This topic

Third Party Router = Slower Speeds?

JonesT0108 — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 07:08:13 GMT

Hi all, first post 👋

I'm on a Full Fibre 500 plan and I recently switched to a TP Link Archer AX50 expecting a bit more control of the network, which I now have, and the same or higher speeds over WiFi, which I don't.

Before moving to the AX50, the HomeHub was providing, in some instances 300mbps or more over WiFi, so I had anticipated with an all singing third party router, the same speeds more reliably.

Now I've switched I can't seem to get 250mbps in most cases, stood right beside the router on 5GHz.

I have ensured QoS is off and Internet negotiation is at 1000mbps full duplex, but no luck.

Is this normal? Am I expecting too much?

Many thanks

Re: Third Party Router = Slower Speeds?

naylor2006 — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 08:06:41 GMT

Have a look at what bandwidth you are using on the 5Ghz

40Mhz, 80Mhz or 160Mhz

80Mhz can get you 800+Mhz depending on factors not worth going into now.

160Mhz is usually useless given the interference it is subject to whilst it crosses so many channels.

Speaking of channels you could be on a congested one so you can change that also.

Re: Third Party Router = Slower Speeds?

JonesT0108 — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 11:58:42 GMT

Hi, thanks for the suggestion.

I already have the channel width at 80mhz and the channel as 100DFS. I have tried other channels but all provide the same result unfortunately 😕

Re: Third Party Router = Slower Speeds?

naylor2006 — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 12:16:38 GMT

Do you get 500 via an ethernet cable?

Sorry I also mis-wrote Mhz instead of Mbps after 800+ in my original reply, sorry, I assume you figured it out.

Re: Third Party Router = Slower Speeds?

JonesT0108 — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 19:39:06 GMT

Hi there, no I haven't tried over ethernet. But thats one of my issues, if I was getting ~300mbps over WiFi with the HomeHub, I'd have expected at least the same or better with a third party router, not less.

Given the location the engineer put the Fibre modem, in the kitchen, the router isn't in a position to be used over ethernet for any device unfortunately.

As far as I can tell I have set it up correctly, I will try over ethernet as a test though with a laptop 🙂

Re: Third Party Router = Slower Speeds?

naylor2006 — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 20:23:19 GMT

Testing with an Ethernet cable is going to help rule out any other underlying issue.

BTW, just to be sure, the new router is connected directly to the ONT, the BT hub is switched off right?

Re: Third Party Router = Slower Speeds?

JonesT0108 — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 20:50:06 GMT

Hi again, yes, connected the AX50 direct to the ONT 🙂

I have IPV6 enabled too and working too, I don't know if that makes any difference to speed.

I am getting the guaranteed upload speed over WiFi though.

Re: Third Party Router = Slower Speeds?

naylor2006 — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 21:03:47 GMT

Upload speed is far easier to achieve when you’re on Openreach Fibre because it’s always under 110 for us residential customers.

But before continuing too much further you do need to see what you are getting with Ethernet.

Also you probably don’t beed to use a DFS channel if you only have one AP in your house, DFS channels can help when you have multiple AP’s that you don’t want their radios to overlap, but I wouldn’t use them on a single AP, even in a built up area you should be okay with the normal ones.

Antenna gain can help sometimes with speed if you are able to increase it on that AP.

Re: Third Party Router = Slower Speeds?

JonesT0108 — Fri, 09 Aug 2024 06:59:32 GMT

Good morning.

I tested with a Cat5E ethernet case this morning and the results were dreadful. 36Mbps download, 61Mbps upload.

Is ot possible that the connection is being throttled by BT due to third party router? Should I restart the OTP and router to rule that out? 🙃

Re: Third Party Router = Slower Speeds?

licquorice — Fri, 09 Aug 2024 07:07:36 GMT

Of course it isn't being throttled by BT for using a third party router. BT don't care one jot what router you use.

Re: Third Party Router = Slower Speeds?

naylor2006 — Fri, 09 Aug 2024 08:51:00 GMT

No mate....I use my own router and did since day one, the BT Router didnt even authenticate before mine did, I am getting 900/110 all day every day. BT do not care.

Yeah well you can always power off the ONT for a minute or so, power it back up, then once its up power on your router, sometimes it fixes stuff.

36Mbps down though on your ethernet connection direct is dreadful, if the BT router is getting 500Mbps like it should with the same ethernet test then the 3rd party router isnt doing its job very well 😕

All singing/dancing routers rarely all sing and dance, if you want the best performance you need to split out your network devices. The BT SH2 is perfectly fine for normal home usages unless you wish to have further control, but from a performance point of view its half decent. I think folks tend to expect too much from these fancy spaceship looking routers.

Re: Third Party Router = Slower Speeds?

JonesT0108 — Sun, 11 Aug 2024 13:37:17 GMT

Hi again.

I've just done a speed test over WiFi and I'm getting 398mbps now. I do vaguely remember that when I switched to BT, the engineer said not to expect the full speed until a couple days after installation, so whether BT have limited the speed for a few days after detecting different hardware, I don't know.

I can stop moaning about the new router now 😅

Appreciate all the help and support 🙏

Re: Third Party Router = Slower Speeds?

WSH — Sun, 11 Aug 2024 13:56:32 GMT

It might be worth checking with TP-Link as to the maximum firewall throughput on the Archer AX50.

I believe that model is about 5 or 6 years old. Even though they have gigabit ports, up until about that time a lot of routers had a max firewall throughput in the region of 350 Mb/s, as they only needed to cope with FTTC speeds of up to 80 Mb/s.

I have a Draytek released in 2018 and the max throughput, without hardware acceleration turned on, is only 350 Mb/s but as my current internet is only 62 Mb/s, it's perfectly adequate.

Re: Third Party Router = Slower Speeds?

naylor2006 — Sun, 11 Aug 2024 19:13:14 GMT

@WSH Yep....even the ER-X will be low numbers until you turn on HW offloading, then you can get full speed on the WAN.