So, I bought a Linksys router, but....

dranny69 · 05-03-2007, 10:44

I recently asked which is the best router to achieve the best speeds for Virgin 10 Meg B.B. I was told either Linksys or Netgear was the best so I went and bought a Linksys WRT54GL . Although I am getting faster speeds(used to be on 4 Meg through an old Netgear router) I am only getting 5 to 6 Meg, But if I connect direct from the modem to pc via ethernet i get 9 to 9.5 Meg. So is there a setting on the router i am missing or has anyone got a similsir router and has any tips I would be grateful for any tips/help ?

handyman · 05-03-2007, 10:52

Have you got full on wireless security set up?

I was getting slower speeds till I turned off wireless security and turned on access control, this allows you to specify which mac address can connect to your wireless.

I believ there is also a custom firmware available for this model which is very improved.

MovedGoalPosts · 05-03-2007, 10:55

Inevitably, a router will have an impact on speed, simply because it adds an extra hop into any routing. But it shouldn't be that big a drop.

You can look to see that the router LAN ports are operating at the same speed as your PC's ethernet ports, and similarly the router's WAN port is at the same speed as the modem. Some times the "auto" settings on cards don't quite get it right i.e. duplex full or half etc.

Another area worth checking is the "MTU" settings (not exactly sure what this stands for). I think the default is 1500, but it might be worth experimenting with alternatives to ensure the cable modem is keeping up with it. The Linksys manual will have more details on that.

dranny69 · 05-03-2007, 10:56

Sorry to sound a bit thick, but I aint too clever at this computer lark, could you talk me through where i turn the security off etc also if i do this wont other people(neighbours) be able to connect to my BB if they have a wifi point?
edit.
Cheers rob just read your post and i now have a headache LOL i changed the mtu to 1500 it was on auto ,but no joy

handyman · 05-03-2007, 10:58

The won't be able to connect if you enable access control. Not sure about the settings on that router though but it 'should' be fairly obvious.

dranny69 · 05-03-2007, 11:14

Ok i found the security tab on the router and turned everything off, but it made no difference to the speed. The MUT setting ,should i increase the amount ie. from 1500 to 2000 , or should i reduce it?

MovedGoalPosts · 05-03-2007, 11:26

I think you reduce rather than increase. Does the manual give any guidance?

Ah try this: http://linksys.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/...hp?p_faqid=386

dranny69 · 05-03-2007, 11:45

i have just tried the link and done what it says but i keep getting bad paramiter -7 when i input the value . i will keep trying thanks for your advice

handyman · 05-03-2007, 11:50

If turning off the security does not help, make sure you turn it back on again ;-)

Aragorn · 05-03-2007, 11:52

It 'might' be QoS interfering with things. eg Reserving a certain bandwidth for 'other' clients.
This page guides the setup of QoS - you could allocate 100% to your PC and see if it helps.

Wicked_and_Crazy · 05-03-2007, 12:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob

Inevitably, a router will have an impact on speed, simply because it adds an extra hop into any routing. But it shouldn't be that big a drop.

Surely that will impact the response time but not the download rate

---------- Post added at 12:27 ---------- Previous post was at 12:22 ----------

Make the following setting changes

Maximum Ports: 4096
TCP Timeout (s): 90
UDP Timeout (s): 90

dranny69 · 05-03-2007, 12:27

yep i turned the security back on, thanks. aragorn i will give that a go,
ta. daft question but i checked the firmware and it is :Firmware Version : v4.30.2, Nov. 14, 2005
Is there an upgrade for this and if i do upgrade would that make any difference?

Wicked_and_Crazy · 05-03-2007, 12:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by dranny69

yep i turned the security back on, thanks. aragorn i will give that a go,
ta. daft question but i checked the firmware and it is :Firmware Version : v4.30.2, Nov. 14, 2005
Is there an upgrade for this and if i do upgrade would that make any difference?

If you change firmware its worth looking at the DD-WRT firmware.

http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

dranny69 · 05-03-2007, 12:33

this wont affect the warranty if it goes wrong will it + could this help the download speed?

Wicked_and_Crazy · 05-03-2007, 12:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by dranny69

this wont affect the warranty if it goes wrong will it + could this help the download speed?

it would void your warranty if you werent able to flash it back to the original firmware