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Severe Upload Bufferbloat on RAX38v2
We live in a rural area and have an extremely slow DSL connection (at best 11 Mbps down, 1 Mbps up). Previously we had an IQRouter v2, which was great for maximizing the connection for multiple devic...
> We live in a rural area and have an extremely slow DSL connection (at best 11 Mbps down, 1 Mbps up). Previously we had an IQRouter v2, which was great for maximizing the connection for multiple devices...but got old and kept dropping the connection.
Before I moved, I had that situation (DSL 7mbps down, 768kbps up). I used an IQrouter v2 to completely eliminate the bufferbloat. No one would call the connection fast, but it was always very usable, even with two simultaneous zoom sessions.
The IQrouter v2 is a re-labeled Archer C7v2 - one of the most reliable / revered routers - Wirecutter's Best Router for Home a few years ago). It is designed by a team of folks at Evenroute who also suffered from bufferbloat.
Before you blame the IQrouter, you can do some troubleshooting:
- Run speedtest.net. Look at both the up/down speeds, but also the new Responsiveness numbers that show latency during the speed tests.
- If you know how run a ping test from the terminal. Look for dropped packets.
- Call your ISP. Tell them you are having problems. (Report the speedtest.net and ping test numbers.) Ask them to check the line characteristics. Ask them if they see any problems.
- Also, ask them to replace the Actiontec - it's an older model, and perhaps it failed or got damaged in a storm.
Good luck!
PS Double-NAT (your DSL modem connected to your router) is almost certainly not your problem. I do it all the time - the IQrouter is designed for it. Double-NAT *can* cause problems, but not bufferbloat. (Symptoms would include being able to connect to certain services, but not others, and mostly fairly unusual situations/applications.)
Sorry all, in the reply that came through blank, I was trying to say that the Actiontec is bridged. But it sounds like the Actiontec could actually be the problem.
On Speedtest, I get 10.14 Mbps down, 0.9 up.
Ping 26ms idle, 83 ms down, 215 ms up.
Is there a way to distinguish ISP latency issues from issues caused by the Actiontec? (Sorry to be such a newb.)
NMLiz wrote:
...On Speedtest, I get 10.14 Mbps down, 0.9 up.
Ping 26ms idle, 83 ms down, 215 ms up.
...
That definitely seems like upload buferbloat - that's certainly typical of what I saw on my DSL line.
Do you still have access to the IQrouter? If you are willing to try an experiment, reconnect it to the Actiontec and use it as your main router. Re-run the speed test to let the IQrouter handle the bufferbloat.
(You could also run a manual latency test - start a ping to, say, Google: "ping -t google.com" on Windows; "ping google.com" otherwise and see how much bigger the ping times get when you run the speed test.)
Let us know the results. Thanks.
I don’t have the IQRouter, but I am contemplating buying the IQRouterv3. The speed with the IQRouter is as not as good as on the Nighthawk, but it was much better at dealing with multiple devices. Do you have any opinion on the IQRouter, v3?
But first I am going to work on getting Windstream to get me a new modem/gateway router.
Could Netgear Armor be causing some of the lag?
I also own an IQrouter v3. Its specs say it's good to > 250Mbps (much faster than your current DSL link) so you will be OK. I'm using the v3 on a cell phone hotspot, so my link speeds are only slightly higher than your DSL - 15mbps down, 3 mbps up
I didn't realize that you don't currently own an IQrouter. I would be strongly tempted to purchase the IQrouter v3 from some place where you can try it with right to return if it doesn't work (Amazon?)I can't speak to Netgear Armor, but if your router isn't specifically controlling latency/responsiveness (sometimes called "bufferbloat") then your DSL speeds will be a problem. I think you'll be surprised how well things work. As I initially said, it'll never be called "fast", but it'll never be crushingly slow. Good luck!
Sorry for the long delay. I had to wait several days for the "overnight" delivery of a new Windstream modem.
- I am now getting higher speeds ever (14.3 down, 1.28 up)
- Bufferbloat is still terrible.
- The wifi connection continues to keep dropping out.
And now I have a new problem: if I put the new modem in bridge mode, the wifi on the Nighthawk no longer works. So right now it is no longer bridged.
I have tried with QOS on or off. It doesn't seem to matter.
Frustrated!