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Given the following network setup:

Cable Model --(wired)--> Router --(wireless)--> Ethernet Bridge --(wired)--> PC

Testing download speeds:

  • From Internet to Cable Modem = 100 mbit
  • From Internet to Router = 100 mbit
  • From Internet to PC = 50 mbit
  • From Router to PC = 100 mbit

If router <-> PC succeeds at 100mbit, Why would Internet <-> PC only be 50mbit?

Some notes:

  • All transfers were over HTTP (even Router <-> PC tests)
  • QoS disabled on the router
  • Only wireless connection is @ 5Ghz 802.11N between Router & Ethernet Bridge
  • Cable modem is connected to WAN port on Router.
  • Router: ASUS RT-N66U
  • Ethernet Bridge: ASUS EA-N66U

One hunch: perhaps there's some router inefficiency in WAN -> Wifi communication that's not present in LAN -> Wifi and in WAN -> LAN communications.

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    How exactly did you test your network speeds?
    – DavidPostill ♦
    Commented Dec 9, 2015 at 20:54
  • @DavidPostill For the internet tests, a laptop was wired directly to the modem, router and ethernet bridge and speeds calculated by downloading the 1GB File from speedtest.reliableservers.com .. For the Router <-> PC tests, the laptop was connected to the Router and nginx running on the PC with a 1GB file. I also tested using speedtest.net but Router <-> PC is not an option in that case, so I repeated everything with file over HTTP.
    – Vinay Sahni
    Commented Dec 9, 2015 at 21:55
  • The only thing that makes sense really is the ethernet bridge is doing some kind of filtering, and its tables ignores local traffic. I know some powerline devices do this but never heard of it on WLAN-LAN bridges. EDIT: DIdnt see the answer below, D'oh
    – Linef4ult
    Commented Dec 11, 2015 at 22:25

1 Answer 1

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Problem turned out to be the Ethernet Bridge (Asus EA-N66U). It can send to the router much faster than it can receive from it. I tested this by putting the two devices side by side with line of sight and running file transfers between laptops connected to each. Why the performance difference, however, is another question.

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  • What does the specification say about it? Behaviour like that could very well be described in the documents.
    – user366447
    Commented Apr 18, 2016 at 13:58

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