Setting up a Router & PC to a WAN port for Router bandwidth testing

[videobruce]

I need to test the bandwidth capability of a Router for troubleshooting reasons. It appears the Router is chocking (as a sink drain slowly 'plugs up' then stops completely) on higher bandwidth downloads as this was suggested for me to try this. I never had need to do this before and have little idea other than the basic re-cabling connections.

Situation;
Two Towers, both running Win 7 Pro; I'll call the WAN side PC A (the Host), the LAN side PC B (the Client)
MB's have the same AMD 970 chipset, one tower has a AMD FX8350, the other has a AMD FX6300
Router is a TP-Link TL-WDM3600 (Gigabyte) running openwrt firmware
Both are in the same room (for convenience) with 6' Cat5 (or 5e) cables.

Other than setting 'Network Properties' of the PC B to Auto, what addresses do I set PC A to?
What and where do I change in the Router as to addresses and DHCP settings?
Should this be a DHCP Client or a Static address?
What else do I have to address oin the Router?

 

[trents]

So you have a modem that is separate from the router I take it and is this cable or DSL?

 

[videobruce]

The Modem has nothing to do with this, why are you asking? It's Cable, but that doesn't matter either. This is just a "test" setup, nothing more.

 

[trents]

Where I'm headed with this is you could bypass the router and connect the PC directly to the modem. Measure download speed. Then reconnect the PC to the LAN and test the download speed. If the router is causing a bottleneck it will show a differential.

 

[videobruce]

That isn't going to tell me anything. That would be the same as telling me to drive the Thruway at the posted speed to see how fast the vehicle will go.
I want to know how high the WAN to LAN interface throughput can go and a 100Mbps ISP isn't good enough. It's a performance test irregardless of the Internet connection..

 

[trents]

So are you trying to discern possible choking of downloads from the internet or of file transfer speed from PC to PC within the LAN? I guess I'm not clear on what is the issue you are investigating.

 

[videobruce]

Yes, from the Internet, not on the LAN side. WAN to LAN, not LAN to LAN. The Router chocks, throttles down, looses Internet access (it's NOT the Modem) and one of several triggers are high throughput. I just want to test it's WAN to LAN throughput with a greater capable source other than my ISP's 100Mbps service per suggestion elsewhere where I've been troubleshooting this issue for weeks that narrowed it dsown to the Router with a certain 3rd partys firmware that is NOT known to have this issue..

 

[trents]

Bu if the ISP limitation is 100 mbps that all you will ever get through any part of the system if you are going through the WAN. I guess I'm missing something here.

 

[videobruce]

I was wondering when someone would ask that.
Ever 'benchmark' your PC; processor, video card etc?? How about a 'stress test' to check for issues? Same thing.

 

[trents]

But the question is, what is the weakest link in the chain? Or in this case, what is the limiting factor? If it's the ISP bandwidth (which you yourself indicated was the case) what difference does it make if the router is choking at a higher speed than that? Wouldn't it be irrelevant unless you moved up to a higher level of internet service speed?

If I have a water pump capable of moving 100+ gal of water per minute but the pipe feeding the pump can only supply 100 gal per minute, there is no sense in trying to figure out if the pump would choke the flow at 150 gal per minute. Unless that is, you planned to put in a bigger supply line.

 

[maxfly]

why the hostility bruce? Trents is just trying to help!

 

[videobruce]

What "hostility"??