Backstory included.
Backstory included.
Before diving into numbers on a report, it's important to understand if latency actually impacts you. Most complaints about lag spikes center around performance problems in games. The most reliable way to determine if the issue lies with your router is to connect directly to your ISP modem. If your ISP device functions as a router, consider switching it to bridge mode when using another router in front of it.
If latency issues persist, it's likely the problem lies somewhere between your home and the ISP network. You generally won't be able to resolve or fix this situation. It's difficult to pinpoint why a router might cause lag on Ethernet connections. Regardless of whether your device uses an ASUS with a 2.6G quad-core processor, the traffic often bypasses the CPU. By default, features that depend on the CPU for processing are disabled. Running the router as a NAS or similar would be more appropriate.
You might try a simpler test: run tracert to identify the IP address in the path. Then perform a ping to hop 2, which should be the first router outside your home within the ISP network. If you encounter multiple routers, you may need to use a higher hop number. The goal is to see if latency spikes appear during this test. If not, it's unlikely the issue is with the router or anything inside your house.
This situation has nothing to do with Wi-Fi performance. The Wi-Fi functionality operates on a separate CPU dedicated to handling the connection. While it might share some silicon with the Wi-Fi chip, it functions independently. Many Wi-Fi features advertised by manufacturers are more marketing than meaningful. Your actual device is only half of the connection process.
For instance, using Wi-Fi 7 with multiple 2.4, 5, and 6 radios combined with 4x4 MIMO can boost speeds significantly. However, most consumer devices lack the capability to support such features. Bonding multiple radios or using advanced settings would require a device with three radio chips, which is costly and adds complexity. Since most Wi-Fi devices are portable, they're unlikely to have three chips. This would increase board space usage and battery consumption.
Security protocols like WPA2 and WPA3 are designed for casual users; the idea of a government hacking your home network through a van is highly speculative. For now, WPA2 is considered secure against brute-force attacks.
gaming would be the focus of my interest, not a concern elsewhere.
There is no modem present; instead, an ONT is connected to the wall, directly linked from the fiber line outside into the ONT, and then to the router. Can I connect directly from the ONT to my computer?
I tried this setup and it took 7 hops, with latency under 12ms—though that was using the Eero router. I no longer have the Nighthawk model since I returned it during research.
I’m not worried about Wi-Fi latency; only my cell phone, Roku, home theater receiver, and security system use Wi-Fi.
It seems I could stick with Eero except for three points: one Ethernet port (could be fixed with a switch), weak Wi-Fi signal in the house, and limited router options. The interface is all app-based, but there’s no way to manually adjust settings—settings appear to require a web login. You can’t control SSID broadcasting, unlike my older ASUS router, which lets you assign unique SSIDs, usernames, and passwords per band. Eero automatically handles this, assigning devices without manual configuration. It also lacks port forwarding and port blocking capabilities, and overall offers very limited customization.
Now I understand Eero is a solid choice from Amazon, but it doesn’t support device-specific band assignments or strong Wi-Fi coverage beyond the room where the router is placed.
Thanks again for your assistance!