Slow Wireless AC speeds

[darth_adversor]

Hey everybody,

So I recently upgraded to a TP-Link Archer C5 router and a couple of Intel mini-PCIe 7260 AC cards, that should provide up to 866 Mbps. I realize that is theoretical and that I should likely expect around half (or maybe a little less) of that in a real-world environment, which is fine. When I initially set it up, file transfers were averaging around 40 MB/s (transferring files from my laptop to my server (which is connected via Ethernet).

Problem is, it never lasts. I'll leave the house for a couple of hours, then later initiate a new transfer, to find things have slowed way down to around 20 MB/s, or sometimes even less.

I'm at the end of my rope. I'm on the 5GHz band and connecting via AC, the adapter shows an 866 Mbps connection. I've tried playing around with various channels, tweaking roaming aggressiveness, turning off power management features in Windows, etc. I've tried uninstalling drivers and re-installing, tried the basic Windows driver versus the full-featured PROSet ones, etc. At times, after much fiddling, I'm able to achieve 40 MB/s speeds again, only to have it slow way down again on later attempts.

I've connected my laptop to the router via Ethernet to ensure the problem isn't with my server. File transfers averaged around 90 MB/s.

Anyone have any experience with my router and/or network cards? Should I return the TP-Link and get an ASUS? Maybe it's the Intel cards, I just have no idea.

My particulars below:

Machine 1:

Dell Studio 1745 laptop, 1st gen Core i7, 8GB RAM, SSD, Windows 7 Home Prem. 64-bit
Latest 17.16.0 drivers for the Intel card

Machine 2:

HTPC running an MSI AM1 mini-ITX board, Sempron 3850, 8GB RAM, SSD, Windows 7 Home Prem. 64-bit
Latest 17.16.0 drivers for the Intel card

Misc. info:

- I'm with Comcast and currently paying for a 50 Mbps connection. Speedtest typically reports around 60. I'm using Comcast's gateway in bridge mode, which makes it function just as a modem.

- I have several devices in my home connected to the 2.4 band, but only the two machines referenced above are connected on the 5GHz band. I've performed all of my testing with only one machine connected at a time, and I always perform the tests from about 5-7 feet away with a direct line of sight to the router.

Sorry for the long post, thanks for reading.

 

[Solandri]

So I recently upgraded to a TP-Link Archer C5 router and a couple of Intel mini-PCIe 7260 AC cards, that should provide up to 866 Mbps. I realize that is theoretical and that I should likely expect around half (or maybe a little less) of that in a real-world environment, which is fine. When I initially set it up, file transfers were averaging around 40 MB/s (transferring files from my laptop to my server (which is connected via Ethernet).

Problem is, it never lasts. I'll leave the house for a couple of hours, then later initiate a new transfer, to find things have slowed way down to around 20 MB/s, or sometimes even less.

• 
  ■If you're getting 40 MB/s, you're doing really well. I can only manage that when my laptop is sitting next to my router. Most of the time I get 20-30 MB/s about 5-15 feet from my router.
  ■866 Mbps is the link speed. After you add in error correction you should expect half that at best. Typically you'll get closer to 1/3 or 1/4 that.
  ■ http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/ has lots of speed test charts of various routers at different distances. 20-25 MB/s on 5GHz AC is typical.
  ■The 7260AC cards are flaky. Intel and the laptop manufacturers which use them have been having all sorts of problems getting them to work reliably, especially after sleep or hibernate. To get it back to full speed, turn it off and back on. Usually I'll notice my connection has slowed, check and see the link has dropped to 400-500 Mbps. I turn the wifi off and back on, and I'm back up at 866 Mbps.
  ■Intel is now selling a 7265AC card, which tells me the problems with the 7260AC are in the hardware, and not fixable with firmware. Fortunately turning the wifi off and back on on my new laptop only takes about 2 seconds. On my old laptop (which I returned) it took about 30 seconds before it re-connected, making it really annoying.

 

[darth_adversor]

Hey, thank you for the response.

I realize that I will never get the actual link speed, but at this point, I would be happy with 1/3 of it. Heck. I might even learn to live with 1/4. My speeds typically hover between 15-20 MB/s, which is even less. I would also assume, perhaps incorrectly, that "typical" wireless AC speeds would be based on typical 1x1 adapters that ship with most budget-oriented machines.

I have found a few older threads where people were squawking about poor performance with the 7260AC, but I had mostly chalked that up to poor driver maturity. I guess I should try another adapter first and see if the problem persists.

Also, I've always had the habit of completely shutting down my computers after use. I realize a lot of people recommend against that, but that's a topic for a different thread. Point is, my machine isn't resuming from standby, it's booting up fresh.

I will check out the speed charts you linked to and see if they have my router covered. Appreciate your advice.

 

[darth_adversor]

So, it looks like my router is very highly rated by smallnetbuilder, so it must be the Intel 7260. I have a Broadcom card on the way, we'll see if that changes anything.

Interestingly enough, after a couple days of 15-20 MB/s transfers, I did one last night that consistently ran between 38-42 MB/s the whole time. So inconsistent. So weird.

I was really hoping more people would be able to weigh in on this.

 

[darth_adversor]

So just an update for anyone who might be interested...

The Broadcom card (BCM 4352) didn't work at all in my HTPC for some reason. Windows detected it and drivers installed fine, but Windows kept reporting no connections available. I installed it in my laptop, however, and it works great. I was getting a solid 40 MB/s with the Intel 7260, now I'm up to 50-60 MB/s with the Broadcom. Outstanding. So, the issues with the laptop are now solved.

More troubling is the HTPC. Of the two computers, it's my higher priority for fast transfers, as I will be ripping BD's and transferring the ISO's to my server. The laptop being fast is just a bonus. The Intel card that was running at 40 MB/s in the laptop is running between 15-20 MB/s in the HTPC, so...it can't be the card. I'm wondering, could it be the computer case? The laptop chassis definitely seems to be more plastic than metal, whilst my HTPC case is pretty much the opposite (except for the front panel).

I'm currently using these http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A4I3AGE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The cable is fairly short, and doesn't allow me to have the antennas placed very far away. So, maybe a 3 foot extension would reduce any interference from the case and increase my transfer speeds?

Otherwise, I'm just completely at a loss. Maybe the mini-PCIE slot in my MSI AM1I board is defective and limiting bandwidth? I had also been wondering if the relatively weak Sempron CPU was the culprit, but a file copy from one folder to another on the SSD was blistering fast, so...anyone have any ideas?