NWA50AX speed

TinusW

My AP's don't work as they should. My wired speed from modem is 900/1000Mbit/sec., but when I am on 2.4ghz WiFi through an AP (NWA50AX), speed starts at 50/60/70Mbit, but lowers sometimes even to 10Mbit. So not even close to what it could be. At 2,4Ghz, 200/300mbit must be possible. Or even if it was a 100Mbit stable, I would botter. But this is not stable, sometimes upload is 400Mbit, sometimes it is only 1 or less. Or it starts with 400 and after 2 seconds only 5Mbit is left. What is wrong here? I have Smart Mesh on. 3 AP, #4 is ordered. Working on channel 1, 7 and 11. Number 4 is planned on channel 4. I watch TV on 5Ghz WiFi with AP, works fine. Speed is around 300/400Mbit. Different SSID for 2.4 and for 5.0. Also a different 2,4 SSID for smart home system (mostly shelly devices, for home Assitant, 30/40 devices on WiFi 2,4).

Zyxel_Nami

Hello @TinusW

To better assist you, could you please confirm if your network setup is as follows: Internet → Modem → AP 01 → (Mesh) → AP 02 → (Mesh) → AP 03?

And please let us know which AP the end device is connecting to when facing slow speed on the 2.4GHz SSID. Additionally, please be aware that in a mesh network, the throughput is halved with each node. This could be a contributing factor to the speed issue you're facing.

For further assistance, you can enable Zyxel Support Access in your Nebula site, allowing our team to investigate in more detail. Please also provide us with the SSID name and end device name (shown on Nebula) that are encountering the low wireless speed.

Lastly, regarding your channel selection, channel 4 is an overlapped channel. We recommend using channels 1, 6, or 11 in the 2.4GHz frequency band to minimize overlap and potentially improve your network's performance.

TinusW

Hello Nami, all AP's are wired, so I believe speed is not halved? I have troubles on the SSID "Michiel de Router" and on "Zunderdroad". I switched the button for you.

Zyxel_Nami

Hello @TinusW

After reviewing your Nebula site, I have some observations and recommendations:

1. AP Uplink Speed: One of your APs is showing an orange status, which indicates that the uplink speed is limited to 100Mbps. This could be due to the ethernet cable or the uplink (switch, router) connection. Devices connected to this AP will have their speed limited to 100Mbps, which might be causing the issue you're experiencing.
   
2. 2.4GHz Channel Width: Your 2.4GHz network is set to a 40MHz channel width. While this offers broader bandwidth for wireless traffic, it also increases the risk of channel interference, especially since the 2.4GHz band has only 11 channels. To minimize interference, I suggest switching to a 20MHz channel width.
3. DCS Client Aware: This feature is currently enabled. Disabling this will allow your APs to change channels once a DCS scan, which can be beneficial.
   
4. Fixed Channels: I noticed that the channels for your three APs are fixed which led to APs not being automatically adjusted by the DCS feature. Enabling DCS will assist your APs in scanning and selecting the best channels, reducing co-channel interference.
   

Here's FAQs on DCS for reference:

https://community.zyxel.com/en/discussion/20515/how-to-handle-the-connectivity-issues-for-certain-wireless-clients-with-some-aps

https://community.zyxel.com/en/discussion/14121/how-to-solve-co-channel-interference-by-dcs

Additionally, it's advisable to rename your APs for easier identification. You can do this under Device > Access points. Select the specific AP, then click the "Pen" icon to rename it.

Please consider these adjustments and let us know if you notice any improvements or if you need further assistance.

TinusW

#1: Uplink speed changed to orange after firmware update last week. Nothing has changed in cable. But will check, the problem I have is not only that AP, it is for all.

TinusW

The other recommendations I take over. Test tonight and will let you know monday. DHCP is setup by router, not in Nebula, could this cause any trouble? Or should DHCP go through/with Nebula if possible.

Zyxel_Nami

Hello @TinusW

It's absolutely fine to have the DHCP configured on your router. Nebula offers centralized management, and for the APs to be online on Nebula, they need internet access and an assigned IP address. Rest assured, your current DHCP configuration, managed through the router, should not adversely affect wireless performance.

Regarding the low speed issue you've mentioned, could you please provide details on how you conducted the speed test?

TinusW

I have an app on my phone; speedtest. I made some screen video's of results. Will send monday as well if above didn't help.

Zyxel_Nami

Hello @TinusW

How is everything going?

Please let us know if there are any further issues.

TinusW

It is still not working as it should, I am testing/making some videos, when I have send them to my computer, I will post it here. Thank you for following up.

StefanZ

What switches are you using?

We have 3 NWA50AX deployed (standalone mode), connected to HP 1920-24G switches.

Well, not directly anymore, because something is screwing with the APs after some hours. Instead they got their own "dumb" PoE switch inbetween which mitigates the problem. Yet after some days, sometimes a month they manage to not give users any service anymore.

I suspect one of the many features of the switches to cause this, but there are so many… Haven't pinpointed it yet