Originally Posted by
Falcon1986
Do you remember the days of TCP Optimizer? Does anyone still use it? It would be interesting to know what people do today to get the most out of their home internet connections.
When I came to Jamaica and signed up for Digicel Fibre, it was the first time I was exposed to a symmetrical 50Mbps broadband connection. It worked well on Digicel's/Huawei's gateway, but as speed upgrades occurred, I came to realize that a lot can be lost if you just use what Digicel gives you. I wouldn't be surprised at how many customers pay Digicel (or any major ISP for that matter) for better speeds, WiFi coverage, etc., when a few upgrades here and optimizations there can save a lot in the long term. But then again, not everyone is aware or has the time.
Here are a few of the things I did to ensure I get the 150Mbps/150Mbps I pay for in my home and apartment:
- Wire in as many devices using ethernet (Cat5e/Cat6/Cat6a) whenever possible;
- Use a separate router behind Digicel's gateway - yes, this will cause double-NAT, but I'm behind CG-NAT anyway and haven't had any problems so far; it also allows you to use features that Digicel's gateway is lacking;
- Implement strategies to reduce bufferbloat - important in high speed broadband, but maybe not so much if you pay for speeds above 500Mbps; at one location, I use SQM (configured for 170Mbps/170Mbps) and I'm reaching my 150Mbps speeds with loaded/unloaded latencies of 2-3ms (compared to SQM turned off when loaded latency is 130-140ms);
- Turn off the AP on Digicel's gateway and use your own AP(s) with support for 5GHz (WiFi 5 wave 2 or better) - the gateway Digicel provided me only supports 2.4GHz broadcasts which will never allow 150Mbps over WiFi in our neighbourhoods where everyone is blasting 2.4GHz everywhere; also, more APs allows you to use lower power output so there is less noise and interference with nearby APs;
- Tune 2.4GHz and 5GHz antenna broadcasts so that they are not at their highest power output, use a reasonable channel width, and are not overlapping with a neighbour's signal that is -80dBm or better; a spectrum analyzer comes in helpful
A little more advanced setup:
- Upgraded to prosumer network equipment - comes with higher up-front cost and need for technical knowledge;
- Segregated devices into VLANs and implemented firewall rules for security;
- Used AdGuard Home (similar to PiHole) as a local DNS to block unwanted traffic/ads
Good advise. I already do most those with my connection and plan to do the prosumer stuff later...mainly a PiHole to drop stuff and my implement an additional firewall with a NUC like.
I will do further stuff when I can move somewhat off JPS.
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