WRT54G2: Wireless rate drops to 2 Mbps or 1 Mbps

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hiluke
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Joined: 18 Apr 2011
Posts: 11

PostPosted: Tue May 10, 2011 5:29    Post subject: Reply with quote
NPerez wrote:
Setting it to a fixed 54mbps caused wi-fi to stop working entirely.

Today, I decided to try fixing it at 24mbps and was surprised to see that everything is finally working smoothly. A speed test confirms that my down speed is now about 10 times higher.


24Mbps isn't necessarily going to work for everyone. 54Mbps doesn't work for you because the connection can't handle it. 24Mbps works for me because the connection does seem to be able to handle it. 36Mbps may work for you, depending on how good your connection is, or it may be in fact only 1, 2 or 5.5Mbps that it can handle.

Note that if you set it to a fixed rate, and you experience interference, your wireless may stop working entirely, because it can't transfer at the higher fixed speeds with the poorer connection quality.
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Pakaa
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Joined: 22 May 2011
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PostPosted: Sun May 22, 2011 23:12    Post subject: Same problem, different router (WRT54G) Reply with quote
Would I be crazy if I said I have this exact same issue with a WRT54G v 1.0 (in AP mode)? I already posted about it in another thread, but this seems to be more relevant.

I recently upgraded to this: DD-WRT v24-sp2 (08/12/10) mini(SVN revision 14929), with one step of "bad" preSP2 build in between (from the router database) and the wireless speed is now garbage, goes down to ~2MB on the status page and won't go back up no matter what settings I try (and I've tried everything suggested in this thread!). The wireless has been fine before, I believe I used a SP1 build when it worked well (installed a couple of years ago with no issues), I went to preSP2 after seeing all the suggestions on this board and now the wireless has been borked for a good few weeks at least. It has gone up and down, but mainly it's stuck at an insufferably low speed, wired is fine.

I wish I could remember what SP1 build I used before... it seemed to work well enough, and it's pretty hard to find SP1 recommendations around here, but that seems to be what I need.

So if I really, really need a SP1 build for my WRT54G v. 1.0, which is slightly less horrible than the rest? And where can I find it?

And if someone could find the time, what is it that's so horrible about SP1? What should I look out for? Is it anything that'll give me trouble as a very basic user?

I'm so tired of having to deal with this, I've tried EVERYTHING, it must be due to buggy firmware...


Anyway, I hope that wasn't too OT to post here.


*I'd even go for stock firmware now that I think about it, where can I find that? Could I still run AP-mode on stock (WRT54G wired to a primary router)? Stock would be a last resort however.
wouter
DD-WRT User


Joined: 05 Oct 2008
Posts: 98

PostPosted: Fri May 27, 2011 10:04    Post subject: Reply with quote
Stock firmware can be found here:
http://homesupport.cisco.com/en-us/wireless/lbc/WRT54G
As mentioned earlier, my WRT54GL 1.1 works like a charm again with simple stock firmware. Ok, I miss all the nice features of DD-WRT, but the family is happy with a reliable and up speed connection, that counts the most.
And yes, you can hook up the router behind another router, as router (stock firmware can't be set to AP mode). Make sure to give both different IP ranges.
Razue
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Joined: 19 Mar 2012
Posts: 145

PostPosted: Tue Mar 20, 2012 22:51    Post subject: Reply with quote
i also have a wrt54g2 v1 and i cant go back to stock firmware coz im using it for repeater purposes and stock doesnt have this option.. so is 14929 build will be ok any suggestions in settings or ill go back to build 10015 for more stable but they said its a bad build but for my wrt54g2 v1 its been the most stable
redsunx
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Joined: 25 Aug 2008
Posts: 2

PostPosted: Thu Mar 22, 2012 1:07    Post subject: Reply with quote
So I don't mean to revive a dead thread or anything like that. But I am only posting here in hopes that in the near future somebody googling with the same issue I had finds my solution.

I agree that it is a bug, it'll report 2mpbs and that's what will happen is 2mbps. My WRT54G2 v1 is running DD-WRT v24-sp2 (10/30/0Cool micro - build 10709M NEWD Eko (screw it, CRTL+V) I've followed all of red hawks advice, it worked and then didn't, i was skimming through pages of this thread and duly noticed the fixed transmission rate. I had nothing to lose.

So, it's simple, just set the transmission rate to a fixed 54mpbs and it'll stay there, probably because you told it too Shocked

So to veryify this worked I had my buddy setup a massive 200GB random file of BS on his FTP and let me download and full bore all night, I kept logs incase the DD-WRT page was updated, needless to say, all night, every second of every hour was a solid 54mpbs Very Happy


Please don't kill me for reviving this thread, just hoping it helps someone else. Also would like to thank redhawk for showing up in multiple google searches fixing about 99.9% of my DD-WRT troubles.
bennor
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Joined: 27 Jun 2011
Posts: 25

PostPosted: Fri Mar 23, 2012 1:25    Post subject: Reply with quote
The forced fix rate may not work for everyone. It didn't for me. While my WRT54G2 would indicate a rate of 54, the actual speed was low, under 10 mbps, when transferring data. Others, see page 11 of this thread, reported that forcing it to a fixed rate didn't help them either.

Re-flashed my WRT54G2 back to the Linksys stock firmware and so far the wireless speed has been better than it was under DDWRT.
bennor
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 27 Jun 2011
Posts: 25

PostPosted: Fri Mar 23, 2012 16:49    Post subject: Reply with quote
Went back and played with my WRT54G2 V1 and DD-WRT this morning. Still getting drop outs in the Wireless Rate using the Peacock Thread recommended Brainslayer 14929 generic micro build (ftp://dd-wrt.com/others/eko/BrainSlayer-V24-preSP2/2010/08-12-10-r14929/broadcom/dd-wrt.v24_micro_generic.bin). Changing the Wireless Channel, the TX Power, and the Transmission Fixed Rate work for a time then the rate drops off down to under 5 Mbps.

Interestingly on the Linksys WRT54G2 v1.0 DD-WRT Wiki page (http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Linksys_WRT54G2) under the NEW WIKI Install Material at #9, it says to update to the NEWD_Micro.bin build 12548 (ftp://dd-wrt.com/others/eko/V24_TNG/svn12548/dd-wrt.v24-12548_NEWD_micro.bin) after you have dd-wrt running, and to following the steps in Note 1 of the Peacock Thread.

Been using NEWD_Micro.bin build 12548 for the past 3 hours and so far the Rate doesn't drop below 36 Mbps with the Wireless Channel set to 11, the TX Power at the default 71mW, and the Transmission Fixed Rate set to the default Auto.

Will have to do some testing and leave it running for a while to see if anything changes.

Update: Well WRT54G2 V1 router fell back into dropping the wireless rate down to 1 to 2 mbps the minute I tried to transfer a large file (500Mb) across the wireless network. Changed the TX rate to 35, router worked fine for almost three hours then locked up and dropped all wireless connections while trying to watch video content on a Roku 2 XS connected wirelessly. Router was unresponsive, couldn't not access the administrative pages or status pages via wired computer. Rebooting the router was the only fix.

Pulled the cover off the router and the Broadcom chip was extremely hot to the touch. Other chips were warm but did not burn my finger like the Broadcom chip did. With cover off and TX rate set to 50, transferred a 2GB file via wireless the rate bounced around from 54 to 34 to 24 down to 18 then back up to 34.

Forced rate to 54, TX at 71, wireless rate indicated 54, however the transfer was much slower for same 2gb file.

The bandwidth monitoring - wireless graph fluctuated around the 10 Mbps during most of my testing. However, when forcing the rate to 54 and the TX to 71 the graph bounced all over the place from 10 down to 1 Mbps.

Currently have the cover off with the TX rate set to 40 and the rate fluctuates between 36 and 48 mbps when transfering large files otherwise it stays at 54 Mbps.
bennor
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 27 Jun 2011
Posts: 25

PostPosted: Tue Mar 27, 2012 14:28    Post subject: Reply with quote
Another update. Even with the cover off the rate would fluctuate and eventually drop to 1-2 Mbps. Sometimes the router would go for hours (six or more) before the rate drop, other times it would drop within 2 minutes of power cycling the router. A couple of times the router simply locked up and dropped all clients and is inaccessible until it was power cycled. Forcing the fixed rate, changing the TX power settings would work for a time, but eventually my router would drop the rate back down to 1-2 Mbps.

Wish there was a solid answer as to which firmware version to use and how to configure DD-WRT so it doesn't drop the wireless speed on this router. Even with the stock Linksys firmware my WRT54G2 behaves erratically. Of course the simple answer is use a better router. My tinkering nature however keeps me coming back and tinkering with DD-WRT on the WRT54G2.
Razue
DD-WRT User


Joined: 19 Mar 2012
Posts: 145

PostPosted: Tue Mar 27, 2012 18:15    Post subject: Reply with quote
redsunx wrote:
So I don't mean to revive a dead thread or anything like that. But I am only posting here in hopes that in the near future somebody googling with the same issue I had finds my solution.

I agree that it is a bug, it'll report 2mpbs and that's what will happen is 2mbps. My WRT54G2 v1 is running DD-WRT v24-sp2 (10/30/0Cool micro - build 10709M NEWD Eko (screw it, CRTL+V) I've followed all of red hawks advice, it worked and then didn't, i was skimming through pages of this thread and duly noticed the fixed transmission rate. I had nothing to lose.

So, it's simple, just set the transmission rate to a fixed 54mpbs and it'll stay there, probably because you told it too Shocked

So to veryify this worked I had my buddy setup a massive 200GB random file of BS on his FTP and let me download and full bore all night, I kept logs incase the DD-WRT page was updated, needless to say, all night, every second of every hour was a solid 54mpbs Very Happy


Please don't kill me for reviving this thread, just hoping it helps someone else. Also would like to thank redhawk for showing up in multiple google searches fixing about 99.9% of my DD-WRT troubles.



hmmm i am using a repeater mode for my wrt54g2 v1 and fixed rate of 54mbps dont work for me when i make it to 54mbps it dont have internet and the yellow light dont light up
TonyJZX
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 14 Jul 2007
Posts: 12

PostPosted: Thu Oct 04, 2012 2:59    Post subject: Reply with quote
you'll be happy to know that the latest build doesnt fix the issue

DD-WRT v24-sp2 (04/07/12) micro
(SVN revision 18946M NEWD Eko)

i'm on 35mW and the usual tweaks and it bounces around 36Mbps until it needs a reboot but the period it needs one seems to be fairly reasonable

it boggles my mind that people are using this piece of crap in the enterprise with 10+ people on it!
topet2k12001
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 23 Oct 2012
Posts: 7

PostPosted: Wed Oct 24, 2012 3:06    Post subject: WRT54G2: Wireless rate drops to 2 Mbps or 1 Mbps Reply with quote
Hi Friends,

New member here and first-time DD-WRT user. Just wanted to give feedback. I initially installed the recommended firmware as per the Wiki page for my router - http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Linksys_WRT54G2#NEW_WIKI_Install_Material

Quote:
Tftp the DD-WRT firmware to the router, use "dd-wrt.v24-10709_NEWD_micro.bin" that you downloaded in step 2; after sucessful tftp, wait 3 min for the router to finish writing new nvram deafults, etc... It should reboot on its own at least two times, so give it 3 min and then go to http://192.168.1.1 (If it not reboot on its own, wait another 1 min, and then power cycle it)

8. When if finishes booting up...do a hard reset on the unit...let it boot again, and configure.

9. Upgrade the NEWD_Micro.bin build 12548 after you have dd-wrt running, following the steps in note 1 of the peacock announcement


My hardware:

Router: Linksys (Cisco) WRT54G2 V1
Wireless Receiver: Linksys WMP110 RangePlus (B/G)...PCI slot for a desktop computer
Other device (for test transfer of files: Nokia N9
Files Transferred: 5GB worth of music (mp3) files
Operating System: Ubuntu 12.04 LTS and Windows 8 (dual-boot)

Observations:

1. With the build 12548 I experienced the "transfer rate dropping" issue. I monitored the "Rate" through the DD-WRT "Status" page and confirmed the issue. This was with Ubuntu 12.04.
2. I tried to change firmware to build 14929, being mentioned as the still-recommended version: http://www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=52043
3. Tried to do the transfer of the same 5GB worth of music files and then monitored again via the DD-WRT GUI. The performance was better and never saw the "Rate" fluctuate...it was consistent at the 54Mbps measure.

One thing though: I tried the transfer while on build 14929 on Windows 8. I will try the same in Ubuntu 12.04 LTS and revert back. But I wanted to report this early on in the hopes that this may help provide more insights to the thread.

By the way, big thanks to the community, and great job! My reason for switching from official Linksys firmware to DD-WRT was to "disable" the WPS feature (to protect from Reaver attacks). Smile

Update (10.24.2012 12:14pm +8 GMT):

Friends,

Transferring the same set of files (5GB) in Ubuntu 12.04 LTS, I am experiencing a very slow transfer rate. On the DD-WRT GUI page ("Rate" under "Status" page) I am seeing 5.5Mbps.

Files are being transferred via Filezilla 3.5.3 (same version of Filezilla that I used when I transferred files on Windows Cool.

I booted back to Windows 8 and tried the transfer again (same set of files) for 3 times and the results are consistent as my findings earlier (great transfer rate at 54Mbps).

Hence at this point, I am not sure if it's the Operating System that is the factor/variable, or the driver of the wireless card that I'm using (WMP110 RangePlus, PCI card wireless b/g).

Update (10.28.2012 18:19pm +8 GMT):

Hi Friends,

Apparently, after a few days I started to see the drop in connection as well, even in MS Windows 8 (version 14929). Following the post from the guy the previous page (last post) where he tried out the latest firmware at the time (which was dd-wrt.v24-17990_NEWD_micro-plus_ssh.bin) where he had success after a month of monitoring, I then tried today version dd-wrt.v24-18946_NEWD_micro-plus_ssh.bin. So far so good and this one looks better. Will revert back with updates. I will again try the same exercise (file transfer of a large collection of mp3 files), as well as monitor my Internet connection. Although just to share, as far as Internet connection goes, DSL in my country is just at an average of 1.5 to 2 Mbps (most likely the reported drops down to 1-2 Mbps won't matter to me as already explained in a previous post above), so I am really just checking out file transfers via wi-fi here. But just like to share that in version 14929 I have experienced some loss of Internet connectivity via wi-fi (tried to deduce by directly attaching my DSL modem to my computer and no problems). Crossing my fingers. Smile

Update (10.28.2012 18:24pm +8 GMT):

Hi Friends,

Apparently, after a few days I started to see the drop in connection as well, even in MS Windows 8 (version 14929). Following the post from the guy the previous page (last post) where he tried out the latest firmware at the time (which was dd-wrt.v24-17990_NEWD_micro-plus_ssh.bin) where he had success after a month of monitoring, I then tried today version dd-wrt.v24-18946_NEWD_micro-plus_ssh.bin. So far so good and this one looks better. Currently transferring 2.3GB worth of music files and "Rate" shows 54 Mbps even in Ubuntu 12.04.

Will revert back with updates. I will again try the same exercise (file transfer of a large collection of mp3 files), as well as monitor my Internet connection. Although just to share, as far as Internet connection goes, DSL in my country is just at an average of 1.5 to 2 Mbps (most likely the reported drops down to 1-2 Mbps won't matter to me as already explained in a previous post above), so I am really just checking out file transfers via wi-fi here. But just like to share that in version 14929 I have experienced some loss of Internet connectivity via wi-fi (tried to deduce by directly attaching my DSL modem to my computer and no problems).
transisto
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 06 Dec 2009
Posts: 17

PostPosted: Fri Nov 09, 2012 23:03    Post subject: Reply with quote
Why doesn't DDWRT team change the status of this router to WIFI NOT SUPPORTED.

After this many years of utter fail and no fix, this is just wasting people's time.

(I have the TX power set to 35mW and it goes down to 1-2mb constantly.)
barkeater
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 01 Nov 2012
Posts: 6

PostPosted: Sat Nov 10, 2012 1:15    Post subject: Reply with quote
I am using the 12548 build referenced in the wiki on my wrt54g2 v1 and get a constant 25 mbps +/- 3-4 mbps so I consider that very good considering if not for DD-WRT I would have scrapped my linksys on account of the reaver vulnerability.
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WRT54G2V1
DD-WRT v24-sp2 (07/22/09) micro(SVN revision 12548M NEWD Eko)
transisto
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 06 Dec 2009
Posts: 17

PostPosted: Mon Nov 12, 2012 9:57    Post subject: Reply with quote
barkeater wrote:
I am using the 12548 build referenced in the wiki on my wrt54g2 v1 and get a constant 25 mbps +/- 3-4 mbps so I consider that very good considering if not for DD-WRT I would have scrapped my linksys on account of the reaver vulnerability.


What file is it from there ? ftp://dd-wrt.com/others/eko/V24_TNG/svn12548/
barkeater
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Joined: 01 Nov 2012
Posts: 6

PostPosted: Mon Nov 12, 2012 15:04    Post subject: Newd_micro.bin Reply with quote
It's in the wiki for wrt54g2 v1 toward the bottom. Do not use the D2 build.
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WRT54G2V1
DD-WRT v24-sp2 (07/22/09) micro(SVN revision 12548M NEWD Eko)
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