WiFi performance and equipment questions


  1. khl
    Posts : 41
    Windows 10 32 bit
       New #1

    WiFi performance and equipment questions


    A bunch of internet speed questions. Hoping the answers aren't "no one knows." but that would be no surprise.



    First, a note on the hardware and software in use. The router is a Linksys E7500 taking a Mediacom feed from a Technicolor DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem. Can't use a DOCSIS 3.1 modem because that would interfere with a Direct TV signal sharing the same coax. No, that's not optimum but it can't be changed for reasons beyond my control. Donwnloads shown through Ookla Speedtest through Ethernet are around 450 mbps down and 60 mbps up From what I understand, that's decent asymetrical transfer performance for DOCSIS 3.0



    On a Samsung Galaxy 10E phone in an adjoing room, through the Android version of Speedtest, using a5G wifi link, I get 466mbps down and 58mbps up. However on an old Dell 6420 notebook running Windows 10 and on the same 5g wifi link using a USB Edimax AC1200 MU-MIMO WiFi Nano USB 2.0 Adapter, I've gotten Speedtest results no better than 200mbps down and around 40 mbps up.


    Okay, the Samsung phone may have a more sophisticated wifi set up and it's time to try something better in the Dell notebook, which is limited to USB 2.0. I've already tried an Expresscard Fresco Logic USB 3.0 adapter and could not get it to work correctly.



    The ASUS USB-AC68 USB wifi adapter seems tempting, but in reading reviews on Amazon many users have not been able to get it to work. Also, ASUS no longer has a support forum.



    So given the potential roadblocks and dead ends I've encountered, are there any workable suggestions? I get the feeling that "no one knows."
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  3. Berton
    Posts : 14,023
    Win10 Pro and Home, Win11 Pro and Home, Win7, Linux Mint
       New #2

    There may be some "nobody knows" out there but I've come to the conclusion that inconsistencies can exist with Wireless/Wi-Fi networking. I have managed to dispose of some otherwise-good Notebooks with 802.11g adapters in favor of Notebooks with 802.11n and my Router is 802.11n, get solid service. But I do have 2 Notebooks with 802.11ac adapters that sometimes lose connection to the Router, just go to Airplane mode then back to Wireless to re-establish the connections.

    I can't comment much on speeds as every ISP determines what a subscriber pays for and gets. I use a 25Mbps Wireless DSL service and get 21Mbps up to 25Mbps and not limited on number of computers being used, right now have 5 Desktops Wired and 3 Notebooks Wireless connected.
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  4. NavyLCDR
    Posts : 18,432
    Windows 11 Pro
       New #3

    First of all, it appears as if the Dell e6420 notebook has an internal WiFi adapter. Did you disable that adapter in order to use the USB WiFi adapter?
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  6. khl
    Posts : 41
    Windows 10 32 bit
    Thread Starter
       New #4

    NavyLCDR said:
    First of all, it appears as if the Dell e6420 notebook has an internal WiFi adapter. Did you disable that adapter in order to use the USB WiFi adapter?
    I completely removed the internal wifi adapter.
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  7. NavyLCDR
    Posts : 18,432
    Windows 11 Pro
       New #5

    Click on your WiFi symbol in the task bar and then the properties link on the WiFi that you are connected to. Near the bottom of the window that opens will be Link Speed about half way down through the properties. What is your link speed?

    This also might be a limitation of having to use USB 2.0. I have a Linksys a 6200 Adapter when connected to USB 2.0 gives me a speedtest.net speed of 262 Mbps. When I connect to the same WiFi with the M.2 PCIe network adapter built into my motherboard, I get a speedtest.net speed of 519.5 Mbps which is equal to my wired Ethernet connection (and the limit of speed I am paying for).
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  8. khl
    Posts : 41
    Windows 10 32 bit
    Thread Starter
       New #6

    NavyLCDR said:
    Click on your WiFi symbol in the task bar and then the properties link on the WiFi that you are connected to. Near the bottom of the window that opens will be Link Speed about half way down through the properties. What is your link speed?

    This also might be a limitation of having to use USB 2.0. I have a Linksys a 6200 Adapter when connected to USB 2.0 gives me a speedtest.net speed of 262 Mbps. When I connect to the same WiFi with the M.2 PCIe network adapter built into my motherboard, I get a speedtest.net speed of 519.5 Mbps which is equal to my wired Ethernet connection (and the limit of speed I am paying for).
    SSID: Linksys01589_5GHz
    Protocol: Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)
    Security type: WPA2-Personal
    Network band: 5 GHz
    Network channel: 36
    Link speed (Receive/Transmit): 866/866 (Mbps)
    IPv6 address: 2604:2d80:6203:71f0:b46c:7092:5059:53e2
    Link-local IPv6 address: fe80::b46c:7092:5059:53e2%6
    IPv6 DNS servers: 2604:2d80:6203:71f0:1691:82ff:fe6c:e2f0
    IPv4 address: 192.168.1.111
    IPv4 DNS servers: 1.1.1.1
    1.0.0.1
    Manufacturer: Realtek Semiconductor Corp.
    Description: Edimax AC1200 MU-MIMO WiFi Nano USB 2.0 Adapter
    Driver version: 1030.38.712.2019
    Physical address (MAC): 74-DA-38-F3-8A-1E
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  9. NavyLCDR
    Posts : 18,432
    Windows 11 Pro
       New #7

    Since your link speed is 866 Mbps, it is the USB 2.0 port that is the bottleneck. Not much you can do about that. USB 2.0 transport speed maxes out at 480 Mbps and that is just raw speed. Then you have to add to that the overhead in the USB link itself, plus the TCP/IP protocol overhead and what's left over for true data transfer is down in the 200 - 260 Mbps rate.
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  10. Helmut
    Posts : 2,735
    Windows 10
       New #8

    USB Edimax AC1200 MU-MIMO WiFi Nano USB 2.0 Adapter.
    Those are very small with inefficient aerials.

    I have a Netgear A6210 USB 3, which connects at around 850 Mbps on the 5 GHz band and 300 Mbps on 2.4 GHz band.
    Real world you would expect to get around 450 - 500 Mbps.

    These are of a sufficient size to have much more efficient aerials. Edimax also make this type with USB 3.

    A bit more costly and less attractive to consumers, but they are technically much better.

    USB 2 is about 400 Mbps theoretical max, so an additional limitation. So your results are sort of expected.
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