QCA BEST WIFI SETTINGS

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msoengineer
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Joined: 21 Jan 2017
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 07, 2020 16:47    Post subject: QCA BEST WIFI SETTINGS Reply with quote
This should be your first stop to check out and read about how to get the most out of your Atheros Chipset router and its wifi settings.

LINK:Got a Broadcom Chipset, Then read this guide instead

To really get a good understanding of the limits of wifi, PLEASE READ THIS. (1/3-2/3 rule)
The Best wifi I have ever seen is about 67% of the maximum MCS index rate. For most users this will be 866.7mbps (580 mbps is the best case/real life scenario). If you are lucky enough to have 4x4 VHT80 stream this would mean 1161 mbps. Of course, this also means you need to have a newer CPU from the last 3-4 years that can handle all that data...

Next, go read the QCA Wifi Wiki. This has very detailed explanations of what are the best settings to use and why. While I didn't create that wiki, I have spent many hours making edits to that wiki to further expand on the "WHY" the setting should be a certain way. See something wrong there, PM me and we'll discuss offline.

If you are too lazy to read, then simply scroll down. Realize, the pictures below are a work in progress and not all settings may apply to your older router which may have fewer possible settings; also, a few new features have also been added in the gui but have been omitted in the pictures. If a setting is missing in your gui, but is in my pictures, then it's not available on your hardware.

These settings have been found to yield the best and most consistent wifi possible and apply universally to all atheros based routers. DON'T deviate from them and then ask why things are not working...follow these settings, unless you really know what you are doing, or just want to tinker around. I have attempted to detail everything either in the pictures OR in the QCA wifi wiki. If you have a technical workshop beef, or want something changed, PM me and we can discuss offline.

All of those settings can be moot if you also don't position your router/ap in the right spot. This is an excellent guide to further help you
properly locate your router/ap in your space

HOW DO I TEST MY NETWORK?

And when you're testing, you need to use two computers running iperf on each and don't rely on iperf on the router because you will skew results if only testing against the router's iperf. Also not all routers have iperf built in- 4 & 8mb versions...
How to use Iperf for testing the router
Preffered Iperf3 commands to use so we all are using the same parameters when posting:

Code:
Upload test: iperf3 -c #.#.#.# -b1000M -w750k -P20 -V
Download test iperf3 -c #.#.#.# -b1000M -w750k -P20 -V -R

#.#.#.# = the ip of the server running iperf3
-b1000M: forces 1gig speeds transfers
-w750k: sets the transfer window to half the full MTU of 1500
-P20: 20 simultaneous streams to force data through and see the full potential of the signal mbps.
-V: verbose test to show you cpu and memory load under testing.
-R: reverses the transfer from the server to you instead of you to the server.


PLEASE read the wiki and don't be TL:DR-
NOTE THE UPDATED BEACON INTERVAL FOR STABILITY REASONS



[Edit by moderator (egc)]:
Newer builds have the option to switch between Vanilla and DD-WRT firmware for both 2.4GHz & 5GHz.
Vanilla is the original QCOM firmware from Kvalo and DD-WRT is the DD-WRT custom firmware, a modified firmware based on CandelaTech's driver but heavily modified by DDWRT developers (BS and NBD)
DDWRT firmware has some extra options e.g.:Half (10 MHz), Quarter (5 MHz) and auto ACK Timing
Most users prefer Vanilla

Airtime Fairness is reported to cause problems by some users, if you have stability problems disable Airtime Fairness.

U-APSD (Automatic Power Save) is reported to cause problems by some users, if you have stability problems disable U-APSD (Automatic Power Save).

Security
WPA2 Personal CCMP-128 (AES)

Other settings (e.g. WPA3) are not well tested and might not work reliably.

Regarding iperf3 testing use " -P 4 " to get the optimal results.

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Here are some useful links:
discussion about CT wifi driver-or NOT

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