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Archer C50 Router Throttles Internet Sppeds

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Archer C50 Router Throttles Internet Sppeds

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Archer C50 Router Throttles Internet Sppeds
Archer C50 Router Throttles Internet Sppeds
2016-12-11 05:32:19
Model :

Hardware Version :

Firmware Version :

ISP :

Hello,

My ISP (Xfinity/Comcast) Internet speed is 200Mbps (Blast). When I hard-wire my laptop directly to the Modem (TP-Link TC-7610) I can easily and consistently achieve the 200+ speeds as advertised, using browser-based speed tests. However, with the intended default configuration where the Archer C50 is connected to the modem, and then connecting my laptop via wifi OR hard-wire through the C50, my speeds max out at less than 100Mbps. I can confirm that the tests are run:
- with the same ethernet cables
- with the same laptop
- with no other devices connected
- with the latest router firmware
- just after performing a factory reset on the router

To make matters worse, internet browsing is intermittent. Every three minutes or so, an attempt to load a website will fail ("Server not found"). Waiting 10 or 15 seconds, and then reloading, will bring the website in. I cannot replicate this intermittent issue while hardwired to the modem. This occurs to ANY website. :confused::confused::confused:

Is it safe to assume I have a defective router? :(:(:(:(:(
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#1
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Re:Archer C50 Router Throttles Internet Sppeds
2016-12-11 20:05:18
According to the specifications on the TP-Link website and in the user's guide of the Archer C50 it has only a 100 Mbit/s Ethernet interface. Therefore it will not be able to deliver more than 100 Mbit/s over an Ethernet cable.
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#2
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Re:Archer C50 Router Throttles Internet Sppeds
2016-12-12 00:07:11

R1D2 wrote

Therefore it will not be able to deliver more than 100 Mbit/s over an Ethernet cable.
Awesome, thanks for that info. I must have missed that. Nonetheless, it's identical to what I see over wifi. Shouldn't I expect a fast wifi? After all, this router advertises 800+ over the 5Ghz band (which I can confirm is active when looking at the connection status from my laptop.Also, it doesn't explain the intermittent connection drops.
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#3
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Re:Archer C50 Router Throttles Internet Sppeds
2016-12-15 11:30:36
Please pay attention to the WAN interface as all wired and wireless connections will get speed limited by it. So you will get only 100Mbps at max with all connections.
As for the intermittent connection drops, does it happen on both 2.4GHz and 5GHz wifi? Please check if there are too many interference in your home network, for example, bluetooth, microwave oven, etc.
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#4
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Re:Archer C50 Router Throttles Internet Sppeds
2016-12-15 17:38:36

estysoccer wrote

Shouldn't I expect a fast wifi?


Speed for WiFi radio frames is not the same as the speed for data packets travelling over a WiFi link. There will always be a loss due to protocols needed to communicate.

But for a WiFi to WiFi connection through the Archer C50 you can expect more than on the switch side of this model, sure. Please bear in mind that total speed depends on many factors such as your laptop's WiFi card, available AirTIme for the connection (only one device can send/receive at the same time), interferences due to neighbor's WiFi cells etc.
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#5
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Re:Archer C50 Router Throttles Internet Sppeds
2016-12-17 07:54:53

tplink wrote

Please pay attention to the WAN interface as all wired and wireless connections will get speed limited by it. So you will get only 100Mbps at max with all connections.
As for the intermittent connection drops, does it happen on both 2.4GHz and 5GHz wifi? Please check if there are too many interference in your home network, for example, bluetooth, microwave oven, etc.


I just figured that out... the WAN interface is a 10/100. That's dirty. Why advertise a router as delivering 350/867 when the max POSSIBLE incoming speed is 100? I'm 100% aware that ACTUAL speed tests will end up being half or sometimes even a third of the "speed limit" value due to interferences, protocols, etc. But still! That's borderline false advertising to me...

To answer your question, yes. The drops occur on the 2.4 and the 5.0 equally. Interference was an issue I ruled out by ensuring no wireless devices were present other than my laptop. No change in (lack of) performance.
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#6
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Re:Archer C50 Router Throttles Internet Sppeds
2016-12-17 08:09:43
All: the TP-Link RMA team is working to have this malfunctioning router returned/replaced.

For everyone's benefit, here's what I've learned from this router: the WAN interface can actually be slower than what the advertised wifi speed is (which blows my mind... I can't believe the "portal to the outside world" is designed as the slowest point!). I can confirm that the intermittent issue is 100% an issue with the router, because I was able to make the problem disappear using a different router (Netgear, but it's my old 150N, 802.11n router).

I'm planning to have the C50 replaced with the Archer C7 (AC1750) because:
- the WAN port is 10/100/1000, which means it can allow the full 200Mbps signal from the modem to flow through... and it's "future-speed-upgrades" compatible
- the 5G is "up to 1300Mbps" which, divided by 4 (pretty extreme performance factor/allowance, if you ask me) = 325Mbps, which is greater than the incoming 200Mbps signal from the modem

I swear, if I start getting intermittent connection issues again, I will forgo TP-Link forever (this was my first TP-Link product... "fool me once, shame on me...").

Thank you everyone for the help and input.
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#7
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Re:Archer C50 Router Throttles Internet Sppeds
2016-12-17 17:11:08

estysoccer wrote


For everyone's benefit, here's what I've learned from this router: the WAN interface can actually be slower than what the advertised wifi speed is (which blows my mind... I can't believe the "portal to the outside world" is designed as the slowest point!).


Sorry, but you did not get the point here.

First: it absolutely makes sense to have faster WiFi speeds than what is possible on the Ethernet switch ("the portal to the outside wordl"). Other manufacturers also produce such WiFi routers, for example Ubiquiti's AirGrid. Reason for this is: the AirTime (the amount of time you get for sending WiFi signals) in the 2.4 GHz band may be limited so much in a dense populated area, that you need to send the WiFi radio frames with much higher speed to hold up with lower data speed on the Ethernet site.

Second: if the router/AP is able to achieve 200 Mbps on the WiFi side, you never ever will reach this "full speed" on the Ethernet line. If you achieve about 50% to 70% (depending on modulation scheme), you have a pretty good overall throughput.

So, if buying WiFi equipment with a 100 Mbps switch built in, I would not expect any speed higher than that, no matter what the specs say about highest possible WiFi speed of this device. Only criteria for "outside world portal" speed should be the speed of the Ethernet switch, but not the speed of the radio adapter.

There are indeed router models with 1000 Mbps switches and up to 7 times this speed on the WiFi side (e.g. the new Talon AD7200). Would you blame TP-Link for this device also, b/c it has no 10.000 Mbps switch built in?
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#8
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