N56u slower than N53u on wired upload speed

[powjunky]

I just purchased an N56u to replace a N53 because I wanted the added USB ports. However, I am experiencing slower upload speeds when connected by ethernet. I am consistently getting 20-25mbps on the N53 but only 15-17 with the N56. The N53 is running the stock fw ver 1.1.1.56 and the N56 is upgraded to fw ver 3.0.0.4.342. I upgraded the fw on the N56 when I first set it up, so I don't have any comparison to the fw it came with. I have tested the N56 with the Qos off and on, with it set to 35mbps down and 30mbps up. Do you have any ideas of why this would be? Should I change the fw on the N56, and can it be downgraded to a previous version? BTW, my download speed are pegged at 32mbps on both routers. Thanks.

 

[RogerSC]

Yes, you can easily change your firmware, usually using the administration "Upgrade Firmware" function (available in the web GUI interface). Be careful about settings when doing that, though. For example, if you change between Padavan firmware and Asus firmware or vice-versa, you would want to reset your router after upgrading the firmware and manually re-enter your settings, and vice-versa. You can often change between different versions of the same firmware family without doing that, although in some cases a reset and reconfiguration is necessary even there.

If you get in a jam, where firmware changes aren't going quite right, you can download and use the Asus Rescue Recovery utility in combination with putting your router into recovery mode. To get your router into recovery mode, just power it down, press and hold the reset button, and power it back up while continuing to hold the reset button until you see the power light flashing slowly. You can release the reset button at that point, and the router is in recovery mode. At that point, you can use the utility mentioned above to upgrade your firmware.

 

[powjunky]

Yes, you can easily change your firmware, usually using the administration "Upgrade Firmware" function (available in the web GUI interface). Be careful about settings when doing that, though. For example, if you change between Padavan firmware and Asus firmware or vice-versa, you would want to reset your router after upgrading the firmware and manually re-enter your settings, and vice-versa. You can often change between different versions of the same firmware family without doing that, although in some cases a reset and reconfiguration is necessary even there.

If you get in a jam, where firmware changes aren't going quite right, you can download and use the Asus Rescue Recovery utility in combination with putting your router into recovery mode. To get your router into recovery mode, just power it down, press and hold the reset button, and power it back up while continuing to hold the reset button until you see the power light flashing slowly. You can release the reset button at that point, and the router is in recovery mode. At that point, you can use the utility mentioned above to upgrade your firmware.

Ok, thanks. I will try that and see if it helps. Is there a particular FW you would recommend?

 

[RogerSC]

If you've already tried Asus .342 and aren't happy with that, then I'd try the latest Padavan firmware next:

https://code.google.com/p/rt-n56u/