Question Not getting full speed with ethernet cable

[christofferskr]

I recently replaced my ethernet cable due to getting lower speeds than what i used to get and timing out. I came to the conclusion that it had to be the ethernet cable that was at fault. I was getiing 90/90 while paying for 150/150. I replaced the cable yesterday. I'm no longer timing out (or I haven't since I swapped cable), but I'm still at the same speed as what i was getting before swapping. I have terminated the ends over and over again, but I still only get 90/90. I know 90/90 is very usable, but I would still like to get the full 150/150.

I have contacted my ISP, but they told me nothing was wrong on their end. I have restarted my router and also reset it and updated it, but nothing helps.

 

[rgd1101]

what the modem? and the motherboard?
you make your own cable?

 

[christofferskr]

The modem is ZyXel VMG8825. Motherboard is Asus Rog Strix b450-f gaming. And yes I made my own cable.

 

[Phillipson]

From what I understand, your issue is going to be a hardware issue

• Verify cabling is proper (per CAT specifications)
• Verify hardware supports such speed

Obviously modems/routers only support certain speeds. Rule out and narrow the problem. The only explanation I can muster would be poor cabling or hardware that doesn't support the desired speeds. Confirm the obvious

• Cabling from wall -> Router/Modem
• Router/Modem cabling -> PC

The small, obvious things are constantly overlooked. I'd recommend starting from scratch, mentally piecing the issue together. I believe this is a cabling/hardware issue. Being able to narrow the fault will reveal what's really causing the decrease in speed. Best of luck

 

[Phillipson]

I'd also recommend proving your ISP is not causing the decrease in speed. Sometimes, they'll just tell you what you want to hear. If you can confirm your ISP is being truthful then the fault is definitely a hardware/cabling issue from wall > modem > router > PC

Good luck friend

 

[bill001g]

A number of about 90mbps is the number you almost always see when you have a cable running at 100mbps. I mean if it was something else why would you not see say 105mbps.

Check the ethernet status on your pc. It should show the connect speed. This is not in the area you set the speed you want that on auto. This used to be easy to find and was a tab called status but microsoft changed things but you should still see it.

My guess is you will find your port is running at 100mbps. This is almost always a bad cable. Making cables yourself this is very common. Even guys who do it for a living make bad cable every now and then.
The cheap cable tester can find many of these but they still don't tell you which end you did wrong so you blindly cut one off and try again.

Note if you are not using actual ethernet cable you are going to have massive problems. That flat cable has extremely thin wires and will not connect to standard ends. CCA cable the plugs many times do not make proper contact with the copper coating and the aluminum core doesn't work as well.
Both these type of cables are fakes that do not actually meet the standards to be called ethernet cables. You also have to be careful if the cable you are using is stranded wire. Those take different rj45 plugs.

It tends to be simpler to just buy a quality ethernet cable but if you keep trying you will likely get a good cable yourself it just takes a lot of practice. You can actually feel when the wires properly seat into the plug before you crimp it.

 

[Unolocogringo]

Are you using CAT 5E cable or CAT5 to make you cables?
Cat5 is only good for 100mbps connection. Which with overhead is about 90mbps.
Also your modem, router and switches must all support gigabit Ethernet to get above the 100mbps limit.And all cables connecting them. .
One device or cable can make the whole system run at 100mbps.

 

[gggplaya]

The Zyzel website requires you to submit information to download the datasheet.

I'm willing to bet the 4 port network switch on that cheap router is 10/100 and not gigabit capable. The only way to get 150mbps speed is via WIFI.

Update: Nevermind, I found the datasheet, it is 10/100/1000 4 port switch: https://cdn.cnetcontent.com/38/ec/38ec35be-a371-4ce9-a209-355180c50a93.pdf

Is the connection to your house fiber? Is their a separate ONT box inside or outside your house? Perhaps that box is using a poor cat5 cable to your router.

Or does your internet come in through the DSL jack? 150mbps service plan is unlikely with the DSL jack. Top speeds tend to max out around 100mbps and it depends on how close you live to the telco.

 

[christofferskr]

From what I understand, your issue is going to be a hardware issue

• Verify cabling is proper (per CAT specifications)
• Verify hardware supports such speed

Obviously modems/routers only support certain speeds. Rule out and narrow the problem. The only explanation I can muster would be poor cabling or hardware that doesn't support the desired speeds. Confirm the obvious

• Cabling from wall -> Router/Modem
• Router/Modem cabling -> PC

The small, obvious things are constantly overlooked. I'd recommend starting from scratch, mentally piecing the issue together. I believe this is a cabling/hardware issue. Being able to narrow the fault will reveal what's really causing the decrease in speed. Best of luck

I've made many ethernet cables and I'm sure the tremination is not the problem. The router is not at fault either. I tried a network cable I had laying around and got the speeds I was expecting. I'm having the excact same problem with the new cable as I had with the old one. Both old and new cable is Cat6 UTP meant for outside use (UV-shielded/resistant).

 

[christofferskr]

The Zyzel website requires you to submit information to download the datasheet.

I'm willing to bet the 4 port network switch on that cheap router is 10/100 and not gigabit capable. The only way to get 150mbps speed is via WIFI.

Update: Nevermind, I found the datasheet, it is 10/100/1000 4 port switch: https://cdn.cnetcontent.com/38/ec/38ec35be-a371-4ce9-a209-355180c50a93.pdf

Is the connection to your house fiber? Is their a separate ONT box inside or outside your house? Perhaps that box is using a poor cat5 cable to your router.

Or does your internet come in through the DSL jack? 150mbps service plan is unlikely with the DSL jack. Top speeds tend to max out around 100mbps and it depends on how close you live to the telco.

Yes, the connection to my house is fiber. I've used the same cable for years and never had a problem until recently. That's why I thought the cable was at fault. That's why I don't understand why the new cable is having the excact same problem. I tried using another network cable I had laying around and it worked perfeclty. Unfortunatly I need a long cable and the best/cheapest way to get it to my PC is on my outside wall without having to run it trogh tubes in my wall. Also, it does not come though DSL jack.

 

[rgd1101]

did you install anything utility/tool from asus? they have some lan manager type app that might be controlling download/upload speed

 

[christofferskr]

Are you using CAT 5E cable or CAT5 to make you cables?
Cat5 is only good for 100mbps connection. Which with overhead is about 90mbps.
Also your modem, router and switches must all support gigabit Ethernet to get above the 100mbps limit.And all cables connecting them. .
One device or cable can make the whole system run at 100mbps.

Im using a Cat6 UTP cable meant for outside use. My router does support gigabit speed. I've used the same cable for years until recently without any issues. That's why I thought the cable was at fault and why I replaced it, but I'm having the excact same issue with the new one.

 

[christofferskr]

did you install anything utility/tool from asus? they have some lan manager type app that might be controlling download/upload speed

I can't really remember. It's been wa while since I started having these issues, but I did test the connection with a shorter network cable and it gae me 150/150, so I don't think that's the issue.

 

[christofferskr]

I'd also recommend proving your ISP is not causing the decrease in speed. Sometimes, they'll just tell you what you want to hear. If you can confirm your ISP is being truthful then the fault is definitely a hardware/cabling issue from wall > modem > router > PC

Good luck friend

When I spoke to them they told me nothing was wrong. I tested the connection with another cable I had and had no issues with it.

 

[rgd1101]

how long is this long cable? add a switch in between?

 

[christofferskr]

how long is this long cable? add a switch in between?

The cable is little under 30m, so it should be fine. There should be any decrease in performance under 100m.

 

[drivinfast247]

I can't really remember. It's been wa while since I started having these issues, but I did test the connection with a shorter network cable and it gae me 150/150, so I don't think that's the issue.

So you tested with a different, shorter cable and it worked?

 

[christofferskr]

So you tested with a different, shorter cable and it worked?

Yes, that's right. But I need a long cable to reach the romm where my PC is at. It does seem that the cable is at fault, but it's a brand new cable. I have also terminated the cable many times to make sure the termination is as good as it can be. I had the excact same problem with the cable I had before this one, which is why I think it's so odd that I am having the excact same issue with the new cable, but not with a shorter cable.

The shorter cable I tried was a Cat5e and both the old and the new cable are both Cat6.

 

[gggplaya]

In ethernet terms, a 50 or 100ft cable is not long. Ethernet is designed to maintain gigabit speed up to 300feet. Beyond 300ft, there are no guarantees it'll maintain speed but it is possible to go longer than 300feet and still have gigabit speed, it's just not guaranteed to work.

Check your internet connection speed first to see what windows has negotiated for speed, here's a tutorial: https://www.thewindowsclub.com/check-network-adapter-speed-on-windows-10

To run a speed test on the cable, connect a computer on both ends. On one end, you would connect both cables into the network switch of the router. Then a PC on both ends of the cable and transfer a file between them to see the speed.

 

[christofferskr]

In ethernet terms, a 50 or 100ft cable is not long. Ethernet is designed to maintain gigabit speed up to 300feet. Beyond 300ft, there are no guarantees it'll maintain speed but it is possible to go longer than 300feet and still have gigabit speed, it's just not guaranteed to work.

Check your internet connection speed first to see what windows has negotiated for speed, here's a tutorial: https://www.thewindowsclub.com/check-network-adapter-speed-on-windows-10

To run a speed test on the cable, connect a computer on both ends. On one end, you would connect both cables into the network switch of the router. Then a PC on both ends of the cable and transfer a file between them to see the speed.

In the status of the network card its capped at 100 mbps. I am going to borrow a tester to test the cable this week. But considering I have the excact same problem with the new cable as the last it seems unlikely that the cable is damaged.

 

[gggplaya]

Cheaper cable testers don't work well on longer runs of cable. I have one and it doesn't work beyond 20-30ft of cable. Works great when I'm making short patch cables, but not when running wires through a house. YMMV depending on the tester you have.

If you are terminating these with a crimp, it's probably due to cheap crimper tool. I bought a nicer crimper tool with pass through connectors and my cables have been much more reliable compared to my cheaper crimpers. My new crimper tool even cuts the ends off the passthrough cables making for a clean crimp.

I also prefer to use punchdown connectors, which is more consistently reliable.

 

[christofferskr]

Cheaper cable testers don't work well on longer runs of cable. I have one and it doesn't work beyond 20-30ft of cable. Works great when I'm making short patch cables, but not when running wires through a house. YMMV depending on the tester you have.

If you are terminating these with a crimp, it's probably due to cheap crimper tool. I bought a nicer crimper tool with pass through connectors and my cables have been much more reliable compared to my cheaper crimpers. My new crimper tool even cuts the ends off the passthrough cables making for a clean crimp.

I also prefer to use punchdown connectors, which is more consistently reliable.

The friend I'm borrowing from is an electrician, so I'm hoping that both the crimper and tester are good enough.

 

[faalin]

A number of about 90mbps is the number you almost always see when you have a cable running at 100mbps. I mean if it was something else why would you not see say 105mbps.

Check the ethernet status on your pc. It should show the connect speed. This is not in the area you set the speed you want that on auto. This used to be easy to find and was a tab called status but microsoft changed things but you should still see it.

My guess is you will find your port is running at 100mbps. This is almost always a bad cable. Making cables yourself this is very common. Even guys who do it for a living make bad cable every now and then.
The cheap cable tester can find many of these but they still don't tell you which end you did wrong so you blindly cut one off and try again.

Note if you are not using actual ethernet cable you are going to have massive problems. That flat cable has extremely thin wires and will not connect to standard ends. CCA cable the plugs many times do not make proper contact with the copper coating and the aluminum core doesn't work as well.
Both these type of cables are fakes that do not actually meet the standards to be called ethernet cables. You also have to be careful if the cable you are using is stranded wire. Those take different rj45 plugs.

It tends to be simpler to just buy a quality ethernet cable but if you keep trying you will likely get a good cable yourself it just takes a lot of practice. You can actually feel when the wires properly seat into the plug before you crimp it.

the easiest way to check your network port connection is to click the start menu and type network connection, on the list click view network connections, in the new window right click on your connection and select status.

 

[christofferskr]

A number of about 90mbps is the number you almost always see when you have a cable running at 100mbps. I mean if it was something else why would you not see say 105mbps.

Check the ethernet status on your pc. It should show the connect speed. This is not in the area you set the speed you want that on auto. This used to be easy to find and was a tab called status but microsoft changed things but you should still see it.

My guess is you will find your port is running at 100mbps. This is almost always a bad cable. Making cables yourself this is very common. Even guys who do it for a living make bad cable every now and then.
The cheap cable tester can find many of these but they still don't tell you which end you did wrong so you blindly cut one off and try again.

Note if you are not using actual ethernet cable you are going to have massive problems. That flat cable has extremely thin wires and will not connect to standard ends. CCA cable the plugs many times do not make proper contact with the copper coating and the aluminum core doesn't work as well.
Both these type of cables are fakes that do not actually meet the standards to be called ethernet cables. You also have to be careful if the cable you are using is stranded wire. Those take different rj45 plugs.

It tends to be simpler to just buy a quality ethernet cable but if you keep trying you will likely get a good cable yourself it just takes a lot of practice. You can actually feel when the wires properly seat into the plug before you crimp it.

I've tried terminating the cable over and over again and it always gives me 90/90.

 

[gggplaya]

Did you check the continuity of the pairs inside the cable with a cable tester?