I’m trying to setup 2 rb500’s with a CM9 card using 5ghz-turbo and nstreme. Now I’m not quite seeing the speeds I was expecting. I can get upto about 45Mbps. Now with some old standard P2-400’s, and using 2.4g-turbo, I was able to sustain 65-70Mbps. What would be the difference here? Is the rb500’s cpu not enough to sustain the higher throughput? I’ve tried 2.4-turbo and 5ghz-turbo with about the same result, 50Mbps. All cards are based off the Atheros AR5213 chipset, just the ones in the PC’s are only 2.4ghz. These units are also running 2.9 release.
Here is are the results that I got in the lab with RB500’s and CM9 cards.
CPU's set to 333Mhz
Running 2.9 stable release. Includes default wireless-test package.
Point to Point using WDS All other wireless setting default
Signal level is at -48 and Tx/Rx rate is at 54Mbs
Running bandwidth test on 2 pc's on either side of rb500 connected directly with a crossover.
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band=5Ghz(No Turbo/No Nstreme)
Transmit: 26Mbps
Receive: 27Mbps
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band=5Ghz(No Turbo/Nstreme Enabled with Framer Policy=none)
Transmit: 15Mbps
Receive: 15Mbps
band=5Ghz(No Turbo/Nstreme Enabled with Framer Policy=best-fit)
Transmit: 26Mbps
Receive: 26Mbps
band=5Ghz(No Turbo/Nstreme Enabled with Framer Policy=dynamic)
Transmit: 20Mbps
Receive: 21Mbps
band=5Ghz(No Turbo/Nstreme Enabled with Framer Policy=exact-size default limit)
Transmit: 23Mbps
Receive: 23Mbps
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band=5Ghz(Turbo/No Nstreme)
Transmit: 27Mbps
Receive: 49Mbps
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band=5Ghz(Turbo/Nstreme Enabled with Framer Policy=none)
Transmit: 26Mbps
Receive: 47Mbps
band=5Ghz(Turbo/Nstreme Enabled with Framer Policy=best-fit)
Transmit: 26.6Mbps
Receive: 56Mbps
band=5Ghz(Turbo/Nstreme Enabled with Framer Policy=dynamic)
Transmit: 26Mbps
Receive: 53Mbps
band=5Ghz(Turbo/Nstreme Enabled with Framer Policy=exact-size default limit)
Transmit: 26Mbps
Receive: 55Mbps
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Not sure why when enabling turbo mode that the transmit rate did not increase like the receive rate did. Both Pc's are multi-Ghz machines with plenty of ram. Need to look more into this. Could be generic built-in ethernet cards.
Anyway enjoy!!!!
Guess I’m doing better then you. I’m seeing 45Mbps each way. I am testing directly from the RB500 though. (I’ve tested on each side of it aswell with no real difference)
45 mbit’s each way you say? That’s 90mbit’s aggregated throughput. That’s what you get out a turbo link isnt it? Have we forgotten it’s a half-duplex medium?
i am currently doing lab testing with 2pc’s and 2 ver2.8 routers. They are not actual pc’s just the router circuit boards with pc (laptop) wireless cards.
Can you clarify, on your test document for RB230, Nstreme
CPU speed is 266MHz ?
speed is measured on the wireless interface, or on the test celeron?
framer size?
routed or bridged (WDS) connection?
celerons were running RouterOS with bandwidth test, or windows bandwidth test?
We did our 266MHz geode-platform testing many months back and only got 24Mbps in the lab.
Your test results shows 45Mbps using “old package” and 47Mbps using “new”.
Would be nice to know the “latest results” - I don’t have any 266 boxes here just at present.
I believe he meant that he was getting 45mbps both ways, one way one each test. Example, when doing a receive test he was getting 45mbps, then switch to transmit test and got 45mbps.
In my case, I was seeing 56mbps doing the receive test, and only getting 26mbps when switching to the transmit test. I haven’t been able to figure out, why I was only seeing 26mbps on the transmit test. It should be the same as the receive test.
I won’t believe any of these throughput claims until I see it for myself. Anyone have a screenshot showing the NStreme Interface passing more than 20MB FDX?
NStreme2 FDX bench tests I have run with RB532s set to 333MHz rarely achieve better than 22MB FDX. In the field will typically produce slightly less even at stable -52 rssi readings.
Running the MT bandwidth test in “both” directions from a P4 3.2GHz MT router to a P4 2.4GHz MT router across a NStreme2 link with RB532s will yield just shy of 20MB FDX.
I challange anyone to submit screenshots, NStreme2 configuration and RB532 hardware configuration that can sustain greater payload than 20MB FDX.
Hmmm
Sorry I don’t have any RB532’s (yet … have ordered a pair for test, waiting for delivery - I think the new architecture looks very promising for medium speed radios).
But here are some results we had on 1.5GHz Pent M platforms in the lab., Nstreme, bridged using WDS. Test was through the router, using external 1GHz test routers running bandwidth test
Like you say, Belwave, I think a small prize for someone reporting RB532 Nstreme or Nstreme2 with max throughput is in order …
Good point Uldis,
We should do another lab test shortly on that 1.5GHz platform using 2.9.1.
We have range tested the radios with good results, but with obscured Fresnel zone (Near LOS) 5m height over water at 8.2km - so we could not achieve more than 40Mbps (still impressive) on that site with the 23dBi antennas - radio levels were flickering around -72dBm, so 2x24Mbps in 5GHz Turbo gave the best throughput.
Interestingly, we tested our 600MHz Pent M platform in the lab and it runs slightly slower than the results above - around 65Mbps, even using various 2.9 releases and 2.9.1, though the CPU load is never more than 40%. The platform runs cooler (fanless, outdoor grade case) and a lot cheaper than the 1.5GHz, so the slight performance penalty seems worth it.
So perhaps for x86 platforms that is “normal” to lose something from the theoretical maximum, perhaps some latency in the drivers or something.
While these are impressive HDX results lets see what FDX looks like. I imagine there will be a significant drop in payload capacity.
Also, what hardware platform are you using? Is there any “hardened” equipment suitable for outdoor deployment other than the RB532? These tests are great for indoor use, but we need this gear to survive 60*C to really be of any use.
