D-Link Forums
The Graveyard - Products No Longer Supported => Routers / COVR => DGL-4500 => Topic started by: icemankent on May 01, 2012, 07:50:52 PM
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I have a solution for any of you regarding why your router is not "measuring your uplink speed".
I found this out recently because I just got a new SB6121 Docsis 3.0 cablemodem - one which is capable of connecting to my dgl-4500 router at Gigabit speed.
That is the issue.
My old cablemodem could only connect at 100Mbps, and the router would always "measure my uplink speed" no problem.
Well, now that I am connecting to the router at 1000Mbps, the router simply says "Not Estimated".
This, of course, affects your QoS settings, since QoS is enforced on UPlink only, and if the router has no reference of how much bandwidth it has to play with, then all the QoS rules you set are worthless.
I use Vonage for my home phone. I was torrenting, etc to drive up my usage of the link as a test.
I found that the quality of the call was bad, even though my QoS setting for the Vonage traffic was the highest priority.
This is what led me to troubleshoot it - as I knew there was a QoS issue somewhere - and the only thing that had changed was the cablemodem, and the speed of the ethernet link between it and the router.
I tested this by changing (in Advanced Network) my WAN port speed from Auto 10/100/1000 (which now was connecting at 1000) - to 100.
As soon as I changed it to 100Mbps, and the router rebooted - well low and behold, the router stated it was measuring the uplink speed - and then upon going into the QoS page - it reported the speed of 1055 Kbps. (just like it always used to - when I had my other cablemodem that could only connect to my router at 100Mbps).
I tested the router, and my QoS settings with the WAN hard coded to 100Mbps, (and "Automatic Uplink Speed" checked).
I tested the router, and my QoS settings with the WAN set to Auto 10/100/1000, (withOUT "Automatic Uplink Speed" checked) - and a manual entry of 1055 Kbps in the Manual Uplink Speed box.
Both configurations worked equally - and allowed my QoS settings to "work", since the router had an uplink speed "value" to use, now.
I ended up staying with using the manual entry in the Uplink speed box, only because I liked the fact that I was now connecting at Gigabit speed (although in all practicality, I don't need that speed) - but also because the LED on my 6121 glows blue for Gigabit and orange for anything less - and I prefer blue !
I hope this helps my fellow D-link router owners !
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You are right!! ;D
I changed my WAN speed to 100Mbps, and enabled Automatic Uplink Speed. It's now registering at:
Measured Uplink Speed : 2463 kbps
Thank you for sharing this with us. :)
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Very odd that it works when it is set to 100 and not when you have the WAN set to auto. I never use auto uplink anymore since I have speed boost.
These 4500 seem to be very temperamental for everyone...
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This seems to be related to DLinks QoS engine and on Uplinks 2Mbs for higher. This has been noted over on the 827 forum. I'll test this out tonight on my 645 and see. This seems to effect all products.
http://forums.dlink.com/index.php?topic=46674.0 (http://forums.dlink.com/index.php?topic=46674.0)
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Ahhh yes, I "wish" I had the upload speed that you do (2463 Kbps) !
My ISP has pretty good download speeds, (28Mbps) but we are limited to no more than 1 Mbps upstream.
Hopefully they upgrade the cable system here to someday support the 2.5 Mbps upstream speed that you enjoy !
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Ya it's pretty nice. SO I guess you don't see the same issues as we do for uplink measurement. Was going to ask you, did you happen to see this when you had your 857?
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Here's what I got using a DGL4500 A1 v1.15 connected to a SB 6180 50down/2up:
WAN Port Speed Setting vs Measured Uplink Speed :
100Mb
2538 kbps
1000Mb
2540 kbps
Auto
2536 kbps
I tested the DIR router out and could not get any thing other than:
"Your broadband Internet connection has surpassed the uplink measurement requirement."
After changing speeds and rebooting.
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When I had the 857 I had my old cablemodem and previous ISP, so I did not have the ability to connect to the router at Gigabit speed.
I noticed that you kept your 4500 at an old firmware level (1.15) whereas mine is at 1.23na.
Funny that at the later revision level the bug of not being able to auto-measure the uplink speed occurs when you have your cablemodem-router link set at 1000 Kbps.
Oh well, at least those of us at 1.23na can either set it to 100Mbps or leave it at auto/1000 and just manually enter what the uplink speed (should) be.
;)
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Oh well, at least those of us at 1.23na can either set it to 100Mbps or leave it at auto/1000 and just manually enter what the uplink speed (should) be.
;)
Exactly!! ;D
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I will check to see if this is reproducible on my Rev A2 v1.21 router.
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So I loaded my A1 with v1.23NA and tested connected to my SB 6180:
(http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa396/furrynutz740il/Screenshot2012-05-02at105823PM.png)
GF after FW load, WAN Port Speed at Automatic:
(http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa396/furrynutz740il/Screenshot2012-05-02at105101PM.png)
WAN Port speed at 1000Mb:
(http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa396/furrynutz740il/Screenshot2012-05-02at105251PM.png)
WAN Port speed at 100Mb:
(http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa396/furrynutz740il/Screenshot2012-05-02at105431PM.png)
WAN Port speed at 10Mb:
(http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa396/furrynutz740il/Screenshot2012-05-02at105603PM.png)
WAN Port speed back to Automatic:
(http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa396/furrynutz740il/Screenshot2012-05-02at105732PM.png)
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My 4500 worked like it's supposed to for a while when I received mine with WAN set to auto. All of a sudden, it changed. I'm suspecting the change was on the cable end, since I haven't touched the firmware.
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FYI, my router is A2 a.23NA FW and I never had issues with auto uplink speed with my WAN set to auto or 1000M.
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Well now - it would seem that the plot thickens.
XS:
Even though you set your DGL WAN Port speed as auto 10/100/1000 - how do you "know" that you are actually connecting to it at 1000 Mbps (Gigabit) speed - since the DGL does not tell us what speed it was able to connect at ?
The only way I was able to tell that I was connected at 1Gbps was because my Motorola SB6121 cablemodem has an LED for the Ethernet interface.
When it glows orange, it is 10/100, and when it glows blue, it is 1000.
ALSO VERY IMPORTANT:
You MUST use a Cat 5e or Cat 6 ethernet cable in order to be "able" to connect at 1000 Mbps.
I was connected using a standard Cat 5 cable, and was confused why my DGL and my 6121 would not sync-up at GigE.
(The Eth I/F on my cablemodem would glow orange - not blue).
I changed to a Cat 6 cable and just like magic - it connected at 1000 Mbps - and the LED turned blue.
SO - in your case - unless you "know" (like I am able to know) what speed you are "actually" connected to your cablemodem at - it just "might" be that you are (actually) only connecting at 100Mbps and not 1000Mbps.
These DGL's don't tell us what actual speed they connected at.
Also - what I found is that EVEN if I hard-set the DGL at 1000 Mbps (i.e., not auto 10/100/1000) - if you don't have the right cable - you are ONLY connecting at 100Mbps.
SO, if you are only (really) connecting at 100Mbps, then yes, the DGL "will" measure the Uplink Speed - as it is supposed to - because you are not actually connected at 1000Mbps.
XS, FurryNutz:
Can you guys double-check your cables, and also verify (somehow) if you are truly connecting to the DGL at 1000 Mbps ?
I will assume that your cablemodems actually have a gigabit ethernet port and not just a 10/100 port.
One way or another, I'd like this mystery to be solved.
???
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Oh I'm using CAT6 cabing ;D, 1ft between SB 6180 and DGL 4500. For indication on the modem, there manual says that the link light, when flashing Blue, means it's linked at 1000Mb and has activity. When I changed from Auto or 1000Mb to 100 and 10Mb, the link light changed from Blue to Pink or Magenta colored indicating it was not connected at Auto1000Mb or 1000Mb. All 6 series SB modems support Gb speeds and backwards compatible.
I'll connect a Gb switch I have between the modem and router tonight and test the speeds.
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No need.
I just figured it out.
I found the bug which causes the DGL to "not" estimate the uplink speed.
When you have "Connection Type" set to "Auto-detect" - it WILL calculate the UPlink speed - (sometimes). I did this, and rebooted about 4 times. TWO out of 4 times, it calculated the uplink - the other two - it simply failed and said "Not Estimated".
When you have "Connection Type" set to ""Cable or Other Broadband Network" - it will NOT calculate the UPlink speed - (unless you are connected at 10/100 for a WAN port speed).
This is a definite bug - but now we have a hit-and-miss solution - (of sorts).
Thanks everyone for your input.
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Iceman,
Yeah I have CAT5E cabling through out my house and use CAT6 patch cables. My modem has no indicator of what it is connecting at so really I don't "know" for sure. The cable tech said I would be connecting at 1000M when he installed everything and also stated to make sure I buy a gigabit router or I will have issues connecting.
IF I am connecting at 1000M, I have my connection type set to "Cable or other broadband network" and have no issues with auto uplink working. I have my WAN speed set at 1000M.
I wonder if there is way to tell what I am connecting at???
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What model modem do you have XS?
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DPQ3212 8x4 DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem
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Any chance u can test a motorola 6 series?
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Nope.
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Since we're comparing notes:
My dgl-4500 is hardware version A2.
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Mine is an A2 also. I am running Cat 6 myself. I do have my connection type set to Auto.
Not sure if any of that information will help. But, I think it's safe to say there is a bug. Sad thing is that it won't be fixed. BUT, I am glad there is a workaround for it. It's nice to have QoS working correctly.
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I'll re-configure my A2 this weekend and test it out and see. ;)
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Since we are on the subject of correct QoS settings. If your ISP offers speedboost where you get extra bandwidth for 60 seconds before it slows down to you minimum speed, what do you think your uplink speed should be?
For example, I have 15/2 package, if I run a burst speed test I will get 20/5. If I run a sustained speed test my upload speed will drop from 5M to 2.5meg in 60-90 seconds and level off to about 2.2M until I stop the upload. If I stop the speed test and restart it will do the same thing so my upload just can't sustain the much bandwidth unless there is a pause in it.
If I have my router is set to auto uplink, it measures my upload at >5M.
Anyway, if I set it to 4096 does it really effect QoS? Would playing COD on XBL ever be effected? I am not sure how much bandwidth is used during game play if you are host vs non host.
I played around with setting it at 2048 and 4096 to 5120 and I am not sure if I notice any difference, however I like to have everything working efficiently.
Anyone have any feedback?
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Regarding speedboost - a lot of ISPs are offering this now.
If you go to speedtest.net, you can actually see the "effects" of it.
I am not positive, but I believe that the boost is only on downloads, not uploads.
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My ISP, Cox, it effects both up and down.
Try this program out to know for sure if your ISP is using some type of speedboost (AKA traffic shaping).
http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~partha/diffprobe/shaperprobe.html (http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~partha/diffprobe/shaperprobe.html)
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Furrynutz,
Remember when I provided my review of the dir-857 (in the dir-857 section), and the bulk of my beefs had to do with the User Interface ?
One of my comments was that I loved the way the dgl-4500 offered the ability to see your QoS (in action) - by way of viewing Status/Internet Sessions.
The DGL displays the streams, and also the QoS priority.
This is invaluable to double-check that what you set up is actually working as it is supposed to.
Without that feature - you could set up QoS, but because of a bug in the firmware, the QoS won't work as you configured it - and the only way you'll find out is when something does not work properly.
(Like the quality degradation on my Vonage phone call).
DLink has done a great job on the UI for the dgl routers - better than its competition.
Too bad they dumbed it down for the DIR series.
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I'd like for you to post this in the FORUM USER REQUESTS and BUGS in the DIR-857 forum please. Maybe we can get them to look at this and add it back in. Post some screen shots as well for examples.
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So loading up my A2 from v1.21 to v1.23 today connected to a SB 6180, GF is detecting uplink speeds:
Time :May 5, 2012 5:34:06 PM MDT
Firmware Version :1.23NA, 2010/04/15
Default WAN Speed settings after update(Auto):
Measured Uplink Speed :2539 kbps
WAN Speed set to 1000Mb:
Measured Uplink Speed :2535 kbps
WAN Speed set to 100Mb:
Measured Uplink Speed :2538 kbps
WAN Speed set to 10Mb:
Measured Uplink Speed :2538 kbps
WAN Speed set to Auto and connected external Gb network switch between SB 6180 and 4500
Measured Uplink Speed :2541 kbps
Uplink speeds are still detected by 4500 with switch in line.
Switch is detecting speed changes from 4500 however switch maintains 1000Mb connect with SB 6180 while the 4500 is changing speeds. Kewl.
So I feel there isn't a issue with FW or the 4500's, at least with my settup using a SB 6180.
Wonder if there is something going on with the ISP modems you guys are using and the 4500 when detecting Uplinks.
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Well, if I knew (how) the dgl is actually "calculating" the uplink speed, it might help in determining what possible causes of the issue might be.
Is it doing an extended ping to a d-link server, is it doing a speedtest.net type of test ?
Knowing this might help narrow it down to a device, an ISP, or a configuration anomaly somewhere.
All I know is that I have manually configured my uplink speed - as I cannot count on the DGL estimating it on a reboot - and I cannot afford to have my QoS scheme broken.
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Then that works for you then. I do know that the DGL works for me here. Has ever since I've been using them and works well. I would presume there could be some issues with all the various ISP modems around as well.
Enjoy.
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I never had a problem with auto uplink speed until my uplink went from 2M to 4M. Setting it manually works.
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From my experience, I don't think it is doing a speedtest.net type of test since that is actually a capacity test and not a true speed test. So I think it does a true speed test. However regardless if the auto uplink works or not I would highly suggest not using it due to a couple of reasons.
1. If for what ever reason your ISP is slow or having connection issues while the router is measuring your uplink it will be capped at that value even though there is more bandwidth available until the router runs another uplink speed test. Noticed this quite often where I would run a speed test and I would only get 1-2 meg UL and then reset my router and it was back to 4-5meg. So what ever the router measures your UL to be at that time is what you are stuck with until it measure it again.
2. It does not take in consideration for ISP's using speedburst (traffic shaping)
3. For some people it just does not work.
Some of these features are for the mass market, for people who just want to plug and play. Most people only ever log into their router when they first install it and that's it.
Auto or convenience features usually cause more issues than resolve.
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I would agree with you to a certain point. However, I think we need to take into account that when these older generation routers were developed, that ISP Uplink speeds were not much over 2Mbs for the average home users at the time. Maybe some big metro cities had some speeds that high however the majoritiy of home users nation wide was 1Mb or below. I can only presume that during this time frame, the routers being developed at the time, for what ever reason, might not have had any forethought of higher uplink speeds beyond what was available at the time from ISPs. So theres a good chance while in development, design and testing that the QoS engines in these routers, at the time, were done to maximize the UPlink speeds, at the time. We can only speculate however. I presume that DLink, like other Mfrs probably tested and maximized the use of there data and these engines to work well and put the features and options in for those speeds during that time frame. Now since uplink speeds have increased greatly over the past few years, I can only presume that there could be some issues with these engines and dealing with faster speeds and also need to take into account newer generation ISP modems as well. Even though the protocols might not have changed for modems, were seeing newer modems that handle more options now and can do more things beside just interfacing with the ISP services and translating to the client. So there are other things that probably take in to account of what happens with these older generation routers.
It's unfortunate that some of these routers, probably will see a end of usefullness at some point, depending on ISPs and networking standards. IPv6 will eventually become the main stream, one day, and who's to say, that some ISPs will only support IPv6 connectivity, some day, and thus rendering some routers useless as they don't included any IPv6 support. I know thats an extreme thought. That will be a sad day for the 4500 and other good working routers. Until the, these routers are still great routers and we'll just have to tweak them to work well for each one of us that has encountered certain problems. They will work well, just gotta keep em going for those who need too.
My 2 cents