Orbi rbr850 speed test faster in portal, than on PC

[Bka315]

I'm stumped. And I'm sure it's something super simple.
My RBR850 speed test (wired) through the admin portal is pushing 1500Mbs
However, when running a speed test through my browser (also wired)
It starts at 700-ish, and then gradually drops down to (if I'm lucky) 320Mbs

On WiFi, however I'm getting 700Mbs consistently.
I've swapped out Ethernet cables, reset the router and modem (nighthawk cm2000) prayed to 404 gods.
Even called up Comcast to have someone come out and do their "thing"

[CrimpOn · Accepted solution]

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@Bka315 wrote:
If it's an Orbi issue, and I have to replace equipment-so be it.

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And, THAT is indeed a puzzle.

Internet gaming is "not my thing", but it is apparent from posts on the forum that

• Raw speed and latency are significant factors to gamers.  (Perhaps the reason they invest in gaming computers and greater than gigabit ISP connections).
• To make use of the raw speed, the WiFi router will need to have both
  • A WAN connection capable of greater than gigabit, and
  • At least one LAN connection capable of greater than gigabit.
  • The only Orbi system capable of this is the RBRE960. This 'top of the line' product has a price tag to match ($1,500 for a package) and comments on the forum are not entirely positive.
• Latency is not one of Orbi's strong suits.  There is one Netgear router aimed at the gaming market.
  https://www.netgear.com/home/online-gaming/
• Where Orbi excels is the tri-band (or even quad-band) seamless mesh.  Notice that Netgear's Nighthawk gaming router makes no mention of "mesh".  There are Nighthawk routers with mesh capabilities, but not the one squarely aimed at gaming.
• Notice also that the Nighthawk gaming router has only gigabit ports, so the higher speed ISP connection cannot be utilized.
• Physical appearance matters to some people.  Orbi units have a totally different appearance than typical gaming routers with all those ugly antennas poking up.
• And..... what about WiFi6E?  It is not really a factor in 2023, but in a few years people may begin to own devices that are capable of using the 6GHz frequency band. (How many years?)  My guess is that 6E is not a serious issue right now.

My guess is it will not be a trivial exercise to find a WiFi router that will satisfy every requirement:

• Raw Speed
• Gaming Latency
• Mesh
• Appearance

TP-Link's Archer AX11000 looks promising and gets top marks from review sites. ($300 at Costco)  Asus has more 'gaming routers' than I can count and also does well in reviews.

• What do customers say about alternative products?
• What kind of support do those companies offer?  (We're on the forum because Netgear offers only 90 days of 'complimentary support'.  Who knows what other companies provide?

I would for certain purchase only from a retailer with a generous return policy.

[CrimpOn]

Please identify which device is wired to the Orbi LAN port and running the web version of Ookla Speed Test.

The Orbi LAN ports are gigabit.

Thus, it is physically impossible to achieve a throughput of anything over 1 gigabit.  Because of overhead inherent in Ethernet, the maximum achievable speed is somewhere between 900Mbps and 950Mbps.

What Ethernet interface does the computer have?  Most consumer PCs and Macs are equipped with gigabit Ethernet as well. (although users on the forums report retrofitting higher speed adapters).

The step most often recommended is to temporarily unplug the Orbi 850 from the CM2000 and and connect the computer directly to the CM2000 to perform the speed test.

• If the pattern remains the same, the issue is most likely with the PC.

[Bka315]

So connecting straight to the CM2000 I was able to get 1424 Mbs

I'm pretty ignorant when it comes to this stuff, so I apologize ahead of time

I could accept the 7-900Mbs it's showing at the start of the test, but the drastic fall off is what I'm not really liking

[CrimpOn]

If the computer achieves 1424 connected directly to the CM2000  and does not drop over time, then

• The computer almost certainly has an updated Ethernet adapter (not stock).  It would be useful to know exactly which one.
• Which operating system is the computer running?
• The Orbi LAN ports will still limit performance to under 1 gigabit, but that does not explain the perceived drop over time.  (This drop is in the Ookla Speed Test graph itself? or in tests run one after another?)

[Bka315]

If the computer achieves 1424 connected directly to the CM2000  and does not drop over time, then

• The computer almost certainly has an updated Ethernet adapter (not stock).  It would be useful to know exactly which one.  It's just the Ethernet port that came with my motherboard- Asus ROG Maximus XII Hero
• Which operating system is the computer running? Windows 10
• The Orbi LAN ports will still limit performance to under 1 gigabit, but that does not explain the perceived drop over time.  (This drop is in the Ookla Speed Test graph itself? or in tests run one after another?)  All Tests are from Speedtest by Ookla

[CrimpOn]

Way cool.  Marvell^® AQtion AQC111C 5Gb Ethernet.  It might be worth browsing the Asus support site to look for updated drivers for this board.  There are comments about performance issues with this chip:

https://www.reddit.com/r/ASUS/comments/hce18l/supportrog_maximus_xii_hero_onboard_aquantia/ 

As long as you are enjoying experimenting, it might be worth comparing the results when using the two different adapters that are included with this motherboard: the Intel^® I219-V 1Gb Ethernet and the Marvell^® AQtion AQC111C 5Gb Ethernet

(I have no clue what Asus LAN Guard could be.)

With the 850 LAN port being only gigabit, then connecting the Intel gigabit adapter should perform as well as the AQtion adapter.  But.... do they perform the same?  i.e.

• Does one show a drop in speed and the other does not?
• Does one show a drop in speed but the other remains the same?

[Bka315]

All my drivers are up-to-date (shockingly)
I get the same result when using either port on the mother board with/without just a connection to the CM2000

[CrimpOn]

Thanks. I see my choices were incorrect. When connected to the Orbi 850:

• Both adapters show a drop in speed when running Ookla Speed Test?
• One adapter drops in speed and the other does not?
• Neither adapter drops in speed?

If they both start a Speed Test at a high speed and both drop over time as the test progresses, this would seem to point directly at the Orbi router.

[Bka315]

I didn't want it to be the Router
Is there any settings that it's worth looking into? Every thing  is default but changing SSID and enabling IPV6  (which was suggested to solve my issue)
I haven't changed anything

Or am I going to be looking at a new router/satellite combo if I want to get the most out of my speeds?

[FURRYe38]

Be sure your using a good quality LAN cable between the modem and router. CAT6A STP is recommended.

Be sure ethernet drivers are up to date as well. 

Again, you'll only see near 900Mpbs on anything connected to the LAN ports on the RBR850 due to the limitation of the 1Gb LAN ports. 

Be sure your speed testing with Ooklas installable speed test app. Don't use a web browser for speed testing. 

What is the size of your home? Sq Ft?
What is the distance between the router and 📡 satellite(s)? 30 feet or more is recommended in between RBR📡 and RBS🛰️ to begin with depending upon building materials when wirelessly connected.
https://kb.netgear.com/31029/Where-should-I-place-my-Orbi-satellite ‌‌🛰

What channels are you using? Auto? Try setting manual channel 1, 6 or 11 on 2.4Ghz and 40 to 48 channel on 5Ghz.
Any Wifi Neighbors near by? If so, how many?

Try disabling the following and see:
Armor, Smart Parental Controls or Circle, Traffic Meter.

Has a power off for 1 minute then back ON with the ISP modem and router been performed since last update?
Be sure to restart your network in this sequence:
Turn off and unplug modem.
Turn off router and computers.
Plug in and turn on modem. Wait 2 minutes for it to connect.
Turn on the router and wait 2 minutes for it to connect.
Turn on computers and rest of network.

Has a factory reset and setup from scratch been performed since last FW update? A complete pull of the power adapters for a period of time after the factory reset then walk thru the setup wizard and setup from scratch with a wired PC and web browser. Recommend setting the default DHCP IP address pool range to the following after applying and a factory reset: 192.168.#.100 to 192.168.#.200.
https://kb.netgear.com/24089/How-do-I-specify-the-pool-of-IP-addresses-assigned-by-my-Nighthawk-rout...

Enable SIP ALG on the RBR as well. 

[Bka315]

Thanks for the response, too Furry

All the issues I'm having, are through wired connection only. WiFi connections, however are giving me better speed results then the wired.

It's not a WiFi issue.

Prior to posting here I replaced all my Ethernet cables, did power cycles, factory reset all my Orbi equipment, tried connecting My PC through each LAN port, as well as just my modem, by itself to rule out any chance that another connection was interfering.

As I mentioned earlier, I'd be ok with my speeds if they capped out around 900Mbs, heck even the 700-750 that I'm getting on the test while connected (wired) to the router only.

But sadly, I'm not. As soon as the test starts, it'll peak at (now) 700-900Mbs, depending on the server it connects to, and then drastically dropping to 300 and maintaining speeds around 300-330Mbs

For the sake of trial, I ran my laptop to the satellite, which is about 40ish feet on the other side of the house, and held a steady 3-400 after dropping from 600Mbs.

If it's an Orbi issue, and I have to replace equipment-so be it.

But it's more of a brain teaser that the speeds drop

[CrimpOn · Accepted solution]

---

@Bka315 wrote:
If it's an Orbi issue, and I have to replace equipment-so be it.

---

And, THAT is indeed a puzzle.

Internet gaming is "not my thing", but it is apparent from posts on the forum that

• Raw speed and latency are significant factors to gamers.  (Perhaps the reason they invest in gaming computers and greater than gigabit ISP connections).
• To make use of the raw speed, the WiFi router will need to have both
  • A WAN connection capable of greater than gigabit, and
  • At least one LAN connection capable of greater than gigabit.
  • The only Orbi system capable of this is the RBRE960. This 'top of the line' product has a price tag to match ($1,500 for a package) and comments on the forum are not entirely positive.
• Latency is not one of Orbi's strong suits.  There is one Netgear router aimed at the gaming market.
  https://www.netgear.com/home/online-gaming/
• Where Orbi excels is the tri-band (or even quad-band) seamless mesh.  Notice that Netgear's Nighthawk gaming router makes no mention of "mesh".  There are Nighthawk routers with mesh capabilities, but not the one squarely aimed at gaming.
• Notice also that the Nighthawk gaming router has only gigabit ports, so the higher speed ISP connection cannot be utilized.
• Physical appearance matters to some people.  Orbi units have a totally different appearance than typical gaming routers with all those ugly antennas poking up.
• And..... what about WiFi6E?  It is not really a factor in 2023, but in a few years people may begin to own devices that are capable of using the 6GHz frequency band. (How many years?)  My guess is that 6E is not a serious issue right now.

My guess is it will not be a trivial exercise to find a WiFi router that will satisfy every requirement:

• Raw Speed
• Gaming Latency
• Mesh
• Appearance

TP-Link's Archer AX11000 looks promising and gets top marks from review sites. ($300 at Costco)  Asus has more 'gaming routers' than I can count and also does well in reviews.

• What do customers say about alternative products?
• What kind of support do those companies offer?  (We're on the forum because Netgear offers only 90 days of 'complimentary support'.  Who knows what other companies provide?

I would for certain purchase only from a retailer with a generous return policy.

[Bka315]

I appreciate the feedback.  A true pickle indeed.

I have looked into the Nighthawk setup, and heck, even the Google home.   Providing that the direction I go is new equipment, I'll most definitely be doing a lot of research.  

Thank you much for the replies and input.

[CrimpOn]

I don't think we get credit for solving anything.  With a 1.4GB ISP speed that is correctly identified by the router as 1.4GB,  I definitely would expect an Ethernet connected device to measure above 700Mbps and to remain at that level during the entire test.

While I would dearly love to blame it on the computer, facts don't lie.

p.s. I do not recall seeing the actual results of the test when connected directly to the CM2000 with:

• The Intel Ethernet port (gigabit) and
• The AQtion port (which should have connected at 2.5GB)

I would expect the Intel port to register slightly under 1GB and the AQtion to register the 1.4GB that the Orbi router did.

And, neither of those connections displayed the "getting slower" phenomenon.

[FURRYe38]

So what was the resolution on this? I see this thread has been marked as solved...

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@Bka315 wrote:

I appreciate the feedback.  A true pickle indeed.

I have looked into the Nighthawk setup, and heck, even the Google home.   Providing that the direction I go is new equipment, I'll most definitely be doing a lot of research.  

Thank you much for the replies and input.

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