LAN vs. Wireless NAS speed

[westmc]

I've noticed that I consistently get 22MBs seq read and 32MBs seq write when using wireless (AC @ ~780Mbs) but I get 66MBs read/write when using LAN. This has been the case since I got the router with multiple firmware versions including both ASUS and Merlin. I used to think it was because my network card was N @ 300Mbs but it hasn't improved at all since upgrading to AC. Any idea why there would be such a drastic difference?

 

[L&LD]

Wireless overhead is much higher than a wired LAN connection.

What router are you using and which firmware?

Have you tried manually selecting the channel to see which gives you the best speed?

 

[thiggins]

upgrading router alone doesn't get you access to higher AC throughput. You need to have AC router and device and use 5 GHz band

 

[westmc]

Sorry, I forgot to include the router model. It is the RT-AC68P and the wireless card is an Intel 7260. I'm using CrystalDiskMark to test and during the test my connection speed fluctuates at around 650-850. I haven't tried changing channels because I'm getting near max speeds so I assumed it was ok. I checked and I am the only router on that channel for 5ghz. Right now, I'm running 3.0.0.4.378.6975. I just switched back to ASUS after using Merlin for the last 3 versions or so. Before the Intel 7260, I was using the Intel 6230 and NAS speeds were pretty much the same but I had assumed it was because my wireless connection was only 300Mbs. I realize that a 1Gbps LAN connection is a lot faster than a 800Mbs wireless connection but 22MBs is equivalent to only about 176Mbs so it still seems like the wireless should be faster.

 

[L&LD]

Why are you using CDM to test your lan speeds (wired and wireless)?

Again; wireless has a lot more overhead than a wired LAN connection.

Just because there are no other routers on the channel you're using does not ensure you have the best channel for your environment. You need to experiment to find the right one (theory only gets you so far).

Do you have the latest drivers for the Intel 7260 AC card? What version of Windows is it running on? Try a complete uninstall of the existing drivers after you download the latest Intel drivers and after a couple of reboots before installing them and a couple of reboots after they are installed, see if this fixes your issues.

 

[westmc]

I do have the latest drivers and I'm running Windows 7. I'll try to find some software to test my wireless speed to verify that I am running at full speed and I'll also try changing channels. I wasn't trying to test LAN speed, I was trying to test NAS speeds. I tried searching to see what other people are getting in terms of NAS speed but most tests are done with LAN. I did find this article where they claimed to get 42MBs over wireless.

http://www.trustedreviews.com/asus-rt-ac68u-802-11ac-router-review-setup-performance-page-2

 

[L&LD]

How are you running CDM on the NAS? If you're running it from another computer, it is not the NAS you're testing, but the LAN connection itself (wired or wireless).

I recommend you simply transfer a single large file (over 1GB) or a group of smaller files (collectively over 1GB in size) between your NAS and your devices to test with.

 

[westmc]

Specifically what I was trying to test is the RT-AC68P's NAS. I have an external HDD plugged in to the router through USB3. I have a share mapped as a drive and I am using CDM to test the speed of the network drive. What I'm trying to determine is why there is such a drastic difference between wired and wireless and why reviewers claim to get 42MBs with the RT-AC68U and I am only getting 22MBs.

 

[L&LD]

A USB attached drive to the router is not a NAS.

Neither will it perform as well as a real wired connected NAS can. Notice in your link they had to replace their original toy nas with a real Synology NAS to measure the maximum wireless network speed the router can offer.

22MB/s on the USB port is about all you can except for your setup.