RBR350: 50% download speed over WIFI, upload speed is 100%

[Patrikwa]

Hi,

We have a 100/100 fiber connection in our house, in the basement there is a fiber converter (CTS HES-3109) that hooks straight into the Orbi router. (No ISP modem with built in WIFI or anything like that)

When running speed tests on my wired connections i get the full 100/100 both when running straight through the router and when running through a satellite using wired backhaul, but as soon as I go through WIFI, my download speed is cut in half while retaining the max upload speed (50/100). (Tests done while standing right next to the satellite/router, no walls interfering etc)

I have attached an image showing the current connections and their relation as well as results from speed tests (dotted lines are WIFI connections, filled lines are wired connections)

Conditions:

* We live in a very small village and have no interfering WIFI signals surrounding our house.

* Router and satellite are updated to last firmware.

* IPv6 is disabled

I have so far tried the following without any difference:
1) Change 2.4GHz channel from Auto to all the others.

2) Made sure the default MTU size of 1500 is correct (by pinging with larger packet size until they are scrambled etc)

3) Disable the 20/40 MHz Coexistance

4) Disable UPnP

What is next?
The speed issue was not present before I switched to the Orbi so it has nothing to do with my ISP, Fiber Converter or my connected devices (I assume)

"Small update"

Found that I can disable "Armor" when using the Orbi App on my Android phone and that gave me 65/100 instead of the previous 50/100, getting there slowly. 

[FURRYe38]

What Firmware version is currently loaded?

What wireless devices are you speed testing with? 

What speeds do you see while connected wirelessly at the RBR? 

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.

Be sure WMM is enabled Advanced Tab/Advanced Settings/Wireless Settings. Try setting CTS to 2347 as well here. 

[Patrikwa]

What Firmware version is currently loaded?

RBR = V4.4.0.10_2_10.63

RBS = V4.4.0.10

No new firmware version available.

What wireless devices are you speed testing with? 

Samsung Galaxy S21 (WIFI 6)

Samsung Galaxy S9

Samsung Galaxy S7

Macbook Pro 2018/2019

What speeds do you see while connected wirelessly at the RBR? 

Same as the RBS, 50/100 

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.

RBR is located in the basement and the RBS on the first floor, approximately 16 feet horizontally and 6 feet vertically through 3 feet of massive concrete floor, RBS is hooked up by wire though.

Be sure WMM is enabled Advanced Tab/Advanced Settings/Wireless Settings. Try setting CTS to 2347 as well here. 

These settings are not available for the ORBI RBR350 it seems. 

[FURRYe38]

What happens if you un-check the box next to 20/40Mhz and apply the setting and reboot the RBR and have a wireless device connected to the RBR. I would disable the devices wifi radio for 5 seconds then enable it while near the RBR to ensure it connects at the RBR.

What is the connection rate seen by the mac book pro when connected at the RBR? Right click on the track pad then select the wifi icon on the upper right tool bar. You'll see a connection rate listed here. 

If you load up WiFI Sweetspots app on your mobile phones, what speeds does it report while connecting at the RBR? 

Basements are not recommended places for main host routers. All that concrete and steel can cause problems. Main level, or 2nd level is recommended. 

[Patrikwa]

What happens if you un-check the box next to 20/40Mhz and apply the setting and reboot the RBR and have a wireless device connected to the RBR.

Not much difference at all, my phones remain in the 50-60mbps download and ~100 upload.

The macbook got a bit slower though, getting somewhere around 35-45 down and 70 up.

What is the connection rate seen by the mac book pro when connected at the RBR? Right click on the track pad then select the wifi icon on the upper right tool bar. You'll see a connection rate listed here.

Its maxed out, perfect connection. (Was sitting 1 meter away from the router)

If you load up WiFI Sweetspots app on your mobile phones, what speeds does it report while connecting at the RBR?

It remains a steady 500-800 mbps everywhere in the house. (I even saw a 1200 before it dropped down to 800 when connected to the RBR)

Basements are not recommended places for main host routers. All that concrete and steel can cause problems. Main level, or 2nd level is recommended.

I tried shifting it all around, dragged a cable from the basement to the middle of the house on the main floor and put the router there, put the satellites (only WIFI backhaul this time) in the basement and on the 2nd floor. Still no speed difference. Constant 50/100 on wifi and 100/100 on cable.

Its so strange, I tried the macbook in the basement right next to the satellite (using wifi backhaul the router on the first floor) and when hooked up to the satellite by cable, i get steady 100/100 speed (well, 95/95 atleast) but as soon as I switch to WIFI on the mac, i go right back to 50/100.

I now have my studio PC in the basement in the same room as that satellite and that one is also hooked up by wire to the satellite and getting great 100/100 speeds, using my phone in the same room gets me 50/100. 

Its like the ORBI is taunting me for some reason.

[FURRYe38]

Ya you should be seeing 100 on both UP and down across the board. 100 isn't that hard to do. 

I don't have this particular model Orbi so I don't have any experiences with it. 

Only thing I recommend is to contact NG support and let them know what your seeing. You've done most of the troubleshooting. Only thing I can think of is there a HW fault or the system isn't working as it should. 

You might go to a local store with a good refund police and try something different to see if speeds are to spec. If they are then you'll know for sure the problem is the 3 series Orbi. 

[Patrikwa]

Ya you should be seeing 100 on both UP and down across the board. 100 isn't that hard to do. 

Agreed, since the ORBIs can manage 100/100 when hooking up a device with cable, the current setup can definitively handle it, and seeing as my connection speed between wifi devices and the ORBIs are >700 mbps there is no reason downloads should be throttled to 50 mbps.

Only thing I recommend is to contact NG support and let them know what your seeing. You've done most of the troubleshooting. Only thing I can think of is there a HW fault or the system isn't working as it should. 

Opened up a support case now and redirected them to this thread, hope they can figure it out. 

[FURRYe38]

👍