Dissapointed with Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300

So my router is located in the 1st floor, in the den. I was trying to figure out why is my laptop's signal so weak in the 2nd floor. I initially thought that my router's wifi signal was too weak so I went to Rogers and got it replaced with Hitron CGN3. Pretty neat machine: 802.11n 3X3 Dual Band MIMO Access Point, capable of both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz. I read about the difference about both signals and I was trying to connect to 5Ghz. But I couldn't. I was playing with the router's software and spent about an hour trying to figure out why. Then I found out that my wireless card is heavily outdated. I have Dell SXPS 1645 with 1st generation i7 and it came with DW1501 wireless card. I think Dell might have falsely advertised of having two antennas when it has only one. My warranty was done about a year ago and didn't want to talk to outsourced employee. Then I looked for a replacement and decide on Intel 6300. I wanted to get Killer 1103 but no one was selling them in Canada.

I got the 6300 today and compared with Intel wireless wifi link 4965AGN a 2x2, which it's installed on HP Pavilion that I have for general use. And here are some rather unimpressive results.

~25ft away from router, 1st floor
SXPS 2.4Ghz
144Mbps fluctuating above and below

HP 2.4Ghz
144Mbps steady

SXPS 5Ghz
270Mbps average, occasionally fluctuates above up to 300, rarely 360

HP 5Ghz
300Mbps steady maxed out

2nd floor, my brother's room, directly above the location of the router
SXPS 2.4Ghz
144Mbps steady, occasional 173

HP 2.4Ghz
144Mbps steady

SXPS 5Ghz
Fluctuating between either 300Mbps or 360Mbps, not anything in between, I've seen it maxed out 450Mbps very momentarily

HP 5Ghz
300Mbps steady maxed out

2nd floor my room, about 30 away from the router, but has to go through about 3 brick walls and other house insulation stuff
SXPS 2.4Ghz
Highest up to 78Mbps with average of 26Mbps. I played League of Legends (reliable enough to test) ping 95-105. speed stayed at 13mbps there was lag spike up to 400

HP 2.4Ghz
Highest up to 78Mbps. Hard to determine average speed because it would hang around at specific number for sometime then change its mine to different speed but 29Mbps would be the lowest average but occasionally even blew

HP 5Ghz
About 13-18Mbps but sometimes 24Mbps.

SXPS 5Ghz
Either 24mbps or 18mbps and below as well. I've actually seen 1Mbps....
I played League of Legends and the ping was about the same as 2.4Ghz but there was a major lag which spiked up to 10k and lasted about a minute. Don't know what happened there Other players didn't have that kind of lag.
Speed was on average of 13Mbps with occasional 18Mbps

The observation was done when both laptops were connected at the same time and and at the same exact spot.
This tells me that the 4965AGN is pretty much on par with the 6300. Throughout the test, the 4965AGN speed was more stable than 6300. The 6300 fluctuated quite a bit.
I know now that the brick walls were getting in the way of the wifi signal but I'm not impressed with 6300 at all. I'm think of trying Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 (7260HMW). It's only 2x2 but might be better than 6300.

Any thoughts?

 

First off: If you are running Windows 8/8.1 then get the Intel 7260AC adaptor instead (the driver issues may be fixed in Windows 7 by now too...).

Second: If you can get a 'plain' modem (or at least put the Hitron CGN3 in bridge mode) from Rogers, do so. Then get an Asus RT-N66U, RT-AC66U* or RT-AC68U** for your wireless duties.


*Especially if you'll get the Intel 7260AC adaptor.
**Especially if you'll get the Intel AC adaptor and are willing to suffer for a couple of weeks/months for finalized drivers.



Thirdly; it seems like you have at least two antennae in your XPS and more than likely 3... (otherwise you would not be able to report connection speeds of greater than 360 Mbps).

See:
How Fast Can Your Wi-Fi Go? - SmallNetBuilder



Keep in mind that older routers (like your 'new' one) are very, very poor in the 5GHz band (for range and throughput) vs. the new AC router I've suggested here (the RT-AC66U and RT-AC68U). Even the highly regarded RT-N66U compares very poorly to these new AC routers (in the 5GHz band... though it is arguably the best router 'still' when used in the 2.4GHz band).


Note too with wireless that the speeds are always 'up to'. And the range is 'extreme', 'xtreme' or similar (in other words: no claims are made how it will work in your specific situation).

This is because the wireless environment is dynamic and changes constantly - it is not a fixed situation with predictable outcomes.


To me; as it seems your XPS is equipped with the required 3 antennae; I would be looking to either relocate your existing router to a more central (think in 3D here...) position in your house, or, try one of the suggested router in your specific setup.


I would also point out that all the routers I'm suggesting are equipped with external antennae (x3). This is essential for maximum range and throughput in a large and/or multi-storied home imo.



The last point to keep in mind? The fluctuation (or not) of the signal in Windows wi-fi status windows is not relevant. Unless you conduct proper throughput tests, the wi-fi status is as useful a GM fuel meter from the 70's. As a matter of fact, if you do get around to doing proper throughput tests - you may see the 'fluctuating' signal hit the speeds you're expecting with the 6300N.


Hope some of this helps.


Good luck.

 

I don't see any problems. Your signals are comparable and strong. Switching wireless cards is certainly not going to improve your connection speed unless you get an 802.11ac router and adapter card. As long as you don't notice slowdowns in actual use, there's nothing to worry about.

 

tilleroftheearth
Hey thanks for your input. I don't have Win8 but I'm running on Win7. If I do get the 7260AC (as you mentioned that Intel fixed the driver issue for Win7) will I notice any difference from 6300 when using 5Ghz (even thought the Hitron is an N router)?

I'm not looking into investing heavily on routers right now but I've talked to Rogers and they said its gonna be about $50 to relocated my modem/router (Hitron CGN3). I'm planning to just moving it 2nd floor. So I might just do that.

I do have 3 antennas but rarely goes up 360Mbps. The Hitron I just got also has 3 antennas as well.

I know my observations are very crude but still are somewhat helpful.

 

What exactly are you testing?

1. The antenna and laptop design do make a difference.

2. It is normal that 4965/5300/6300 are pretty close in performance. They are just wifi cards after all.

re the ac7260 question, no.

 

No, I'm not sure if the issues are fixed in the Win7 drivers with the Intel 7260AC cards... (sorry).

What kind of connection is indicated when you're in the same room as the router with the XPS? Do you get the 450Mbps as expected?

If you do, then $50 would be fairly cheap to move the modem/router to the same room as you're normally using the XPS in - but for myself; I'd rather invest that into a better router. (I'd recommend to at least try an RT-N66U with a 100% refund/no restocking charge to see if the router you have is anywhere close to 'current' performance standards).

I'd also recommend trying to connect with 20MHz channel width for 2.4GHz mode (instead of 40MHz) for a better (throughput-wise) connection and also using a program like the free inssider to choose a channel with the least 'traffic/use' in your location and time of normal use.

See:
inSSIDer for Home – Discover The Wi-Fi Around You | MetaGeek


Getting back to the 7260AC card - they're probably cheaper than the 6300N you bought and perform much, much better with the newer (AC) routers in my experience. You would be giving up a 3rd antennae though (not that you're using it currently, it seems...) in the XPS, but each antennae allows up to 433Mbps (for a theoretical connection speed of 867Mbps with 2 antennae) instead of 150Mbps - and even better; I've seen improvements even without running AC class routers (yet; please see the link to the other thread for more details).

See:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/har...e-internal-wifi-adapter-asus-n550jv-db71.html


See:
https://downloadcenter.intel.com/Se...ductProduct=Intel®+Dual+Band+Wireless-AC+7260


The link directly above shows the same version drivers for Windows 7/8/8.1 - I would take this as a good sign that the issues are fixed with this preferred adaptor (preferred, because of the greatly increased performance with the AC class routers going forward and also for the greater battery life with this more power efficient adaptor).


Hope this helps a bit more.


Good luck.

 

So in the same room it sits around at 300Mbps to 360Mbps. Doesn't seem to go over that. Does this mean that my XPS isn't using the 3rd antennae even though the physical wire does exist? Or is something wrong with the card?

I just found out that the store I purchased my 6300 sell all three Asus routers you mentioned: RT-N66U, RT-AC66U, RT-AC68U. Priced at $135 (on sale til 16th), $190, $229 respectively. I guess I'll try the RT-N66U. But since I can't pick up full 450Mbps should I not keep the router?

What if I get Intel 7260 + RT-AC66U or Intel 7260 + RT-AC68U? Are they worth the price?

Or if I was to get an AC router should I wait for 2nd wave or later?

I'm only be able to choose the channel width of 20Mhz only or Auto for both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz

What I'm trying to achieve here is for gaming. I'm not doing any heavy downloads (except downloading games) or file transfers. I just want to get stable connection with no lag spikes and fast enough speed that would get me at least <90 ping.

 

what wireless gaming scenarios have you tested with either card?

Sent from my Lumia 1520 using Tapatalk

 

To be clear; you get 300-360Mbps in the same room with the Hitron CGN3, right?

That could mean the Hiltron is that bad - or; that the third antennae is weaker/loose on the notebook. Or even that you have the advanced options in the Intel 6300N setup incorrectly for your situation.

Also: are you trying this when on battery power, or connected directly to the wall? It will make a difference as some power savings may be enabled on battery power...


As for the variations of the adaptor card and router(s) that you're asking, it will depend on your specific situation if it is 'worth the price' or not.

If you can; I would definitely hold out for the Wave 2 AC products (though it seems like that may be up to the middle of next year away now...).


Is the ping measurement to the router or to google.com (or some other website)? To the router you should be getting 1 or 2 ms ping times (to the 192.168.1.1 default address). If it is higher... again; it could be the router, the 6300N or the driver that is interfering or not setup correctly that is giving you such high latency.


Assuming (many things...) at this point: I would be inclined to buy the RT-N66U, put on the SDK5 version of RMerlin's firmware (in the experiment folder) and see if your wireless performance jumps to reasonable levels.

See:
Asuswrt-Merlin - custom firmware for Asus routers - SmallNetBuilder Forums


Above link is overview of RMerlin's work.


See:
https://www.mediafire.com/folder/bkfq2a6aebq68//Asuswrt-Merlin#9dy3xubrkp79p


Above link is to 'Experimental' folder of RT-N66U


See:
http://www.mediafire.com/download/7v6d5p3ia57f72a/RT-N66U_3.0.0.4_374.35_4-sdk5.zip


Above link is direct link to latest recommended firmware for RT-N66U.



Take care.

 

@mattcheau
My first post said that I used League of Legends. I mostly play COD but the connection is based on P2P so I chose LoL.

@tilleroftheearth
Yes on the Hitron. I looked up on Google and switched my antennas around. Now I'm able to hit 450Mbps but it still wants hang around 300Mbps-360Mbps with the AC power. I initially observed with battery only so my fault there.

My 2.4Ghz - wireless set up to 802.11 g/n mixed and channel is Auto (11)
My 5Ghz - wireless set up to 802.11 a/n mixed and channel is Auto (36)

Would you prefer if I layout all the properties set on my 6300?

 

Okay! Let's see if we can fine tune this some more...

2.4GHz radio:
If you have no legacy (b/g) devices - set the 2.4GHz mode to 'N' only and 20MHz wide channels - and if you can specify Channel 11, that would be ideal (assuming that you played with inssider and can see that Channel 11 is the best choice for your environment).


5GHz radio:
Again take it out of mixed mode (if you don't have any legacy (a) devices) and set it to 'N' only but make sure to set 40MHz wide channels here (unless inssider shows a LOT of 5GHz access points in your area) - and I would specify the Channnel to 165/161 (or the highest channel you can select in your country... higher channel equals higher throughput, all else being equal).


For both radios: can you select output power levels on the router (actually; check that the output power level on the adaptor(s) are also set to maximum power too). On the Asus routers, selecting 200mW gives me worse performance than selecting 100mW or lower. (The signal to noise ratio gets worse, because the power amps distort...). On very 'clean' environments; a setting of 30mW works just as well as a setting of 100mW for some of my clients (acreage, etc.).


If you haven't touched the properties of the 6300N, I don't need you to copy them (just check that maximum power is allowed...). If you have played around with them - I would uninstall the software (completely) and re-install to make sure everything is at defaults. Btw, what version of the drivers are you using?



With the above changes, you should be seeing the best possible scenario for your equipment and the 'normal' radio interference in your area. Hope it makes a difference, keep us informed of your progress.


(And please test with the notebook plugged in too!).



...

 

Hey I did most of the stuff that you said (thing that are applicable) and it's worse now actually. It gives me 144Mbps - 173Mbps.

2.4GHz:
set it to N mode only. Can't select 20MHz or 40MHz channel on the Hitron but I can only select 20MHz or Auto on the 6300 properties (both 2.4 and 5).

5GHz:
set it to N mode only. Can only select Auto or 20MHz on the 6300 properties. On the Hitron I can only select the channel number, and set it to 165.

On the Hitron, it doesn't have the option for me to change the power output but on the 6300 I have it set to max power.

My XPS detects there is one AC router some where, and there is only one router that shares channel 11. Channel 165 is not taken.

Should I change these settings back? The speed is steady on 144MHz mark with an occasional up to 173MHz.

The laptop is plugged in.

 

Make sure 5 GHz is on auto, there shouldn't be that many 5 GHz networks so you should be able to use 40 MHz if set to auto. 144 is normal for 2.4 GHz on 20 MHz. There are usually so many 2.4 GHz networks and other devices operating on that frequency in wireless environments that on auto, you'll default back to 20 MHz because of interference anyways.

 

Agreed with tijo; if the router doesn't offer 40MHz bandwidth on the 5GHz radio, select Auto.

Are you using inssider? If you are, I don't think it can accurately detect AC class routers yet... - but more importantly; is it showing routers in the 5GHz band?

Unless you installed the 6300's antennae completely wrong, I would pursue this further with another router (new/different brand).

Before buying one to test, can you take your notebook to a buddies house?



...

 

Okay I think I figured it out.

I used inssider to find out the most optimal channel for 2.4GHz (1 or 6 for me, I chose 6). For 5Ghz It seems only one person using 149 channel and the rest are open free.

Here is the interesting part.
Below 149 is scrap. Out of the available channels for me (149, 153, 157, 161, 165), 157 seems to work out the best. I am able to hit between 405MHz - 450MHz and occasionally below. But whenever I choose 165 channel, it just stops at 217MHz.
The only way of climbing back up is to change the wireless mode from N mode to A/N mixed and vise versa. Just changing the channels did not change the speed.
So I think changing to 165 channel, regardless of which wireless mode, it some how down grades the speed. I hope you can understand what I'm trying to explain. And getting it back up the speed is to change the wireless mode to a different one.

So my 5Ghz is set at N mode, channel 157, my 6300 is set to Auto.
2.4Ghz set to N mode, channel 6, 6300 set to 20MHz

 

Hey, great news!

I won't pretend to know how the Hitron should be configured... but glad you were able to find it by trial and error.


For the 2.4GHz radio, the Hitron should be set to Auto or 20MHz (not your 6300N card in your notebook).


You must have got a bit of a workout testing the different channels and seeing the results in the different areas of the house, huh?


So, are the ping times lower - or did that not change for your setup (yet)?



...

 

For Hitron, there is no option for me to change 20MHz, 40MHz or Auto. I checked every section.

Note that I'm able to get the speed between 405-450 with an occasional below 405. With the laptop and the Hitron are in the same room. Can't understand why it's fluctuating.

As for the ping I'll test them out a bit later tonight. I'll keep you posted. Though I don't think it will change that much.

I'll get the Asus RT-N66U tomorrow to see if it has significant improvement. I was gonna get it today but I was wrestling with Hitron and 6300.

 

Intel Centrino 7260's drivers for both Windows 7 and 8/8.1 are flaky as best and not that much better then the problematic Centrino 6235 adapters from last year, I went through two Centrino 7260's which gave me random drop outs (afterwards cannot see 5Ghz connection without hard reset) on both Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 and ended up returning them both.

IMHO Intel WiFi adapters have been going downhill since the Centrino 6205/6300 from 2011, I'd stick to Broadcom or even BigFoot/Atheros WiFi adapters which are generally older and have less features (no wireless display and automatic WiFi hotspot detection on some) but IMHO provides a better connection stability without random wireless drop outs.

 

I tested my connection with League of Legends and I saw some improvements

2.4GHz
Speed stayed at about 39MHz fluctuating above and below, 94-98 ping

5GHz
Speed stayed at around 40MHz fluctuating above and below, 94-101 ping

Oh and I was logged on to Steam for both times.
I'm going to try Asus RT-N66U and see if I can notice any improvements


Does anyone know any retailer that sells BigFoot Killer 1103 in Canada?

 

Not exactly cheap: Killer Wireless N 1103 802 11N 450Mbps Wifi Qualcomm Atheros Killergaming Laptop | eBay

 

Nemix77, I have no experience with the 7260AC adaptors on Win7 systems - but on Win8 and Win8.1 with 16.6 drivers they are absolutely stable for me (with one sample being on a four year old system...).

As for the Killer cards: not worth anything extra and especially not worth more than an AC card or a top of the line 6300N...


Am curious to see the results you get with a new RT-N66U router tomorrow.

To give the best possible results with the new router:

Power up the router and let it sit there for at least 10 to 15 minutes.

Connect with an Ethernet cable directly and flash the latest firmware from Asus. Let the router reboot by itself (if it does) and leave for 10 to 15 minutes again. Unplug the power cord and leave for at least 2 minutes; then turn it on and let it settle for another 10 - 15 minutes.

Connect with an Ethernet cable again and flash to the SDK5 firmware from RMerlin I linked to above.


Now, make new wireless SSID's and passwords (don't reuse the ones you have now).

Choose the best channels on both 2.4 and 5 GHz radios as you did before.

And; set the Power level to 100mW for both radios (on the Professional Tab in the RMerlin firmware).


Good luck.

 

Those are the exact drivers I used with the Centrino 7260 cards when I had them on both Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, in Windows 8.1 the drops were more frequent maybe every 4 days or so a random drop would happen and I'd be unable to see my 5Ghz signal but I can still see my 2.4Ghz signal when this happens.

In Windows 7 the drop were less frequent almost to the point I thought I had good card and the drivers were fixed somehow fixed by Intel but it happened after about a week and 1 day of use, exact same problem like the card running on Windows 8.1, as hard reset of either Windows or disabling then enabling the device quick fixes the problem.

I had a Centrino 6205 prior to upgrading and the only reason why i considered another Intel card was that my 6205 has been rock solid for the past two years on my laptop, not one hitch and so I wanted to upgrade to a Centrino 7260 to get a bit better performance while using less power consumption and heat output.

The cards I bought were the ones without Bluetooth and non AC, maybe I just go a bad batch who knows but it was unacceptable for me and looking at what Intel WiFi cards have to offer the only thing really going for them is the AC technology, features and price.

In comparison to my nephews Broadcom card on the same router, the Intel 7260 when working a much higher ping and less range then the old 2010 Broadcom model on my nephews laptop however the Centrino 7260 did seem to connect to the router faster at Windows startup and runs cool to touch (probably less power consumption too).

I don't know really and I'm not trying to bad mouth the Intel 7260 but I truly had a bad experience and wanted to voice my opinion so that OP can perhaps make a better decision even if he ends up with up Centrino 7260 anyways.

 

Nemix77,

Thanks for the additional points. I guess the cards we're talking about are actually different cards then?

The only card I would consider an 'upgrade' to the 6235N's I had (and an upgrade to any card a client's computer had) would be the AC + Bluetooth 4.0 version of the 7260 card.

I have no doubt you had issues with your setup and the entry level card - maybe Intel is still trying to get a working driver for them (but the priority is fairly low?).


In my experience with my systems and other (client's) systems with regards to wireless: anything other than Intel solutions have been pretty dismal. If/when the wireless was replaced with the then current Intel 'standard', the notebook would be transformed and become a viable work tool again.


Take care.

 

That's also another factor which kept me away from the 7260 AC version with Bluetooth is that Intel's Bluetooth isn't all that good and I think we can all agree on this one.

Not only is Intel's Bluetooth connection not as good as their competitors but their drivers are also a mess and I mean it literally, PROSet Bluetooth installs 3-4 additional services to Windows running in the background and the installation size is pretty big too; all this and the Intel Bluetooth does not even offer any additional features over what the competitors are offering.

And thus I decided to just use the Broadcom Bluetooth card on my laptop which has been rock solid for me and just get a Centrino 7260 without Blueooth since I really didn't want to be running two Bluetooth hardware on my system which may conflict with one another (Broadcom Bluetooth preferred) and will be a pain to try and turn off a Bluetooth via Windows.

Having said all this and reading your notes, I might look into trying the AC version next since like you said maybe that's where Intel's putting all the time effort into driver development and optimization to maintain a solid running card of both Windows 7 and 8/8.1.

Thanks for the heads up and input,

 

Hey, thank you too - I've learned another data point thank to your input!


As for Bluetooth? I first played around with it a decade ago - haven't given it another chance yet (and back then, it was not an Intel implementation I played with). I don't think it is important in what I do and how I use my computers/devices to try to make it work today (or in the future).

Very niche product with very suboptimal results from me from day 1 - yeah; it is really not even on my radar for many years except as a 'tick-mark' for what my devices have/offer.


Problems include: too slooowww, to noisy/distorted (sound) and too fiddly having to pair it up each time. And even though I don't use it; I've seen these problems persist for others who insist on banging their heads to get the 'cool' feature working with their devices 'because it worked yesterday'. And no; they don't all have Intel Bluetooth tech inside (but now you got me curious to know if the ones with problems are the ones with Intel...).


It is a feature on the level of the first netbooks: great idea and an implementation that was painful to adhere/sustain to and/or keep using indefinitely.


Curious how you use your Bluetooth devices - and doesn't the limitations/inherent bugginess make you want to switch to a cord and get the job done 'right' in less than 1/10th of the time - or at 100x the quality (sound)?


Thanks.

 

tilleroftheearth
I set up everything you told me to. The firmware, bandwidth, channels. And seems to be pretty much the same, maybe slightly worse....
My ping with 2.4GHz was at 100 minimum. Around mid 100s. Never went down and at one point it went up to 131.
Ping with 5GHz was about high 90s to mid 100s.
The speeds were pretty much the same as when without the Asus.

When the laptop was in the same room, I was hardly seeing 450mbps. 405mbps occasionally. The connection was a lot more stable though.

Are there more configurations that I could try? If not then I'll be returning this router.

 

Can you tell us more of how the Asus RT-N66U was setup and tested?

Specifically; how are you measuring ping? From the notebook to router/website or from the router to website?

Which firmware are you running on the Asus?

Did you manage to get the Hitron in Bridge mode - so it is essentially running as a simple modem? You may have to contact your ISP to get them to do this for you.

Did you disable/turn off the radios of the Hitron?

Are you 100% certain that you hooked up the antennae to the 6300N adaptor card properly? There is a certain order to do so...

Did you try enabling QOS in the Asus router? Did you try setting the power level of the radios (both) to 100mW?

Finally; what is your ping results from a wired connection - if they're the same, then it is your ISP and/or the website you're trying to reach that has this latency, not the router's fault (both the Hitron and Asus).


For more detailed help; please go to the forums of smallnetbuider.com and see if they can offer additional steps you can take.


If the results are the same though between the Hitron and the Asus; I would be suspecting the antennae to be wired incorrectly on the XPS, the drivers to not be optimally setup or another program that is running on the XPS that is really slowing down your internet activity. Do you have more than one A/V running? I would recommend to uninstall everything A/V and install (only) MSE instead.


If, on the other hand, everything seems to be in order; then I agree - return the Asus router (or; maybe try it with the 7260AC wireless card while you still have it).


Sorry I couldn't help you solve this - don't give up though - it may be something as simple as an Ethernet cable between your equipment that is causing your issues too.

You may want to clear the router to defaults (and press the power button to do a cold boot - do not use the GUI's 'reboot' button). Connect only one computer to test (maybe borrow a friends/neighbors to get another data point) and make sure that all wireless devices are turned off during your testing. This includes cordless telephones, microwaves, 'smart' TV's and wireless printers, for example.

Test in small/controlled steps and you should be able to get some improvement or hopefully; completely solve your issues.


Good luck. (and please post any progress you make).

 

The Asus is located with the Hitron and both of them are located front part of the house.

The ping tests I've been saying was done by the game. It tell you the ping. I've used pingtest.net and speedtest.net and the results are pretty much the same.

The Asus is on Merlin's firmware.

The Asus and Hitron are connected with an ethernet cable. Couldn't get it to setup in AP mode. I don't know how.

Hitron's radios are off.

I tried looking on Google how to connect antennas in XPS but couldn't find any. Just went through every possible combination.

QOS enabled and 100mW on Asus, no such option for Hitron

Just tested with the ethernet cable only and the results are the same. It is my ISP. I'll be returning Asus. But keeping the 6300. My XPS needs are new one anyways.
Thanks for all your efforts.

 

Maybe that will be best in the long run, sorry I couldn't help any better - but, look what I just read:

See:
www.hardwarezone.com.sg - View Single Post - [Maylyn's Preview ~ Networking] ASUS RT-AC68U


Maylyn said:

Translated: with 4 or more antennae; this should translate to real GB speeds over wireless soon.


Can't wait.

 

@ MotionPictures

Does you laptop have a third antenna to connect to the 6300 card?

If you need to add a third antenna this would be the ideal one: Original tyco laptop wireless network card aerial minipci pci e membrane aerial-inOther Computer Products from Computer & Networking on Aliexpress.com

Takes a little long to ship but much cheaper than eBay and meanwhile your 6300 card still works with two antennas anyways.

Below are the settings I change and use for all my Intel WiFi cards at home with my Netgear WNDR3700 v2 router:

2.4Ghz Channel Width - Auto
5ghz Channel Width - Auto
Bluetooth Amp - Off (unless you have a Bluetooth 3.0/4.0 card)
Roaming Aggressiveness - Lowest (unless you using the laptop on the road a lot for school or work with WiFi hotspots)
Preferred Band - 5Ghz
Wake on Pattern Match Off (unless you need the WiFi WOWLAN function)
Wake on Magic Packet - Off (unless you need the WiFi WOWLAN function)
Wireless Mode - 8.02.11A/G

And the 5Ghz wireless settings on my Netgear router:

Preamble Mode - Short (if option in available, Short is faster and Long is more stable connection)
Channel - 161 (if option is available)
Beacon Interval - 50 (I don't have this option on my NetGear but if did on my old D-Link and that's what I used)
Enable Wireless Isolation - ON (if option is available and you don't need to get to your router's configuration from your laptop)

I've never have a DC or dropout in two years with my Intel Centrino 6205 on my Netgear WNDR3700 v2 router using the above settings, only if the ISP or Modem drops or has maintenance do I ever experience internet problems but that's not the WiFi card or Router at fault.

Hope this helps a bit, GO LEAFS GO!