MTU or Maximum Transmission Unit comes as one of the most important settings on most routers. After all, this option determines the quality of your internet speed. But before you can use the feature, you will have to play around with the setting.
Anyone can adjust the MTU option of their router. However, a decent knowledge of this setting should help your router get up and running without any fuss.
Would you like to work on your internet speed via the MTU setting? If yes, try the tips suggested in this article.
MTU Router Settings for Best Speed
If you want to use the MTU option to enhance your internet speed, you will have to adjust the packet size. To perform this task, you can use the following steps
Step A: Find the right packet size
- Hit the Windows + R keys to open the Run Window
- Type cmd into the empty field and click on the OK option
- Type Ping “any website address” -f -l 1500
- Wait for a message that says the packet should be fragmented
- Repeat step two but instead of using the size 1500, reduce the value by 12
- Repeat Step 4
- Continue using Steps 5 and 4 until you see a message that says the packet should not be fragmented
- Take note of the size listed in the message in Step 7
- Repeat step 3 with the new size + a few increments until you get to the maximum packet size without the fragmentation message.
- Add 28 to the maximum packet size to become the optimal packet size e.g if the maximum packet size without fragmentation is 1400, your optimal size should be 1400 + 28 = 1428
Step B: Change the Size of the MTU
Here are some steps for changing the MTU size via the interface of various routers:
Nighthawk router
- Open the internet browser connected to a PC or mobile device that is connected to the network
- Type routerlogin.net into the address bar and press the Enter key
- Wait for the login page to open
- Type admin into the user name field and password into the password field
- Click on Advanced
- Click on Setup
- Click on WAN Setup
- Go to the MTU field and enter the optimal packet size in Step A
- Select Apply
But if your router does not allow you to adjust the MTU of your router, try the Command prompt.
- Type cmd into the empty field on the search bar of the taskbar
- Right-click on the result
- Choose Run as an administrator
- Wait for the Command prompt window to load
- Type netsh interface ipv4 show subinterfaces
- Hit the Enter key on the keyboard
- Take note of the name of the interface
- Type netsh int ipv4 set subinterface “interface name” mtu= ( your optimal packet size) store=persistent and then press Enter
For instance, if your interface name is “Internet” and your packet size is 1428 :
Type netsh int ipv4 set subinterface “Internet” mtu=1428 store=persistent and then press Enter
- Exit the Command prompt
Should I Add 28 to MTU?
Yes, you should add 28 to the MTU especially after getting the optimal settings. When it comes down to it, the extra bytes will be used by the ICMP Echo Request header and IP header.
What Happens If My MTU is too High?
If your MTU is high, your data connection becomes slower. Moreover, your connected device will end up with packet loss.
How Do I Know My Best MTU Size?
To know the ideal MTU size for your network, you will need a ping test. For the best results, use the following steps:
- Hit the Windows + R keys to open the Run Window on your screen
- Type cmd into the empty field and click on the OK
- Type Ping “any website address” -f -l 1500
- Wait for a message ( on your screen) that says the packet should be fragmented
- Reuse step 2 but instead of selecting the size 1500, reduce the value by 12
- Repeat Step 4
- Continue using Steps 5 and 4 until you see a message that says the packet should not be fragmented
- Take note of the packet size ( described in the message) and write it down
- Repeat step 3 with the new size + a few increments until you get to the maximum packet size without the fragmentation message.
- Add 28 to the maximum packet size to become the optimal packet size e.g if the maximum packet size without fragmentation is 1400, your optimal size should be 1400 + 28 = 1428
How Do I Optimize My Router Settings?
Asides from tinkering with the MTU settings, you can change the placement of the router to improve its speed. Moreover, you might even update its firmware/software, avoid interfering devices and switch to new channels.
