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xrscvz
join:2013-08-19
Mississauga, ON

xrscvz

Member

[Cable] WRT54GL & Teksavvy 34/3 Service

I'm currently running the Linksys WRT54GL with the Teksavvy 34/3 service, and I'm wondering if the old router may be bogging down my connections.

Recently I've been experiencing some slowdowns all over my network. I have about 6-10 devices connected at all times, sometimes more depending on the mobile devices being used. File transfers between computers will increase latency by a few hundred. Sometimes, my connections will drop, etc. I've tested just the router installed, and it doesn't seem to cause issues, so I just wanted to verify if the router is pretty much bottlenecking my network.

(PS. I'm running DDWRT on the router. I've tested on Tomato, and stock firmware, and the issues still occur).
jibby
join:2008-03-31

jibby

Member

personally i could never squeeze more than about 22-25 mbit out of my 54GS and even less when WiFi was being used, especially if the wireless is encrypted. seemed to me like the CPU just couldn't cut it

picked up an RT-N16 and it's been all good since
InvalidError
join:2008-02-03

InvalidError to xrscvz

Member

to xrscvz
Depending on specific firmware version, enabled options, hardware revision, overclock, etc., the good old WRT can start choking at any speed between 15Mbps and 40Mbps.

34/3 would be at the (very) optimistic end of the range so I would not be surprised if it was a little too much for its comfort.
b3l
join:2009-02-28
Toronto, ON

b3l to xrscvz

Member

to xrscvz
Could a modem on your network be the bottleneck?

xrscvz
join:2013-08-19
Mississauga, ON

xrscvz

Member

I don't think it's the modem. I ran it directly connected to the modem, and it ran perfectly fine the entire day, but then again that's one connection only.
xrscvz

xrscvz to InvalidError

Member

to InvalidError
Am I to surmise that you suggest I finally upgrade to a new router?
fefrie
join:2012-08-17
Vancouver, BC

2 edits

fefrie to b3l

Member

to b3l
You are in the same situation as me, except that I run the 7/0.5 service.

The faster your speed, or more users on your network doing terrible things (too many connections on P2P) the more likely you will need a faster router.

Your linksys is capable at best of about 1000 connections. A single torrent abuser can rack up 1200 connections alone if they don't have their settings right.

I recommend using toastman's tomato firmware and installing it onto your router, so at least you can see what is going on and decide if you need to upgrade.

If you do upgrade, make sure you get something with at least 32mb of ram and 8mb of flash, and something that gets tomato.

And as a definitive, I would say yes. Upgrade to something wireless-n only if ALL of your devices will support wireless-n. If you run a g/n network, then just stick with the linksys and try tomato out.

Running a g network I only get about 8mbps of LAN transfer (strangely I still get 15mbps on speedtests fine) but if I run a n network, my LAN transfer rate rises anywhere from 22-80mbps.

EDIT** I forgot to clarify. A single torrent abuser can rack up even more than 1200 connections, and that can crash ANY router.

NytOwl
join:2012-09-27
canada

NytOwl

Member

For what it's worth, I'm currently on a WRT-54GL myself (with Tomato firmware).

I have the 25/2 cable plan, and am consistently getting perfect speeds. However we're not very heavy users in this house (3 people).

xrscvz
join:2013-08-19
Mississauga, ON

xrscvz

Member

Unfortunately, I think the reason why the WRT54GL never bothered me was due to the fact that we had a max of 3 users, using 3 computers. Albeit, those three users were incredibly heavy users. However, my parents have started using a laptop, and an iPad, and my sister moved back in, and uses her laptop, as well as her iPhone. Generally, there will be at least 6 users in the house during peak times, and I think that's where the WRT54GL is starting to show it's age.

kevinds
Premium Member
join:2003-05-01
Calgary, AB

kevinds

Premium Member

I replaced my WRT54GL when I got 25/2.5 it just couldn't keep up, either constantly rebooting, locking up when my servers being attacked... It was fine at 25/2.5 depending on what was going on, but yeah, I had to upgrade.

That is what we are suggesting you do as well..
fefrie
join:2012-08-17
Vancouver, BC

fefrie

Member

just to geek out again the wrt54gl has 16mb ram 4mb flash and a 200mhz processor.

A base level router these days has a 32/8/300 spec. A good router will have 64/16/400 spec and a great one (super expensive) is 128/32/600.

The other thing that isn't mentioned is that you may have the same number of users, but webpages are much more complex these days with many more elements that are loaded from different places.

Get a good mid level router. Spend about $80 for one, and don't cheap out like I did with the linksys E900 (32/8/300) Don't get me wrong, it's a good router, but if you do get one, get it with an extended warranty. They tend to crap out within 6 months, however, if it lasts longer than that, it will last a long time.

Total price with warranty? $30. This is insane. When I bought my Linksys wireless B router, it cost $200 back then! That's like $400 these days.
vincom
join:2009-03-06
Bolton, ON

vincom to xrscvz

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i also have the wrt54gl but its the tm version w/shibby tomato fw, i dont think its your router unless you have qos enabled, if yes then disable it and see what happens, if its good w/out qos then you probably need a stronger router or different qos settings.

if still slow and youre a costco member you can buy a router from them to test it out, if issues go away then your old router could be crapping out, if its the same then you have something else going on and you can return the new router back to costco, if not a costco member then a retailer that takes open box returns

OnMobile
@telus.net

OnMobile

Anon

Wireless transfers, plus encryption, take a bit of processing power. Not 'significant' in a modern computer but it definitely eats up most of your processing power on the 'low powered' 54GL when you're transferring close to max wireless G speeds. Add WAN-LAN routing and the router can easily start choking.

I would just upgrade. I recommend something by Asus. For simple such as the RT-N10 or N12 for super cheap. N16 is good and was the go-to upgrade-from-54GL for many years but imo it's outdated with the lack of dual-band at it's price.

If you want dual-band go with RT-N66. I didn't care for the 5GHz band a few years ago until I got a dual-band router and started using my video streaming/gaming on that band. You likely don't notice/experience/see the packet loss when browsing websites but when you need something with constant internet connection like gaming or video streaming, then you realize how much interference occurs on the 2.4GHz from neighbours (and even the microwave).

I'm not a big fan of the current AC routers on the market (Own a RT-AC66U, tried and returned the Linksys EA6500 and RT-AC68U), but if you were to get one I'd recommend the ARM-processing core routers such as AC68U or Netgear Nighthawk R7000.

NytOwl
join:2012-09-27
canada

NytOwl

Member

Belkin will be releasing a new modernized Linksys WRT1900AC router with a retro design nod to the classic WRT-54G series:

»www.linksys.com/en-us/wr ··· s-router

(yes, for those who didn't know, Cisco sold the Linksys division to Belkin last year)

LazMan
Premium Member
join:2003-03-26
Beverly Hills, CA

LazMan to xrscvz

Premium Member

to xrscvz
I replaced my WRT54 with an Asus RT-N16 as well..

With multiple wireless and wired devices, doing media streams (from NAS to media players), and multiple people surfing; the Linksys just wasn't up to the task - it would freeze every couple of days.

Asus is about 3 years old now, I guess - running Tomato, knock on wood, solid as a rock; no issues - handles my 50/2 cable just fine, get full speeds (over 80 meg when 'speedboost' kicks in)...

xrscvz
join:2013-08-19
Mississauga, ON

xrscvz

Member

Thanks for all the help guys. I do understand that the WRT54GL is somewhat of an old router. I'm running DDWRT, and I'm not running QoS. I've also tried to use Tomato shibby, and toastman, and found that I could get more from the DDWRT specifically for my need, and it still wasn't enough I guess. I've just been keeping it around and procrastinating with the upgrade, since I'm such a cheapskate. In any case, I'll probably upgrade the router this weekend.
Thanks for all your help. Hopefully this thread will help others.

fluffybunny
@teksavvy.com

fluffybunny

Anon

get an asus rtn66u. great router and ideal for replacing the 54.