This is my first OpenWrt installation but I've read quite a bit of the docks before getting it set up. Unfortunately I've run into a bit of a problem I can't solve.
I have a BT Home Hub 5 with OpenWrt 21.02.1 installed. It's bgn radio is connected to a wifi network in client mode then I have my laptop plugged in by LAN cable. The download speed is around 5-50 Megabits per second. If I unplug my laptop from the LAN and connect it to the same wifi network the router is connected to I get 150-300 Megabits per second.
I can't seem to find the root of this problem, any suggestions to speed it up?
Cable is definitely cat6, I'm getting gigabit speeds between the two devices connected using the ethernet cables. It's just 5-50 megabits per second using bgn as WiFi client.
try the following version of the 18.0.6.4 As a result of my tests, I got the best performance in the maurer version. Unfortunately, the slow connection issue on this device could not be fixed.
By using client mode, the traffic will be 'routed' through the HH5a. ie. performance will be seriously degraded.
When I used to use Relayd bridge mode (section 9.10 of installation guide) on HH5a, I vaguely recall the best transfer speed I could get was no more than 70 mbps using HH5a 5 GHz AC wifi to an AC1200 rated access point. I believe Relayd also 'routes' the traffic, so I'd expect 'client' mode in OpenWrt to have similar if not worse performance.
2.4 GHz will probably generally be slower when you factor in wifi interference from neighbours imho.
I am using my bt home hub device in vdsl bridge mode with another ac router ppoe. I need to reach speeds over 100mbps, is it true? Is there any speed restriction when using bt home hub 5 vdsl bridge mode?
I don't think anyone has measured the maximum speed of bridge mode (VDSL2) on HH5a running OpenWrt. I would speculate 120 mbps is possible with vectoring driver.
In the UK, the maximum fixed speed product for FTTC is 80 mbps.
Thank you all for the responses. I will resign myself to the fact that the HH5 is not powerful enough to internally route traffic any faster than it currently is. Perhaps a second HH5 connected as an access point would do the trick! The reason I'm choosing these are they are very cheap to pickup on ebay. Open to other suggestions
I'm sure the openwrt team will fix this issue. because this device deserves the best support. almost all parts used are open source compatible. I hope we can get this device the performance it deserves.
The SOC is almost ten years old by now and physically on the slower end, 'fixes' only go so far…
By design, only non-vectoring VDSL up to 50 MBit/s was supported, plain vectoring support was retrofitted (in ASIC firmware) later on - so that's the environment these devices were made for. The proprietary OEM firmwares might rely on the packet engine(s) to a larger extent, but that's limited as well.
The latest snapshots since 16 Jan 2022 apparently includes new performance enhancing patches for ethernet WAN to LAN. No improvement for DSL and unclear if it makes any difference to wifi speeds.
I may test it later myself.
Warning: there is one case of snapshot totally bricking HH5a a few days after it was released if you read the later posts.
ps. Did you see my PM ?
Update:
Briefly tested snapshot r18773 for HH5a (8 Feb 2022).
Only significant improvement I could see was when software offloading was enabled for ethernet WAN to ethernet LAN port.
Using red ethernet WAN port and a LAN port. Laptops connected to each port. iperf3 server on WAN side.
iperf3 -c 192.168.1.155 -t 10 -P 6 -R
iperf3 -c 192.168.1.155 -t 10 -P 6
81 Mbits/sec wan to lan (download)
62 Mbits/sec wan from lan (upload)
packet steering enabled
138 Mbits/sec wan to lan
112 Mbits/sec wan from lan
packet steering & software offloading enabled
276 Mbits/sec wan to lan
304 Mbits/sec wan from lan
Using 5 GHz wifi to connect to AC1200 access point in routed client mode.
bit rate 866.7 Mbit/s
packet steering & software offloading enabled
86.7 Mbits/sec wifi wwan to lan (download)
85.5 Mbits/sec wifi wwan from lan (upload)
Next, I removed the wireless client mode settings to revert back to using the red ethernet WAN port. Subsequent speed tests between ethernet WAN to LAN were stuck at 86 Mbits/sec. It's as if packet steering and software flow offloading had both stopped working.
The above results for the wireless client wan to lan may therefore be suspect.
As it was a snapshot, decided not to spend any more time on it.
Update 2:
fwiw, I just put 21.02 onto a new Xiaomi 4A Giga and configured as a wireless client:
iperf3 test returned
326 Mbits/sec download, iperf client wired to 4A Giga.
309 Mbit/sec upload
Flashed Padavan onto same 4A Giga. Configured wireless bridge (AP client) mode:
320-350 Mbits/sec download, iperf client wired to 4A Giga.
350-400 Mbits/sec upload