What should I upgrade to get better speed?

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HenryNZ

55 posts

Master Geek

#2122479 9-Nov-2018 00:02

Thanks for all the input!

To clarify:

- The Unifi AP is attached to the Huawei with a physical Cat6 cable which is 30 m long.

- The Unifi AP was setup using the controller software at the beginning, but just using default options.

- The iPhone used for that initial testing was a iPhone 6. it was with the App, not in a browser.

- I wasn't sure whether the phone was connected via 2.4 or 5 GHz at the time of the test. Not sure how I can tell...

- The Wifi on the Huawei is disabled. Only Wifi source is from the Unifi.

To update:

- I tried multiple things but I could not get the SpeedTest app to run properly on my Windows 7 starter netbook. All the font is displayed as blocks. The only way I can run speed test on the netbook is to use the web version.

- Unfortunately I do not have another laptop / netbook that has ethernet port. I do have 10/100 ethernet on a desktop but it is far away from the router and it would be a pain to move the desktop / monitor / etc from one side of the house to the other whether the router is located.

- Anyway, I have removed the two network printers and the Powerline from the router so that the only thing plugged into its back is the WAN from the ONT and the cable to the Unifi. With that arrangement, using the app on my iPhone 6 standing next to the Unifi, I can get 50-60 mbps on re-testing. So there was some improvement not having the extra bits hanging off the router.

- I turned the Wifi off and then back on the iPhone and re-ran the test and almost by magic I got 103 down and 20 something up (!!!). After I walked away from the AP and came back again, the speed dropped back to 50 mbps or so. But after I turned off and then on the Wifi again I got 100 of down again.

- Using the netbook with web version of the Speedtest, the speed is very low. So I think the netbook is really the problem.

So my conclusion

1. The powerline adaptor, by virtue of being there, has degraded the speed for some reason, even though it wasn't in any way involved during the test. I will just leave the powerline off now from now on.

2. it is obviously possible to get 100mbps with my current gear although this does not appear to be consistent.

3. Can someone please suggest an app (not a webpage) speed tester that will work on my Netbook?

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michaelmurfy

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#2122494 9-Nov-2018 00:49

It is simple here - the UniFi is not configured right. Perhaps you want to use my cloud controller?

The default options are 20MHz auto channel switching (2.4GHz) and 40MHz auto channel switching (5GHz). You may want to set 5GHz to 80MHz (keep 2.4GHz at 20MHz) and enable band steering. Better yet, enable a dedicated 5GHz connection. This is what I normally do:

2x SSID's are created - one (in this case called "Murfs") is on both 2.4GHz and 5GHz and the other "Murfs 5GHz" with an override to disable it on 2.4GHz. Both share the same password. For devices like Laptops I normally connect to the 5GHz network and for mobile devices (eg, Phones) I connect to the main network which has the ability to use both 2.4GHz and 5GHz. In your case, it appears many of your devices are speaking 2.4GHz only which can be slow depending on how much congestion you have.

I also have Band Steering enabled (Prefer 5GHz) as Apple devices are incredibly bad at times and try and connect to 2.4GHz if it is available. This forces some devices to use 5GHz only. You need to enable "Advanced Settings" under your site configuration in your UniFi portal to enable this.

With UniFi, there are a few features dependent on the controller being online also. Have a look at the utilization / interference line graphs to ensure things are operating correctly:

Powerline adapters also have the ability to affect WiFi (in some cases, quite badly). I never really recommend them anymore. Try unplugging all of them, ensuring your device is connected to the 5GHz network and testing again - also, ensure if you're using Speedtest to only test to the servers that are for starters, closest to you and also run by your ISP. You can also run a site scan using the controller to find areas of interference - this may give you some insight to what is wrong.

In your case, I don't recommend the Edgerouter. The HG659 is fine but please ensure you're not adding to the "noise floor" by ensuring WiFI is fully disabled on it.

Michael Murphy | https://murfy.nz
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HenryNZ

55 posts

Master Geek

#2122522 9-Nov-2018 08:23

Thanks Michael, I will give it a go tonight.

bignose

142 posts

Master Geek

#2122652 9-Nov-2018 11:24

HenryNZ:

- I turned the Wifi off and then back on the iPhone and re-ran the test and almost by magic I got 103 down and 20 something up (!!!). After I walked away from the AP and came back again, the speed dropped back to 50 mbps or so. But after I turned off and then on the Wifi again I got 100 of down again.

sounds to me like you're getting band-steered from 5ghz (fast) down to 2.4ghz (slow) on the unifi - it should be possible to setup separate SSIDs for each band using the unifi controller s/w, by doing that you can ensure 5ghz capable devices ONLY connect to the 5ghz band

Jase2985

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#2122689 9-Nov-2018 12:58

i think the device is the issue

bignose

142 posts

Master Geek

#2122695 9-Nov-2018 13:15

Jase2985:
i think the device is the issue

more likely combination of AP firmware plus ios on the iphone - there’s been reported issues with exactly that behaviour (speed drops massively, comes right if you turn wifi off and back on on the iphone) on the Ubnt Amplifi line, relating to recent amplifi firmware updates

HenryNZ

55 posts

Master Geek

#2123070 10-Nov-2018 00:48

Tried Michael suggestion. First obstacle was to get back into the AP. For some reason the dreaded "Adoption failed" error popped up when I started Unifi controller. No fiddling with different settings could allow me to readopt the AP. So I had to hard reset the AP. I gave myself a good fright doing so thinking I bricked the AP, as it kept flashing blue and white non stop. Fortunately by disconnecting it completely and restarting, it came back alive and I was able to re-adopt it in Unifi controller. Set up as per Michael's suggestions at the end, including a dedicated 5G wifi network and band steering.

Performance wise:

105 down and 20 up are the best I could get. I guess this is inline with Spark Fibre100. This is with iPhone or laptop next right to the AP.

The same speed is now maintained even if I walk away from the AP and return to it.

The 5G throughput drops very quickly with distance from AP. After a while there is not much difference between 2.4G and 5G.

My desktop still tops out at 25 mbps when connected via 5GHz, which is marginally better than if connected to 2.4GHz.

Pondering:

So i think with the iDevices these changes have made some difference. It would appear that better speed is more consistently achievable with the iPhones and iPads.

On the other hand I think getting good speed on the desktop is in the too hard basket. It is not possible to move it closer to the AP, and a wired AP cannot be installed near the desktop easily. Wired Ethernet is obviously also out of the question. The only thing left I think I might try, is to get an PCIe 802.11ac card for it to see if I can get better throughput since it only has a 11n Wifi and 10/100 network built in at the moment.

I am not entirely sure why Unifi controller would not allow me to access the AP earlier. I suspect that's because the laptop it is on has been given a different IP address by DHCP since the Unifi was set up. So the IP address of the controller is different now compared to a week ago when I last run the software. Or am I missing something else?

Thanks

bignose

142 posts

Master Geek

#2123085 10-Nov-2018 07:16

HenryNZ:
The 5G throughput drops very quickly with distance from AP. After a while there is not much difference between 2.4G and 5G.

My desktop still tops out at 25 mbps when connected via 5GHz, which is marginally better than if connected to 2.4GHz.

you say the desktop has a dual-band N card built in - is it even 3-stream?

Does it have decent external (higher gain) aerials?

How far away from the AP is it (and how many walls) - 5ghz atenuates much more rapidly than 2.4ghz, but unless you’re a LONG way away (or thru a LOT of walls) you should be able to do a lot better than 25mbs

a decent 3-stream PCIe wifi card (with proper antennas) should do much better than that - and the tp-link ones aren’t even that dear.

I’ve got an old tp-link 3 stream dual-band N card in the desktop here (not normally used now - instead use a 4-stream dual-band AC router in client mode to talk to a 4-stream AP) but if I turn it on and connect it to the 3-stream AP (which is about 10m and 3 walls away as opposed to the 4-stream AP which is 1 wall and about 3m away) I can still get a solid 200mbs in speedtest - 25mbs is NOT normal

HenryNZ

55 posts

Master Geek

#2123088 10-Nov-2018 07:18

My desktop is an old 2009 Mac Pro, so it only has 11n Wifi. I suspect it is part of the problem, that's why I am pondering if it would be worth an upgrade (rather than focusing the upgrade on the AP/router side)

bignose

142 posts

Master Geek

#2123090 10-Nov-2018 07:27

HenryNZ:
My desktop is an old 2009 Mac Pro, so it only has 11n Wifi. I suspect it is part of the problem, that's why I am pondering if it would be worth an upgrade (rather than focusing the upgrade on the AP/router side)

ahh - that makes sense.

The bad news is finding PCIe wifi cards with stable mac drivers is hard - so you’ll need a router in wifi client mode if you want better speed (and a lot of the cheaper models don’t support client mode - linksys ea8500 does and asus rt-ac86u too but both are kind of dear)

bignose

142 posts

Master Geek

#2123091 10-Nov-2018 07:41

bignose:
HenryNZ:
My desktop is an old 2009 Mac Pro, so it only has 11n Wifi. I suspect it is part of the problem, that's why I am pondering if it would be worth an upgrade (rather than focusing the upgrade on the AP/router side)

ahh - that makes sense.

The bad news is finding PCIe wifi cards with stable mac drivers is hard - so you’ll need a router in wifi client mode if you want better speed (and a lot of the cheaper models don’t support client mode - linksys ea8500 does and asus rt-ac86u too but both are kind of dear)

cheapest solution I can find that works in ‘wifi client’ / ‘media bridge’ modes is something like the ASUS rp-ac55 or netgear ex6100 which are both 2-stream AC range extender which and about $160 - just plug the mac pro into the single ethernet port.

there is the sub-$100 edimax ew-7478ac which also claims to support media bridge (and is actually 3-stream), but I have no experience with how stable edimax’s firmware is

HenryNZ

55 posts

Master Geek

#2123092 10-Nov-2018 07:45

@bignose: Thanks for the tips. Will do some research and head down to PBTech this weekend...

michaelmurfy

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#2123118 10-Nov-2018 08:58

HenryNZ:

I am not entirely sure why Unifi controller would not allow me to access the AP earlier. I suspect that's because the laptop it is on has been given a different IP address by DHCP since the Unifi was set up. So the IP address of the controller is different now compared to a week ago when I last run the software. Or am I missing something else?

Different IP address would do it. But as I've also said I maintain a cloud controller (see Here) which means you don't need to run a local controller.

HenryNZ

55 posts

Master Geek

#2123336 10-Nov-2018 15:49

Thanks Michael, I will look into it.

Having now identified the bottleneck with my desktop is the built in network card, I have just ordered an 802.11ac/Bluetooth 4 combo upgrade for my Mac Pro. Hopefully this will improve its internet performance, which is one of the main reasons that prompted my upgrade quest (the other reason being the poor Wifi signal at the desktop - which has been solved by the Unifi AP).

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