What Should I do When Speed Test Results do not Meet Expectations?

Contents

Objective

Requirements

Introduction

Troubleshooting Steps

Conclusion

Objective

This article will introduce troubleshooting methods for speed test results that do not meet expectations due to an incorrect device or test configuration.

Requirements

• Omada Gateway
• Omada Controller (Software Controller, Hardware Controller, or Cloud-Based Controller v5.9 and above)

Introduction

Speed test results that do not meet expectations are usually caused by incorrect configuration of functions such as bandwidth control, QoS (Quality of Service), flow control, and rate limit. Please check as follows:

Troubleshooting Steps

Step 1. Check whether the links between your ISP > Modem > Gateway > Switch > PC are all at the highest link speed. You can go to Site > Devices and click on a device to check the link speed of each port.

Step 2. Check whether the speed is the same for each link segment. When your link has an unequal speed, the speed measured from the high bandwidth to the low bandwidth direction may be lower. Try enabling flow control for the entire link at Site > Devices > Ports > Edit, then test the speed again.

Note: When there is a wireless link, ensure its negotiation rate is the highest, and select a channel with less interference. The wireless speed test result is closely related to the environment. The test results will be affected by factors such as wireless signal strength, signal interference, and device performance.

Step 3. Check the bandwidth-related configurations on the devices: Bandwidth Control and QoS on Gateways, Rate Limit and QoS on Switches, and Rate Limit for SSID and Clients on EAPs. Try disabling or deleting the relevant configurations, then test the speed again.

Step 4. Check whether the CPU utilization is less than 80%.

• If it is higher than 80%, check whether there is a loop in the network.

Step 5. Check the speed test.

• When using SpeedTest, try changing the test node, and choose the closest nodes to test. The algorithm differences between different test nodes may lead to significant differences in the test results.
• When using iperf3 for speed testing, use the -P [nums] parameter to specify multiple streams, which will make the test results more stable.
• During the test, turn off other applications that may occupy network bandwidth to get more accurate test results.

Step 6. Confirm the upstream and downstream bandwidth provided by the ISP. When using an internet node (such as SpeedTest) for speed testing, the speed limit is the bandwidth provided by the ISP.

Step 7. Ensure your firmware is up to date. To check the latest firmware version, go to our official website: https://www.tp-link.com/en/business-networking/omada-router-wired-router/

Step 8. Restart the Modem, Gateway, Switch, and EAP if necessary.

Conclusion

If the problem still exists after trying the above troubleshooting steps, gather detailed information regarding the network topology, Controller configurations, and ISP bandwidth, and contact our technical support for assistance.