Question linksys ea9500 5400Gb/s router file transfer speeds -- Is 29MB/s OKish?...

[glasswave]

Hello,

I work in multimedia production and often need to transfer groups of large media files from my Macbook Pros to my Graphics Workstation (Windows) which is wired via Gbit ethernet.

I have been using a TP Link AC1750 router and was getting file transfer speeds of about 24MB/sec.

I have upgraded to a Linksys ea9500 v2 abgn+ac 5400Gb/s router and was getting file transfer speeds of about 29MB/sec.

I have a small home and have tried putting the Macbook Pro's right next to the router which does not seem to effect file transfer speed. I have tried a wired connection via ethernet, but the network seems reluctant recognize the Macbooks that way.

Are speeds of 29MB/sec decent for a router like this?

Would I be better off simply using a USB SSD for such transfers and give up the idea of using the network to copy large files?

Any advice/comments appreciated, thanks.



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[kanewolf]

Hello,

I work in multimedia production and often need to transfer groups of large media files from my Macbook Pros to my Graphics Workstation (Windows) which is wired via Gbit ethernet.

I have been using a TP Link AC1750 router and was getting file transfer speeds of about 24MB/sec.

I have upgraded to a Linksys ea9500 v2 abgn+ac 5400Gb/s router and was getting file transfer speeds of about 29MB/sec.

I have a small home and have tried putting the Macbook Pro's right next to the router which does not seem to effect file transfer speed. I have tried a wired connection via ethernet, but the network seems reluctant recognize the Macbooks that way.

Are speeds of 29MB/sec decent for a router like this?

Would I be better off simply using a USB SSD for such transfers and give up the idea of using the network to copy large files?

Any advice/comments appreciated, thanks.



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You need to figure out what is preventing a wired connection from working. First thing I would try is a brand new cat5e cable. Don't fall for the hype of cat7 or cat8. Get a cat5e or cat6a, round, 100% copper cable.
WIFI is a poor choice for transferring large files.
But you really need to determine what the link rate on your Macbook is. Roughly 30MB/s is 240Mb/s which is a link rate around 500Mbit.
Verify that the EA9500 is configured for 80Mhz channel width on 5Ghz. Looking at the user's guide, I can't tell for sure that it is possible to set the channel width.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Are you certain that you are getting 29MB/s and not 29Mbps, because they are vastly different things and sometimes even software doesn't report them accurately.

Are we talking transfer speeds on your own local network or transfer speeds to someplace/machine at a different location?

As Kanewolf noted, you really need to figure out why the wired connection isn't working. If these are home network speeds and not transfers outside your local network, then those speeds are pretty terrible if it is actually Mb/s and not MB/s. Actually, if that's the case, it's pretty terrible either way. If it's MB/s it's not nearly as bad but you'd certainly have WAY more speed with a wired LAN. Kanewolf knows his business though, so I'm sure he will get you sorted IF you listen to what he tells you.

 

[JohnMGotts]

Check this…item 2.

How to Connect Ethernet to Mac and PC [Worked]

An Ethernet network carves out the fastest and simplest connection but lots of Macs lack an Ethernet port. Learn how to connect Ethernet to Mac in this post.

www.imymac.com

 

[glasswave]

Thank for the prompt useful replies.

You need to figure out what is preventing a wired connection from working. First thing I would try is a brand new cat5e cable. Don't fall for the hype of cat7 or cat8. Get a cat5e or cat6a, round, 100% copper cable.
WIFI is a poor choice for transferring large files.
But you really need to determine what the link rate on your Macbook is. Roughly 30MB/s is 240Mb/s which is a link rate around 500Mbit.
Verify that the EA9500 is configured for 80Mhz channel width on 5Ghz. Looking at the user's guide, I can't tell for sure that it is possible to set the channel width.

I will look into the channel width. I am just using old cat5 cables that I got from surplus at my work, so I will try something newer.

My most common use of the wireless network, besides basic surfing/ youtube streaming is playing video and audio files in VLC or winamp which seems to work pretty good.

Transferring large media files from Macbook Pro's only done every couple of/few weeks or so.

Are you certain that you are getting 29MB/s and not 29Mbps, because they are vastly different things and sometimes even software doesn't report them accurately.

Are we talking transfer speeds on your own local network or transfer speeds to someplace/machine at a different location?

As Kanewolf noted, you really need to figure out why the wired connection isn't working. If these are home network speeds and not transfers outside your local network, then those speeds are pretty terrible if it is actually Mb/s and not MB/s. Actually, if that's the case, it's pretty terrible either way. If it's MB/s it's not nearly as bad but you'd certainly have WAY more speed with a wired LAN. Kanewolf knows his business though, so I'm sure he will get you sorted IF you listen to what he tells you.

I did a 10 GigaBYTE test and got 27.7 GigaBYTES per second.
I am indeed speaking of my local network.

Check this…item 2.

How to Connect Ethernet to Mac and PC [Worked]

An Ethernet network carves out the fastest and simplest connection but lots of Macs lack an Ethernet port. Learn how to connect Ethernet to Mac in this post.

www.imymac.com

Thanks, I will give that a read.

I am staring to think that a 2TB external SSD will be the way to go. In many instances, I might be able to capture directly to the external SSD and for smaller projects could likely do all my editing right on the external SSD, avoiding much in the way of file transfers at all.


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[Darkbreeze]

I am staring to think that a 2TB external SSD will be the way to go. In many instances, I might be able to capture directly to the external SSD and for smaller projects could likely do all my editing right on the external SSD, avoiding much in the way of file transfers at all.

True, this is an option, however, it's really not your best one. What if the drive or it's enclosure has problems? Then you're instantly in need of replacing it or back to square one on solving the original issue. It would be far better to have BOTH options available to you.

And if any of this is mission critical or even just highly important, I certainly hope that you are not risking complete loss by only having it in one location at any given time? If you don't already have at least two copies, somewhere, at any given time, immediately following the creation of anything that might cause you to pull your hair out, slam a bottle of liquor or start throwing things at people, then you REALLY ought to rethink that.

Having it in three locations would be a lot better, which it sounds like you COULD have given a copy on the Mac, a copy on an external drive and a copy on your Windows machine, but you might also want another external drive, probably a HDD since you can get much larger capacities for a lot less money, to periodically copy everything important to and then store away from the other devices so that in the event there is ever something catastrophic like a fire, earthquake or theft, you don't lose everything in one shot despite having had multiple copies. And you'd be surprised just HOW often that exact scenario plays out here, and elsewhere, in reality. Even some kind of cloud storage would be better than having all your eggs in one basket.

You really want to figure out the LAN situation though because it would likely save you a lot of time to make ONE transfer, from machine to machine, then have to transfer to SSD and then transfer from SSD to the other machine. But you would know your requirements and time considerations better than I would.

 

[glasswave]

True, this is an option, however, it's really not your best one. What if the drive or it's enclosure has problems? Then you're instantly in need of replacing it or back to square one on solving the original issue. It would be far better to have BOTH options available to you.

And if any of this is mission critical or even just highly important, I certainly hope that you are not risking complete loss by only having it in one location at any given time? If you don't already have at least two copies, somewhere, at any given time, immediately following the creation of anything that might cause you to pull your hair out, slam a bottle of liquor or start throwing things at people, then you REALLY ought to rethink that.

Having it in three locations would be a lot better, which it sounds like you COULD have given a copy on the Mac, a copy on an external drive and a copy on your Windows machine, but you might also want another external drive, probably a HDD since you can get much larger capacities for a lot less money, to periodically copy everything important to and then store away from the other devices so that in the event there is ever something catastrophic like a fire, earthquake or theft, you don't lose everything in one shot despite having had multiple copies. And you'd be surprised just HOW often that exact scenario plays out here, and elsewhere, in reality. Even some kind of cloud storage would be better than having all your eggs in one basket.

You really want to figure out the LAN situation though because it would likely save you a lot of time to make ONE transfer, from machine to machine, then have to transfer to SSD and then transfer from SSD to the other machine. But you would know your requirements and time considerations better than I would.

Thanks again Darkbreeze. Everything I leave on the media server at work is backed up nightly and mirrored offsite with regularity. On my home office CGI workstation I am a little bit more lax. My work in progress drive(s) gets backed up about once a week, but a good deal of that have various versions of the projects saved at work and backed up onto one of my spinning drives. My finished projects are backed up from my RAID 5 array to a detached portable HD about once monthly. Twice yearly, that data is backed up to my off-site back-up drives I keep at the office. Older data and media files are also spread across a smattering of old external drives stored in a box in my tool shed.

My system is not perfect and a catastrophic data failure due to natural disaster or such might result in hours and hours of data reorganization from legacy drives, but I am pretty well backed up compared to the average bear. My mobile devices are the most vulnerable. While I am very good about backing up my slr's, video cameras, audio recorders and other capture devices, my mobile device media folders only see various irregular back-up and the text messages and mobile app data are lucky to be backed up yearly.

Finally, my porn collection exists in imminent peril as I just can't stomach shelling out cash to data protect such prurient pursuits. LOL


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[Darkbreeze]

Porn should be the FIRST concern. No, I am totally just kidding. LOL.

Being totally facetious. Which is OK since you started it. LOL. BUT, I'd also agree, that as an adult there is nothing illegal or wrong about having such collections, especially if you have specific Tracy Lords works in there, and I don't mean that as a juvenile type remark because some of that stuff is worth serious money these days. As a collector, and IF that is as a backup to you VHS or very early DVD media. However.

We generally don't talk about such things here because this is a family friendly site, but I think it might be allowed to remain as a comment if it is a collector type issue, which KIND of makes it valid. Kind of. Let's refrain from that in the future though.

As to everything else, seems like you are well aware of backup issues which is a GREAT thing, since probably 90% of people don't, or won't, or just don't realize the need for it. So the fact that you do, and I am including a LOT of "professionals" in that "don't get it" category, makes a big difference.

I still think that @kanewolf is one of the very best people on this forum to advise you, as well as @USAFRet and @bill001g. Those guys cannot lead you astray in anything network related. They are some of, literally, the most knowledgeable people in the WORLD, much less in the US. So you should take anything they say and assume it to be pretty much gospel.

But in lieu of that, and until/unless one of them chimes in, and admittedly I am not the most knowledgeable when it comes to strictly network related issues, I think at least trying the advice that was suggested regarding the Mac to Windows LAN is advisable, because I've had similar problems in the past when working on a client machine on my Windows network, and the resolutions were similar.

 

[glasswave]

Thanks again Darkbreeze. Yeah, the porn mention was made in jest, plus it gave me the chance to use the alliteration "prurient pursuits," which brings a perverse pleasure to pedantic poindexter such as myself. LOL

I did manage to pick up a SAMSUNG T7 Shield 2TB, Portable SSD. Via usb-c and my MBP I was able to copy 1.37 terabyte at eight hundred eighty-eight MB per sec (and it only got moderately hot)! So today I have been playing with that.

(The spam filter did not like my numeric use of eight-eight-eight for some reason.) LOL

I do plan on working through the wired LAN issues though as it will still be beneficial to have that part of my network running smoothly. That way I should be able to use my Linux boot disk and clonezilla to image my macs which is how I like to do my windows machine.

Anyways, thanks for the advice from all and I will report back when I get the wired LAN working.


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[Darkbreeze]

Sounds good.