A few questions before I buy Netduma R2...

[K0NSPIRACY]

I'm considering purchasing a Netduma R2 to improve my online gaming experience and help to resolve issues such as very poor hit reg in games like Halo and Call of Duty. I'm based in the UK and currently play on Xbox One X. I've experienced connection issues in my area for a long time, however since the area was finally upgraded to fibre with significantly improved download/upload speeds, my only issues have been the connection dropping completely or the more recent significant decrease in speeds during the evening (ie from 60-70Mbps down to less than 10Mbps).

So a few questions...

1. Will the Netduma R2 improve or decrease issues such as latency and poor hit registration?

2. Are there any recommended ISP to use with Netduma R2 in the UK? I'm unable to get Virgin, and I've just agreed to terminate my Vodafone broadband further to ongoing issues they have failed to resolve. The main issue right now is significantly decreased speeds in the evenings, and searches on Google suggest this is likely to be due to throttling the network or it is over capacity. I have also been with both Sky, TalkTalk and BT previously, but not whilst we've had fibre available. Do you or anyone else recommend any ISPs?

3. Is DumaOS compatible with MacBook? If so, would it be best to use Safari or Google Chrome?

4. If compatible with DumaOS, does the MacBook also need to be wired or will it be fine on Wifi for detecting gaming servers the Xbox One X console connects to?

5. Do I have to use the modem/router provided by the ISP, or can the Netduma R2 be plugged directly into the main phone socket?

6. I have to use a 5m ethernet cable to connect to Xbox One X from current ISP modem/router location as it is better than using Wifi. Would it be best to locate the Netduma R2 close to the ISP modem/router (if one is required) or closer to the Xbox One X console?

7. Is it best to connect other non-gaming devices to ISP modem/router (if one is required) or should they connect to Netduma R2? My other devices are just iPhone, MacBook, Apple TV, Sky TV and Nest thermostat. 

8. What are the current delivery times given the Christmas/New Year period?

Thanks in advance and I look forward to buying a Netduma R2...and I'm sure I'll have plenty more questions about set up once I buy!

[Netduma Liam]

Hey, glad to hear your considering picking up an R2!

7 hours ago, K0NSPIRACY said:

1. Will the Netduma R2 improve or decrease issues such as latency and poor hit registration?

Yes, with the correct configuration you will be able ensure your gaming traffic is treated with priority and you only connect to nearby servers with good ping!

7 hours ago, K0NSPIRACY said:

2. Are there any recommended ISP to use with Netduma R2 in the UK? I'm unable to get Virgin, and I've just agreed to terminate my Vodafone broadband further to ongoing issues they have failed to resolve. The main issue right now is significantly decreased speeds in the evenings, and searches on Google suggest this is likely to be due to throttling the network or it is over capacity. I have also been with both Sky, TalkTalk and BT previously, but not whilst we've had fibre available. Do you or anyone else recommend any ISPs?

The team here use a variety of different ISPs and all have been able to utilise the R2 to its full potential! As long as you're getting a good, consistent connection, you'll be fine.

7 hours ago, K0NSPIRACY said:

3. Is DumaOS compatible with MacBook? If so, would it be best to use Safari or Google Chrome?

Any will work, I'd personally prefer Chrome over Safari but that's just me

7 hours ago, K0NSPIRACY said:

4. If compatible with DumaOS, does the MacBook also need to be wired or will it be fine on Wifi for detecting gaming servers the Xbox One X console connects to?

We suggest initial setup be done over wired and I'd also suggest you ensure your One X is connected via wired too!

7 hours ago, K0NSPIRACY said:

5. Do I have to use the modem/router provided by the ISP, or can the Netduma R2 be plugged directly into the main phone socket?

You will need to use the ISP provided router/modem as the R2 does not have modem functionality. The setup guide will ensure you get everything up and running properly, but essentially you'll have:

ISP Modem/Router -> R2  -> All connected devices

7 hours ago, K0NSPIRACY said:

6. I have to use a 5m ethernet cable to connect to Xbox One X from current ISP modem/router location as it is better than using Wifi. Would it be best to locate the Netduma R2 close to the ISP modem/router (if one is required) or closer to the Xbox One X console?

It doesn't really matter if you're using wired, as long as it's within the maximum length of the type of cable you're using.

7 hours ago, K0NSPIRACY said:

7. Is it best to connect other non-gaming devices to ISP modem/router (if one is required) or should they connect to Netduma R2? My other devices are just iPhone, MacBook, Apple TV, Sky TV and Nest thermostat. 

To ensure you're getting the most out of the router, you'd be best off connecting everything to the R2.

7 hours ago, K0NSPIRACY said:

8. What are the current delivery times given the Christmas/New Year period?

All orders are shipped next day, but there may be some delay over the festive period.

 

Let me know if you need anything else!

[K0NSPIRACY]

Thanks Liam. I'll place my order now.

I've read other users being advised to update the firmware to the latest version. Is this done before it's shipped or will I need to do myself when it arrives? I presume all the information to update the R2 comes with the instructions or is simply available on here?

Edit: order placed...and looking forward to using it! 😎👍

[Netduma Liam]

15 minutes ago, K0NSPIRACY said:

Thanks Liam. I'll place my order now.

I've read other users being advised to update the firmware to the latest version. Is this done before it's shipped or will I need to do myself when it arrives? I presume all the information to update the R2 comes with the instructions or is simply available on here?

Edit: order placed...and looking forward to using it! 😎👍

Nice!

Yeah it'll come with .123 installed and you can update to .179 using the information available on the forums.

[K0NSPIRACY]

On 12/21/2020 at 12:06 PM, Netduma Liam said:

All orders are shipped next day, but there may be some delay over the festive period.

Ordered yesterday...and arrived today! Excellent service! 😊👍

Question...I play on Xbox One X and will obviously be configuring Duma OS on my MacBook, so how do I see which game servers I'm connected to? Will I need to have the MacBook on and logged into Duma OS to see which servers I'm connecting to on Xbox One X...or do I need to use the clunky browser on Xbox One X to see which COD servers I'm connected to?

[K0NSPIRACY]

Another question...

I will be changing ISP from Vodafone to BT in early January. I was going to wait until after the switch before setting up my R2 but I think it will be interesting to see if there is any significant improvement whilst still on Vodafone as that is what I have been used to and can make a direct comparison. 

Will I need to make any configuration changes in Duma OS if I set it up initially for Vodafone but then switch to BT a few weeks later, or will it literally just the plug and play with no need for any changes to Duma OS?

[Netduma Fraser]

1 hour ago, K0NSPIRACY said:

Ordered yesterday...and arrived today! Excellent service! 😊👍

Question...I play on Xbox One X and will obviously be configuring Duma OS on my MacBook, so how do I see which game servers I'm connected to? Will I need to have the MacBook on and logged into Duma OS to see which servers I'm connecting to on Xbox One X...or do I need to use the clunky browser on Xbox One X to see which COD servers I'm connected to?

39 minutes ago, K0NSPIRACY said:

Another question...

I will be changing ISP from Vodafone to BT in early January. I was going to wait until after the switch before setting up my R2 but I think it will be interesting to see if there is any significant improvement whilst still on Vodafone as that is what I have been used to and can make a direct comparison. 

Will I need to make any configuration changes in Duma OS if I set it up initially for Vodafone but then switch to BT a few weeks later, or will it literally just the plug and play with no need for any changes to Duma OS?

Great to hear you received it so quickly! Yes in order to see what servers you are connected to you will have to be on the interface - you could do this through the Mac, console browser (not recommended) or our mobile app (search DumaOS on your mobile phone app store).

It really depends if you require PPPoE for BT, in which case you would have to enter that into the R2 to get a connection. Other than that you'd have to adjust the BT hub to get an open NAT through the R2 but this is quite simple.

 

[K0NSPIRACY]

20 minutes ago, Netduma Fraser said:

Great to hear you received it so quickly! Yes in order to see what servers you are connected to you will have to be on the interface - you could do this through the Mac, console browser (not recommended) or our mobile app (search DumaOS on your mobile phone app store).

It really depends if you require PPPoE for BT, in which case you would have to enter that into the R2 to get a connection. Other than that you'd have to adjust the BT hub to get an open NAT through the R2 but this is quite simple.

Thanks Fraser. I wasn't aware that there was a DumaOS app so I'll definitely download that and test out which works best for me...I won't bother with the clunky Xbox browser though! 😂

I'm not sure what PPPoE is and if there are any benefits/issues...could you provide any further info please? Also, do you know what adjustments would need to the BT hub to get an open NAT? Apparently I'll be receiving the BT Smarthub2 and I'll be on Fibre2 so I'm expecting download/upload speeds of approx 70/18 Mbps.

[Netduma Fraser]

47 minutes ago, K0NSPIRACY said:

Thanks Fraser. I wasn't aware that there was a DumaOS app so I'll definitely download that and test out which works best for me...I won't bother with the clunky Xbox browser though! 😂

I'm not sure what PPPoE is and if there are any benefits/issues...could you provide any further info please? Also, do you know what adjustments would need to the BT hub to get an open NAT? Apparently I'll be receiving the BT Smarthub2 and I'll be on Fibre2 so I'm expecting download/upload speeds of approx 70/18 Mbps.

PPPoE are basically 'login' details that you would need to enter into the router to essentially allow the router to 'login' to allow an internet connection. The router handles all this so you just need to enter it into the router once. You may not require PPPoE but BT has used it in the past so worth a mentioned. For Open NAT you'd take the WAN IP from the R2 System Information page and enter that into the DMZ function on the BT hub.

[K0NSPIRACY]

On 12/22/2020 at 6:23 PM, Netduma Fraser said:

PPPoE are basically 'login' details that you would need to enter into the router to essentially allow the router to 'login' to allow an internet connection. The router handles all this so you just need to enter it into the router once. You may not require PPPoE but BT has used it in the past so worth a mentioned. For Open NAT you'd take the WAN IP from the R2 System Information page and enter that into the DMZ function on the BT hub.

Thanks Fraser. So basically if BT does use PPPoE then the R2 won't connect to the internet and I'll need to get those details from BT tech support? 

I'll most likely be setting up the R2 on Christmas Day or Boxing Day with my current ISP and I presume you guys won't be available...so is there any essential information or tips that I'll need to get everything working on Vodafone? The supplied Vodafone hub is a THG3000. 

[Netduma Fraser]

6 hours ago, K0NSPIRACY said:

Thanks Fraser. So basically if BT does use PPPoE then the R2 won't connect to the internet and I'll need to get those details from BT tech support? 

I'll most likely be setting up the R2 on Christmas Day or Boxing Day with my current ISP and I presume you guys won't be available...so is there any essential information or tips that I'll need to get everything working on Vodafone? The supplied Vodafone hub is a THG3000. 

Exactly and then enter that into the R2 Settings to establish the connection. I will be available on Christmas Day and Boxing day, albeit more limited hours so I will be able to help if you need anything. It should be plug and play really, do the DMZ as I mentioned for BT on the Vodafone hub as well to ensure an open NAT.

[K0NSPIRACY]

On 12/21/2020 at 12:38 PM, Netduma Liam said:

Nice!

Yeah it'll come with .123 installed and you can update to .179 using the information available on the forums.

Hi Liam. So I'm sat here with my R2 unboxed and I'm not sure on what steps to take first. I'm thinking I should update to .179 before setting up any devices or connecting to current ISP modem...but how do I do this as the instructions are unclear and I can't find any info on the forum.

Do I just power on the R2 and try to connect wirelessly from my MacBook (would that even work?) or do I need to connect the R2 via RJ45 to my MacBook?

Edit: please ignore this post...the default wifi password on the sticker was wrong (as many others have reported) so I had to connect wired to check the correct password, reset and also updated the firmware version. 

[Netduma Fraser]

12 hours ago, K0NSPIRACY said:

Hi Liam. So I'm sat here with my R2 unboxed and I'm not sure on what steps to take first. I'm thinking I should update to .179 before setting up any devices or connecting to current ISP modem...but how do I do this as the instructions are unclear and I can't find any info on the forum.

Do I just power on the R2 and try to connect wirelessly from my MacBook (would that even work?) or do I need to connect the R2 via RJ45 to my MacBook?

Edit: please ignore this post...the default wifi password on the sticker was wrong (as many others have reported) so I had to connect wired to check the correct password, reset and also updated the firmware version. 

Glad you managed to get it updated and all setup, if you have any more questions we'll be happy to help.

[K0NSPIRACY]

2 hours ago, Netduma Fraser said:

Glad you managed to get it updated and all setup, if you have any more questions we'll be happy to help.

Thanks Fraser. I've done most of the setup but I do have a couple of questions, but the good news is I've christened my new R2...and just got a win in my 3rd game of Warzone solos! 😊

So I was monitoring the Geo Filter (set to 175 miles and 30 Ping Assist) on the MacBook when first connecting to games...what I don't understand is that it shows 2 or 3 "Ping Assist" players in the UK and France, and it shows the server is located in Poland. When I checked the ping heat map, there aren't any Call of Duty Warzone servers located in Poland, so why does it show that and what are "Ping Assist" players?

I think I've done most of the setup and connected all my Wifi devices, but I haven't done QoS and I'm not sure if I've set up Geo Filter correctly yet. Do you have any more tips that may be useful at this stage?

Also, why isn't Halo 5 Guardians listed? I see Halo MCC but how would I set it up for Halo 5?

[Netduma Fraser]

The server you're referring to is required for authentication so won't be the game server, there will have been something else - the biggest icon - that would have been the host. Icons with dashed circles around them are connections that have been allowed by Ping Assist. For me personally in the UK I have Ping Assist on 0 and have the radius/polygon just covering the UK.

For QoS I would recommend you do a Connection Benchmark test and then use Congestion Control on Always and experiment with the percentages to see what brings down the Ping Under Load results the most - the ideal is having it as close to the Ping test results as possible.

We can certainly add the game, it's likely the servers used are similar so assume that and set the Geo accordingly. If I remember rightly you may not need to use Geo for Halo.

[K0NSPIRACY]

1 hour ago, Netduma Fraser said:

The server you're referring to is required for authentication so won't be the game server, there will have been something else - the biggest icon - that would have been the host. Icons with dashed circles around them are connections that have been allowed by Ping Assist. For me personally in the UK I have Ping Assist on 0 and have the radius/polygon just covering the UK.

For QoS I would recommend you do a Connection Benchmark test and then use Congestion Control on Always and experiment with the percentages to see what brings down the Ping Under Load results the most - the ideal is having it as close to the Ping test results as possible.

We can certainly add the game, it's likely the servers used are similar so assume that and set the Geo accordingly. If I remember rightly you may not need to use Geo for Halo.

When searching for a game and when in game, the only icons were the ping assist players and what you say is the authentication server. Should there be an actual server icon as per the key on the right side of the page? If so, I'm not getting that so what would I need to do to resolve?

I will try ping assist set to 0, but from what I've read this is a way to avoid and prevent connection to potentially slow ping to local servers?

I don't really understand what you say about QoS so will have to look into further. At the moment, my speed has dropped from 70mbps to 40mbps when I was playing earlier, and now it has dropped to around 5mbps so this gives me cause for concern. I will monitor the speeds over the next couple of days before setting any QoS...or may even wait for the new BT connection in a couple of weeks.

[Netduma Fraser]

One of those peer icons is likely the server. Sometimes a server can be misclassified as a peer but it doesn't affect the connection, it is just visual and we can correct that. Whatever the biggest icon is will be the host. 

Ping Assist 0 will just keep all games within your radius instead of having ones potentially connect from outside the radius and yes it is possible using PA that you could get a higher ping than desired. 

Is that on WiFi or ethernet that you've experienced that? How are you testing it? That's without adjusting any QoS settings?

[K0NSPIRACY]

1 hour ago, Netduma Fraser said:

Is that on WiFi or ethernet that you've experienced that? How are you testing it? That's without adjusting any QoS settings?

I've tested both wifi (using MacBook and iPhone) and ethernet (using Xbox One X), and the results are pretty much the same between 5-10mpbs all afternoon since I played earlier when it was 40mbps. I don't know if its down to the new setup with the R2 or just Vodafone being crap...its never usually this bad so may be the snow has something to do with it? I'll keep an eye on the speeds as they do tend to drop in the evening and improve after 11pm, but please let me know if there's anything I can check.

edit: also worth noting that upload speed hasn't been affected and is still at approx 18mbps, so its just the download speed. I've also just reconnected and tested iPhone on the Vodafone wifi with the same results.

[Netduma Fraser]

Okay interesting, well the best way to determine whether it is something on the router is to disable QoS entirely from the 3 line option menu on Congestion Control. If it is still an issue then could indicate an issue elsewhere.

[K0NSPIRACY]

34 minutes ago, Netduma Fraser said:

Okay interesting, well the best way to determine whether it is something on the router is to disable QoS entirely from the 3 line option menu on Congestion Control. If it is still an issue then could indicate an issue elsewhere.

Ok. I hadn't changed any QoS settings so the only thing that was ticked was "goodput" and "never"...and I'd added the Xbox to traffic prioritisation. I've now ticked "disable Qos", so will see if there's any change. It's most likely just Vodafone broadband being total shite which is why I'm moving to BT in the first place.

[Netduma Fraser]

30 minutes ago, K0NSPIRACY said:

Ok. I hadn't changed any QoS settings so the only thing that was ticked was "goodput" and "never"...and I'd added the Xbox to traffic prioritisation. I've now ticked "disable Qos", so will see if there's any change. It's most likely just Vodafone broadband being total shite which is why I'm moving to BT in the first place.

Keep us posted, hopefully it is that and not the router but I'm sure we'll get to the bottom of it.

[K0NSPIRACY]

6 hours ago, Netduma Fraser said:

Keep us posted, hopefully it is that and not the router but I'm sure we'll get to the bottom of it.

As expected, the download speed started to improve after 10:30pm (25mbps) then gradually increased back up to 74mbps on my last test at 1:30am. It's never been this bad before however it could be a combination of factors such as the bad weather and congestion at the exchange being Bank Holiday Monday...hopefully it won't be as bad tomorrow, however the significant drop in evening download speeds is why I'm leaving Vodafone. 

The connection benchmark test right now gives a AAA result compared to DBA/DDA/DAA throughout the day and evening. I've also re-enabled QoS and for now used the auto-setup and is on auto-enable. I haven't allocated any bandwidth parameters, and I'm not sue how changing the congestion control sliders would make ping and ping under load similar as the results show different variables? 

With regards to QoS (and any other settings), what would be the best way to maintain in game performance and ping low when my download speed and network performance drops in the evening? 

Also I watched a YouTube video where the person set his "device bandwidth" in the bandwidth allocation to 1.08mbps for both upload and download. I don't understand why he would restrict it like that or what benefit it would give when all other information tells us to set as high as possible?

[Netduma Fraser]

Ping Under Load shows what your Ping (from Ping test) would be should you experience local congestion. Therefore if you can get Ping Under Load to mirror the Ping test as closely as possible then this means even when local congestion is occurring QoS eliminates it and your ping is largely unchanged. I would redo QoS to adjust for Ping Under Load as the bandwidth will be much less so what it takes to overwhelm the network is less as well. Gaming doesn't require much bandwidth so you could do it for that device but wouldn't recommend it for any other.

[K0NSPIRACY]

30 minutes ago, Netduma Fraser said:

Ping Under Load shows what your Ping (from Ping test) would be should you experience local congestion. Therefore if you can get Ping Under Load to mirror the Ping test as closely as possible then this means even when local congestion is occurring QoS eliminates it and your ping is largely unchanged. I would redo QoS to adjust for Ping Under Load as the bandwidth will be much less so what it takes to overwhelm the network is less as well. Gaming doesn't require much bandwidth so you could do it for that device but wouldn't recommend it for any other.

Thanks Fraser. I think that makes sense so will look into the settings.

My speeds have remained relatively high and stable so far today so presume it was just network issues with Vodafone yesterday.

[K0NSPIRACY]

I've just had a quick look at the QoS and unfortunately this doesn't make sense to me as the variables are different so not entirely sure what I'm supposed to be mirroring or what I need to do to mirror the values? The variables per test are as follows:

• Speed test: download/upload/netflix speed
• Ping test: average ping/jitter/packet loss
• Ping test (under load): download/upload/idle

Could you please confirm what values should be mirrored in which tests and how this is achieved.

Also, do I need to then further change the bandwidth allocation for gaming? As per my question above, why would anyone recommend dropping that to 1.08...would that be to try to get lag compensation working in their favour or something?