Slow LAN connections on RBR50?

[Dsieber]

Hi,

I'm just wondering if anyone else has encountered this issue, or if it's just me.

The problem - very slow LAN transfer speeds between devices connected through an Orbi satellite. 

Configuration:

Windows 10 PC & a Synology NAS both hardwired to an Orbi satellite (RBS50, running firmware v2.3.5.30).

In transferring large files from the Windows PC to the NAS, I was peaking at about 11MB/s.  Both connected devices have gigabit ethernet connection, confirmed both showing connected at 1,000.  Tinkering with settings didn't make much of a difference - I could get it up to high teens, but watching the transfer, speeds would fluctuate a lot.

I put a really cheap gig switch in between the Orbi and the PC/NAS (so, now PC, NAS, & Orbi are all connected to the switch), and speeds immediately jumped to over 50 MB/s for file transfers, which is more what I'd expect.

Just wondering if anyone else has run into this - is the Orbi just too low powered (CPU-wise) to handle traffic at gig speeds?  (In which case, why bother having a gig port, aside from marketing, I guess), or is there something I'm missing, settings-wise, that could affect this?

Thanks!
Dirk

[CrimpOn]

This is not my experience with the RBR50.  I have one desktop connected directly to a RBR50 LAN port and another desktop connected to a gig switch the is connected to the RBR50.  When I run iPerf3, it records 949mbs in both directions.  Considering TCP overhead, this seems to be "full speed".

Also, my impression is that the Orbi CPU is not involved in LAN to LAN data traffic.  I telnet into the Orbi and run the "system activity report" (sar) and watch while I begin an iPerf3 test.  Percentage CPU use does not change.  My guess is that the "switch module" is a stand-alone chip that know which traffic stays in the LAN module and which has to be passed to the CPU.

Using the cheap gig switch achieves the same thing (data transfer stays within the switch).

I have no answer for what can be causing this phenomenon with your Orbi LAN ports.  The standard question is, "Have you tried rebooting the switch?"

[FURRYe38]

What kind of speeds do you see if you put the RBS in the mix? 

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@CrimpOn wrote:

This is not my experience with the RBR50.  I have one desktop connected directly to a RBR50 LAN port and another desktop connected to a gig switch the is connected to the RBR50.  When I run iPerf3, it records 949mbs in both directions.  Considering TCP overhead, this seems to be "full speed".

Also, my impression is that the Orbi CPU is not involved in LAN to LAN data traffic.  I telnet into the Orbi and run the "system activity report" (sar) and watch while I begin an iPerf3 test.  Percentage CPU use does not change.  My guess is that the "switch module" is a stand-alone chip that know which traffic stays in the LAN module and which has to be passed to the CPU.

Using the cheap gig switch achieves the same thing (data transfer stays within the switch).

I have no answer for what can be causing this phenomenon with your Orbi LAN ports.  The standard question is, "Have you tried rebooting the switch?"

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[Dsieber]

Thanks for the reply.  I was curious about other people's experiences, as I thought the same as you - that these days, a simple switch module is likely just one self-contained chip, and the actual Orbi unit wouldn't really have to do much.  But overhead there was the only explanation I could think of.

I have indeed tried restarting the whole Orbi system, with no change - but hey, can always try again.  Honestly, at this point, the issue is fixed with the addition of the extra switch, so I probably won't worry much about it.  It was mainly a question of if this was 'normal' with the Orbi, or not.

Thanks,

Dirk

[CrimpOn]

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@FURRYe38 wrote:

What kind of speeds do you see if you put the RBS in the mix? 

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I used a Lenovo laptop that reports about 945mbs using iPerf3 to the same desktop.  Connected it to the RBS50 that has WiFi backhaul.

iPerf3 reports 245 in one direction and 295 in the reverse direction.  (I have no idea why running iPerf3 with the "-R" switch seems to always report higher speeds).  So, it appears that the overhead of going Laptop->Sat LAN->Sat->WiFi backhaul->router->LAN->gig switch->desktop cuts the performance by about 55%

Testing with ethernet backhaul requires dragging an ethernet cable down the hall, down the stairs, and into the living room.  Something I do only when alone in the house!

Still lack even a theory to explain why some Orbi's behave drastically different from others.

[FURRYe38]

Same thing with reduction in speed if you remove the switch? 

Laptop->Sat LAN->Sat->WiFi backhaul->router->LAN->desktop

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@CrimpOn wrote:

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@FURRYe38 wrote:

What kind of speeds do you see if you put the RBS in the mix? 

---

---

I used a Lenovo laptop that reports about 945mbs using iPerf3 to the same desktop.  Connected it to the RBS50 that has WiFi backhaul.

iPerf3 reports 245 in one direction and 295 in the reverse direction.  (I have no idea why running iPerf3 with the "-R" switch seems to always report higher speeds).  So, it appears that the overhead of going Laptop->Sat LAN->Sat->WiFi backhaul->router->LAN->gig switch->desktop cuts the performance by about 55%

Testing with ethernet backhaul requires dragging an ethernet cable down the hall, down the stairs, and into the living room.  Something I do only when alone in the house!

Still lack even a theory to explain why some Orbi's behave drastically different from others.

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[CrimpOn]

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@FURRYe38 wrote:

Same thing with reduction in speed if you remove the switch? 

Laptop->Sat LAN->Sat->WiFi backhaul->router->LAN->desktop

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It is really cumbersome to remove that gig switch because half of my house connects to the Orbi through it (all the Powerline devices, IP cameras, printer, etc.)

I have run computer->Orbi LAN->computer tests before, and get "full speed" on my Orbi.  I cannot even come up with a conceptual idea for how adding a switch to the mix can make speed faster.

[FURRYe38]

Ya I know. Sometimes removing the switch temporarily can be a hassle.