Orbi and AT&T Fiber w/ Arris BGW210 Router Problems + Optimal Home Network Expansion Tips

Amazing write ups!  So I will take a bite.  :smileyhappy:

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generals1992 wrote:

Question 1:  AT&T Speed Issues

I've tried tweaking the Advanced Settings on my Orbi ... turning on Ipv6 6to4 Tunnel on my Orbi.

Avoid 6to4 tunnel b/c it'll incur CPU cost to encapsulate IPv4 header, which again has to be decapsulated on destination.  Dual IP stacks are also not ideal.  If your ISP only provides IPv6 address to the Modem, just let the Modem/Router does this work instead of Orbi.  If you are testing with wired connection, tweaking Orbi setting is unnecessary unless QoS/Traffic meter is enabled.

... what setup offers maximum performance/security:  Orbi in AP mode vs. Orbi as Router?

...  guest networking, QoS, etc. that you lose in AP mode...

You won't lose guest networking with AP mode.

I wouldn't worry about QoS given your current speed.  QoS will likely hurt and won't help in this case because Orbi will spend its CPU cycles inspecting/peeking at each packet to enforce QoS.  A major downside with QoS is that it could also disable NAT hardware offloading, Flow Acceleration (FA) feature, which can reduce tput by half for Gigabit download setup.

With AP mode, Orbi can save CPU cycles since it doesn't need to handle NAT'ing, QoS, Traffic meter, DHCP, access control, Disney Circle, Armor, etc., so it can dedicate all CPU cycles to handle WiFi/LAN clients.  It's much simpler setup compare to Router mode.  Given your current Router is able to get better tput than Orbi, it means that it's good at what it's doing already, NAT'ing, 6to4, and routing traffic.

We should focus on figuring out what's causing Orbi poor performance or if it's throttling traffic behind the scene without you knowing it.  Just leave it in AP mode for now.  You can switch it back to Router mode later if you want to.  Simple setup will help troubleshootings the speed issue at hand.

Question 2:  Expansion/Upgrade Options

I like to be able ot customize (and Orbi's lack of QoS customization really irks me), so I'm wondering if I'd be better off with a Nighthawk router (or similar) and the network extenders, or perhaps a Nighthawk + Orbis in AP mode...

We can come back to this once download speed issue has been resolved.  If the issue is with Orbi, adding a Nighthawk in front won't make it better.  :smileyhappy:

As a starter, can you:

1. Turn off all Satellites

2. Unplug your client LAN cable from the Orbi, use WiFi only for this setup

3. Unplug all other LAN clients from Orbi as well, except for the WAN port, which should be connected to Router

4. Connect via WiFi to the Orbi and initiate Factory Reset on Orbi Router to get rid of non-default configs, enables telnet on the Orbi, at telnet terminal, type these 3 commands:

      - config default

      - config commit

      - reboot

The Orbi will reboot and it will broadcast its default SSID.  Login and start the setup process and skip setting all Satellites.  Please disable these functions in preparation for AP mode and don't touch QoS page.

      - Disable UPnP

      - Disable Daisy-Chain (this will reboot)

      - Disable SIP ALG and change NAT Secured to Open

      - Disable DHCP

      - Switch to AP mode

      - Reboot the Orbi

After reboot, the Orbi should get a new IP address from the Router if everything is working as expected.  Login to Orbi, enable telnet, telnet into Orbi terminal, and then type 'top' cmd.

Once it's settling down, connect the client LAN cable to Orbi LAN port and disable client WiFi connection.  Point your browser at http://speedtest.googlefiber.net and start speed test.  Repeat the test at least 3 times and get an average.