what would be the ideal wifi protocol to set the router at? I see Mixed, B, G, BG-Mixed. N-only, NG-Mixed

You said: I have a basic question regarding wifi setting on my old Cisco Linksys E2500 router that is running DD-WRT and functioning as an access point. This router is piggybacked off of my E3000 as a roadwarrior setup. The E3000 is the the actually router connected to be poorly functioning wifi mobile hotspot. So, my internet is not that fast to begin with, therefore. the slow internet speed is the bottleneck. I'm using 2.4 Ghz band only. But, what I'm getting at is: I was wondering what would be the ideal wifi protocol to set the router at? I see Mixed, B, G, BG-Mixed. N-only, NG-Mixed. What is the ideal and most stable and efficient protocol to set my AP at? This E2500 access point is in the same room as my Old Dell 5290 laptop.

ChatGPT-5 said:

Got it 👍 — you’re basically asking which wireless network mode (protocol) is the most stable and efficient for your DD-WRT access point on the E2500 (2.4 GHz only), given that:

• The E3000 is the main router (connected to your weak hotspot).
• The E2500 is just an AP in the same room as your Dell 5290 laptop.
• Your internet speed is already the bottleneck (so max Wi-Fi throughput isn’t critical).
• You want stability + efficiency more than raw speed.

Quick breakdown of your options

• B-Only → Ancient, very slow (11 Mbps). Never use unless you have very old devices.
• G-Only → Up to 54 Mbps. Stable, compatible with older gear, but slower than N.
• N-Only → Up to 300 Mbps (on 2.4 GHz with 40 MHz channel, depending on chipset). Faster, but some legacy devices may not connect.
• BG-Mixed → Accepts both B and G. Keeps compatibility but can slow everything down if a B device connects.
• NG-Mixed → Accepts both N and G devices. This is usually the sweet spot for 2.4 GHz networks.
• Mixed (B/G/N) → Broad compatibility, but performance may degrade because the access point has to accommodate the slowest device on the network.

Ideal choice for your case

Since:

• Your laptop is modern enough (Dell 5290 supports at least N).
• You’re not serving lots of random old devices.
• Your internet is the bottleneck anyway.

👉 Set it to NG-Mixed (best balance of compatibility + stability).

• This allows your laptop to use 802.11n (faster, more stable).
• Still lets older G-only devices connect if needed.
• Avoids dragging performance down with legacy B clients.

If you know you’ll only ever connect your laptop and other N-capable devices → use N-Only for maximum stability and reduced airtime overhead.

Extra stability tweaks

• Use 20 MHz channel width (not 40 MHz) on 2.4 GHz → avoids interference and dropouts.
• Pick a fixed channel (1, 6, or 11) instead of Auto → use the least crowded one (check with Wi-Fi analyzer app).
• Keep SSID simple (letters/numbers, no spaces or special characters).

✅ Recommendation:
Set Wireless Network Mode = NG-Mixed
Set Channel Width = 20 MHz
Set Wireless Channel = fixed 1, 6, or 11 (whichever is least congested)

Do you want me to suggest a step-by-step config plan for your E2500 (all the optimal DD-WRT settings for 2.4 GHz AP mode)?

You said:

Actually, I'm just letting you know, that so far I have noticed the faster speed test test results when I have it set at G only. So, I'm just wondering if that is a coincidence or if that means. When I have is set to B only, the speed-test results normally deliver around half of what I see with G only. and with N only sometimes I get fast results, but it's not consistent

ChatGPT said:

Ahh perfect — that observation makes sense 👍

Let me break down why you’re seeing what you’re seeing with B-only, G-only, and N-only on your E2500 in this setup:

Why B-only is always slower

• 802.11b maxes out at 11 Mbps theoretical (~4–6 Mbps real-world).
• Even though your hotspot is the bottleneck, B-mode forces the AP to use older modulation and long guard intervals, dragging down everything.
• That explains why your speed test results are about half of G.

Why G-only feels faster and more consistent

• 802.11g caps at 54 Mbps theoretical (~20–25 Mbps real).
• It uses OFDM modulation which is more efficient than B.
• On DD-WRT, G-only mode disables a lot of the compatibility overhead (protection mechanisms for slower B clients, extra handshaking, etc).
• Result: stable throughput, predictable speeds — often better than N in noisy 2.4 GHz environments.
• Since your hotspot is the bottleneck, anything above ~20 Mbps will already saturate your internet link, so G looks “ideal” in practice.

Why N-only is inconsistent

• 802.11n can go much faster (150–300 Mbps theoretical on 2.4 GHz), but:
  • It relies heavily on MIMO and wider 40 MHz channels, which don’t always play nice in noisy 2.4 GHz bands.
  • If interference is high, N performance can swing a lot — sometimes great, sometimes worse than G.
  • Some older chipsets (like the E2500’s) don’t handle N-only as gracefully as modern routers.
• So you get those occasional “fast bursts,” but also inconsistency.

What this means for you

• If your goal is consistent, stable speeds, G-only may actually feel faster because it eliminates variability.
• If your goal is to squeeze every last drop of bandwidth, N-only could help — but it might be flaky, especially on an old E2500.
• Since your hotspot is the bottleneck, and not your LAN, the stability of G-only is often the best balance.

✅ My take based on your tests:
Stick with G-only unless you specifically need N for file transfers across your LAN. For internet usage (especially with a weak mobile hotspot), G-only will give you the most stable, consistent throughput.

Would you like me to draft a side-by-side comparison chart (B vs G vs N on 2.4 GHz) so you can see exactly why G-only is outperforming in your case?

You said:

yes

ChatGPT said:

Perfect 👌 Here’s a clear side-by-side comparison of the wireless modes on your E2500 (2.4 GHz, DD-WRT), with emphasis on why G-only is giving you the best results:

📊 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi Mode Comparison (on Cisco Linksys E2500, DD-WRT)

🚦 Key Takeaways

• B-Only: Always slow, no reason to use.
• G-Only: Best for stable, consistent speeds on an older router like your E2500. Matches your hotspot bottleneck well.
• N-Only: Can be faster, but inconsistent due to interference + older chipset quirks.
• NG-Mixed: Good compromise if you need both N and G devices online, but adds some overhead.

✅ My recommendation for your setup (AP in same room, laptop nearby, hotspot bottleneck):
👉 G-Only for most stable results.
👉 If you later need faster LAN transfers between devices, experiment with N-Only, but expect inconsistency.

Would you like me to also sketch out a tuning checklist (channel width, channel selection, ACK timing, TX power, etc.) that goes hand-in-hand with keeping your G-only mode rock solid?

You said:

yes

ChatGPT said:

Alright Captain ⚓ here’s a tuning checklist tailored for your Cisco Linksys E2500 running DD-WRT (2.4 GHz AP, G-only mode). This will help lock in maximum stability and efficiency for your roadwarrior hotspot setup:

🔧 Wi-Fi Tuning Checklist (DD-WRT, 2.4 GHz)

1. Wireless Network Mode

• Set to: G-Only (your sweet spot for stability + consistent throughput)
• Reason: Removes overhead for B devices, avoids flaky N behavior.

2. Channel Width

• Set to: 20 MHz
• Reason: 2.4 GHz is crowded; 40 MHz doubles interference risk. 20 MHz = stable, predictable.

3. Wireless Channel

• Set to: Fixed 1, 6, or 11 (never “Auto”)
• Pick the least congested using a Wi-Fi analyzer app on your laptop/phone.
• Reason: Auto can cause sudden drops when the router decides to switch.

4. ACK Timing (Sensitivity Range)

• Set to: 0 (or 200m max for single-room use)
• Reason: Lower ACK = less waiting for responses, improves throughput in small areas.
• Since your laptop is in the same room as the AP → no need for long-distance timing.

5. TX Power

• Set to: 71 mW (default)
• Can try lowering slightly (e.g. 50 mW) since AP + laptop are close.
• Reason: Lowering reduces interference + heat without affecting local signal.
• Don’t crank too high; more power doesn’t mean more range — it just creates noise.

6. Beacon Interval

• Set to: 100 ms (default, stable)
• Optional: Try 75 ms for slightly faster association at the cost of overhead.
• Reason: 100 is stable and widely supported.

7. DTIM Interval

• Set to: 2 (default)
• Reason: Keeps battery life good for mobile devices but doesn’t delay data too much.

8. Short Preamble

• Enable
• Reason: Faster packet handling, improves efficiency on G/N devices.

9. WMM Support (QoS for Wi-Fi)

• Enable
• Reason: Needed for modern devices; prioritizes voice/video traffic for smoother Zoom/YouTube.

10. Security

• Set to: WPA2-Personal (AES only)
• Reason: Stable + efficient encryption. Avoid TKIP (slower, legacy).

11. SSID Broadcast

• Enable (unless you want obscurity)
• Hidden SSIDs don’t improve security and often cause more connection headaches.

🚀 Quick Summary for You

• Mode: G-Only
• Channel Width: 20 MHz
• Channel: Fixed (1, 6, or 11) → least crowded
• ACK Timing: 0
• TX Power: 50–71 mW
• Security: WPA2-AES

✅ With those, your AP will be rock solid, stable, and consistent, which is exactly what you need since the mobile hotspot is already your bottleneck.

Do you want me to also make you a ready-to-apply DD-WRT config script (nvram set commands) so you can paste it into SSH/telnet instead of clicking through menus?

You said:

yes

ChatGPT said:

Thought for 55s
Awesome—here’s a ready-to-apply DD-WRT script that sets your 2.4 GHz radio on the E2500 for G-Only, 20 MHz, fixed channel, and the stability tweaks we discussed. It doesn’t touch your SSID or password.

Run on the E2500 via SSH/Telnet as root (DD-WRT doesn’t use sudo).
It saves a quick nvram snapshot to /tmp (RAM) so you can peek at what changed this session.

One-liner to create + run it

cat >/tmp/ddwrt-gonly-optimize.sh <<'SH' && chmod +x /tmp/ddwrt-gonly-optimize.sh && /tmp/ddwrt-gonly-optimize.sh
#!/bin/sh
set -e

echo "🧭 $(date) • DD-WRT 2.4GHz tune (G-only, stable)"
BACK="/tmp/nvram-backup-$(date +%s).txt"
nvram show >/dev/null 2>&1 | grep -E 'wl0_|^wl_' >/dev/null || true
nvram show >"$BACK" 2>/dev/null || true
echo "💾 Backed up current NVRAM to: $BACK (volatile; survives this session only)"

# --- Interface: wl0 = 2.4 GHz on Broadcom E2500 ---
# Radio mode & role
nvram set wl0_mode=ap
nvram set wl0_net_mode=g-only # options: mixed bg-mixed g-only n-only ng-mixed

# Channel & width (pick one of 1/6/11 below)
nvram set wl0_channel=6 # 🛠 change to 1 or 11 if cleaner in your room
nvram set wl0_bw=20 # some builds use wl0_bw
nvram set wl0_nbw=20 # some builds use wl0_nbw (20 or 40)
nvram set wl0_nbw_cap=0 # 0=20MHz, 1=40MHz (keep 0 for stability)

# Country / regulatory (keeps power tables sane)
nvram set wl0_country=US
nvram set wl0_country_code=US
nvram set wl0_reg_mode=off

# G-mode efficiencies
nvram set wl0_gmode_protection=auto # auto CTS protection (no B clients expected)
nvram set wl0_plcphdr=short # short preamble
nvram set wl0_wme=on # WMM (QoS) on

# Beacon/DTIM (defaults are fine; leave if you like your current)
nvram set wl0_bcn=100
nvram set wl0_dtim=2

# ACK timing for short distance (same room)
nvram set wl0_distance=0

# TX power (mW) — default 71; you can try 50 if you want less heat/noise
nvram set wl0_txpwr=71

# SSID broadcast on (doesn't change your SSID)
nvram set wl0_closed=0

# ----- SECURITY (optional; uncomment & set passphrase if you actually want to change it) -----
# nvram set wl0_akm=psk2 # WPA2-Personal
# nvram set wl0_crypto=aes # AES only
# nvram set wl0_wpa_psk='YOUR_STRONG_PASSWORD'

# Commit & bounce Wi-Fi
echo "🧱 nvram commit…"
nvram commit

echo "🔁 Restarting wireless (stop/start)…"
stopservice nas 2>/dev/null || true
stopservice wl 2>/dev/null || true
startservice wl 2>/dev/null || true
startservice nas 2>/dev/null || true

# Show the key bits
echo "🔍 Effective settings:"
for k in wl0_mode wl0_net_mode wl0_channel wl0_bw wl0_nbw wl0_nbw_cap wl0_country wl0_gmode_protection wl0_plcphdr wl0_wme wl0_bcn wl0_dtim wl0_distance wl0_txpwr wl0_closed; do
printf " %-18s = %s\n" "$k" "$(nvram get $k 2>/dev/null)"
done

echo "✅ Done. If clients don’t reconnect, toggle Wi-Fi on your laptop or reboot the AP."

What you can tweak quickly

• Change wl0_channel=6 to 1 or 11 if a scanner shows they’re cleaner.
• If you want to try slightly lower RF noise/heat: set wl0_txpwr=50.
• If you ever need N later, switch wl0_net_mode to ng-mixed (or n-only) and keep 20 MHz.

If you want, I can also give you a tiny revert script that restores just the radio mode/width/channel from the backup you saved this session.