Wifi on DIR-655 maxes out at 35 mbps down, rather than 150 mbps? Help!

TechiGamer

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Aug 3, 2013
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Hi,

I have a DIR-655 router, which is a gigabit router, and even though my internet connection is 150 mbps down and 15 mbps up , I'm only maxing out at 35 mbps down and 15 mbps up (good) on wifi. This is the same result as my DIR-815 which is a 10/100 router.
I don't necessarily need the full speed. I would be content with 100 mbps or so on wifi (on the gigabit router at least), but 35 mbps is unacceptable.
Both of the routers are on the latest firmware, and I'm using either cat 5, cat5e, or cat6 network cable (no powerline that's limiting the speed)
Also, its worth mentioning that both of my routers (dir-655 and dir-815) are both slave routers to my main modem/router provided by my isp. So Ethernet is connected through the lan ports, and not the wan port.

Also, I tried following this video, with no success: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNNY6CPSVT0

Thanks
 
Solution
you need to use 5ghz for wifi to see even near those speeds,
wifi is half duplex. 2.4 ghz N is say 150mbps max in a 20 wide channel. you cut that in half and that will be your max throughput (75mbps)

5ghz N is 300-450 mbps max ( 150-225 mbps)

this is all ideal sitting at the ap/router.

5GHZ ac will be even high in that range but 5ghz has limited range and doesnt pass through objects as well.

the 655 looks like it is 2.4 only and but the other one may have 5ghz available.


you would really need some better hardware, I would put the 815 as just a router and get something like this.

they are pretty good for the price and you can adjust as needed, I do this for a living so it may not be as easy to setup but once it is up it just...
you need to use 5ghz for wifi to see even near those speeds,
wifi is half duplex. 2.4 ghz N is say 150mbps max in a 20 wide channel. you cut that in half and that will be your max throughput (75mbps)

5ghz N is 300-450 mbps max ( 150-225 mbps)

this is all ideal sitting at the ap/router.

5GHZ ac will be even high in that range but 5ghz has limited range and doesnt pass through objects as well.

the 655 looks like it is 2.4 only and but the other one may have 5ghz available.


you would really need some better hardware, I would put the 815 as just a router and get something like this.

they are pretty good for the price and you can adjust as needed, I do this for a living so it may not be as easy to setup but once it is up it just works great and you will roam between them.

https://www.ubnt.com/unifi/unifi-ap-ac-lite/
 
Solution


You need a UniFi controller to manage those AP's which is either an available add-on for purchase or software running on a PC.

Also I can easily push 10-15MB/s (yes capital B) on 2.4Ghz Wireless N in one direction.
 


Thanks for replying!

Would you be able to share how you are able to get such fast speeds on the 2.4 network? Which router do you have?
Because, just to verify what 06yfz450ridr was saying, I only get 37 mbps on the 2.4 ghz network on both my dir-655 and dir-815. In addition, the cisco router/modem that my ISP provided which is compatible with my internet package only gives 45 mbps on the 2.4g network.
With the 5G network on my dir-815, I get 80 mbps and 160 mbps on my cisco router/modem.

 


true but it does not need to be running 24/7 just for initial setup/changes later on, the cloud key is only worth it for bigger deployments and you dont want your pc to be the controller over a vpn etc.

but is your 2.4 running it a 40mhz width? which gives you 300mbps similar to 5ghz n?

in most cases a 40mhz width in 2.4 is useless due to interference in the 2.4 range.

I would say so since a normal 20mhz wide channel is 150mbps which will net you about 9.3 MB/s max. You generally will divide that number by 10 to see more realistic speeds.

To my nas on 5ghz N I get the same speeds as you get above.

also a plain old 100mbps lan port has a max rate of around 12 MB/s which is similar to this whole thing.



Interference and range will all play a part in the speeds you are getting, if you look at the link speed of your connection you can see what your actual throughput will be
 


I've tested out the 2.4 and 5 ghz networks on my networks, and I got 37-45 mbps on my dir-815, dir-655, and cisco router/modem with 2.4ghz.
On the 5ghz network, I got 80mbps on my dir-815, and 160mbps on my cisco router/modem, just like you predicted.

I'm actually a big fan of Ubiquiti ,and I've been eyeing their APs for quite some time. But price and lack of availability in my area has made me consider other options.
Here in Canada, I can get the one you linked for about $120 US, which is about $160 CAD. Plus, it seems like I need extra hardware to run the APs, such as the Unifi controller. Would it still be worth the money, or are there better options?
I don't want to cheap out too much because I'm tired of having weak signals.
Do you have any other recommendations?
 
Are there any tips/tricks I could apply to my older 2.4 ghz routers to get faster speeds?
Or could I do something to the 5ghz network to get 150 mbps on my dir-815, which at the moment is only yielding 80 mbps?
 
you would only really get 150mbps if the signal is 100% and you are hard wiring each router together and they both have gigabit ports.

I wouldnt bother trying to change the channel width on the 2.4ghz range as enabling it on a single ap basically only leave only one channel that isnt over lapping one another.

unfortunately with the speed you want you need to run higher end stuff depending on what you are trying to cover.

which is why I say run 2 or 3 ubiquitis, you can always add more later if you have the cabling etc to do so.

The ubiquiti stuff is really hard to beat for the money, we basically only use high end ruckus where we work but not everyone wants to fork over 600+ per access point and a controller or(unleashed) which is similar to the ubiquiti stuff.

I generally dont care for the 24v stuff like the lites but the ac pros are a bit more and if you dont have a poe switch you have to spend more money or use the injectors anyway.

I would honestly give one a try, those all in one routers like the nite hawk etc are great and all but they still cant send the signal that much farther and youll end up needing a second one for 5ghz coverage which ends up being more money than going straight to something like the ubiquiti.

just my 2 cents.

pretty much my job every day , I would pick up these as well but I am only on crappy dsl 15 mbps down and if I want to transfer quicker to my nas I hardwire it as it is always going to be quicker

 


Sounds good! I'll definitely try to pick up a Ubiquiti ASAP.
Does the ubiquiti need some kind of controller, server, or any additional hardware?

Also, does have roaming features? My phone always sticks to one router, even if its signal is pretty much gone and there is an AP closer.
BTW, any suggestions on how I can fix any sticky roaming issues?

So which one should I get, the pro or the Lite or the Long Range? (The pro costs almost 2.5 times more than the others)
I would like as long range as possible, since I always seem to have issues with range.

Thanks :)
 
Only for initial setup, you will download the controller from here https://www.ubnt.com/download/unifi/default/default/unifi-v4820-controller-windows

then run it and it will redirect you to a web browser for setup, its java based unfortunately so you will need that before installing.

And yes it does, it works very well if they are placed/ adjusted decently, this all can be adjusted later on if needed. personally I would just get the lites as the LR are just upping the DB from I believe 25 to 28 db. if your device can't talk back to it there is no point in having the higher output. Would be good for long open areas. if the price isn't that much different grab the lr's .

f you need any help setting up etc shoot me a PM I can give you a hand with teamviewer/join me.

Make sure it isn't hosting dhcp when you are done, I believe it uses the 192.168.0.x range, imply modify that range to your range and then un check dhcp and you should be good.

Little confusing at first but it's not too bad, plus i'd recommend setting up to ssid's one for 2.4 and one for 5ghz or you can actually band steer the devices with one ssid.

this is a newer feature and I didn't like the prefer 5ghz option as I kept dropping off, set it to balanced under each ap config if you do only want one ssid
 


Awesome! Thanks for the tips.
I'll definitely let you know if I need any help.

The price difference between the regular and Long range model is only $10, so I think its well worth it. I'll get the LR. The pro on the other hand is 3 times the price :O

Is it fine if I get 1 at a time, or is it best to get it in a bundle of like 2 or even 3?


 


Okay, I'll get 2 for now!
Thanks for all the help! I really appreciate all your advice! It's what makes this community so amazing! :)

If I have any issues during setup, I'll send you a PM