How to add new router to fix bufferbloat?

Installing and Using OpenWrt
1

I am experiencing ping spikes while gaming when someone is using WIFI to browse web, watch YouTube/Netflix or upload something. It looks like bufferbloat is causing the issue and I got F grade when testing for it. My download speed is 10Mbps and my upload speed is 1Mbps.

Router that my ISP gave me is ZXHN H168N with firmware V3.5. It doesn't have support for SQM using CAKE or FQ_CODEL. I want to buy new router that will support this in order to fix bufferbloat. I want all my devices to be connected to that new router which will be between ISP's router and devices and it will do traffic shaping.

I understand all of this in theory, but I am not sure how would I achieve it. I think that the router given by ISP does not support bridged mode. I only found DMZ support. Can someone explain me how can I add new router like i described before? How would I connect it physically and what needs to be configured to avoid double NAT?
Regarding SQM with CAKE or FQ_CODEL, I found that OpenWRT supports it. This is the router that I found that is included on the OpenWRT's Table of Hardware: Firmware downloads page (https://openwrt.org/toh/views/toh_fwdownload?dataflt[0]=supported%20current%20rel_%3D23.05.2). This is the router: https://gigatron.rs/ruteri/asus-ruter-rtax53u-439761. Could this router work for what I need it?

Also here is the link for all other available routers in this store: https://gigatron.rs/oprema-za-racunare/mrezna-oprema/ruteri?poredak=rastuci
So, if you have any other better suggestion, feel free to point it out.

Last thing, I have spare laptop with intel i5 x86 CPU. Could I live boot USB with OpenWRT on it and try it out before buying router? I doubt that this is possible, but I am not sure. Laptop has only 1 LAN ethernet port.

2

What kind of (performance) router you need, depends on your wan speed (and related circumstances, e.g. PPPoE, VPN, etc.).

First investigate if you can totally replace your ISP router. There should be information about that locally to you.

If not, that leaves you with two different options:

  • technically the easiest double-NAT, while this is always possible, it's generally not the most wanted setup
  • if your ISP router allows setting static routes, you can disable masquerading and avoid the double-NAT situation

But if you can avoid the ISP router altogether, that would be the best approach.

1 Like
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for these low speed ANY openwrt supported device will handle shaping

sure it will

you can use a usb-ethernet device for wan

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I forgot to mention that IPTV is also connected to ISP's router. So I am not sure if it can be replaced. And their tech support is terrible. I had to call them for 3 months straight in order for them to give me admin credentials in order for me to setup QoS. But QoS on their router is very limited for what I need it.

5

OK, at 10/1 Mbps you are already in a world of pain, and all you can hope fore is managing that pain, removing it will be hard... (at 1 Mbps a single full MTU packet will take ˜10ms transmission time, so upload jitter under load will likely be in that order of magnitude).
QUESTION: You are, I hope not using WiFi for your gaming device?

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I would highly recommend that you use CAKE with its diffserv support using DSCPs to carefully manage what to push through the 10Mbit/s download and 1Mbit/s upload - see:

That is, during times of bandwidth saturation, you can leverage the diffserv functionality in CAKE such that DSCPs will govern what will be dropped first, thereby encouraging the dropping of packets belonging to Windows update or Netflix before any gaming packets are dropped.

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Yes I am not using WIFI for gaming. I am playing on LAN. I know that this internet speed is terrible, but in a rural area I live in it is the only option.
The thing that gives me hope that SQM would help is that ping while playing and someone uses internet is not always roof high. Sometimes it is not affected by other devices which is weird. Also I know that if someone is uploading some photos/videos (sending via some messaging app) that ping will get high on this speed.
Most of the times ping spikes when YouTube/Netflix video starts and then it drops back to normal or it goes up and down constantly. I am pretty sure that SQM would help with this to an extent.

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I am confident as well, but as I said it will not remove the pain, only manage it better.

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What kind of connection is this? I think CAKE with diffserv and DSCPs will help massively.