Bufferbloat issues on GE550
Hello everyone,
I recently replaced my old ASUS RT-AC86U with a TP-Link Archer GE550, expecting a noticeable improvement in performance and stability under heavy traffic. My main reason for upgrading was recurring bufferbloat issues on the ASUS, especially when running Stremio on a TV while gaming, which caused latency spikes during gameplay.
After installing the GE550 and placing my ISP modem in bridge mode (no double NAT), I started testing the connection using the Waveform bufferbloat test. To my surprise, with QoS enabled, the GE550 consistently scores a bufferbloat grade F, caused almost entirely by extreme latency increases during upload (hundreds of milliseconds).
I have already tried the following troubleshooting steps:
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Enabling bandwidth-based QoS
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Manually limiting upload and download bandwidth well below my actual line speed
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Prioritizing my gaming PC using Game Accelerator
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Disabling traffic analysis and monitoring features
Despite these adjustments, the issue persists whenever QoS is enabled. Upload saturation causes massive latency spikes, making gaming and other real-time applications unusable under load.
However, when I disable QoS completely, the behavior changes drastically:
the bufferbloat disappears, latency remains stable, and I consistently achieve an A+ rating on the Waveform test.
This suggests that the problem is not related to my ISP, modem, or double NAT, but rather to how QoS / queue management is implemented in the GE550 firmware. This is disappointing, as the GE550 is expected to be significantly more powerful and modern than the RT-AC86U, yet in my environment it only performs well with QoS turned off.
At this point, if this behavior cannot be improved via configuration or firmware updates, I am seriously considering returning the GE550 and reverting to my ASUS, or moving to a different solution altogether.
My questions are:
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Have other users experienced similar upload bufferbloat issues with QoS enabled on the GE550?
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Is there any plan to improve queue management or implement proper SQM (fq_codel, CAKE, or similar) in future firmware updates?
Any feedback from TP-Link staff or other users would be greatly appreciated.
I will wait for future firmware updates, but I sincerely hope the software can be improved. At the moment, it feels like the firmware does not fully extract the potential of the hardware, and unfortunately there is no custom firmware ecosystem available for TP-Link routers, which limits advanced optimization.
To be clear, my intention here is not to compare brands. However, I inevitably reference my previous router because it was my first real “high-performance gaming router” experience. My old ASUS router provided a complete security solution out of the box: threat blocking, infected device protection, and exploit prevention — all without requiring any additional paid subscription.
This is exactly what I expect when purchasing a router that claims to offer “security.” Features such as parental control and time scheduling are basic functionalities and should not be advertised as differentiators. From my perspective, a security solution that requires both a premium router purchase and an additional recurring subscription is disappointing, especially when it fails to protect IoT devices unless the user pays extra. This approach is, in my view, a negative point for TP-Link.
Currently, I am only using the QoS feature from the HomeShield suite. I do not intend to pay for additional features, as I believe that users who have already invested in a high-end router should have access to core security and performance features without further cost.
Game Center feedback
At the moment, I am also only using QoS within Game Center. The remaining features are either not useful in my scenario or do not work as expected:
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Game Detector: There are no servers listed for Brazil or Latin America, which makes this feature useless for my region.
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Game Statistics: Game detection is inaccurate. For example, when playing Battlefield 6 and Ready or Not, the system only identified “Source Engine” due to Steam activity. While this is an interesting idea, achieving accurate detection is extremely difficult. Development effort would be better spent on more impactful features.
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Game Port Forwarding: Useful feature overall, but it would benefit greatly from more frequent updates to the game database.
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Game Diagnostics: This is essentially a standard ping and traceroute tool. While functional, it does not belong under the Game Center section, as it is not a gaming-specific feature.
Additional feedback
I also miss:
- having a built-in network-level ad blocker similar to projects like Diversion. At the moment, I am using AdGuard DNS as a workaround.
- A page where I can see all connections by device, this is usefull to know where my games are connecting to, i had this on Asus and I cant find this on GE550
Final customer feedback
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Improve QoS implementation to effectively prevent bufferbloat
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Consider offering a truly complete security solution without mandatory subscriptions
Game statistic screen:
