Cat 5 cable only doing 100mb

micks_address

Hi folks,

Had a cat5 cable run from router downstairs to ap upstairs and im only getting 95 ish mb over the link. I had asked for 2.5gb cable but this is what they put in. In theory cat 5 should do 1gb? That would do me if it would. Plugged into a unifi udr router ethernet port.

Likely a cabling issue?

Thanks,

Mick

Glaceon

If it’s Cat 5 (not 5e) then it may only be certified for 100 Mb. 5e can do up to 2.5 Gb. But it could also be cheapo CCA (copper clad aluminium) cable too.

Spear

Cat5 only does 100mb. It's cat 5e that does 1gb. Are you sure they really installed only cat 5? It sounds more likely they put in 5e or 6 and there's an issue.

smuggler.ie

Check crimping/punch - network test tool or continuity test if have multimeter
Also, just rule out that patch cables, if any in use, are GB capable (8 wires) and not FE (fast ethernet uses 4 wires only)

emaherx

Were cables tested properly after crimping, a broken link in one of the wires can still allow 100mbs as it only uses 4 of the 8 wires.

smuggler.ie

AP brand/model ?

micks_address

AP is unifi U7 Pro XG. Cable is stamped cat 5e. Installer did test the cable and all 8 strands were lighting up. Its passing POE from a poe ++ injector I'm using. Wish he had just used Cat 6 then could have ruled out the cable

micks_address

on the udr the unifi software was saying cable was limiting speed. I changed the port from FE to 1gb on the router config and restarted everything. Message went away but speed is hovering around 90mbps on the access point wifi. Have 1gb internet so should be getting 300+ on the wifi.

ECO_Mental

Make sure your phone or laptop is not on 2.4ghz…

smuggler.ie

Cable length not exceeding/near 100m i suppose

micks_address

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123784119#Comment_123784119

thanks - i was using my pixel pro 9 to test.. downstairs at the router its giving 4/500 mbps.. upstairs on the ap only 95. Would it switch to 2.4 for the AP? im not at home now so can't really check. Is there an easy way to see the uplink speed in the unifi software?

micks_address

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123784124#Comment_123784124

Id say it's 30 meters max

smuggler.ie

"unifi udr router" does it not have PoE ports?
If possible test direct connection to eliminate injector

micks_address

Just looking at some of the connected devices to the ap. I can see one on WiFi 6 and the Rx rate is 1.3gbps and the tx is 865mpbs.

smuggler.ie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123784141#Comment_123784141

This would be link speed between AP and client over WiFi. Limitation comes before WiFi so actual speed reflect

Glaceon

Can you see any markings on the cable itself? Might give some clues as to whether it's solid copper or CCA.

micks_address

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123784138#Comment_123784138

it has one poe port but the ap needs poe++ so its not strong enough to power it. I've disabled the poe on that port.. using a different port anyway. I'm using the unifi recommended poe++ adapter.

https://eu.store.ui.com/eu/en/category/accessories-poe-power/collections/pro-store-poe-and-power-adapters/products/uacc-poe-plus-plus-10g

micks_address

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123784149#Comment_123784149

out at the moment.. all i could make out last night was cat5e stamped on it.. there is some other writing i can check later

ECO_Mental

Under the clients tab you can see what connection they are on eg wired or the frequency band they are on

Cuddlesworth

Port should be set to auto, Link Speed → Automatically Negotiate.

Manually setting the speed is just bypassing a cable check and causing errors.

Its been said twice in this thread, this is the third time. Its most likely a crimping problem, where of the 8 cables, 1 or more of the pairs are incorrectly crimped or damaged. You can buy cheap cable testers of amazon which will confirm the pairs wiring is correct.

https://www.amazon.ie/VCELINK-GJ468-Network-Tester-Ethernet/dp/B08CZW1CQ8/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3T0SXX599TUQN&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.cmJHifOPXuADJz0v_xMSJ9115s-h7FsDhwyKCOt_a1u2hI_HTk-wwW8GYA2YAhu7xacNl-68_ohFdvB8sSqsquO_ut9-Ve4mlIqrC-VwQyYqSqHCszEYc61DRNIweQ0UMz8tOuexffF-Pel3-imZf6Z4hko72_nY81tSP7YcTPpC8wkmhHaxjMciYvRNkOFkefvn0DtHrp5lyWj2WjnwqVlE_Dw4Dfr5E3NR2D-Xaok62KctwZUUiPcx0My-wQ14bsDJnUjbl-AaELG_EamM_APIpczzWiLpIblkx-RXZEo.BUZ8wp7vbXw8dc97yxjKg6cNGemRGf9XD3G5cvh4kRc&dib_tag=se&keywords=ethernet+cable+tester&qid=1756972556&sprefix=ehternet+cable+tester%2Caps%2C51&sr=8-2

ECO_Mental

Are you using the unifi WiFi man app...thats a brilliant app for checking signal strength etc

micks_address

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123784175#Comment_123784175

Thanks - Ill set it back to Auto. The guy showed me the tester and 8 lights on the ap end lighting up. Not sure if thats a guarantee of anything. I did contact him and he said he'd come back and sort. I'm thinking best bet might be to just ask for cat 6 cable to be fitted. 100mbps is probably plenty but at the same time the AP can do a lot more so i'd like to be able to get it working properly

emaherx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123784184#Comment_123784184

Where are you getting the 100mbs speed from? Internet speed test, reported link speed on adapter or an actual transfer between devices?

micks_address

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123784253#Comment_123784253

its from google speedtest on phone over wifi to the access point.. same test connected to router wifi gives 500 mbps

emaherx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123784258#Comment_123784258

That still doesn't confirm the cable though - Have you tried the same AP with a short premade cable (If it is practical to move to test).

Otherwise do a speed test between 2 devices on the cable even a file transfer between 2 laptops without any routers/switches/AP's (Assuming most modern Gigabit laptops support auto MDI-X)

alex.krycek

Does Speedtest.net give you the same result? I sometimes get slower speeds on Google's speed test.

Also you could try fast.com (Netflix speedtest)

Are you using any home plugs in between? I have a home plug and it shows as an FE (Fast Ethernet 100Mb) device in unifi dashboard.

lawred2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123784066#Comment_123784066

is cat5 even supplied for new installations at this stage?

micks_address

Heres the cable

https://excel-networking.com/catalogue/product/100-060-100

Glaceon

Well it's solid cable, so that's good at least. Definitely double-check the crimping.

micks_address

Heres the result from fast (pixel 9 pro to ap wifi7)

Dont Be at It

Is there a Poe port switch between router and APs? If there is and it's an older type it might have 100Mps limit.