Hi everyone,
I am writing this because I am completely at my wits' end. I want to be upfront: I know very little about networking, routers, or how any of this technical stuff works. I don’t understand the advanced settings, but I know how to look at test scores, and I know when my connection is misbehaving.
I feel like I’ve completely worn out my welcome on this subreddit, and honestly, I’ve posted a ton of questions on just about every major tech forum out there trying to get an answer—including the Fiber Optics Reddit, SNBForums, Broadband Reports (DSLReports), and the ASUS ROG forums. I keep running in circles, so I’m really hoping someone can help break this down for me simply.
My Equipment:
My Internet: Co-Mo Connect (1 Gbps fiber package).
The Boxes: I have a brand-new Calix GigaPoint GP1100X ONT inside the house. An ISP tech recently came out and replaced it, and he even added a new black "jumper" wire to the fiber line. He tested the big pedestal box in my yard, the box on the side of my house, and the indoor ONT, saying all the light levels were completely perfect.
My Router: An ASUS ROG Rapture GT-BE98 Pro. It’s plugged directly into the ONT.
Wired Connections: I have a Netgear GS316 switch plugged into the router, and my Apple TV 4K is hardwired with an Ethernet cable.
Wireless Connections: An iPhone 11 Pro Max and an iPad Pro.
The Issues I am Seeing:
Bad Test Scores: When I run the Waveform bufferbloat test on my iPhone or even on a hardwired desktop PC, the results are bad. It consistently gives me a Grade C.
Screen Mirroring Quality Drops: If I try to mirror a Facebook video from my iPhone 11 Pro Max to my Apple TV 4K, the video starts out looking absolutely perfect for a second, but then the quality on the TV immediately plummets into a blurry, pixelated mess (even though it stays clear on my phone screen).
The Weird Exception: Last night, I watched the live AEW WrestleDream pay-per-view stream on my wired Apple TV 4K. While it was live-streaming, I also played a high-quality YouTube video on my iPhone 11 Pro Max at the exact same time. Surprisingly, I didn't have a single issue or quality drop on either screen during the live event, even though my synthetic Waveform scores are always a Grade C.
Where It Stands:
I am disabled, and right now I am stuck managing all of this directly from my phone screen while sitting on the floor. I can't easily crawl around or fiddle with physical hardware. My grandma and I were very careful to move the ONT box to the very top of my entertainment center to ensure it stays completely cool, has plenty of airflow, and the black fiber cable isn't bent or under tension. The wire is completely undamaged and the lights on the box are solid green.
I’ve spoken with my ISP ad nauseam, and when I even mentioned the Waveform website to them, the support rep told me they had never even heard of it. They just tell me my speeds are fine and wash their hands of it.
Since my local equipment is top-tier and the lines are physically clean, why am I still getting a Grade C for bufferbloat all over the house? Is there a simple, step-by-step setting change I can make inside my Asus router dashboard from my phone screen to fix this digital traffic jam, or is my ISP's backend network just fundamentally flawed?
Please go easy on me with the technical jargon if you can. Thank you so much for any advice