RT-N66U - Less performance than expected on high speed fibre connection

[wayner]

The issue is that as people move to higher speed internet connections they are going to find their network hardware isn't up to the task, even if it "should" be according to specs or info on places like SNB. The RT-66U is supposed to have WAN-LAN throughput of something like 760Mbps but when you use some of the more sophisticated features of the router it kills hardware acceleration and without that the best you can get is around 220Mbps.

So we may end up being stuck using the "gateways" provided by our ISPs but these often have lousy routers.

Note that within a year I will be able to get 1 Gbps internet from either my cable company (Rogers Cable) or my phone company (Bell Canada) as will everyone else in Toronto.

 

[Nullity]

Some are able to get 960Mbit+ through the RT-N66U, but I have no clue how.

I get ~260Mbit LAN-to-LAN, so the reports of 900Mbit+ through WAN always baffles me.

 

[Abdulai]

The issue is that as people move to higher speed internet connections they are going to find their network hardware isn't up to the task, even if it "should" be according to specs or info on places like SNB. The RT-66U is supposed to have WAN-LAN throughput of something like 760Mbps but when you use some of the more sophisticated features of the router it kills hardware acceleration and without that the best you can get is around 220Mbps.

So we may end up being stuck using the "gateways" provided by our ISPs but these often have lousy routers.

Note that within a year I will be able to get 1 Gbps internet from either my cable company (Rogers Cable) or my phone company (Bell Canada) as will everyone else in Toronto.

Hi guys!

I was searching high and low for what's going on with my line. I live in Switzerland, ISP is Cablecom and I've just upgraded from 250 to 500.
Before exchanging the modem they sent me, I speed tested at 220-240.
Afterwards: 200-220.

So even slower. I always had their router in modem mode, and used my N66U for all the things I needed. So I switched my ethernet cable directly to their router, and low and behold 450-480.
So I knew it was the Asus. I just now switched the new cablecom router to modem mode, and set up everything like I had it, so PC back to the N66U... and yes, 220 is the maximum.

So it seems to be exactly what you wrote wayner!

Question: Would buying a new router solve this? do any of you have suggestions? I had been planning to buy a new one anyway, so I don't mind at all. I was happy with the Asus and it's interface, should I go for it's big brother?
Which one would it be?

How I used the N66U: (and yes, I am a total noob):
- Ran 2 Wifi's 2.4 and 5 (although I never really understood the difference), + 1 Guest
- Had 2 Webcams in the baby's room, and also set it up so I could access it via the web.
- Playstaton 4 via Wifi
We have a bunch of tablets and phones, and my main PC which I always connect via ethernet, because that's my download workhorse.

suggestions which router could be my new one?

Maybe this one?:
https://www.digitec.ch/en/s1/product/asus-rt-ac87u-ac1733n600-routers-2754559

 

[L&LD]

Hi guys!

I was searching high and low for what's going on with my line. I live in Switzerland, ISP is Cablecom and I've just upgraded from 250 to 500.
Before exchanging the modem they sent me, I speed tested at 220-240.
Afterwards: 200-220.

So even slower. I always had their router in modem mode, and used my N66U for all the things I needed. So I switched my ethernet cable directly to their router, and low and behold 450-480.
So I knew it was the Asus. I just now switched the new cablecom router to modem mode, and set up everything like I had it, so PC back to the N66U... and yes, 220 is the maximum.

So it seems to be exactly what you wrote wayner!

Question: Would buying a new router solve this? do any of you have suggestions? I had been planning to buy a new one anyway, so I don't mind at all. I was happy with the Asus and it's interface, should I go for it's big brother?
Which one would it be?

How I used the N66U: (and yes, I am a total noob):
- Ran 2 Wifi's 2.4 and 5 (although I never really understood the difference), + 1 Guest
- Had 2 Webcams in the baby's room, and also set it up so I could access it via the web.
- Playstaton 4 via Wifi
We have a bunch of tablets and phones, and my main PC which I always connect via ethernet, because that's my download workhorse.

suggestions which router could be my new one?

Maybe this one?:
https://www.digitec.ch/en/s1/product/asus-rt-ac87u-ac1733n600-routers-2754559

No! Not that one. Many had issues since introduction and many still do today after many attempts by Asus and Quantenna to fix the issues that model has for at least some.

The RT-AC68U is a nice step up from the RT-N66U you have.

A better buy today would be an RT-AC3100 though. Especially if you only upgrade the router like most people do (about every 3 to 5 years).

Do note that the RT-N66U should be able to handle your ISP's connection with hardware acceleration turned on. It seems you have set some option(s) that have disabled it?

I would also recommend to install the latest RMerlin firmware or one of the forks (john9527 or hggomes) along with a reset to factory defaults and a minimal and manual configuration of the router to connect to your ISP and secure it.

http://www.snbforums.com/threads/no...l-and-manual-configuration.27115/#post-205573

 

[Klueless]

I always had their router in modem mode, and used my N66U for all the things I needed. So I switched my ethernet cable directly to their router, and low and behold 450-480.
So I knew it was the Asus. I just now switched the new cablecom router to modem mode, and set up everything like I had it, so PC back to the N66U... and yes, 220 is the maximum.

Saw a similar post in another thread and now I'm just kind of curious. What would happen if you dumbed down the Asus a little and let your cablecom router do DHCP and NAT leaving your Asus a little more breathing room for wireless, switching, routing and shipping packets?

 

[Abdulai]

Great replies guys!

L&LD: Thanks for the suggestions! I will have a look at them and then upgrade to one of them. Now the factory reset part... hggn... had so long with the setup uf my 2 cameras... (again: Full Noob) hehe, I kinda don't want to go through that again. Well, I got it at the time (after googling etc), but 1 year later = my brain is rinsed clean of anything I learned back then haha. Well, maybe just before I set up the new router, I might do it.
I never turned on hardware acceleration btw, I'll go into the menue right now and try to find it.

So I guess I could also try to do what Klueless said, to check out if there's a change.

 

[L&LD]

Great replies guys!

L&LD: Thanks for the suggestions! I will have a look at them and then upgrade to one of them. Now the factory reset part... hggn... had so long with the setup uf my 2 cameras... (again: Full Noob) hehe, I kinda don't want to go through that again. Well, I got it at the time (after googling etc), but 1 year later = my brain is rinsed clean of anything I learned back then haha. Well, maybe just before I set up the new router, I might do it.
I never turned on hardware acceleration btw, I'll go into the menue right now and try to find it.

So I guess I could also try to do what Klueless said, to check out if there's a change.

Make sure you have a backup of the firmware you have running now and do a backup of the config and save those together before you do anything else. But this file you do not want to 'restore' with on a different firmware version.

No need to redo from scratch with john9527's awesome NVRAM save / restore utility.

http://www.snbforums.com/threads/user-nvram-save-restore-utility-r22.19521/

Follow the link in my other post here and then use the utility in the link above.

 

[wayner]

The other option other than buying a new router is to build your own with a PC and pfSense or OPNsense. All you need is a PC with two NICs . The faster the PC the faster the WAN speed you will be able to support. I am dabbling with this.

 

[L&LD]

The other option other than buying a new modem is to build your own with a PC and pfSense or OPNsense. All you need is a PC with two NICs . The faster the PC the faster the WAN speed you will be able to support. I am dabbling with this.

I don't think a PC with the mentioned software can replace a modem?

 

[wayner]

You are correct - I meant to say router rather than modem - it is now corrected.

 

[Abdulai]

No! Not that one. Many had issues since introduction and many still do today after many attempts by Asus and Quantenna to fix the issues that model has for at least some.

The RT-AC68U is a nice step up from the RT-N66U you have.

A better buy today would be an RT-AC3100 though. Especially if you only upgrade the router like most people do (about every 3 to 5 years).

Do note that the RT-N66U should be able to handle your ISP's connection with hardware acceleration turned on. It seems you have set some option(s) that have disabled it?

I would also recommend to install the latest RMerlin firmware or one of the forks (john9527 or hggomes) along with a reset to factory defaults and a minimal and manual configuration of the router to connect to your ISP and secure it.

http://www.snbforums.com/threads/no...l-and-manual-configuration.27115/#post-205573

What about the Asus RT-AC3200 I read about? Gaming & Torrents is a high prio (Torrent via PC client)

 

[Abdulai]

So guys, if ready to throw out the cash: AC68U / RT-AC3100 / AC3200?

numerology would suggest, that this is the list from good to best, with the AC3200 being on top?

 

[L&LD]

What about the Asus RT-AC3200 I read about? Gaming & Torrents is a high prio (Torrent via PC client)

So guys, if ready to throw out the cash: AC68U / RT-AC3100 / AC3200?

numerology would suggest, that this is the list from good to best, with the AC3200 being on top?

I would rate the AC3100 above the others on your list, from the reports on this site.

If you're ready to throw out cash then you're looking at old products.

The RT-AC88U or the RT-AC5300 are what I would be considering (by testing) in my specific location.

 

[Abdulai]

Hmm... yeah, according to CNET this might be what I need. Faster Wifi specially over longer distances:

3100 (AC88U)
3200

 

[doczenith1]

You can't just look blindly at the numbers. The 3100 and 3200 are completely different beast. The 3100 is the current generation dual band with 4x4 antennas. The 3200 is the previous generation with tri band 3x3 antennas. Obviously more complex than that but that's the gist of it.

 

[Abdulai]

You can't just look blindly at the numbers. The 3100 and 3200 are completely different beast. The 3100 is the current generation dual band with 4x4 antennas. The 3200 is the previous generation with tri band 3x3 antennas. Obviously more complex than that but that's the gist of it.

thanks. Like I said: Noob.

But the 3100 looks even more attractive to my superficial look

 

[Abdulai]

Anther question.

So I ordered the AC88U now. So far, I had the N66U.

Once I've setup the AC88U... what could I use the N66U for? Anything clever I could do withit? I don't know... use it to extned wifi range/something else that's clever, or should I just sell it?

Also, with the AC88U, you all keep talking about that Merlin Firmware: should I download and install that on this router?

 

[Abdulai]

Anther question.

So I ordered the AC88U now. So far, I had the N66U.

Once I've setup the AC88U... what could I use the N66U for? Anything clever I could do withit? I don't know... use it to extned wifi range/something else that's clever, or should I just sell it?

Also, with the AC88U, you all keep talking about that Merlin Firmware: should I download and install that on this router?

Any help on this? How do I use the N66U as repeater for better wifi coverage - or something useful? Any hints/ideas? Tutorial links?
Would be greatly appreciated, it's always alot of digging/searching until I know how, for the noob that I am...

 

[TheManFromUncle]

Any help on this? How do I use the N66U as repeater for better wifi coverage - or something useful? Any hints/ideas? Tutorial links?
Would be greatly appreciated, it's always alot of digging/searching until I know how, for the noob that I am...

Depending in your setup and/or requirements for range, you could use it as a either range extender/access point to places in the home where your range would be affected or you could use it as a wireless bridge. All depending on requirements and so forth.