Small Problem & Uncertain Info

[xInDiGo]

I recently bought an N66U when my Linksys WRT54GS went out. Everything seems fine but i noticed a few issues. Clients connected via LAN would sometimes drop connection. In windows 7 you can see the bottom right network monitor will get a red X across it indicating it’s not plugged in. Similarly my PS3 will lose connection via LAN but seems stable on WIFI (2.4).

Now I’ve read a few things on why i may be losing connection. I've read that it may be a firmware issue. My router is using the stock firmware, and says it’s the most up-to-date version. I've read that it could be my LAN cable, that cat5 can be unreliable with gigabit and i may need cat5e or a cat6 cable. I'm not sure if this information is true, or how i can even tell what kind of cable if have running through here. Plus i don't think PS3 support gigabit which is still having an issue.

Lastly, I’ve been having connection issues with my WIFI (5). I've got both channels (2.4 and 5) broadcasting and 2.4 seems to work just fine. It’s got long range and good signal strength. However my 5 seems to be different. I often lose connection, and the speed will stutter (assuming from a bad connection). What I’ve read about THIS problem is that if a device is connected to the 2.4 channel, then it will downgrade the 5 channel to a 2.4. I'm not sure if this is correct but it seems logical.

Can anybody help me by either confirming or denying if what I’ve read is true, and maybe elaborating a bit more why it is or isn't. Thanks for your time guys; I’m really excited to solve these problems!

p.s. I was thinking about installing a custom firmware but i thought that the native firmware would be sufficient.

 

[RMerlin]

I recently bought an N66U when my Linksys WRT54GS went out. Everything seems fine but i noticed a few issues. Clients connected via LAN would sometimes drop connection. In windows 7 you can see the bottom right network monitor will get a red X across it indicating it’s not plugged in. Similarly my PS3 will lose connection via LAN but seems stable on WIFI (2.4).

Check on the LAN -> Switch Control page, and make sure that GRO is set to be disabled. Otherwise, your router might randomly reboot itself.

Now I’ve read a few things on why i may be losing connection. I've read that it may be a firmware issue. My router is using the stock firmware, and says it’s the most up-to-date version.

Check manually on Asus's website, the online checker doesn't work reliably in some firmware versions. The latest right now is 3.0.0.4.270.

I've read that it could be my LAN cable, that cat5 can be unreliable with gigabit and i may need cat5e or a cat6 cable. I'm not sure if this information is true, or how i can even tell what kind of cable if have running through here.

Cat 5 cable is only rated for up to 100 Mbits. If you read along the length of your cable it should be written what category it is.

You do need Cat 5e or better with the RT-N66U due to its gigabit ports. Also, Cat5 cables are probably quite old anyway (I don't remember the last time I saw an actual new Cat5 cable myself), so better be safe and replace them.

Lastly, I’ve been having connection issues with my WIFI (5). I've got both channels (2.4 and 5) broadcasting and 2.4 seems to work just fine. It’s got long range and good signal strength. However my 5 seems to be different. I often lose connection, and the speed will stutter (assuming from a bad connection). What I’ve read about THIS problem is that if a device is connected to the 2.4 channel, then it will downgrade the 5 channel to a 2.4. I'm not sure if this is correct but it seems logical.

A wireless client will connect either to the 2.4 GHz band, either to the 5 GHz band. It cannot "downgrade" - think of these as two totally separate networks.

I recommend giving them different SSIDs to make it easier to tell where you are connected (mylan_24 and mylan_5 for example). Also try a fixed channel, either a low-numbered one, or a high-numbered one. Some network clients work better with one or the other (they are in two separate range, and are handled differently at the low-level).

 

[xInDiGo]

Check manually on Asus's website, the online checker doesn't work reliably in some firmware versions. The latest right now is 3.0.0.4.270.

My current version is 3.0.0.4.270

Check on the LAN -> Switch Control page, and make sure that GRO is set to be disabled. Otherwise, your router might randomly reboot itself.

LAN -> Switch Control - I have two options, Enable Jumbo Frame, & Disable HW Accelerator. Both settings are set to NO.

Cat 5 cable is only rated for up to 100 Mbits. If you read along the length of your cable it should be written what category it is.

You do need Cat 5e or better with the RT-N66U due to its gigabit ports. Also, Cat5 cables are probably quite old anyway (I don't remember the last time I saw an actual new Cat5 cable myself), so better be safe and replace them.

From what I can tell they are indeed cat 5 cables, NOT cat 5e. I'm concerned about upgrading these. Will 5e or 6 have issues with older NIC cards, from maybe 2000 or 2002?

A wireless client will connect either to the 2.4 GHz band, either to the 5 GHz band. It cannot "downgrade" - think of these as two totally separate networks.

I recommend giving them different SSIDs to make it easier to tell where you are connected (mylan_24 and mylan_5 for example). Also try a fixed channel, either a low-numbered one, or a high-numbered one. Some network clients work better with one or the other (they are in two separate range, and are handled differently at the low-level).

Both have different SSIDs. I've got 2.4 on channel 3; its Wireless Mode is set to AUTO, with b/g protection checked. The channel bandwidth is set to 20/40 MHz, & the Extension Channel is set to AUTO. These settings seem to work great for my 2.4 connection, although I’m not sure what half of these settings actually do!

My 5GHz broadcast has its Control Channel set to AUTO. Same as my Wireless Mode and Extension Channel. The Channel Bandwidth is set to 20/40 MHz. Once again I'm not 100% on what all these settings do. One quick thought, would the Network Key Rotation Interval cause the network connection to drop and reconnect after trying to verify a new key?

Thank you so much for taking the time to help me and read through my posts! I'm not the most knowledge able person when it comes to this but I’m trying to learn!

 

[ChrisR]

p.s. I was thinking about installing a custom firmware but i thought that the native firmware would be sufficient.

Check out this article about Merlin's custom FW:
http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wireless/wireless-reviews/31963-asuswrt-merlin-reviewed

For the selection of a fixed channel, you can use software like inSSIDer version 2 or the version 3 preview (which gives a Link Score, so you can check which channel gives highest score in your environment)
http://inssiderapp.com/index-eyepa-button.html?utm_expid=59132553-3&utm_campaign=&utm_medium=WPA2-Personal&utm_source=9&utm_term=14&utm_content=216&utm_campaign=Software&utm_medium=inssider2&utm_source=NewsTab

 

[RMerlin]

From what I can tell they are indeed cat 5 cables, NOT cat 5e. I'm concerned about upgrading these. Will 5e or 6 have issues with older NIC cards, from maybe 2000 or 2002?

That won't be a problem. Cat5e and Cat6 are the same cables essentially, just with higher quality wiring/shielding, and they have been actually tested at higher frequencies.

Another thing to monitor: on the router webpage go to the System Log page. That page will show you the router uptime. See if, after the issue where you get disconnected and reconnected, that uptime seems to be back to a few mins ago. That will confirm whether you are really losing connection, or the router is crashing and rebooting itself.

My 5GHz broadcast has its Control Channel set to AUTO. Same as my Wireless Mode and Extension Channel. The Channel Bandwidth is set to 20/40 MHz. Once again I'm not 100% on what all these settings do. One quick thought, would the Network Key Rotation Interval cause the network connection to drop and reconnect after trying to verify a new key?

Try using a fixed channel instead of an Auto channel, and see if it helps.

Key rotation should not cause connection drops.

 

[xInDiGo]

Thanks for the posts. I read about Merlin, but is it worth using that firmware vs the stock ones? my network is just a simple home network in a small condo so some things are just not going to be used.

I'm going to monitor my router log for when i drop & post back here with what i find. I'll also try to monitor my network connection, but i'm not sure of what tool i could use on the windows side to log & see whats causing a drop. If there's any suggestions that would be great :]

::edit::
here's what the log says after a drop:

Mar 1 22:25:58 dnsmasq-dhcp[539]: DHCPREQUEST(br0) 192.168.1.245 6c:62:6d:ef:84:ab
Mar 1 22:25:58 dnsmasq-dhcp[539]: DHCPACK(br0) 192.168.1.245 6c:62:6d:ef:84:ab InDiGo-PC

 

[xInDiGo]

hoping somebody might be able to shed some light on what the log means?

 

[mikeg]

If you have problems and use the Asus firmware why do you not try Merlins firmware which is the Asus plus more reliable than Asus ?
I have the experience that Merlins firmware is more stable than Asus own.
See if your problems with the log entries disappears after upgrading the firmware to Merlins. I have a small network and use Merlins firmware.

Thanks for the posts. I read about Merlin, but is it worth using that firmware vs the stock ones? my network is just a simple home network in a small condo so some things are just not going to be used.

I'm going to monitor my router log for when i drop & post back here with what i find. I'll also try to monitor my network connection, but i'm not sure of what tool i could use on the windows side to log & see whats causing a drop. If there's any suggestions that would be great :]

::edit::
here's what the log says after a drop:

 

[xInDiGo]

its not just about solving the issue. i'd also like to understand WHY this is happening. you have to imagine that an average consumer wouldn't go as far as to flashing a custom firmware onto their NEW piece of equipment. honestly i'd expect it to work out of the box. unfortunately thats not my experience, and fortunately i'm NOT an average consumer.