Speed in an internal ethernet network (1 Viewer)

[Unicron]

I recently had gigabit fibre installed where I live and work.

At the point in my office where the cable enters the property when I'm directly connected to the modem supplied via ethernet cable I am getting good speed.

I have also extended the network, running 2 lines of CAT5 from the modem to other areas where the wifi signal can't reach. Both of these cat 5 lines are connected to routers.

The speed I'm getting from these other routers is a lot slower.

I have 2 ideas:

1. The CAT 5 cable from the modem to the other routers is thin, would upgrading it to a more heavyweight cable improve things.

2. The routers I'm using to extend the network are quite old, if I got newer routers would they be better suited to handling a gigabit network

 

[GPThumped]

Yes, both of your ideas could be contributing to the slower speeds you're experiencing on your extended network.

1. The cable type: Category 5 (CAT5) cable is capable of delivering up to 100 Mbps. While this is adequate for many applications, it is not able to fully support the gigabit internet connection that you have. To take full advantage of your internet service, you may want to upgrade your cable to Category 5e (CAT5e) or even better, Category 6 (CAT6) or Category 7 (CAT7), which can support up to 10 Gigabit/s and 600MHz. These cables tend to be more reliable on longer distances (up to 100 m). They're designed to handle high-speed data transfer, and they could significantly improve the speed of your extended network. Keep in mind the quality of the cable does matter and cheaper cables may affect the speed you achieve.

2. The routers: Old routers can significantly decrease your internet speed. An old router may not be designed to handle gigabit speeds, and it could be creating a bottleneck in your network. Upgrading to a newer router capable of handling gigabit speeds could also improve your extended network's speed. Look for routers that support Gigabit Ethernet (1000 Mbps). Additionally, consider routers that support the newer wireless standards (like Wireless AC or AX) if you're using Wi-Fi on your extended network. These routers are designed to handle faster speeds and could significantly enhance your internet experience.

Furthermore, you might want to ensure that your extended network is not suffering from interference, which can slow down your connection. Make sure your ethernet cables are not running parallel to power lines, as this can cause electromagnetic interference and reduce network speed. Ensure routers are updated with latest firmware and located in central, open and elevated locations to project their signals more efficiently.

Lastly, consider using a wired backhaul setup if possible. This is where your modem and your mesh nodes or extended routers are interconnected using Ethernet cables for best speed, as Wi-Fi backhauls (even on mesh systems) can reduce your network speed.

 

[magicbastarder]

when you say slow, what are you doing that you would notice slowness?

 

[Unicron]

when you say slow, what are you doing that you would notice slowness?

Well, I signed up for eir TV with the fibre and the slower speeds aren't going to cut it if I want to use that. I set up the box in one of the router using rooms and the latency in the channels starting up just isn't going to work for me, you're waiting nearly a minute for the channel to start up.

 

[magicbastarder]

i'd suspect the routers before the cables; i was once told they require 12Mbps to supply TV, which should be eight times your speed.
have you run a speedtest on them?

 

[Unicron]

i'd suspect the routers before the cables; i was once told they require 12Mbps to supply TV, which should be eight times your speed.
have you run a speedtest on them?

yes, I'm getting 926 from the modem directly connected to the fibre box.

Off the router which I tried to set up the eir box with last night I just tested it at 96. That's via wifi

 

[Cormcolash]

I prefer a bit of coke in the oul internal ethernet network

 

[magicbastarder]

latency rather than absolute speed might be an issue too?

 

[Unicron]

latency rather than absolute speed might be an issue too?

It took about a minute to buffer and start playing the TV. That'll never work for me.

What I might do this evening if one of the small tellys in the house has a hdmi input is take the eir TV box with me an connect to the main modem and see how it's working.

 

[pete]

I recently had gigabit fibre installed where I live and work.

At the point in my office where the cable enters the property when I'm directly connected to the modem supplied via ethernet cable I am getting good speed.

I have also extended the network, running 2 lines of CAT5 from the modem to other areas where the wifi signal can't reach. Both of these cat 5 lines are connected to routers.

The speed I'm getting from these other routers is a lot slower.

I have 2 ideas:

1. The CAT 5 cable from the modem to the other routers is thin, would upgrading it to a more heavyweight cable improve things.

2. The routers I'm using to extend the network are quite old, if I got newer routers would they be better suited to handling a gigabit network

Good advice from the old gpt bot up there. In no particular order -

Cat5 isn’t rated for gigabit, but its been a while and I don’t know if that’s an hard no or just a spec thing.

Depending on where you ran the cables you might also be exposed to electrical interference.

When you say “routers”, what are they specifically?

You might be better off with a decent wifi mesh network. You probably won’t get full speed but should be in the 100s of mb


I’m in the middle of a new network install at home, running Cat6a to everywhere I can get to in case I want to put in 10gig in future. Fun times. Absolutely dreading the prospect of terminating it all…

 

[ernesto]

Yeah get cat6 and gigabit routers and you’ll notice a substantial speed increase

 

[pete]

Another thing you could try is moving the eir router. You can either run a longer cat6 cable from the ONT to the router, or move the ONT as well and replace the fibre patch lead with a much longer one (about €20 on Temu)

 

[rettucs]

You might be better off with a decent wifi mesh network. You probably won’t get full speed but should be in the 100s of mb

Yeah, this, I got those Deco senders and they work fine. There is a drop in speed of around 30% but thats still more than enough. I'm on eir too.

 

[Unicron]

I'm thinking that this

When you say “routers”, what are they specifically?

I should say that this isn't something that I've put in this week. I had wireless internet for the last 18 years or so and I set this all up when I was initially on 30mbps and then 60 mbps coming in. That speed has always been fine for streaming high def video and I never noticed a speed issue.

They're a pair of Belkin routers. Both at least 10 year old. I haven't even set them up as repeater stations, they both have their own network name and think that they're a modem. Cat 5 coming from the main modem connected to the internet into the office, the ONT now, previously the antennae.

One is in one building, the other is in another one.

Basically the network is: Internet in to my office building. Cat 5 Running from there to 2 separate buildings.

I think over the weekend I'm going to buy new hardware and see if that works for me, one new router and maybe a wireless mesh device and see if either helps and then return the other. Need to get a workable solution quick if I need to cancel the eir TV part of the package. If I can get it going at a workable level that'll do while I look into replacing the CAT 5 with CAT 6 and hardwire into the other buildings that way

 

[dudley]

I have the deco mesh system going here, there is a *slight* drop in speed compared to being wired straight to the router, but I mean really, how much porn can one consume in a day?

Get meshed.

 

[Unicron]

These yokes?

So I plug the modem into the base station and then use the other 2 to connect to that?

 

[Unicron]

These yokes?

So I plug the modem into the base station and then use the other 2 to connect to that?


View attachment 18766

This one seems a bit more updated for only 16 quid more than the above

Amazon.co.uk

 

[rettucs]

These yokes?

So I plug the modem into the base station and then use the other 2 to connect to that?


View attachment 18766

yea exactly. You manage everything through an app and the app gives you decent telemetry about what's attached to each of the yokes

 

[dudley]

I got these ones, find them great

Amazon.co.uk

 

[dudley]

To the laptop