1) You're much too close.
I have been this close before and had full bars.
2) Newest firmware doesn't mean anything. Version?
3.0.4
3) Which band? Which phone? Which os? Was a reset to factory default followed by a minimal and manual install ever done (without using a backup config file afterwards)?
So I switched between the 2 and 5 ghz bands and it seems like the 2 ghz is the problem. I am on an iphone iOS 9.3.4
http://www.snbforums.com/threads/no...l-and-manual-configuration.27115/#post-205573
http://www.snbforums.com/threads/rt-ac66u-slow-wan-to-lan.12973/page-3#post-269410
http://www.snbforums.com/threads/faq-nvram-and-factory-default-reset.22822/
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