EDUP EP-AX1672 Performance Problems

[iwalsh955]

Hey just wandering if anyone could shed some light on the problems I was having with this WIFI adapter. I bought it along with a Pi 5 to use as a 4k game streaming device for my tv, but I've had lots of stuttering and dropped packets. I read through all the docs here to find some answers but couldn't fix it no matter what I tried. I just reinstalled the newest raspberry pi os 64 bit lite updated everything and these are the performance stats I'm getting with iperf3 on 5ghz WIFI directly across from the router.

ian@moonlight:~ $ iperf3 -c 192.168.1.7 --bind-dev wlan1 -R
Connecting to host 192.168.1.7, port 5201
Reverse mode, remote host 192.168.1.7 is sending
[  5] local 192.168.1.41 port 44692 connected to 192.168.1.7 port 5201
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bitrate
[  5]   0.00-1.00   sec  7.50 MBytes  62.9 Mbits/sec
[  5]   1.00-2.00   sec  7.62 MBytes  64.0 Mbits/sec
[  5]   2.00-3.00   sec  7.62 MBytes  64.0 Mbits/sec
[  5]   3.00-4.00   sec  7.50 MBytes  62.9 Mbits/sec
[  5]   4.00-5.00   sec  7.50 MBytes  62.9 Mbits/sec
[  5]   5.00-6.00   sec  7.75 MBytes  65.0 Mbits/sec
[  5]   6.00-7.00   sec  7.62 MBytes  64.0 Mbits/sec
[  5]   7.00-8.00   sec  7.62 MBytes  64.0 Mbits/sec
[  5]   8.00-9.00   sec  7.50 MBytes  62.9 Mbits/sec
[  5]   9.00-10.00  sec  7.62 MBytes  64.0 Mbits/sec
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bitrate         Retr
[  5]   0.00-10.00  sec  78.4 MBytes  65.7 Mbits/sec    0            sender
[  5]   0.00-10.00  sec  75.9 MBytes  63.6 Mbits/sec                  receiver

here is the performance stats for ethernet on the same router instead of wifi

ian@moonlight:~ $ iperf3 -c 192.168.1.7 --bind-dev eth0 -R
Connecting to host 192.168.1.7, port 5201
Reverse mode, remote host 192.168.1.7 is sending
[  5] local 192.168.1.123 port 54040 connected to 192.168.1.7 port 5201
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bitrate
[  5]   0.00-1.00   sec   112 MBytes   940 Mbits/sec
[  5]   1.00-2.00   sec   112 MBytes   941 Mbits/sec
[  5]   2.00-3.00   sec   112 MBytes   942 Mbits/sec
[  5]   3.00-4.00   sec   112 MBytes   942 Mbits/sec
[  5]   4.00-5.00   sec   112 MBytes   942 Mbits/sec
[  5]   5.00-6.00   sec   112 MBytes   942 Mbits/sec
[  5]   6.00-7.00   sec   112 MBytes   942 Mbits/sec
[  5]   7.00-8.00   sec   112 MBytes   942 Mbits/sec
[  5]   8.00-9.00   sec   112 MBytes   941 Mbits/sec
[  5]   9.00-10.00  sec   112 MBytes   942 Mbits/sec
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bitrate         Retr
[  5]   0.00-10.00  sec  1.10 GBytes   945 Mbits/sec    0            sender
[  5]   0.00-10.00  sec  1.10 GBytes   941 Mbits/sec                  receiver

Heres some random stats and command ive been checking but everything looks good.

ian@moonlight:~ $ ip a
1: lo: <LOOPBACK,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 65536 qdisc noqueue state UNKNOWN group default qlen 1000
    link/loopback 00:00:00:00:00:00 brd 00:00:00:00:00:00
    inet 127.0.0.1/8 scope host lo
       valid_lft forever preferred_lft forever
    inet6 ::1/128 scope host noprefixroute
       valid_lft forever preferred_lft forever
2: eth0: <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 1500 qdisc fq_codel state UP group default qlen 1000
    link/ether 2c:cf:67:97:8a:dd brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff
    inet 192.168.1.123/24 brd 192.168.1.255 scope global dynamic noprefixroute eth0
       valid_lft 80143sec preferred_lft 80143sec
    inet6 fe80::59a:777a:517f:b6d1/64 scope link noprefixroute
       valid_lft forever preferred_lft forever
3: wlan0: <BROADCAST,MULTICAST> mtu 1500 qdisc fq_codel state DOWN group default qlen 1000
    link/ether 2c:cf:67:97:8a:de brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff
5: wlan1: <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 1500 qdisc noqueue state UP group default qlen 1000
    link/ether e8:4e:06:b0:a5:40 brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff
    inet 192.168.1.41/24 brd 192.168.1.255 scope global dynamic noprefixroute wlan1
       valid_lft 82858sec preferred_lft 82858sec
    inet6 fe80::48a3:906:a4fd:e860/64 scope link noprefixroute
       valid_lft forever preferred_lft forever

ian@moonlight:~ $ iw wlan1 link
Connected to 30:68:93:38:70:41 (on wlan1)
        SSID: tplink-5
        freq: 5180.0
        RX: 20671208 bytes (13736 packets)
        TX: 220635 bytes (3295 packets)
        signal: -16 dBm
        rx bitrate: 1200.9 MBit/s 80MHz HE-MCS 11 HE-NSS 2 HE-GI 0 HE-DCM 0
        tx bitrate: 1200.9 MBit/s 80MHz HE-MCS 11 HE-NSS 2 HE-GI 0 HE-DCM 0
        bss flags: short-slot-time
        dtim period: 1
        beacon int: 100

ian@moonlight:~ $ iwconfig
lo        no wireless extensions.

eth0      no wireless extensions.

wlan0     IEEE 802.11  ESSID:off/any
          Mode:Managed  Access Point: Not-Associated   Tx-Power=31 dBm
          Retry short limit:7   RTS thr:off   Fragment thr:off
          Power Management:on

wlan1     IEEE 802.11  ESSID:"tplink-5"
          Mode:Managed  Frequency:5.18 GHz  Access Point: 30:68:93:38:70:41
          Bit Rate=1.2009 Gb/s   Tx-Power=3 dBm
          Retry short limit:7   RTS thr:off   Fragment thr:off
          Power Management:on
          Link Quality=70/70  Signal level=-16 dBm
          Rx invalid nwid:0  Rx invalid crypt:0  Rx invalid frag:0
          Tx excessive retries:0  Invalid misc:2   Missed beacon:0

[morrownr]

Hi @iwalsh955

Link Quality=70/70 Signal level=-16 dBm

Whew. How close is this adapter to the AP?

I bought it along with a Pi 5 to use as a 4k game streaming device for my tv, but I've had lots of stuttering and dropped packets.

Is the adapter being used in managed or AP mode?

What do the following commands show?

$ lsusb -t
$ ethtool -i wlan1

[iwalsh955]

Haha yea its on the same table as my router for now while I'm troubleshooting.

lsusb -t
/:  Bus 001.Port 001: Dev 001, Class=root_hub, Driver=xhci-hcd/2p, 480M
/:  Bus 002.Port 001: Dev 001, Class=root_hub, Driver=xhci-hcd/1p, 5000M
/:  Bus 003.Port 001: Dev 001, Class=root_hub, Driver=xhci-hcd/2p, 480M
/:  Bus 004.Port 001: Dev 001, Class=root_hub, Driver=xhci-hcd/1p, 5000M
    |__ Port 001: Dev 002, If 0, Class=Vendor Specific Class, Driver=mt7921u, 5000M

ethtool -i wlan1
driver: mt7921u
version: 6.12.47+rpt-rpi-2712
firmware-version: ____010000-20241106151045
expansion-rom-version:
bus-info: 4-1:1.0
supports-statistics: yes
supports-test: no
supports-eeprom-access: no
supports-register-dump: no
supports-priv-flags: no

 iw dev wlan1 info
Interface wlan1
        ifindex 4
        wdev 0x100000001
        addr e8:4e:06:b0:a5:40
        ssid tplink-5
        type managed
        wiphy 1
        channel 36 (5180 MHz), width: 80 MHz, center1: 5210 MHz
        txpower 3.00 dBm
        multicast TXQ:
                qsz-byt qsz-pkt flows   drops   marks   overlmt hashcol tx-bytes        tx-packets
                0       0       0       0       0       0       0       0               0

here's the output of those commands

[morrownr]

Port 001: Dev 002, If 0, Class=Vendor Specific Class, Driver=mt7921u, 5000M

Okay, USB3 mode is active.

firmware-version: ____010000-20241106151045

You could use a firmware files update. Debian and RasPiOS are notorious for being very slow to keep firmware files updated.

Go to the Main Menu:

https://github.com/morrownr/USB-WiFi

Scroll down to item 7 Firmware. The section you are looking for is 3.

I am not seeing anything else for now. I have a EP-AX1672 adapter and I am used to seeing 700-800 Mbps in the situation you appear to be in.

Haha yea its on the same table as my router for now while I'm troubleshooting.

Being too close can introduce some issues. I usually never keep wireless devices closer than maybe 6 feet (2 meters).

Last word: I'm not seeing anything that would explain the slow speed. Have you tried the adapter on another system?

[iwalsh955]

ok I updated the firmware and moved it to the floor about 6 feet away heres the updated info.

 ethtool -i wlan1
driver: mt7921u
version: 6.12.47+rpt-rpi-2712
firmware-version: ____010000-20250625153703
expansion-rom-version:
bus-info: 4-1:1.0
supports-statistics: yes
supports-test: no
supports-eeprom-access: no
supports-register-dump: no
supports-priv-flags: no

 iw dev wlan1 link
Connected to 30:68:93:38:70:41 (on wlan1)
        SSID: tplink-5
        freq: 5180.0
        RX: 128580 bytes (517 packets)
        TX: 15880 bytes (109 packets)
        signal: -46 dBm
        rx bitrate: 1200.9 MBit/s 80MHz HE-MCS 11 HE-NSS 2 HE-GI 0 HE-DCM 0
        tx bitrate: 1200.9 MBit/s 80MHz HE-MCS 11 HE-NSS 2 HE-GI 0 HE-DCM 0
        bss flags: short-slot-time
        dtim period: 1
        beacon int: 100

 iperf3 -c 192.168.1.7 --bind-dev wlan1
Connecting to host 192.168.1.7, port 5201
[  5] local 192.168.1.41 port 46648 connected to 192.168.1.7 port 5201
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bitrate         Retr  Cwnd
[  5]   0.00-1.00   sec  5.50 MBytes  46.1 Mbits/sec    0    273 KBytes
[  5]   1.00-2.00   sec  5.25 MBytes  44.0 Mbits/sec    0    510 KBytes
[  5]   2.00-3.00   sec  7.25 MBytes  60.8 Mbits/sec    0    800 KBytes
[  5]   3.00-4.00   sec  5.50 MBytes  46.1 Mbits/sec    0   1.06 MBytes
[  5]   4.00-5.00   sec  5.50 MBytes  46.1 Mbits/sec    0   1.35 MBytes
[  5]   5.00-6.00   sec  6.88 MBytes  57.7 Mbits/sec    0   1.66 MBytes
[  5]   6.00-7.00   sec  6.75 MBytes  56.6 Mbits/sec    0   2.01 MBytes
[  5]   7.00-8.00   sec  6.88 MBytes  57.7 Mbits/sec    0   2.40 MBytes
[  5]   8.00-9.00   sec  9.62 MBytes  80.7 Mbits/sec    0   2.83 MBytes
[  5]   9.00-10.00  sec  8.12 MBytes  68.1 Mbits/sec    0   3.27 MBytes
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bitrate         Retr
[  5]   0.00-10.00  sec  67.2 MBytes  56.4 Mbits/sec    0            sender
[  5]   0.00-10.00  sec  67.2 MBytes  56.4 Mbits/sec                  receiver

[iwalsh955]

I found the drivers for windows and tested it on my laptop capped out around 80mbps for speed test so I ordered another hopefully its just a dud.

[bjlockie]

Maybe it is not the WiFi.
Try streaming a lower resolution.
Try streaming 4k wired.
Maybe there is QOS on the router.

[iwalsh955]

Unfortunately there's no way to get ethernet easily. No QOS turned on in the router and only 1-2 devices on 5Ghz and any other device easily gets 600-800mbs download from steam. If all else fails I can stream 1080p but my main concern was why this WIFI adapter that should be fast was being capped so tremendously.

[morrownr]

why this WIFI adapter that should be fast was being capped so tremendously.

I do not think the problem is the adapter or its driver.

What do you see if you just run?

iperf3 -c 192.168.1.7

Streaming should not even cause this adapter to break a sweat.

When streaming, run and post the results of:

ping 192.168.1.7
ping 8.8.8.8

[iwalsh955]

Ok I found the problem and its dumb haha, I preface this by saying my Wi-Fi is fast and rock solid stable so I didn't even think to double check it like I said previously just a couple days ago I was downloading at almost gigabit speed from steam on the 5G network. Suffice to say In my attempt to get better streaming I enabled and disabled mu-mimo in the router settings a couple of times for testing and I guess that corrupted the config? I tried setting it to the default, but only a full router reset returned my 5ghz speed back to normal. Gotta love consumer networking gear.

[iwalsh955]

 iperf3 -c 192.168.1.7 --bind-dev wlan1 -R
Connecting to host 192.168.1.7, port 5201
Reverse mode, remote host 192.168.1.7 is sending
[  5] local 192.168.1.41 port 49346 connected to 192.168.1.7 port 5201
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bitrate
[  5]   0.00-1.00   sec  69.0 MBytes   578 Mbits/sec
[  5]   1.00-2.00   sec  72.8 MBytes   610 Mbits/sec
[  5]   2.00-3.00   sec  73.1 MBytes   614 Mbits/sec
[  5]   3.00-4.00   sec  73.9 MBytes   620 Mbits/sec
[  5]   4.00-5.00   sec  73.4 MBytes   616 Mbits/sec
[  5]   5.00-6.00   sec  73.5 MBytes   617 Mbits/sec
[  5]   6.00-7.00   sec  74.0 MBytes   621 Mbits/sec
[  5]   7.00-8.00   sec  74.1 MBytes   622 Mbits/sec
[  5]   8.00-9.00   sec  73.8 MBytes   619 Mbits/sec
[  5]   9.00-10.00  sec  73.5 MBytes   617 Mbits/sec
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bitrate         Retr
[  5]   0.00-10.00  sec   734 MBytes   616 Mbits/sec    0            sender
[  5]   0.00-10.00  sec   731 MBytes   613 Mbits/sec                  receiver

[iwalsh955]

were finally working haha, Thank you guys for the time even if the problem was a bumble on my part the help was appreciated!

[morrownr]

Gotta love consumer networking gear.

At least we can laugh about it now. Something that I started doing several years ago when I am looking to upgrade AP/wifi routers, I hang out at OpenWRT and see what the good hardware is and buy accordingly.

Right now my testing involves an AP that uses my RasPi4B with my new Netgear A9000 (WiFi 7, mt7925 chip). It took some learning but I now have a stable WiFi 7, 6 GHz AP that can really pump the packets. I needed to set this up due to a lack of a router that can do WiFi 7 and 6 GHz. I needed to test the new rtl8922au driver that should go into the kernel soon.

The Netgear A0000 is impressive but it is expensive. It is in The Plug and Play List. The mt7925u driver is very good. My testing shows 1.0-1.2 Gbps but that is through 2 walls. Hopefully we will have additional adapters with the mt7925 chip soon. Fun times.

[iwalsh955]

I've been thinking of switching to openwrt for this exact reason, the only reason I got my current router was that I thought it could do Wi-Fi ssid vlan tagging but alas no. And I love the info this repo has I've never dabbled in Wi-Fi on Linux so it really helped me get a solid adapter for my 4k pi game streaming setup much appreciated.

[morrownr]

Oh, one last things given your use case:

Mediatek chips generally run cooler than Realtek chips. One of the reasons appears to be that the Mediatek drivers use a more aggressive power save setup. If you find that things are not quite as smooth as you would like:

Go to: https://github.com/morrownr/USB-WiFi

That is the site Main Menu. Go down to 12. Frequently Asked Questions.

Go to: No. 4 - Question: Why do I see high levels of jitter with my mt7921 or mt7925 based USB WiFi adapters?

This comes up very rarely but if you need it, there you go.

[iwalsh955]

Ill read that tonight and get everything set back up, thank you.