Orbi Much Slower than Modem

[WarriorStrong99]

Router Much Slower than Modem

Some quick information:
- 500mbps Internet plan
- ROUTER: Orbi RBR20 with 2 satellites near each other running at 50% transmission power (quite a small house).
- MODEM: Netgear CM1150v Docsis 3.1
- SWITCH: 8-port gigabit TP-Link (TL-SG108).
- Speed test done mainly through testmy.net

MODEM — no more than 38 feet cat 5e Ethernet —> ORBI ROUTER — pretty damn long cat5e cable, much longer than the one that connects the modem to the router —> SWITCH.

So I connected my computer to the modem directly and got around 480mbps each time. When I connect directly to the switch, which is connected to the Orbi router, I get 320mbps directly on the main router and roughly the same on the satellites (test done through PS5). Furthermore, WiFi drops me down to 120mbps.

What could be the issue? Is it normal to not get the same Ethernet speed when connected to a switch connected to the main Orbi router compared to directly to the modem?



Edit: I brought the Orbi router where the modem is and used a roughly 10 in shorter cat5e cable. I connected that to the Orbi router with that cable. I then connected the desktop computer with the same cable I used to connect it to the modem where I got 480mbps to the Orbi router. I got roughly 300 mbps so no change from before (actually speeds were worse lol).

Looking at the Orbi configurations:
- MU-MIMO = off
- Fast roaming = off
- Implicit beamforming = off
- Guest network = off
- 2.4ghz = auto
- 5ghz = somewhere in the 40s

I do have a smart home system with Zigbee being the main + a raspberry pi. The recent test with the computer directly linked to the Orbi router without the switch did not have the switch installed (zigbee system and such are all connected through there).

[FURRYe38]

Netgear has set up a community forum specifically for the Orbi AC products. Most of the people who watch that forum are more likely to have experience with Orbi and know how to work it better than those of us who follow this router forum. Might be more likely to find someone who has a solution if the question is posted there:
https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi/bd-p/Orbi

https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi/Router-Ethernet-Much-Slower-than-Modem/m-p/2168684#M129085

Please use this link to the main forum product list to review and choose where to make your posts. 
https://community.netgear.com/t5/NETGEAR-Forum/ct-p/en-netgear

Thank you.

[michaelkenward]

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@WarriorStrong99 wrote:

So I connected my computer to the modem directly and got around 480mbps each time. When I connect directly to the switch, which is connected to the Orbi router, I get 320mbps directly on the main router and roughly the same on the satellites (test done through PS5).

What do you get out of the router, before the switch? And with no switch on the network?

I assume  that all tests are wired. (PS5 means nothing to me.)

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Furthermore, WiFi drops me down to 120mbps.

Maybe 120 Mbps is as fast as the wifi clients can handle. That's what determines wifi speeds.

It might be worth a bit of background reading.

Understand Wi-Fi 4/5/6 (802.11 n/ac/ad/ax)

@duckware knows their stuff and can bust a few myths and cut through marketing hype.

What firmware version do you have on the device?

A number is more useful than "the latest". (It may not be by the time people read this.) There can also be newer versions, or "hot fixes", that do not show up if you check for new firmware in the browser interface.

Feel free to consult the Orbi section. It  might offer a few more clues. But it is surprising, and a bit disappointing, that someone should tell you to do that without even trying to attempt some sort of  answer. Your questions are pretty generic and could crop up for any router.

Router Ethernet Much Slower than Modem - NETGEAR Communities

[WarriorStrong99]

@michaelkenward No I know my test computer can handle the full 500mb because from what I wrote, I said that when I connect to the modem directly, I can get the full 500mbps. When I connected to the router directly (with and without the switch on the network) using 2 different ethernet cables for the switch to the modem and using the same patch cable that I used on the computer and the modem, I got around 300mbps which was the same on the PS5 (which is connected using ethernet to the sattlite Orbi).

[Mikey94025]

It looks like your modem is also a router: https://www.netgear.com/home/wifi/modems/cm1150v/ - It has multiple ethernet ports to support multiple downstream clients at once.  Can you put it into bridge mode?  Otherwise if you have Double NAT then that overhead can impact your speed.

Alternatively, setup your RBR50 in Access Point (AP) mode and leave the router functionality to your CM1150V.

[WarriorStrong99]

It is not a router. Modem only. Other Ethernet ports are aggregation.

[michaelkenward]

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@WarriorStrong99 wrote:
It is not a router. Modem only. Other Ethernet ports are aggregation.

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Indeed. That is clear from the model number.

CM1150v

CM is Netgear's designation for cable modems. (If it existed C1150 would indicate modem/router.) The V bit tells us it has a telephone voice line.

I chip in only to suggest looking at the aggregation options.To rule out yet another possibility, it may sound dumb, but you aren't trying to use that are you?

I'm not one to try shunting people off into irrelevant sections, especially when questions can get answered here, but it might be worth a trip to the cable modem zone to see if anyone has hit a similar brick wall with your modem.

At least one message there smells suspiciously similar:

Search - NETGEAR Communities – CM1150v

[Mikey94025]

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@WarriorStrong99 wrote:
It is not a router. Modem only. Other Ethernet ports are aggregation.

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Apologies, thank you for correcting.  I'm surprised it has 4 Gigabit ethernet ports just for aggregation!

[CrimpOn]

I am also surprised that Netgear put 4 10/100/1000 ethernet ports in a modem.  My guess is that they needed more than one port to support Link Aggregation and 4-port modules are pretty standard.  They might even use the same chassis for other products that are routers.

Love that on page 13 of the manual they talk about the plugs that come standard in ports 2,3,4.

https://www.downloads.netgear.com/files/GDC/CM1150V/CM1150V_UM_EN.pdf 

Was surprised that Link Aggregation was mentioned only in terms of those plugs.  Did not find any reference for how to set it up or configure it.

[michaelkenward]

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@CrimpOn wrote:

Did not find any reference for how to set it up or configure it.

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That's where my earlier question about the aggregation options came in.

All too easy for something to get screwed up in the engineering.

[Mikey94025]

We are struggling to come up with a reason why your computer, when wired to the Orbi base, would only get 320 Mbps whereas when wired directly to the modem you get 480 Mbps.  Apologies if these are repeats of what's been asked before or if these tests sound desparate:

• There have been some very rare reports of customer network performance impacted by other devices. So is it possible for you to perform a very isolated test where you temporarily disconnect everything and then speed test only with these limited devices over wired connections (take the switch and wireless out of the equation, see if it changes anything):
  • Verify you have disabled/have not turned on:Armor, Circle, Speed Test, Access Controls and Traffic Meter
  • Temporarily disconnect your switch and anything else connected to your internet, also power off your Orbi RBS50 satellites
  • Speed test #1: Modem <-- (wired) Computer, should be 480 Mbps
  • Speed test #2: Modem <-- (wired) Orbi RBR50 <-- (wired) Computer, you report 320 Mbps

If you still see the 320 vs. 480 Mbps then I'm out of ideas.  If things are back to equivalent, next add things back one-at-a-time to see what is affecting your network (i.e., switch, RBS50s, other network devices).  Wireless speeds are a different test and can be done after you first fix wired speeds for everything.

[FURRYe38]

4 ports are also for separate WAN IP addresses. Some ISP support having more than 1 WAN IP address on some modems like the CM1100 and 1200 series. Also on the CAX series too. My ISP supports this. 

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@CrimpOn wrote:

I am also surprised that Netgear put 4 10/100/1000 ethernet ports in a modem.  My guess is that they needed more than one port to support Link Aggregation and 4-port modules are pretty standard.  They might even use the same chassis for other products that are routers.

Love that on page 13 of the manual they talk about the plugs that come standard in ports 2,3,4.

https://www.downloads.netgear.com/files/GDC/CM1150V/CM1150V_UM_EN.pdf 

Was surprised that Link Aggregation was mentioned only in terms of those plugs.  Did not find any reference for how to set it up or configure it.

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