Speed issues depending on which channel I connect - Possible hardware issue:

Hi Elaine,

Here is the latest.

I have tried other versions of firmware and even went to the initial release.  I did not test them all but the problem persisted with each firmware version.  Afterwards, I returned to the latest version.

I noticed on a couple of my tests that there was hesitation and then suddenly a burst of data such that the speed test reported that I had a 220Mbps connection---if only this could be true for the same price.  My first thought was that this this could be a memory problem or a buffer allocation, utilization or release issue on the router.  Unfortunately, this router does not afford me the tools I am accustomed to for troubleshooting router issues and its internal processes.

I tried a Windows laptop that does not have the latest Windows updates and found that it doesn't exhibit the same problem as my primary laptop.  For the record the two laptops are Dell, both contain 32GB of memory, the lesser is an M4700 while my primary is an M6700.  I decided to use the two to test the router using LAN Speed Test and LAN Speed Test Server on each machine.  The test consisted of the following:

Packet size 1GB

Transfer test: 1GB packets, 5 packets, pause 5 seconds and repeat for thirty minutes.

Test scenario 1

Directly connected both machines.

This resulted in a bit rate up and down of about 850Mbps.

There was literally no degradation.  The bit rate would fluctuate within +/-10%.

Test scenario 2

Both machines connected to a NetGear GS108T switch.

The switch was not connected to the router.

This resulted in a bit rate of approximately 750Mbps, +/- 10% with no degradation.

Test scenario 3

Both machines connected to the router.

The initial bit rate was approximately 650Mbps.

The interesting aspect in this test was that the download speed began to creep downward while the upload speed stayed within reasonable expectations.  Here I watched the creep down to approximately 380Mbps before stopping the test.  When I restarted the test a few minutes later I found that the download speed was down to about 170Mbps.

Sincerely,

Charles