Orbi50 to Desktop with TP-Link Wireless USB Adapter getting 2Mb/s (Slowest in network)

[Samt2992]

Hey, 

I have an Orbi router and 1 satelite set-up. My Satelite says it's getting 'blue' connectivity (3 storey terrace, router on ground floor and satelite on 2nd).

My dekstop with the TP-Link adapter (details) gets 2Mb/s whilst My Android device (Galaxy Note 😎 next to it can get 250Mb/s which is pretty much the speed the router is pushing out.

I have my Desktop near my satelite. It is connected by Ethernet. It gets around 100Mb/s on ethernet. If I connect the TP-Link adapter and use the WiFi it only gets 2 Mb/s. 

This network is new. I have gotten 30Mb/s on the same desktop and same adapter with a different router.

How do I test specifically my satelite connection and also, why is my TP_Link adapater in the desktop so slow?

[FURRYe38]

Try disabling the following and test:

Beamforming, MIMO, Daisy Chain and Fast Roaming. 

Try setting manual channels and use WPA2 and AES only. 

[Samt2992]

Thanks for your reply.

Sadly, upon changing these settings I am getting exactly the same results. Nothing appears to have changed anything.

[Roamabout]

Are you sure you are connecting to the nearby Sat and not back to the more distant router ?. The wifi connection is tenatious and if your initial connection was to the router you may have to disconnect and reconnect the wifi when you are close to the Sat to be sure is is not still pining for the router..

USB 3 is faster than USB 2, the 5ghz channel is faster than the 2.4 etc so double check that you do have a 5ghz wifi connection to the local Satellite.

[Samt2992]

Yes, it's USB 3 and on the 5ghz band. Logging onto the satellite itself, I can see that the desktop is connected to it via wire and wireless.

[Samt2992]

I put in a no longer used PCI-E WiFi card and it's faster, getting 60Mb/s but is only 2.4ghz band.. Still slower than wanted but it proves better than the WiFi adapter. This is only for testing as I usually use the PCI-E slot for USB 3 card.

[st_shaw]

You should unplug your wired connection when testing your wireless speed, otherwise it's not clear which connection your computer will use.

It seems like the problem is with your adapter and not anything wrong with Orbi. You could try getting a newer/better PCI-E WIFi adapter with dual external antennas.  The USB stick type adapters can have pretty small and poor antennas, and would have low link speeds with Orbi.

In any case, your desktop has Ethernet. You should use that instead of WiFi any day.

[Samt2992]

The card has three ext. antena.  The USB Adapater has gotten 40Mb/s on an older network before in the same location. The new network it is having trouble with.

I do believe in using Ethernet over WiFi I disable the Ethernet/WiFI when testing the other. Just the very large difference between my Android Device and WiFi on Desktop speeds was confusing, hence the forum question.

USB Adapter = 2Mb/s, WiFi PCI-E = 60Mb/s, Ethernet = 100Mb/s. Android Device = 250Mb/s. All around my desk, which the satelite sits on. Satelite shows them all connected to it, not the router.

[st_shaw]

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@Samt2992 wrote:

The card has three ext. antena.  The USB Adapater has gotten 40Mb/s on an older network before in the same location. The new network it is having trouble with.

I do believe in using Ethernet over WiFi I disable the Ethernet/WiFI when testing the other. Just the very large difference between my Android Device and WiFi on Desktop speeds was confusing, hence the forum question.

USB Adapter = 2Mb/s, WiFi PCI-E = 60Mb/s, Ethernet = 100Mb/s. Android Device = 250Mb/s. All around my desk, which the satelite sits on. Satelite shows them all connected to it, not the router.

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I think you answered your own question and the data are in your post.

1. Speed is dependent upon WiFi adapter.

2. The USB adapter, with one small antenna is worst.

3. The PCI-E adapter with dual external antennas is better, but is not super fast because it's 2.4 GHz only.

4. The Android is fastest. This must be a new device with 5 GHz 802.11ac WiFi.

This is all to be expected.  The fact your USB device once worked faster with an old rotuer isn't necessarily significant. WiFi signals vary greatly with position, and moving things only a foot or two can drastically change the signal strength. The effect is more pronounced with a USB WiFi device because it's got a small antenna.

If you want to properly assess the USB adapter, then you need to go into the OS and look up the current connection speed (link rate) of your USB adapter before you conduct each test. (See link below.)  The link rate will vary based on the signal strength. You will only ever measure throughput of about 50%-60% of the link rate. If your USB device is only getting 2 Mbps throughput, then it's likely connecting at a low link rate--indicating it has poor signal strength from the router, due to the small antenna, furniture or your body blocking the signal, etc. If you move the router or the adapter you should be able to improve the link speed. You can connect the USB adapter with an extension cable and move it around.

How to look up link rate:

https://www.linksys.com/id/support-article?articleNum=136766 

Your USB WiFi might also have trouble if it's too close to the satellite and the signal is too strong.

Also, note that the variability you are seeing isn't likely due to a router setting.