Bridge EAP225 -> WA3001 3x as fast as intel wifi 6e card connecting to EAP225?

Bridge EAP225 -> WA3001 3x as fast as intel wifi 6e card connecting to EAP225?

Bridge EAP225 -> WA3001 3x as fast as intel wifi 6e card connecting to EAP225?
Bridge EAP225 -> WA3001 3x as fast as intel wifi 6e card connecting to EAP225?
Wednesday - last edited Thursday
Model: EAP225  
Hardware Version:
Firmware Version:

I'm trying to understand why using this wifi bridge arrangement gets me 300mbps on an internet speedtest but connecting to the same AP from a PC using an intel AX210 wifi card only gets to ~100mbps on speedtest (google).  

 

The network consists of a spectrum router (600mbps service) downstairs connecting to the EAP225 access point upstairs on Cat6 cable.  Then the PC and WA3001 (client mode) are about 25 feet away from the EAP225 and are physically about 6 inches apart so there's no difference in obstructions. Both see the access point as a strong signal. 

 

The PC will get ~100Mbps when connecting directly to the EAP225 but when going through the WA3001 it will get 300Mbps.  Are there some settings to make the direct wifi card connection better? I can see in the EAP225 management page that the link speed for the WA3001 client is much higher (650mb) than the PC wifi (175mb).  I see a google pixel also getting high link speeds so I assume it's something on the client side that is preventing it from performing as well. 

 

I'm using the wireless bridge to connect a local ethernet lan in the office with a few systems on it to the internet so they use the GB ethernet to communicate between them but also have them also visible to the wireless devices in the house. 

 

Current arrangement: 

 

[Spectrum router] --- [EAP225]   ))))))  [WA3001] -- [SWITCH] -- [NAS]

                                                      ))                                        |__[PC1] (300mbps to the internet)

                                                      )) [misc wireless]               |__[PC2]

                                                                                                |__[PC3]

                                      

Prior arrangement: 

 

[Spectrum router] --- [EAP225]   ))))))  NAS

                                                       ))) PC1 (100mbps to the internet)

                                                       ))) PC2

                                                       ))) PC3

                                                       ))) [Misc wireless]

 

 

In both arrangments there are a bunch of other miscellaneous devices like tablets, phones and smart home devices also connecting directly to the EAP which haven't changed.

 

There is no speed improvement in the old arrangement when all devices but the one PC doing the speed test are powered off so it's not related to the number of connections.  

 

 

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Re:Bridge EAP225 -> WA3001 3x as fast as intel wifi 6e card connecting to EAP225?-Solution
Thursday - last edited Thursday

  @B-Bikes 

Here are some possible reasons:

1. Wi-Fi Standards and Frequency Bands: The WA3001 supports Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), which can provide speeds up to 3000Mbps. Please ensure that your PC is connected to the 5GHz band, as the 2.4GHz band is usually slower. You can use a Wi-Fi analysis tool to check nearby networks and channels and choose a less crowded channel to improve speed.

2. Driver and Settings: Ensure that your Intel AX210 Wi-Fi card drivers are up to date. Outdated drivers can lead to poor performance. You can try downloading and installing the latest drivers from the Intel official website.

3. Client Device Performance: Different client devices may have different performance characteristics. You mentioned that Google Pixel phones can achieve higher connection speeds, which may be due to better Wi-Fi hardware and software optimization. Your PC may need some adjustments to improve its Wi-Fi performance.

4. Network Traffic and Congestion: Wi-Fi network congestion occurs when the network tries to handle more data traffic than it can process. Even with other devices turned off, if network congestion issues still exist, further optimization of network configuration or hardware upgrades may be needed.

5. Firmware Update: Ensure that the firmware of your wireless router and access points is up to date, as firmware updates may contain performance improvements and new features.

6. Hardware Limitations: Considering the performance comparison between Intel AX210 and AMD RZ608, the Intel AX210 may perform worse than the AMD RZ608 in some cases. This may mean that your hardware configuration has a performance bottleneck when connecting to the EAP225.

 

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Re:Bridge EAP225 -> WA3001 3x as fast as intel wifi 6e card connecting to EAP225?-Solution
Thursday - last edited Thursday

  @B-Bikes 

Here are some possible reasons:

1. Wi-Fi Standards and Frequency Bands: The WA3001 supports Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), which can provide speeds up to 3000Mbps. Please ensure that your PC is connected to the 5GHz band, as the 2.4GHz band is usually slower. You can use a Wi-Fi analysis tool to check nearby networks and channels and choose a less crowded channel to improve speed.

2. Driver and Settings: Ensure that your Intel AX210 Wi-Fi card drivers are up to date. Outdated drivers can lead to poor performance. You can try downloading and installing the latest drivers from the Intel official website.

3. Client Device Performance: Different client devices may have different performance characteristics. You mentioned that Google Pixel phones can achieve higher connection speeds, which may be due to better Wi-Fi hardware and software optimization. Your PC may need some adjustments to improve its Wi-Fi performance.

4. Network Traffic and Congestion: Wi-Fi network congestion occurs when the network tries to handle more data traffic than it can process. Even with other devices turned off, if network congestion issues still exist, further optimization of network configuration or hardware upgrades may be needed.

5. Firmware Update: Ensure that the firmware of your wireless router and access points is up to date, as firmware updates may contain performance improvements and new features.

6. Hardware Limitations: Considering the performance comparison between Intel AX210 and AMD RZ608, the Intel AX210 may perform worse than the AMD RZ608 in some cases. This may mean that your hardware configuration has a performance bottleneck when connecting to the EAP225.

 

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Re:Bridge EAP225 -> WA3001 3x as fast as intel wifi 6e card connecting to EAP225?
Yesterday

I found a huge improvement by disabling AX mode in the network drivers on the PC and setting it to N only.  Since the EAP2225 doesn't support AX.  That doubled the throughput when connected to the EAP225 so my best interpretation is that the WA3001 was simply doing a better job of negotiating protocols with the EAP225 than the PC wifi card. 

 

Swapping the EAP225 and WA3001 positions in the network and re-testing with AX mode on gave similar performance.  So for now I have left it in that arrangement since the WA3001 is newer and seems to support faster clients with less manipulation. 

 

 

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