This is my first post on this forum, even if I've used Gargoyle for years, now I have few bits I want/need to share, as I'm seeing this pop up every so often here and not only here...Hello, I'm on TL-WR1043N/ND v2 with gargoyle ver. 1.8.1.
My max ISP speed is 200Mbit/sec and using speedtest.net only get about 120Mbit/sec. But when I reset the router or save changes of any kind, ONLY in the first test of speedtest I reach about 190Mbit/sec, then remains the same. I don't have enable QoS or cuotes.
I can not find explanation to this. I think it is a serious problem and I'm considering leaving gargoyle.
Thanks and sorry for my poor english.
I've own Archer C5 v1.20 for few good months and before had retired D-Link DIR-825 B1 for few years, where my previous ISP (Virgin Media) could deliver 200/10 Mbps cable connection into my home. Now, I've moved to different location and had to change ISP to Sky's ADSL/VDSL line with 39/9 Mbps max.
1. People keep winging about ISP slower speeds due to OpenWRT/Gargoyle/DD-WRT software being installed on the router. Now, ask yourself this BIG question: Why I installed Gargoyle on my router (eliminating my warranty at the same time)??
Was it because:
a) I can? Yes, I know I can... and what's the point? Do I have to prove myself that I can do what other can as well? "Mum!! I just flashed our home router!!! Really son??? What's ROUTER?? I never knew, we had one..."
b) I don't like OEM's user interface... Learn to live with it, you don't need to look at it so often, as long as it works and you get what you need...and I repeat: NEED not WANT.
c) I want/need option(s) not available in the OEM software... Here is what you should think when you want to change into Gargoyle/OpenWRT... I need options like OpenVPN, Dynamic DNS, more control on what's going in or out, WiFi Timer (YES!) etc, etc. THIS is why I changed my router's firmware...
The bad side? Even those 200 Mbps was only "up to" usual BS and "up to" first server, everything after that it was hit and miss. Someone will say, what about torrents and multi link from different servers... Bla, bla, bla... Soon after my ISP sniffed out torrent, it throttle connection down to near 10%... Also, If you want to use torrents then you will use with VPN to be safer... and here is another problem: no OpenVPN on OEM routers...
Unfortunately, AES calculations are quite CPU intensive and on my 720MHz Qualcomm/Atheros Archer C5, it only reached 12Mbps max on the speedtest.net, so why I bother? I did, because I can use VPN & torrents via my i5 PC, so speed wasn't the issue. Unless you want to encrypt whole household, but then YOU WILL NEED x86 CPU ANYWAY. At the moment there is no hardware (for reasonable price) based on domestic routers with hardware AES. So, there is other problem...:
2) Software vs hardware NAT... This is main problem, why you have slower "speedtests". Linux don't use HW NAT, it is done via software stack. OEMs usually use hard coded hacks to make it works with their software. Now, ask yourself another question: how much I value my privacy? Enough, to warranty use of VPN? If so, will I trust TP-Link and their HW NAT, where NO ONE KNOWS apart of themselves, what is going on there? Can you be 100% sure that no one can punch trough you HW NAT/Firewall as they please? Think about it for 5 seconds, before making complain.
I've found no difference between Sky and Virgin using same tools, whether OEM or not, 200Mbps or 39Mbps, only time I found one was when I start using VPN. My torrents start to download at 10MB/s on some bits where before it was 1 or 2 MB/s.
If you are concern about your "speedtests", you have choice of:
A) stay with your OEM firmware,
B) use Gargoyle/OpenWRT/DD-WRT with sense that you may lose some, but you will gain more...
C) get yourself low powered x86 like AMD Athlon 5350 or Intel Atom with HW AES-NI, this will have enough horse power to run VPN for whole network, software NAT will not run out of puff and it only takes 20W or just about there...
You cannot have everything for free... It's like my friend's saying: Power, Price, Reliability... You can have only two.
I do apologize for this monologue, but... people do have a choice and as far as I can see, they think that this "give" them rights to complain... What if, there was no Gargoyle/OpenWRT or DD-WRT and ONLY OEM?? It would be... take it or F... off!
...and to how much difference will you see between 120 Mbps and 200 Mbps? Seriously... I'm wondering, because for "normal" usage I cannot differentiate between my old 200 Mbps and the 39 Mbps I have now. Web pages opening at the same speeds (unless my eyes slowing down from 0.01 sec to 0.1 s), I can download torrent with 8-10 MB/s anyway... And I do know that, no bloody moron with Kali will crack my WPS "security" pin or get into USB device... among other things
The only thing is missing from my Archer C5 is lack of AC speeds (not that I have ANY ac device anyway
) and transmitting powers for WiFi (my ends on 23 dBm for 2.4 GHz and 17 dBm for 5 GHz), where on 5GHz channels above 64 are missing (I am talking about band B 100,104 etc, I do have 164...) where it's permited to have 1000mW and not 100mW like the channels of band A (36...64). Anyway, this is probably due to set up time and localisation of UK, but still even in UK band B should be available. Still to be determined why.
Regards