WRT54G/GL/GS Problems?

[Masonis]

Just a quick question or concern on my mind... I know the forum administrators and those of you who are of superiority on these boards say to read the sticky post and everything before you post about this.. but I am however a little perplexed by this issue.

Okay. So basically all my ports are forwarded, I have the green icon and everything, my network settings are good and connections are usually good (depending on the torrent itself and the seeds/peers connected) but I still often find myself downloading at around 15k/s - 40k/s on average most of the time (and in many cases 2-10k/s even through a good torrent). Rarely will I have the luxury of downloading at a steady rate like most people claim to do. Only once have I downloaded a torrent and saw it push over 60k/s the entire time, with the usual case of it being quite sporadic or inconsistent in terms of speed and everything. For example, I usually end up getting absurd jumps and drops in my down speed.

What all of this has to do with the WRT54G issue(s) and how I find my problem still relevant is even though I have a Linksys WRT54x series router, it isn't named anywhere in the FAQ that I have noticed. The model I have is a WRT54GC, and I am actually just wondering - since the FAQ is quite specific in terms of model and version and so on - if I should actually be concerned that I have a problem on my hands or not. The only ones specifically mentioned are the G, GL and GS series, and correct me if I'm wrong, but the GC series has not been mentioned that I have seen.

So in a nutshell, even though my router isn't SPECIFICALLY mentioned, should I still be concerned and possibly approach this issue, if it is one at all? I really don't feel like calling my ISP or attempting to getting a hold of Linksys to address this issue, so if anyone here could offer me a little bit of insight on this, I would appreciate it.

Thanks a lot.

[Switeck]

Just to rule out a possible overload cause...

What's the max bandwidth of your connection, both upload and download?

(Are the tested values close to the RATED values given to you by your ISP?)

What settings are you using in µTorrent as shown by Speed Guide (CTRL+G)?

(A LOT of newer users have ridiculous settings in µTorrent that sabotage their download speeds and not even know it!)

[Masonis]

Switeck, thanks a lot for responding!

Well I have Cable and my connection is, speaking generally, capable of up to a 10Mbps down-speed and a 640kbps up-speed. Considering there are 2 other computers connected to my router who are frequent downloaders and the like, I usually end up pushing a 2mbps/300kbps connection.

I have my speed settings set at a 2mbps custom connection with a little less upload leniency (50k/s) because of the other people connected sharing the bandwidth. My connections per torrent are at 100 and my global connections are set to the default 600 (good? bad?). I usually only have up to 2 torrents going at the same time.

My main concern however, is if theres a possibility that my router - being a WRT54Gx series - may be affected by whatever the issues may be? Should I be concerned about it at all?

By the way, let me know if I should change anything in the speed guide to better my connections and what not.

Thanks a lot!

(PS - Right now I am downloading something and it started last night at a ridiculous 1 - 3k/s and up until now has only breached the double digits. It's a very healthy torrent too, which is odd. Anything come to mind on how to deal with this?)

[Firon]

The WRT54GC suffers from the same slowdown/freeze issues as the other WRT54s, sadly. Try to see if there's a firmware update for it.

[Masonis]

Thanks so much guys. Seriously.

That would probably explain why the internet just wouldn't work temporarily before.. it would just conveniently choose when to cooperate haha.

Thanks again, I'll look into it!

[Masonis]

Okay, so I've upgraded the Firmware from v1.02.5 to v1.02.8. Is there anything else I should possibly look into? I'm a little puzzled because I'm not too sure the changelog had anything significant written in it.. could someone maybe decipher some of this for me? I know some networking but I'm not so familiar with a lot of this stuff here.

[Changelog]

Version 1.02.8

- Change PPPoE Username to support up to 32 characters from 22. (WOW!!!)

- Fix DynDns message to display proper message.

- Improve Access Restriction "Allow" behavior.

- Update help file in wireless status.

Version 1.02.5 (OFFICIAL)

- Initial Release

It doesn't seem too promising haha. Either way, thanks for the help. Just let me know what you guys think thus far.

[Firon]

Doesn't seem like the issue was fixed... You may need to get another router.

[Masonis]

Sounds good, boss. That's also what I had in mind... lol.

Are there any routers you would recommend? I've actually never purchased a router before mindfully... this one was a last minute thing to be honest. I obtained it off my friend due to problems with a previous router.

Thanks again!

[Firon]

I had a WRT54GL at home using the Thibor firmware. The DD-WRT firmware would probably work too.

[Switeck]

Masonis,

"I have my speed settings set at a 2mbps custom connection with a little less upload leniency (50k/s) because of the other people connected sharing the bandwidth. My connections per torrent are at 100 and my global connections are set to the default 600 (good? bad?)."

BAD!

I think you be victim of confusion in the Speed Guide (CTRL+G)...the xx/2mbit setting is 2 megabits/sec UPLOAD bandwidth! You probably should pick the xx/384k or lower settings.

[Masonis]

HAHAHA!

Oh man... alright.

Me = Schtoopid.

Thanks Switeck, lol.

[Masonis]

Okay. One more question. I am currently downloading a torrent with 2100 seeders and about 600 leechers. It's been going for about 20 minutes now and I still have yet to breach the 2-digit mark in terms of downspeed. This is with my new speed guide settings.

I'm just a little perplexed.. I mean this is a solid torrent.

Any other suggestions would benefit!

Thanks!

[Ultima]

What is the availability for the torrent, and how many seeds/peers are you connected to?

[Switeck]

Masonis,

According to the speed graphs in µTorrent, is the upload speeds typically reaching and sustaining the max you set?

(If not, you've probably still got the upload speed max set too high...as your ISP may be throttling BitTorrent traffic to well below the rated maximums of your connection.)

Also, do you see "ocean wave" patterns in your download speed, especially when viewing the speed graph in 5-second intervals?

(This is typically a sign of weak/few uploaders and/or your upload speed max pushing a little too close to your connection's max upload limits.)

[Masonis]

Ultima:

Availability is at (right now) 11.997 and seeds are at "9(150)" and leechers are at "49(814)". My download speeds jump anywhere from 0k/s to 50k/s regularily. And its not just this torrent either.. I select the healthiest torrents with the best feedback and rating and everything, and this is not however the first time this has happened. This happens all the time, actually. Anything on your mind that might be of help?

Switeck:

Ocean wave patterns? Definitely. I have a graph reaching from 0 to 50k and the line goes up and down all over the place. I'll try tweaking my max upload speed (set at 35k right now). Thanks again!