NBN: WLAN slowdown over time

[VK4ADC]

Since the changeover to NBN at the home QTH a few months ago, I have been occasionally doing speed tests using Beta Speed Test and have had consistent speeds when using a machine plugged into a LAN port. A wireless-connected desktop has had fairly consistent slightly slower speed test results, my notebook varies depending on where in the house it is - all to be expected. 

A few days ago the web access seemed to be slow. The wired machine produced the normal mid-23Mb/s values but the 4.6MB/s value on the 'wireless' desktop fell far short of the normal 22+MB/s value. The notebook was just 4MB/s. Speed test ping times were nearly 200mS, up from 19mS. Logging into the NBN modem/router showed NBN line speeds normal but it had been up for 15 days. Restarting the HG659 router brought the WLAN performance back to normal values. 

So it seems that the HG659 is dropping its performance bundle somewhere along the line in its inbuilt WLAN functionality but, since it is an ISP-supplied and controlled device, there is nothing I can really do about it that way.  No firmware updates are available.

My solution is quite simple. I have included a 7-day mains timer between the router power plug and the power outlet and set the time to power off the modem/router for just 1 minute in the early hours of Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings. That way the maximum up-time is from Friday AM to Monday AM, i.e. 72 hours or 3 days.

It takes about 3 minutes for the router to completely come back on-line again after the power returns but since I am asleep at that hour (hopefully), that 4 minutes slips by mostly unnoticed.

While it may not be the technical approach to decreasing WLAN speeds with the HG659, it is working for me.

73 Doug VK4ADC

[VK3RX]

Silicon Chip had a circuit last September that rebooted an NBN modem probably for the same reasons. I recall it was somewhat complex and did the reboot for about a minute each night.

Someone later sent a letter to the editor saying for simplicity they use a timer like you have, shutting it off nightly for 15 minutes. I assume that might be the smallest timer limit with their device.

[VK4ADC]

Damien

I haven't seen a Silicon Chip magazine up close and personal in many years so missed the article you mentioned.  I did consider using one of my newer PICAXE chips to do the power switching in the router's DC feed as they have a really easy time feature to implement but I had two of these 7 day timers (Excalibur EDT (about $15 from Bunnings?)) on hand. 

They have an LCD to help set up the times for each of the 20 timing options for On/Off switching but I am just using one of the 20. My timer has been set up to switch On all 7 days around 2AM and switch Off the preceding minute on Mon-Wed-Fri, though it could have been every day had I so desired, or even just 1 day a week. 

Certainly the WLAN speed is now more consistent - and around the correct value - since adding the timer control a few days back.

Doug