pfSense Speed Test with Spectrum Gigabit Connection

Ikyo

I have installed SpeedTest-CLI on my pfSense server. When I run a speedtest to the Ft Worth Spectrum site, I am getting around 450 mbit/s on average. I double checked all of my basic configuration such as the NIC that connects to the Spectrum Modem being set to 1000mb/full duplex and the CPU load not spiking. Both of these are correct. I am wondering if there is something else that I should look at or possibly change.

stephenw10

What hardware are you running on?

What is the WAN type, DHCP, PPPoE, something else?

What does the output of top -aSH at the command line look like while you are testing?

Steve

NogBadTheBad

Tried a test with a directly connected via a PC ?

Ikyo

@stephenw10 DHCP no PPPoE

last pid: 72000; load averages: 0.30, 0.13, 0.10 up 0+22:17:16 08:08:03
470 processes: 27 running, 364 sleeping, 79 waiting
CPU: 2.3% user, 3.6% nice, 1.9% system, 0.1% interrupt, 92.1% idle
Mem: 422M Active, 3109M Inact, 1937M Wired, 1283M Buf, 18G Free
Swap: 4096M Total, 4096M Free

johnpoz

You really need to check your speed "through" pfsense - not from pfsense.. Connect a client to pfsense, and then test..

Ikyo

@johnpoz I was trying to remove any limitations on the network by testing direct. Why would it be less on the pfSense machine over a machine connected through pfSense?

johnpoz

Because pfsense is router/firewall - not client.. It is optimized to push packets through it, not to and from itself ;)

https://forum.netgate.com/post/440853

pfSense has been optimized to work in a routing role, so sometimes you might see reduced numbers when pfSense itself is acting like the client.

Best tests of what pfsense can do is something on its wan, something on its lan and test between them - where you take internet out of the equation. Also if you suspect that pfsense is the issue with your internet speed, connect a client direct to your modem and test the speed.

Hosted by Syndeo Networks INC (Chicago, IL) [35.79 km]: 26.686 ms
Testing download speed................................................................................
Download: 98.41 Mbit/s
Testing upload speed................................................................................................
Upload: 49.31 Mbit/s

That was test from my pfsense, ie have 500/50 connection.. Here is test from client behind

Ikyo

@johnpoz I will give that a try this evening. I had one of my NICs die on the box so I had to order a new machine for it. Hopefully I can just move the drives over and get back up quickly.

Rico

Better clean Install your new machine and Restore the Backup.
Diagnostics > Backup & Restore
https://docs.netgate.com/pfsense/en/latest/backup/configuration-backup-and-restore.html
https://docs.netgate.com/pfsense/en/latest/book/backup/restoring-from-backups.html

-Rico

stephenw10

Yup testing 'through' is a better test for a number of reasons including because pfSense is not using cpu cycles running the test.

If you run top -aSH actually at the command line you will see the full output including how the load is spread across your cores.

Steve

jdeloach

@Ikyo said in pfSense Speed Test with Spectrum Gigabit Connection:

I have installed SpeedTest-CLI on my pfSense server. When I run a speedtest to the Ft Worth Spectrum site, I am getting around 450 mbit/s on average. I double checked all of my basic configuration such as the NIC that connects to the Spectrum Modem being set to 1000mb/full duplex and the CPU load not spiking. Both of these are correct. I am wondering if there is something else that I should look at or possibly change.

You don't say where you live, but if you are in the Dallas-Ft. Worth Texas area, you already know that Spectrum has problems and have ever since they came to town. Most of it is because the internet infrastructure here is as old as baseball and they don't want to repair/upgrade the cables, equipment, etc.

As I write this message, it looks like they are having problems this morning, my service is 200/10 mbits, typically get 220/11.5 mbits, but this morning it is about 24.7/11 mbits. At least it's good enough to connect to the internet but with all the old cabling around I don't see how anyone here could ever get gigabit speeds. Good luck getting Spectrum to fix your problems.

Ikyo

@jdeloach I don't, but that is the server they run all of their tests to for some reason.