Advertisement
Help Keep Boards Alive. Support us by going ad free today. See here: https://subscriptions.boards.ie/.
If we do not hit our goal we will be forced to close the site.

Current status: https://keepboardsalive.com/

Annual subs are best for most impact. If you are still undecided on going Ad Free - you can also donate using the Paypal Donate option. All contribution helps. Thank you.
https://www.boards.ie/group/1878-subscribers-forum

Private Group for paid up members of Boards.ie. Join the club.

Using 10/100 Router as Switch - Not Great Speeds

  • 05-03-2014 07:20PM
    #1
    KungPao
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,793 ✭✭✭


    Hello Networking specialists!

    I was wondering if any of you could help a little...

    I recently got upgraded to 120 mbit from UPC. All good so far. But my Horizon box is a little bit away from my new desktop so have decided to buy some cat5e to connect it and get the full use of the faster speeds (rather than buying a dongle and only getting upto 54-ish mbit).

    Fine.

    But I have a laptop in my home office too (battery fooked, so it stays on the desk) and would like to have both on the wired network and don't want to be unplugging one to use the other etc. so decided I should use a switch.

    I dug out an oldish Sitecom WiFi router and disabled DHCP to use it a switch. It is 10/100 and expected to get near enough to 100 mbit, but speedtests have been a mediocre 50-ish.

    When directly connected to the Horizon, I get around 120 mbit.

    I also used an old EPC2425 router as a switch, and got similar speeds...

    Am I right in thinking my "switches" can't really handle the speeds I'm looking for and I should fork out for a gigabit switch?


    Thanks!


Comments

  • #2
    White Heart Loon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,788 ✭✭✭White Heart Loon


    I presume these speedtests are using wired, not wireless. Move it closer to the Horizon box and connect it with a factory patch lead to test to rule out the connectors on your cat5


  • #3
    KungPao
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,793 ✭✭✭KungPao


    White Heart Loon wrote: »
    I presume these speedtests are using wired, not wireless. Move it closer to the Horizon box and connect it with a factory patch lead to test to rule out the connectors on your cat5

    Sorry for any confusion, yeah all wired.

    I tested with a direct connection to Horizon box and got the full 120 mbit.

    But through my makeshift 10/100 switch, half that at best.

    Half that is still fast for home use of course, but I'd rather make use of the full whack. Just wondering if I need to get a gigabit switch or is there something I'm missing? I'd've thought a so-called 10/100 should get up to 100 mbit :confused:


  • #4
    White Heart Loon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,788 ✭✭✭White Heart Loon


    Yeah, you might get faster speeds, just test it with a factory cable


Advertisement