway, AP A is furthest, AP B is closest and the Ethernet connection to the PC is just slightly further than AP B.

Here are my speed test results: AP A, 50 MBps; AP B 5 MBps and Ethernet, 5 MBps. The best connection by far is with the AP furthest from the PC and furthest from the Gateway. This seems wildly counterintuitive.

The APs are identically configured Almond devices (one is set to channel 7; the other to channel 5). How would I further test these configurations, what settings on the modem should I look at, etc. The very low performance seems odd since it is working gangbusters on AP A, but terribly when direct connected to the PC
 
Welcome, @Curmudgeon10! This does make sense! :)

The PLA connected to the router's LAN port is closest to the PLA closest to the furthest AP. Best signal possible.

Anything further is bound to be worse. And it is. :)

I would suggest the following setup for you instead.

Turn one of those AP's into a Media Bridge and have it sit as close to the main router as possible while being connected to the computer in question via Ethernet cable. If I'm not mistaken, you should be hitting very close to your maximum ISP speeds like this and have less Wi-Fi RF pollution by having one less AP connected and broadcasting too.

Ideally, you would take out of use all the AP's you're using now too. ;)
 
Thanks for the reply! I need some clarification.

To facilitate discussion, I am enclosing a drawing.
Basic Netowrk Diagram.JPG

This drawing clears up one misstatement in my original post: Wifi signal B must travel through not one, but two walls to reach the PC. Unfortunately, relocating any of these boxes, including the PC is not practical. The Gateway is situated in a room adjacent to the cable entry into the house, and where the cable signal is strongest. (Most important factor: wife has begrudgingly issued her approval for the presence of those ugly boxes in the living area at that spot only) The PC is located in my office. WAP "A" was established just recently to cure a problem I had with low signal strength at our Ring Video Doorbell (it works great now). WAP B was established to provide WiFi to a separate building located about 50 yards away. Also works great.

So I'm still a bit mystified why I can show 50 MBps download when the PC is linked to "B," but only 5 MBps when its linked to either "A" or via direct connect Ethernet through the PLA at "C." Can one electrical outlet neck down throughput but another might not? I do have access to another, separate outlet at "C" which I can try with the PLA.
 
Thanks for the diagram. Much simpler to follow.

Yes, the specific connections and paths the electrical wiring follows can show those kinds of differences or more. Everything makes a difference. :)

I would guess that the main Asus router and the 'B' AP are on one breaker circuit and (?) even one electrical run. That would explain why it has a good connection back to the main router.

The 'A' and 'C' connections must be trying to flow through multiple breaker circuits or badly connected electrical runs.

Have you tried putting them all on the same Control Channel to see if their performance improves, overall? Try testing with Channels 1, 6, or 11 (only), and see what results are achieved. Depending on what the main router is set to, they're all interfering with each other (and maybe your neighbor's AP's) too.

Curious what your ISP paid for speeds are? What model is the Asus router?

What speeds do you get from a wired connection (or via the router's GUI, if you're running current or Beta stock Asus or RMerlin firmware) when connected directly on your main router?
 
Powerline throughput can very significantly outlet to outlet. Check your breaker panel and look for AFCI breakers (not GFCI). They will be labeled. These breakers and standard for most circuits, especially bedrooms, in the U.S. now. They detect line to neutral shorts and some designs significantly attenuate powerline signals.

Other powerline tips:
- make sure the powerline adapters are plugged directly into the wall outlet, not into power strips.
- cheap USB power warts and cellphone chargers can generate a lot of line RF. Move them into another outlet or power strip away from the outlet where the powerline adapter is.
 
Here's some answers: I'm paying for 200 MBps. The router is an ASUS RT-AC68R. All the PLA's are inserted directly in wall plugs. Unfortunately, I have no devices (other than my desktop PC) that have Ethernet ports so I can't speed test directly from the router. I can't locate any built in speed test command on the router's admin page, but still looking. I'm reluctant to run anything contributed by users on the various forums. Just super cautious I suppose.

Don't have any cheap cube chargers. What does the presence of AFCI's mean for PLA's?

There's no doubt this old house has plenty of sketchy electrical. When I moved in several years ago, there were no labels on any breakers, and I still haven't tracked everything down. I added a full house standby generator which powers most essential circuits, which added complexity to the existing (physical) circuitry connections. For instance, the ASUS Router, the PC/PLA, and the electronics at A are all on Generator circuits (all these are AFCI protected, and located in a separate breaker box on the outside of the house). I do not know about "B." I've never traced it to a breaker (yet). I try to avoid when possible lots of "let's try this" on the network, as there are 19 Wifi Devices, and not all of them reconnect automatically when conditions stabilize with a new, or even a previous configuration. But I will try testing everything on Channel 6 and 11 (1 and 3 are clobbered by the neighbors), and I'm going to try the PLA in a different outlet for the PC. Thanks for the ideas!
 
What firmware on that RT-AC68R are you running?
 
L&LD: Almost falls off the chair and drops the phone he's using... recovers slowly and gets himself to a keyboard and mouse...

380.xxx? That is firmware from the 1950s, isn't it? :p

Forget the performance improvements, the security updates after flashing new firmware will be huge!

Before doing anything else, flash the latest firmware that is available today.

I highly recommend RMerlin 386.1 Beta 2.

Don't carry over any old settings, scripts, or other options 'blindly' that you're currently using.

First, flash the firmware for your router from the 'Download' link below.

Features | Asuswrt-Merlin (asuswrt-merlin.net)

Follow the suggestions below to get the router stable and to use the new firmware's expected defaults without errors.

New M&M 2020

This has been a long time coming. Take your time, make a pot of coffee or tea, and doing it once and do it right. :)
 
OK, I'll give it a try! Given the amount of change that will follow to the network, it may take me a day or two to report results.
 
If you have any powerline adapters on AFCI protected circuits, that will probably reduce your throughput. I know it does in my home. So when I test powerline adapters, I make sure to not use those circuits.
 
OK, thanks. Unfortunately, I have no choices. It may be that the one PLA delivering good speeds is not on the Backup Generator circuitry, which is the only place in the house that currently has AFCIs.
 
One other thought on the AFCI issue: if I can determine the PLA that is providing pretty good throughput IS NOT on an AFCI circuit, I think I'll have the electrician swap out the AFCI breakers on the circuits where that is not true. I only needed them to pass the inspection on Generator install.
 
The electrician has to follow current NEC and local code requirements, whichever is more restrictive. If you have an electrical fire and the circuit was modified, then you can loose your house insurance claim if the AFCI breaker was required and there can be consequences for the electrician or company that did the job.
 
Yes, of course. He'll do whatever I ask. His opinion, rendered at the time he installed the new panel and wired the generator was that for the money and in my application, the AFCI breakers weren't worth the extra cost. In fact, he has a view of the constantly evolving electrical code that much of it just represents new work for electricians and new costs for consumers, with very marginal increases in reliability or safety in most applications.

If changing out two breakers significantly improves my PLA performance, I'll roll the dice!
 
I would not worry about the insurance aspect as insurance companies cover stupid and careless actions taken by people every day. How many fires result from plugging space heaters into a light duty extension cord. They won't pay if you intentionally burn your house but if even that is hard to prove unless your ring doorbell's video shows you walking into you home with a can of gasoline and a pack of matches.
 
I've made all the recommended changes including the three reboots of the router.

One step in the instructions I could not complete: "Change the WPS Button Behavior to Toggle Radio." Couldn't find where to make this selection. Is it still applicable if WPS is disabled?

I've done some speed tests with the new firmware and configurations. I'm not sure what to make of them. In the case of "C", the download speed at the PC went from 75 MBps prior to the changes (Channel 5) to 25 MBps (Channel 11).

I left the Comcast "hotspots" on in their modem just to have a backup connection to the Internet if I needed it during the process, and ran a speed test with my iPhone sitting right next to the modem. Paying for 200 MBps, registered 25. Interestingly, a Playstation in that same room recorded 150Mps download using an ASUS router 5GHz signal.

I suspect SOME of the problems may be due to local Comcast network saturation on Christmas Eve, so I'm going to do some systematic testing after Christmas.

But thus far, perhaps those AFCI circuits and some issues that are Comcast's may be the most important problems. More to learn.
 
Buy or borrow an Ethernet cable long enough to reach from your router to one of the problem APs and use it instead of powerline to connect them as a test.
 
AFCI's are not the problem. My electrician told me today they were not used in the Generator panel.

It's a good idea about the direct connect except I'm not sure what I would do with the information.

Where in the Merlin firmware is the ability to measure the WAN download speed?
 
So you have verified there are no AFCI breakers on any of the circuits you are using?

Running the Ethernet connection would tell you for sure that the powerline connection is your problem.
 
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