Question Ethernet switching to 100mbps from 1000mbps when playing games

[Daniel Ilic]

So for like a month now my ethernet has been acting crazy by switching back to 100mbps from a gigabit connection. It usually takes around 15 minutes of playing something for it to happen. If I'm downloading or doing anything else internet related it works perfectly fine. I do have a cat6 cable and a motherboard that supports gigabit speeds so the problem is most likely not with those. Options like energy efficient ethernet and green ethernet are all turned off(turning them on makes it even worse). If I try to force gigabit speeds it works perfectly fine until I try playing online games which makes my internet drop connection every few seconds.

 

[Ralston18]

More information needed.

How do you see or notice the switch back from gigabit to 100 mbps? What is the indicator?

What motherboard are you using? Full system hardware specs and OS?

ISP? Make and model modem? Make and model router?

How many devices on your network: wired and wireless?

 

[Daniel Ilic]

More information needed.

How do you see or notice the switch back from gigabit to 100 mbps? What is the indicator?

What motherboard are you using? Full system hardware specs and OS?

ISP? Make and model modem? Make and model router?

How many devices on your network: wired and wireless?

I notice it by checking adapter properties after it drops the connection
Win 10
Ryzen 1600
Rx 580
8gb ddr4 3000mhz hyperx predator
600W cm masterwatt lite
Asrock ab350m

ISP - SBB(Serbia Broad Band)
Model of a modem - Home Gateway Cisco EPC3928S
2 wired and 4 over the wireless (out of the those 4 only two are constantly connected)

 

[Ralston18]

Does the following link show your modem/router:

https://www.elisa.ee/0000/0000/0001/files/CISCO_EPC3928S_ENG.pdf

Doublecheck the installation and configuration.

And you are using the motherboard's built-in network adapter and not a PCIe ethernet adapter - correct?

Have you tried downloading the network adapter's drivers via the manufacturer's website?

Also test performance with only your computer on the network. If the speed remains high while gaming, browsing, etc. for beyond 30 minutes or so, then start rejoining other computers back to the network.

Wait a few minutes between the rejoins. Determine if one particular computer causes the speed drop or if performance drops at some certain number of devices.

Need to narrow things down somewhat.

 

[Daniel Ilic]

Does the following link show your modem/router:

https://www.elisa.ee/0000/0000/0001/files/CISCO_EPC3928S_ENG.pdf

Doublecheck the installation and configuration.

And you are using the motherboard's built-in network adapter and not a PCIe ethernet adapter - correct?

Have you tried downloading the network adapter's drivers via the manufacturer's website?

Also test performance with only your computer on the network. If the speed remains high while gaming, browsing, etc. for beyond 30 minutes or so, then start rejoining other computers back to the network.

Wait a few minutes between the rejoins. Determine if one particular computer causes the speed drop or if performance drops at some certain number of devices.

Need to narrow things down somewhat.

Yes that's the one and yes its the built-in adapter.
I tried those drivers as well as drivers from a few years back and the same keeps on happening.
I've done that multiple times by completely turning off wifi and unplugging the other pc and since that modem has 4 ethernet ports I tried all of them. The same exact thing happens.

I'm starting to think that it's from that win 10 update kb4515384 that screwed up most peoples pc's

 

[Ralston18]

Thank you. Unfortunately no LED indicator with respect to port speed(s).

How firm or certain is that 15 minute time frame? (Granted the time may actually vary some - ballpark value may be all you have.)

Wondering if the problem could be heat related. Warms up, gets hot, and at some amount of time - speed is degraded.

KB4515384

Are you seeing any related error codes or warnings in Reliability History or Event Viewer?

E.g. Code 10 error?

Reference:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/gordon...-nic-warning-upgrade-windows-10/#70c423dd11e0

 

[Daniel Ilic]

Thank you. Unfortunately no LED indicator with respect to port speed(s).

How firm or certain is that 15 minute time frame? (Granted the time may actually vary some - ballpark value may be all you have.)

Wondering if the problem could be heat related. Warms up, gets hot, and at some amount of time - speed is degraded.

KB4515384

Are you seeing any related error codes or warnings in Reliability History or Event Viewer?

E.g. Code 10 error?

Reference:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/gordon...-nic-warning-upgrade-windows-10/#70c423dd11e0

It's around 15 minutes exactly if I idle in the menus but it takes as little as 5 minutes once I join a match for it to drop. I doubt its heat-related because the modem is close to a window so a certain amount of cold air passes by.
Checked both reliability history and event viewer and none of those showed any indications of error code 10 or anything of the sort.

 

[Ralston18]

What about within your computer?

Is it viable to just open the case and leave the side panel off? Temporary just to test.

Try that with respect to just idling and then once you have joined a match.

 

[Ketchup79]

Looking at a couple docs, I don't see anything indicating that the modem/router has gigabit. Since most network adapters are set to Autonegotiate, your network adapter is most likely just switching to the port speed of the modem/router. In that case, it doesn't matter if your network adapter is gigabit, because your current network doesn't support it anyway.

 

[Ralston18]

@Ketchup79

Fair point.

However, as I understood the OP, Gigabit speeds do work for around 15 minutes and then drop to 100 Mbps.

Do you have links to the reference docs? I am still mulling over some true indication of the connection speeds.

I.e., the Modem/Router may actually be some watered down and rebranded device.

 

[Ketchup79]

Nm. Looks like it us gigabit. Here is one of the docs I found.

Best Wi-Fi Routers for 2024

Years of testing have helped us find the wireless routers with the fastest speeds, lowest latency and easiest setup.

www.cnet.com

Have seen it three places so I don't think it's a typo. OP may need to manually set the adapter to gigabit instead of auto to keep it there. Still din't know how one could tell the diff between megabit and gigabit in an online game.

 

[Daniel Ilic]

@Ralston18 PC temps are fine. gpu doesn't go over 75c and the cpu is at 30 when idle and goes up to 60 when gaming. The case is open all the time.

@Ketchup79 gigabit speeds work perfectly fine it's just when I try gaming that they drop down to 100mbps. The last thing I downloaded was BF5 which is 75 gigs and I had no issues with speeds at all. It was downloading it at max speed all the time. If I do force the gigabit it works fine until I game. Once the game is opened and some time passes it starts turning on and off (this does not happen if I leave it on auto-negotiation, once left on auto-negotiation it drops down to 100mbps and stays that way without it dropping the connection).

 

[Ralston18]

@Ketchup79

Yes indeed, The cited CNET/Cisco link does list Gigabit speed.

However that is Model EPC3529 and OP has EPC3928S.

My thought, not splitting hairs here, is that OP's device is perhaps some watered down (hardware and software) and branded version using different (possible buggy) firmware. Not uncommon with ISP issued devices.

@Daniel llic

Are you able to determine the installed firmware? I think @Ketchup79 may have provided a good clue with regards as to how to proceed.

Take a look a Cisco's website and look for firmware downloads based on the model numbers, version numbers, and perhaps even the serial numbers.

No need to immediately do any such download and I would not be in a rush to upgrade the firmware. You could brick the Gateway.

Still worth a look. Might find something in Cisco's Forums and FAQs. Other people with similar problems.

 

[Ketchup79]

Just curious, what is your internet speed anyway?

 

[Daniel Ilic]

Just curious, what is your internet speed anyway?

150mbps

@Ralston18 I would rather not play with the firmware because I have no experience. I might just go and call them to come over and change the modem.

 

[Ketchup79]

Have you run a speedtest, or is that what the "rating" is? I understand why you might want that extra 50 while gaming, but it shouldn't really "hurt" the gaming experience as many of the people you are playing with have much less than that.

 

[Daniel Ilic]

Have you run a speedtest, or is that what the "rating" is? I understand why you might want that extra 50 while gaming, but it shouldn't really "hurt" the gaming experience as many of the people you are playing with have much less than that.

That is what the rating is and what the speed test shows. I don't really mind it as long as it doesn't drop during the match which happens only once after that it's fine. It's having to force it back to a gigabit that ticks me off.