Question I need a little networking help

[WillWilco]

I have a cat5 cable that runs from my router through a managed switch in my home office and then to the back side of my AV system. I have a second managed switch at the same spot where my AV equipment sits. I started getting a connection issue to my Amazon fire cube using the wired connection. I switched over to a wireless connection which works pretty well. Sometimes my streaming services will show a spinning icon like it is buffering or reconnecting. I ran a speed test using the application on my Fire Cube and get around 250 Mbps. I plugged my ethernet back into the Fire Cube and it only shows about 90-100 Mbps. This does not make any sense to me. But, I did want to reconnect the second switch so that my other devices at the AV rack could be connected to the network. I am able to manage the first switch after the router, but unable to see the second switch when I recconect it. Is there an inexpensive way to directly connect to the switch to test without having to purchase a laptop?
Thanks,
Will

 

[bill001g]

Managed switches can cause it is to be much harder to trouble shoot. If you really know how to use them they can help but most people do not know how to really use the switch.....and it also depends what "manged" means since some switches have many features and other have very few.

I guess it depends why you have managed switches in the first place. Have you configured anything on them.

A dumb switch is easier for most people. They do the simple function of connecting all the ports together and they have no software that can be messed up. Most managed switches out the box run as dumb switches so maybe a factory reset would help.

In any case when you see speeds in the 90-100 range it generally means a cable is running at 100mbps. This is almost always a bad cable. You are going to have to do some testing to try see if you can find the bad cable. Many switches have lights on them to tell you the speed. Managed switches many times have menus that show you all the ports and their speeds but you would have to read any manual to know the details on if an how to find this.

 

[WillWilco]

Wow, thank you for the quick reply. The first switch is a Netgear GS108E, the second is a Netgear GS105E. I have not done anything on the switches at all. When I plug the ethernet cable into the second switch, I do not get any lights on the port. I have tried the other ports as well. The power led is lit.

 

[bill001g]

The ethernet cable you use must have some other device connected to the other end of the cable. The cable alone will not light anything up.

You would have to read the manual to see what the lights mean since there generally isn't a standard meaning between brands. In general you get some indication that something is plugged in and function. On some switches it is possible to turn off all the lights in the software.

It is a very bad sign when the switch does nothing. The best you can hope for is the switch has the software somehow messed up. There should be a very small hole you can put a thin wire in to reset it. It should be marked but you would have to again look it up to find where they factory reset switch it.

 

[Ralston18]

And I will ask about:

"But, I did want to reconnect the second switch so that my other devices at the AV rack could be connected to the network."

"other devices", "AV rack".....

Not sure about your overall network connections.

Sketch out a simple diagram showing all network devices and connections.

Doublecheck to ensure that there are no network loops.

Scan or photograph the diagram and post here via imgur (www.imgur.com).

Just a passing thought.