Identify the problem with your network setup.
Identify the problem with your network setup.
I've faced problems with my home internet for a while now and had to fix it because I couldn't resolve the issue myself. I have Gigabit Fiber at home, but my Wi-Fi speeds are between 5-20 Mbps, while Ethernet connections give 10-70 Mbps and some even exceed 500 Mbps. The performance is very inconsistent. Should I use a single network name for all devices? Can the router automatically switch between 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands correctly? Would upgrading to better access points help? Is there something wrong with the router settings, similar to what I experienced before switching to Edgerouter while using the EA7500 as a router? I’d pay someone to troubleshoot this. It’s been years of dealing with this. Here’s a summary of my setup:
Basic Network: Router – UBNT Edgerouter Lite AP – TEW818DRU AP – EA7500 Devices connected (remembering everything): ~4 mobile phones (2x Pixel XL & 2x iPhone), 3 wired desktops, 3 wireless laptops (Surface Book 2, Macbook Air, HP laptop), 2 Nest thermostats, 2 Nest cameras (hidden 2.4GHz network), 2 Sonos Connect amplifiers (Ethernet), 1 Sonos Play 5 (via Ethernet), 7 Hue bulbs (via bridge), 2 Amazon Echoes, 1 Nvidia Shield TV, 1 Chromecast Gen2, 1 Chromecast Gen1, 1 Wemo dimmer switch, 1 Wemo smart outlet, 1 Harmony Ultimate remote (Ethernet), 1 Sony 940D, 1 Slingbox (Ethernet), 1 Epson printer (WiFi), 1 WD My Cloud (Ethernet), plus a custom server for Plex over Ethernet.
I’ve tried everything I could think of and still can’t get it to work smoothly. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Begin by examining each piece of equipment separately. Run tests using one unit per access point, then move to individual switches, checking if the fault lies with the network gear. Consistent outcomes suggest the problem could be on the device side. Try the affected unit across multiple APs and switches. This step-by-step approach helps narrow down the source of the issue.
Focus on resolving these issues by using a high-quality computer with a wired network port. Connect it directly to the ONT's Ethernet port, then verify speed and connectivity. Next, link the Edgerouter Lite to the ONT, and connect the same computer to the router. Perform tests repeatedly after each addition. Gradually introduce more devices, checking connections at each step. For example, after adding a 6-port gigabit switch for the TV room and a potato TEW818 router, test wired links from both devices. This method helps pinpoint the problem by observing performance changes.
So, I've been busy and here is the update. It appears that i had two separate issues on the network. The first was that the UBNT Edge-router Lite was only capable of ~250mbps maximum -- so it was causing a bottleneck. To solve this I created a Pf-sense Router with a I5 3570K, 8Gb of RAM, and a 128GB SSD. When Directly connected to this router or through my wired network I can pull the full bandwidth of ~850mbps. The second issue (that I haven't completely solved) is that the EA7500 appears to be capping out at ~20mbps. I switched the EA7500 with the TEW818 and the slow speeds followed the Linksys router. The EA7500 is setup as an AP and the default firmware is very limiting -- I may try installing DDWRT or some other firmware and see if that helps. I am not sure why that router/AP would be having issues, its clearly the nicer of the two AP's in the house. So more research is needed. On another note, I am excited about the web caching capabilities of PFSense.
Great to hear the setup with pfSense is working well. The EdgeRouterLite offers very low WAN to LAN speeds, which isn’t ideal. The EdgeRouter-X provides nearly 1G speeds with simple rules. Switching to a physical box on pfSense gives access to more features. For wireless APs, it would be wise to stick with the same manufacturer and opt for 1200AC+ models. If you need multiple units, consider the AC Pro from Ubiquiti—two may suffice depending on your space, and you can combine any SSIDs you set up.
There seems to be an issue with the Linksys, but switching to a different firmware might help. It functions as a full triband AC wave 2 AP. I installed Squid on the router and it performed well, utilizing significant CPU power. A fresh project!
Check out Snort or Suricata for insight into intrusion detection/prevention systems. There are many extra packages available for pfSense to aid in understanding new technologies.