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WE826-T2 out performed by mini $12 router?
Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2020 5:23 pm
by Chungus23
Recently got a WE826-T2 and this thing is getting consistently outperformed wirelessly in range and throughput by a mini GL-MT300N-V2, which I got for $12 connected behind the we826. The speeds were sometimes 2-3x greater going through the mini router's WIFI than directly from the WE826-T2 with no other connections, which is a huge difference. I did about 25 speed tests, always adjusting variables and also trying different kinds of tests and I the mini router just out performed the WE826-T2 every single time.
For some reason I was also getting better throughput through the LAN port on the mini router connected to my PC as opposed to connecting directly to the WE826-T2 with no other connections to it.
Anyone else have experience with the WIFI on these things? My unit is brand new but maybe the quality control was missed?
Re: WE826-T2 out performed by mini $12 router?
Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2020 5:42 pm
by BillA
Chungus23 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 31, 2020 5:23 pm
Recently got a WE826-T2 and this thing is getting consistently outperformed wirelessly in range and throughput by a mini GL-MT300N-V2, which I got for $12 connected behind the we826. The speeds were sometimes 2-3x greater going through the mini router's WIFI than directly from the WE826-T2 with no other connections, which is a huge difference. I did about 25 speed tests, always adjusting variables and also trying different kinds of tests and I the mini router just out performed the WE826-T2 every single time.
For some reason I was also getting better throughput through the LAN port on the mini router connected to my PC as opposed to connecting directly to the WE826-T2 with no other connections to it.
Anyone else have experience with the WIFI on these things? My unit is brand new but maybe the quality control was missed?
The WE826 is known to have poor WiFi performance, while the WG3526 seems to be much better.
Not sure if you have already, but try flashing the router with the latest WiFix firmware via bootloader mode.
https://wirelessjoint.com/viewtopic.php?p=6007#p6007
Re: WE826-T2 out performed by mini $12 router?
Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2020 6:55 pm
by Chungus23
The WE826 is known not the have the greatest WiFi performance, the WG3526 seems to be much better.
Not sure if you have already, but try flashing the router with the latest WiFix firmware via bootloader mode.
viewtopic.php?p=6007#p6007
Yes I do have the WiFix firmware on it but I just realized, without the WIFI antennas connected, I get 3x the throughput, same as with the mini router to my device. However - the only issue is that I can't stay connected to the WIFI network if I walk more than 10 feet away if I remove the antennas...
I thought the little WIFI antennas might be broken so I tried another set of WIFI antennas from a different WE826 device and I have the same issue....
I am now also wondering how ineffective the front 4G antennas might be...
Do you have any suggestions for better WIFI antennas on these devices?
Re: WE826-T2 out performed by mini $12 router?
Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2020 7:32 pm
by BillA
Chungus23 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 31, 2020 6:55 pm
Yes I do have the WiFix firmware on it but I just realized, without the WIFI antennas connected, I get 3x the throughput, same as with the mini router to my device. However - the only issue is that I can't stay connected to the WIFI network if I walk more than 10 feet away if I remove the antennas...
I thought the little WIFI antennas might be broken so I tried another set of WIFI antennas from a different WE826 device and I have the same issue....
I am now also wondering how ineffective the front 4G antennas might be...
Do you have any suggestions for better WIFI antennas on these devices?
Well, that's kind of a weird situation where you get better performance with NO antennas. though only at a short range.
Might be something wrong with the router, or as they say "It is what it is!" lol
Or, the device you're connecting with has some incompatibility issue with this particular router, but not with others.
I'd try to connect to the router with a different WiFi device, perhaps another phone or pc, and go from there.
If no devices work right, then you could disable WiFi in the router, connect the MT300N box's ethernet port to one of the router's yellow LAN ports. Set the MT300N in bridge mode so that the router still acts as DHCP, but the WiFi is provided through the MT300N box, just place it as high as possible to the ceiling for better coverage.
Re: WE826-T2 out performed by mini $12 router?
Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2020 10:21 pm
by Chungus23
Or, the device you're connecting with has some incompatibility issue with this particular router, but not with others.
I did test it across different devices. I also tried reflashing firmware, changing WIFI channels but same issue. I don't know if it's just this particular router but I am inclined think the mediatek chipset might just suck. Is this the one the MoFi router uses??
When I connected it to a WE826-Q router, that one actually gave me good WIFI speeds, about 2 - 2.5x faster after repeated testing. Interestingly enough, when I disconnect the WIFI antennas on the WE826-Q, I also get faster WIFI connection speeds from the internal antenna but still poor WIFI range.
BTW do you guys recommend a different power supply for CAT6 modems than the typical one provided?
Re: WE826-T2 out performed by mini $12 router?
Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2020 10:50 pm
by BillA
Chungus23 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 31, 2020 10:21 pm
I did test it across different devices. I also tried reflashing firmware, changing WIFI channels but same issue. I don't know if it's just this particular router but I am inclined think the mediatek chipset might just suck. Is this the one the MoFi router uses??
When I connected it to a WE826-Q router, that one actually gave me good WIFI speeds, about 2 - 2.5x faster after repeated testing. Interestingly enough, when I disconnect the WIFI antennas on the WE826-Q, I also get faster WIFI connection speeds from the internal antenna but still poor WIFI range.
BTW do you guys recommend a different power supply for CAT6 modems than the typical one provided?
Yes, the Mofi uses the same hardware as the WE826-T2 with a MediaTek chipset, so no wonder you're getting a better performance from a WE826-Q due to its high quality Qualcomm chipset. Question for ya... can you and have you flashed the W826-Q router with GoldenOrb or WiFix firmware? Is it even possible?
On second thought, getting better performance with the antennas removed (at a shorter range) kind of makes sense, because the router automatically increases the WiFi transmitter power when it's receiving a lower signal due to the absence of external antennas. Obviously it's a trade-off.
The MoFi/WE826 normally comes with a CAT-6 modem and a 1-2Amps power adapter, but a higher than 2Amps supply is highly recommended regardless of the modem used.
Re: WE826-T2 out performed by mini $12 router?
Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2020 11:15 pm
by Chungus23
Question for ya... can you and have you flashed the W826-Q router with GoldenOrb or WiFix firmware? Is it even possible?
Yeah I have. Goldenorb has a specific firmware for the WE826-Q. I haven't tried the WiFix one from Wireless Joint because it only shows firmware for WE826-T2.
Unfortunately, the SIM slot on the WE826-Q is broken so I never got a chance to try it directly but connected behind my current WE826-T2, it gave much better WIFI connection speeds over about, 30 tests with different adjustments(I wanted to be sure). Only thing I wonder is if the unit I got, which is brand new, might have something wrong with it. Otherwise, I think people are really hindering their connection speeds if the mediatek chipset is this bad on the WE826-T2.
Re: WE826-T2 out performed by mini $12 router?
Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2020 11:50 pm
by BillA
Chungus23 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 31, 2020 11:15 pm
Yeah I have. Goldenorb has a specific firmware for the WE826-Q. I haven't tried the WiFix one from Wireless Joint because it only shows firmware for WE826-T2.
Unfortunately, the SIM slot on the WE826-Q is broken so I never got a chance to try it directly but connected behind my current WE826-T2, it gave much better WIFI connection speeds over about, 30 tests with different adjustments(I wanted to be sure). Only thing I wonder is if the unit I got, which is brand new, might have something wrong with it. Otherwise, I think people are really hindering their connection speeds if the mediatek chipset is this bad on the WE826-T2.
Right, that's why I was asking, cuz I didn't think that the WiFix-T2 firmware would work on the "Q" version.
I was actually considering getting a "Q" a while back, but at the time they didn't have a GoldenOrb/WiFix firmware available. Not sure, but does the "Q" have 5G WiFi or still only 2G? My guess is probably not.
By the way, to bypass the broken sim card slot on your "Q", you could get an mPCIe to M.2 adapter (Mini PCI-E To M.2 (NGFF) Key B Adapter With Top SIM Card Slot >
https://thewirelesshaven.com/shop/pcie-m-2/mini-p ... card-slot/), and use an M.2 modem instead of an mPCIe so that the sim card would be read from the adapter's slot instead of the router's. Sure, it wouldn't be convenient to replace the sim card by having to open the router every time, and remove the modem, but at least it would work as a once piece unit without the need to chain it to the WE826-T2.
Re: WE826-T2 out performed by mini $12 router?
Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2020 1:02 pm
by mtl26637
Chungus23 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 31, 2020 6:55 pm
Yes I do have the WiFix firmware on it but I just realized, without the WIFI antennas connected, I get 3x the throughput, same as with the mini router to my device. However - the only issue is that I can't stay connected to the WIFI network if I walk more than 10 feet away if I remove the antennas...
I too have read that the wifi on the WE826 is not that great and maybe even seen where it is recommended to disable it and use an alternate solution for the wifi part. I find it very odd that you get much better throughput without the external antennas. The only possible reason I can think of would be an impedance mismatch? That would be something in the board design rather than the mediatek chipset. Would be interesting to trace the board to the external antenna connection.
Re: WE826-T2 out performed by mini $12 router?
Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2020 2:59 pm
by terryjett
That is interesting about the wifi issue. I still use the WE826 built-in wifi for wireless printer and seems ok. But I do use external router for household wifi.
You said:
"mini GL-MT300N-V2, which I got for $12 connected behind the we826"
Please share where you are getting the GL-MT300N-V2 for $12. Need a couple of them and I am having to pay $24 each. Matter of fact will order 4 for that price
Re: WE826-T2 out performed by mini $12 router?
Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2020 12:10 pm
by terryjett
Any word on those $12 little yellow boxes @Chungus23 ???
Re: WE826-T2 out performed by mini $12 router?
Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2020 7:16 pm
by BillA
terryjett wrote: ↑Wed Apr 01, 2020 2:59 pm
That is interesting about the wifi issue. I still use the WE826 built-in wifi for wireless printer and seems ok. But I do use external router for household wifi.
You said:
"mini GL-MT300N-V2, which I got for $12 connected behind the we826"
Please share where you are getting the GL-MT300N-V2 for $12. Need a couple of them and I am having to pay $24 each. Matter of fact will order 4 for that price
You might be able to find a GL-MT300N used for about $10 bucks somewhere online like on Crag's list, but the lowest price in the US for a new units is around 20 bucks.
Here are some other sources:
Amazon.com / $20
https://www.amazon.com/GL-iNET-GL-MT300 ... B073TSK26W
Alibaba.com / $14-$19 depending on quality
https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/ ... 49749.html
Re: WE826-T2 out performed by mini $12 router?
Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2020 7:41 pm
by terryjett
Yes sir, have ordered about 11 of them in past week from Amazon for teachers needing cheap internet access via phone. Not looking for used ones from craigslist, need new in the box:) Found USA seller on Ebay what will bulk them to me for $18 so least have an avenue.
Cannot of course order them from China, so was hoping OP would share his/her magical $12 source. Afraid the source may not exist (just talk) for $12 so going with Ebay seller in US.
Re: WE826-T2 out performed by mini $12 router?
Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2020 8:23 pm
by BillA
terryjett wrote: ↑Sat Apr 04, 2020 7:41 pm
Yes sir, have ordered about 11 of them in past week from Amazon for teachers needing cheap internet access via phone. Not looking for used ones from craigslist, need new in the box:) Found USA seller on Ebay what will bulk them to me for $18 so least have an avenue.
Cannot of course order them from China, so was hoping OP would share his/her magical $12 source. Afraid the source may not exist (just talk) for $12 so going with Ebay seller in US.
I have ordered some other electronics recently from Chine, it just takes a bit longer to go through customs.
Re: WE826-T2 out performed by mini $12 router?
Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2020 8:38 pm
by terryjett
I have ordered recently from Chine, it just takes a bit longer to go through customs.
Oh yea, I do enough ordering from across the waters to understand time involved.
USA seller with US stock, 25 ordered and be in our procession in about 6 days from today
All is good in this crazy world.