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Forum Discussion
nexus024
Jun 18, 2014Tutor
Netgear R7000 WAN Throughput
I am really interested in purchasing this router, but I have a concern that it can't handle a 1 Gbps connection. I recently got 1Gbps fiber and looking to purchase a router to handle that speed of a connection. I have read that it can't achieve speeds over 450 Mbps with ipv4 and NAT. However, this review of the R7000 shows throughput graphs of 900+ Mbps. So I am kind of confused at this point and don't want to spend $200 on a router advertised as gigabit and it not get this speed. Does anyone have this router on a gigabit connection that can confirm the speeds? Thanks!
- You may be interested in contacting the guy that posted this message on the ddwrt forum. He is claiming close to Gb speeds on stock. No idea of his setup or if he is using SPI or not.
http://www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=901721#901721
24 Replies
- kyaTutorI would go by the data on smallnetbuilder over the DDWRT Wiki. If you have 1Gbps fiber I would assume the ISP supports ipv6. What router(s) have you tried so far?
- nexus024TutorI currently have a WNDR3700 and looking to upgrade to a router that supports 1 Gbps from the WAN -> LAN. Yes, I believe they support ipv6 but I have not used it. I have not tested any routers yet. I would like to find one here online doing some research into which one will support this speed.
- Retired_MemberDD-WRT doesn't do HW acceleration so it can't handle Gigabit WAN/LAN speeds. It's not a limitation of the router but rather the firmware.
- nexus024TutorThis is fine. I just want to be sure the netgear stock firmware can handle it. As the link above suggests, even the netgear firmware maxes out at 450Mbps with ipv4 and NAT. I just need to verify if this is the case or not.
- Retired_MemberRead the router test process linked in the Small Net Builder article.
NAT is enabled and he is using IPv4.
He got well over 900Mbps. - nexus024TutorOk, this does look promising.
- JAMESMTLNoviceI really do suggestion you read the test methodology used at smallnetbuilder as you may be surprised that your experience does not match your expectations.
From testing procedure:
Upgraded to latest firmware
Reset to factory defaults
QoS features disabled (if present)
LAN client put into DMZ
SPI disabled (optionally, if router allows)
The last two points require some explanation. The LAN client is put into DMZ because it is the fastest and easiest way to allow WAN to LAN traffic and test results from the WAN IxChariot endpoint to traverse the router under test's NAT firewall. Alternatively, the specific ports used by IxChariot could be opened in the router under test's firewall. Note that since the router DMZ function is just a special case of port mapping, i.e. all ports and protocols opened to the specified LAN IP address, this does not affect router performance.
As this is not how most people use their router, I feel the testing results could be misleading. With Gb wan there is no need for qos however I doubt you would have one and only one computer and that it will be placed in the DMZ. I also suspect that most people will be running SPI as nat is not a firewall. I am a big fan of this router however I think real world thoroughput is closer to 600 Mbs from what I have read. - nexus024TutorI did read that from their test procedure, however they did say that SPI had little effect on throughput... "But we have found that disabling SPI is simpler and in most cases does not affect router throughput."
- JAMESMTLNovice
nexus024 wrote: I did read that from their test procedure, however they did say that SPI had little effect on throughput...
"But we have found that disabling SPI is simpler and in most cases does not affect router throughput."
Personally I would look for a few people who actually have gigabit internet service and get their direct feedback including how they configured their r7000. Here is one person's experiences with both stock and ddwrt thoroughput.
http://www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=898448&sid=d6e84b9bc5da9d2f14ddd970b6a2ca49#898448 - RogerSCVirtuoso
nexus024 wrote: I did read that from their test procedure, however they did say that SPI had little effect on throughput...
"But we have found that disabling SPI is simpler and in most cases does not affect router throughput."
I agree, I don't think that having the client in the DMZ and turning off SPI firewall is the difference between 600Mbps and over 900Mbps, either. The person who does the tests on smallnetbuilder is an expert at configuring routers, he's configured and tested 100's of them.
On the other hand, talking to people who actually are using this router on a Gb. connection is a good idea, too. But keep in mind that not everyone who configures a router gets it optimized.