Problems getting 1gb internet speeds

[BrokenDome]

I just got AT&T U-Verse installed, and I signed up for the 1gb internet speed. I have run multiple speed tests on speedtest.net and the att speedtest, but get the same results on either one. My dl speed averages about 650, while the upload speed averages about 925-950. Not exactly sure what is going on. I will admit that I am not the most tech savvy person out there, so bear with me. I do have a new Alienware Aurora R5 that I purchased a couple months ago, and it has a Killer2400gigabyte Ethernet card. I also purchased the tech support, and Alienware is telling me that the computer is able to run 1gb with no issues. The AT&T installer, and Alienware are both kinda giving me the "it's the other guy's fault" speech and I am not sure why I'm not getting the full 1gb. The AT&T installer did say that the other times he installed the 1gb internet, that the customer was clocking over that before he left. I don't know what's going on, and don't know how to fix the issue. Please help.

 

[greens]

Could be your ethernet cable, are they all CAT5e or CAT6?

650 megabits? Most tests are in MB/s where most internet services are in Mb/s
I would expect a gigabit lan to test in around 100MB/s

 

[BrokenDome]

Yes, 650 megabits, not megabytes. Not sure about the Ethernet cable, it's the one they gave me when they installed it, so I figured it should work, will check here in a couple minutes.

The Ethernet cable says it's a CAT5E

 

[Shaun o]

There is your problem right there then.

Cat 5E graded Ethernet cables have a maximum bandwidth of 100Mbps Broken Dome.

You need a Cat 6 or 6E cable of good quality in order to reach your 1Gbps download speed from the router or modem you have.

Cat 5E will bottle neck the bandwidth period.

Go out and buy a Cat 6 or 6E cable that has good shielding.
If you can look for ones of a high copper grade purity in %

Higher the better to maximize signal quality.

 

[BrokenDome]

Awesome!! I'll go out an look for one later tonight. Thanks a ton!!

 

[nigelivey]

Not correct, Cat5e is rated at 1Gbps at distances under 100m.

 

[BrokenDome]

I did go out and get a CAT 6 cable. Wal-Mart only had one kind, maybe I should have went to RadioShack. Anyway, with this cable, my speed tests are coming back at around 925 down and up, which is a lot closer to the 1gb speed. I can deal with this. It's not like 650 wasn't enough speed, but if I'm paying for 1gb, I just expect at least close to that.

 

[Shaun o]

nigelivey,

Interesting that I`m roughly guessing the cat 5E cable was about 1.5 to 2.5m in length giving a maximum of 650 Mbps.

So bang went the theory that a 5E cable will reach 1Gbps speeds under 100 meters if it can only provide the maximum of 650 Mbps at 1.5 meters to 2.5 meters of cat 5E being used.

At a length of 90 meters with cable resistance, plus the level of power required along a 90M run you would be looking at speeds of 65Mbps if you were lucky.

In any case going from cat 5E to a cat 6 cable of about the same length proves the cable type was the limiting factor not the length used.

Anyway Glad you got a more respectable down and upload from the cat 6 cable as suggested. BrokenDome

 

[bill001g]

nigelivey,

Interesting that I`m roughly guessing the cat 5E cable was about 1.5 to 2.5m in length giving a maximum of 650 Mbps.

So bang went the theory that a 5E cable will reach 1Gbps speeds under 100 meters if it can only provide the maximum of 650 Mbps at 1.5 meters to 2.5 meters of cat 5E being used.

At a length of 90 meters with cable resistance, plus the level of power required along a 90M run you would be looking at speeds of 65Mbps if you were lucky.

In any case going from cat 5E to a cat 6 cable of about the same length proves the cable type was the limiting factor not the length used.

Anyway Glad you got a more respectable down and upload from the cat 6 cable as suggested. BrokenDome

You need to stop posting the myths you do about cat5e. Just because you experience something does not make it true. I see you repetitively post that cat5e can not run 1g and you must have cat6 even after you have been corrected many times. This is completely and totally not true.

The ieee 802.3ab standard is what every company in existence uses to define gigabit ethernet. It very clearly states that cat5e cable...and they define very clearly what catt5e cable is.. will run 1gbit at 100 meters. It even discusses the older cat5 cable since the standard was developed back in 1999 when you could still get normal cat5.

Unless you can show any industry standard you really need to stop posting your personal experience as fact.

 

[c0rr0sive]

Sorry to burst a bubble Shaun O, but IEEE 802.3bz standard states that you can get 2.5GBASE-T on a cable length upto 100m unshielded, and IEEE802.3AB states 1000Base-TX.

In special circumstances and deployments 5E is also acceptable for 5GBASE-T.

Nine times out of ten, the cable that was provided to OP probably didn't even meet Cat5 standards. I have seen many cables come with equipment that when you cut the jacket open, would barely meet Cat5 standards but be labeled Cat6.

Also Cat6E is NOT a standard, stop using it. It's not recognized by the IEEE or TIA. Cat7 isn't regonized by the IEEE either AFAIK, only by the TIA, the next fully compatible cable type is Cat8.

Cat5 - 10/100
Cat5e - 10/100/1000 + 2.5G/5.0G
Cat6 - 10/100/1G + 10G upto ~50m
Cat6a - 10/100/1G/10G
Cat7 - Technically not an approved cable - Is recognized by the ISO, but not by IEEE or TIA
Cat8 - Next recognized cable by ISO/IEEE/TIA - Think that supports 40Gbps over copper, don't quote me, hard to find much info on it TBH.


But, in the end, OP had to replace the cable, as the original most likely didn't even meet it's listed minimum spec.

 

[nigelivey]

nigelivey,

Interesting that I`m roughly guessing the cat 5E cable was about 1.5 to 2.5m in length giving a maximum of 650 Mbps.

So bang went the theory that a 5E cable will reach 1Gbps speeds under 100 meters if it can only provide the maximum of 650 Mbps at 1.5 meters to 2.5 meters of cat 5E being used.

At a length of 90 meters with cable resistance, plus the level of power required along a 90M run you would be looking at speeds of 65Mbps if you were lucky.

In any case going from cat 5E to a cat 6 cable of about the same length proves the cable type was the limiting factor not the length used.

Anyway Glad you got a more respectable down and upload from the cat 6 cable as suggested. BrokenDome

Again incorrect "So bang went the theory that a 5E cable will reach 1Gbps speeds under 100 meters if it can only provide the maximum of 650 Mbps at 1.5 meters to 2.5 meters of cat 5E being used." Well NO, the only thing that has shown is the cable he had did not achieve the rated speed. Yes the cable type was a factor but what cable was it? You clearly have no idea yet you insist on posting the same nonsense.

 

[robo21]

I just got this AT&T 1Gbps Fiber also. And yes, it helps to have all the best hardware and cables (e.g. SSD HDD, Gigabit NIC, CAT 6e cable, etc). There are also some speed tweaks and settings you can find at SpeedGuide.net (link below) that will help. At first I was not hitting full speed I had to make some TCP settings adjustments to Windows 7 (they work for XP, Vista, 8 and 10 also) to attain the best speeds. The adjustments are done through the CMD window with System Administrator. Not too complicated, here is a link: http://. There are some registry tweaks as well, but be sure to back up your registry before you attempt any of the more advanced settings.

Remeber that there is also normal "overhead" which cuts your speed from the advertised speed no matter what you do. But after you get your Windows dialed in and with all the optimized hardware fiber speed is pure joy. I have waited a long time for this. I have made some familiar downloads that are jaw-droppingly fast. Astonishing.

At first, I had been keeping the "30-day money-back guarantee" in my mind just in case, now you couldn't pay me to give up my fiber. I am hooked, I could never go back.

 

[failboat]

I did go out and get a CAT 6 cable. Wal-Mart only had one kind, maybe I should have went to RadioShack. Anyway, with this cable, my speed tests are coming back at around 925 down and up, which is a lot closer to the 1gb speed. I can deal with this. It's not like 650 wasn't enough speed, but if I'm paying for 1gb, I just expect at least close to that.

925-950 is about the best a 1Gbs router can do passing traffic through the nat/firewall. A lot can't even hit those speeds. See the link for tests. If you're on modem now and you need a router pick a fast one.
Cat5e should have been good enough. It's odd the cable change did it. If it was crimped onsite or something it might not of been tested. You can only untwist a few mm of the cable anymore and it's going to take a performance hit.

https://www.smallnetbuilder.com/tools/charts/router/bar/179-wan-to-lan-tcp/35

TCP sawtooth is also another reason you will never hit 1000. With a lot of connections and a properly sized buffer you can get closer. smaller connections are usually oversized to hit the stated speed, but they can't do that for the gigabit ones.