Consumer router placed inside an ISP-fiber setup, facing slow performance and few choices
Consumer router placed inside an ISP-fiber setup, facing slow performance and few choices
I acknowledge that paying a fairly high price for the AX88U didn’t lead to any issues, especially after upgrading to gigabit fiber. It’s clear the internal switch struggles under the load, even with low wireless traffic and just one active wired connection. It rarely exceeds 50-60% of its rated speed when connected to a single system. When I compare speeds during off-peak times, the fiber router consistently delivers 9xx/9xx Mbps versus around 500/500 Mbps from the Asus device. I aim to preserve the router’s security features while directing DHCP addresses to my custom DNS settings—a feature the ISP router doesn’t support for some unclear reason. Manually assigning IPs and DNS is possible, but it becomes cumbersome for wireless users. So far, removing my personal router seems like a viable path, possibly adding a dedicated gigabit switch, though finding reliable gigabit switches that maintain speed can be tricky (why would an Asus model over 300 USD perform poorly?). Another small hurdle is the DNS running on a Pi Zero; I could use a wired Pi to fix that.
Consider using passthrough or bridge mode for the fiber gateway instead. Then place the AX88U in its standard router role. It should handle speeds exceeding 800Mbps. Have you experimented with another Ethernet cable and refreshed the PC’s network drivers? Does any other connected device reach the same bandwidth cap? Disable QoS and AiProtection to see if performance improves. What security options are available? If you run the gateway in bridge or passthrough, your primary router acts as the AX88U. You can connect a separate DNS server behind it, such as a Raspberry Pi. Just set the AX88U to point to the RPi’s LAN address—like running PiHole on the Pi Zero?
The setup is configured for IP pass-through. There isn’t a genuine bridge mode or cascading router option available on this ISP device. I’m not relying on any DHCP services from the ISP router and the wireless connection is turned off. The AX88U operates in its default state. QoS and AIProtection remain disabled. Performance checks between the ISP router and AX88U used identical cables and systems, yielding consistent results. Drivers are up to date. Speeds remain steady for wired connections, indicating the issue stays with the router rather than the cable or setup. It’s worth noting that on extremely rare occasions I’ve tested higher speeds behind the AX88U (around 700ms). With just the ISP router, consistent performance is stronger. The AX88U handles DNS queries through the Pi and manages DHCP assignments, which is appreciated. I value the configuration flexibility on the Pi but would like to see more freedom—especially if I could move the DHCP and DNS functions to the Pi itself, bypassing the ISP router entirely (though I might need a wired connection for that). Overall, I’m frustrated by the limited control available on this device.
Absolutely current with the newest software unless it was refreshed yesterday. Changed the firmware recently. I plan to reset the router to its default settings and run a speed test as you recommended when I have time. Expect a few days since I’m currently working remotely on the clock. Thanks for the ongoing advice.