Airport faster than my UniFi U6 Lite...

[MrCheeto]

I've got the last gen Airport and just got a UniFi U6 Lite but for some reason the new access point is actually slower than the deprecated Apple router.

Here's my network setup.

Fiber ISP Router(WiFi disabled) > unmanaged ethernet switch > wireless access point

The Airport is configured to not act as a router, it's just a wireless passthrough.
The UniFi uses PoE with an injector since I don't have a powered switch.

On average the Airport is achieving about 200mbps faster download (yes, web test) than when using the U6.

This is with only one device powered on at a time, one client attached at a time, both using 80mhz bandwidth and the same channel (tried a few), both at the same position and same distance from the test Mac. Both show using 2 streams.

When I option-Click the WiFi menu, it shows the TX rate as about 869mbps for the Airport and about 1,200mbps for the U6 Lite.

I'd like to use device-to-device throughput tests and configure other settings in the U6 but this requires having some Ubiquiti host...device equipment.

What are your thoughts?

 

[Kgeee]

I get between 600 and 800 MBits/sec with the UA6 Lite.

What speed are you getting with UA?

 

[MrCheeto]

What speed are you getting with UA?

View attachment 2344306

Well, that’s the thing, I wish I could do a local client-to-client test to rule out ISP but it looks like I’d need a Ubiquiti host dealie to use that tool.

I’ll try to set up an FTP on a Mac and test transfers from it etc.

To answer the part about my download, I get a max of about 896 up AND down over Ethernet. I pay for 1gig. Over Airport I get 860-880 down when at the same time (same server, same AP location, same distance from AP, only one AP radio powered at a time) the Ubiquiti will normally get 670-690 down. Maybe it has hit an 800 max.

How is it possible that the OLD deprecated Airport is faster than the modern smart thingamajig?

 

[Kgeee]

You can do an iPerf test between two clients. It's fairly easy to set up. The test in my previous post was made with iPerf.

That being said, I highly doubt you will get more than 800-900 Mbits/sec with the UA6 Lite.

 

[MrCheeto]

That being said, I highly doubt you will get more than 800-900 Mbits/sec with the UA6 Lite.

Ah. Actually it’s a U6+. Just slightly different from the Lite.

800-900 is indeed the theoretical maximum since they only use 1Gb Ethernet but my frustration is that I bought this device thinking that all of the new fancy tech (AX just for one) would beat something from 2013… Crazy.

I’m mostly trying to remove complexity from my network. The fewer moving parts, the less configuration necessary and the fewer conflicts created.

I know Airport can be used as just a WAP but I still think it would be less robust than a device that can ONLY be a WAP.

Could the POE injection be an issue?

 

[seggy]

Ah. Actually it’s a U6+. Just slightly different from the Lite.

800-900 is indeed the theoretical maximum since they only use 1Gb Ethernet but my frustration is that I bought this device thinking that all of the new fancy tech (AX just for one) would beat something from 2013… Crazy.

I’m mostly trying to remove complexity from my network. The fewer moving parts, the less configuration necessary and the fewer conflicts created.

I know Airport can be used as just a WAP but I still think it would be less robust than a device that can ONLY be a WAP.

Could the POE injection be an issue?

No. user ignorance is the issue.

If you're testing for / have one device connecting to the U6+ especially over gigabit an then complains about an 700mbps-ish throughput then you've missed the point of Wifi6.

It also depends on how less complex you want it to be. By going Unifi it is less complex for people who know what they're buying and know what they're doing over a mishmash of random wireless systems, but even one Unifi device might be too complex for someone who clearly doesn't.

Might have been better off with eero...

 

[MrCheeto]

But Airport go faster.