Hello  @ppredator83 ,

Thank you very much for providing such detailed and professional information.

First, we need to clarify the definition of "maximum rate"; it does not represent the direct throughput of a single device.
Aggregate Rate vs. Single-Device Rate: The peak rate listed in the product specifications represents the theoretical sum of the rates across all frequency bands (2.4GHz + 5GHz + 6GHz) when the router is simultaneously communicating with multiple high-end devices. This figure reflects the router's overall wireless capacity, rather than the actual internet speed that a single device can achieve.
Physical Layer (PHY) Rate vs. Actual Throughput: The negotiated rate displayed when a device connects (e.g., 2882 Mbps) represents the theoretical upper limit at the physical layer. During actual data transmission, various overheads must be deducted—including Wi-Fi protocol overhead, encryption overhead, signal retransmissions, and background system processes. Typically, the actual effective throughput is approximately 60% to 70% of the negotiated rate.

Based on your description, we currently need to focus on troubleshooting the following key points:

1. Does your network topology match the following diagram?
ISP Modem — Router )))((( Client Device
(Note: — represents a wired connection; )))((( represents a wireless connection.)
2. What is your internet plan? (e.g., 1000 Mbps / 1.2 Gbps / 2 Gbps?)
3. Is your laptop connected to the router via an Ethernet cable? If so, which specific port is it connected to? (2.5G port or 10Gbps port?)
4. Is your ISP modem connected to the router's 10G WAN port? If so, have you tried connecting your laptop directly to the modem to test the modem's actual wired connection speed?
5. When testing wireless speeds, please ensure that only one wireless device is active during the testing process. Please provide the speed test results separately for connections utilizing only the 5GHz band, only the 6GHz band, and the MLO (5GHz + 6GHz) mode. Additionally, please check and report the "Link Speed" displayed for each specific frequency band; for detailed instructions on how to do this, please refer to the relevant FAQ: How to check the associated/link speed on a wireless client

We look forward to receiving your test results so that we may proceed with the next steps of our analysis.

Hello  @ppredator83 ,

Thanks for your reply.

Based on the information you have provided so far, your primary objective is to achieve the highest possible local network transmission speeds (i.e., LAN speeds).

According to the test data you supplied (please feel free to correct me if there are any discrepancies):

1.  S26 Ultra link rate on the 6GHz band: 4803/4803 Mbps
2.  ASUS laptop link rate on the 6GHz band: 5764/5764 Mbps
3.  Measured bidirectional LAN transfer speeds: approximately 2017 Mbps (downlink) / 2302 Mbps (uplink)

First, regarding the conversion of wireless speeds, it is important to clarify the following: A Wi-Fi "link rate" represents a theoretical physical-layer limit; it does not equate to the actual usable application-layer throughput. When translating this figure into the file transfer speeds or speed test results you ultimately perceive, a significant portion of the bandwidth is consumed by the protocol itself. The primary overheads involved include protocol signaling and environmental attenuation.

Based on your data, your current actual transfer speeds are achieving approximately 35% to 48% of the theoretical link rate. In a real-world home Wi-Fi 7 environment, this level of conversion efficiency is considered exceptionally good performance.

Second, your Local Area Network (LAN) speed and your Wide Area Network (WAN—i.e., the Internet) bandwidth operate as two independent channels. Theoretically, a change in your broadband subscription plan should not directly impact the LAN-internal speeds you measure.

You mentioned that everything—both wired and wireless—was "perfect" back when you were on the 500 Mbps broadband plan. This is a valuable observation. To help us pinpoint the issue more clearly, could you recall or provide additional details regarding this? Specifically, what were the device-to-device transfer speeds you measured within your LAN—using the exact same testing methodology—during that previous 500 Mbps era? This information will help us determine whether your current results (hovering around 2.3 Gbps) reflect normal fluctuations or a genuine discrepancy.

All things considered, your current wireless LAN performance is already quite outstanding. Measured speeds exceeding 2 Gbps are more than sufficient for the vast majority of high-bandwidth internal network applications—such as large-scale file synchronization, high-definition media editing, and high-speed data backups. If you anticipate even higher demands in the future, you might consider equipping your laptop with a high-speed wired network adapter; however, your existing wireless setup is already capable of delivering a truly superior user experience. I hope this analysis proves helpful to you!