1

Specs:

2 x Dell Studio XPS 9000 Desktop with INTEL pro 1000 GT Desktop Adapter and Windows 8.1 Pro

1 x HP Network Gigabit Switch 8-ports J9794A (10/100/1000)

Network wiring: Cat6a

Problem:

At least one of the computers is reporting to only be connected at 100Mbps but the card is configured to "auto negotiate" (so should auto negotiate at 1Gbps) and they are connected to a gigabit switch using cat6a cabling. What can we do to find the problem?

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DavidPostill
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br1comp
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  • @MátéJuhász - the user's Windows is identifying as being connected at 100Mbps rather than the set "Auto negotiate" so it should be connecting at 1Gbps if they're using a gigabit switch and cat6a cabling (which they state they are)... – Kinnectus Sep 15 '16 at 08:12
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    Not quite sure of the downvotes on this... the problem seems quite legitimate... a gigabit switch, cat6a cabling, Windows set to auto negotiate connection speed (with gigabit cards installed) and the connection summary says 100Mbps... legitimate problem... – Kinnectus Sep 15 '16 at 08:14
  • @BigChris - It also has 3 close votes. The obvious question I have is, if auto negotiation is not used, does the network get identified as a 1000 Mbps connection if set to 1000 Mbps Full Duplex. – Ramhound Sep 15 '16 at 10:38
  • I noticed the "1000Mbps Full Duplex" was actually selected int he picture above... even still, if they're on a cat6a infrastructure with a gigabit switch then it should still connect at 1Gbps... – Kinnectus Sep 15 '16 at 10:42
  • thanks, Big Chris for your follow up the issue. http://static.yoreparo.com/imagenes/subidas/ant.png I tried it with another switch (HP PS1810-8G Switch) I also have other armed cat6a and the new work cat6, if I have some armed bad cable. I will try other pci net and other computers. – br1comp Sep 15 '16 at 13:19
  • Glad you got this solved. However, the way you provided feedback will keep this from being useful to others who encounter a similar problem. The site's Q&A format reserves questions for just questions, and answers for solutions. Can you move your solution to an answer? You can also click the checkmark next to it to accept it, which will indicate that the problem has been solved. (This will need to wait for the question to be reopened, though.) Thanks. – fixer1234 Sep 17 '16 at 03:58
  • Please don't edit the answer into your question. [su] is a question and answer site and answers should be separate from questions. You can answer your own question instead. – DavidPostill Sep 17 '16 at 09:34

2 Answers2

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Your internet connection speed depends on a lot of factors:

  1. The network interface in your computer
  2. The cables you use
  3. Your router and/or modem
  4. The internet speed you pay for at your ISP
  5. Your ISP network

In your case, you are looking at the speed between your computer and your switch, which seems to indeed be lower than expected. Based on your post you should be having a 1000mbps connection. The issue is probably caused by a faulty wire somewhere between your computer and the switch, try running another cable or getting a cable tester to diagnose this issue. Some routers also allow you to manually throttle certain ports, if you still have the speed issue after changing cables you may want to look into that.

to go into depth a bit:

Network interface
The network interface is a piece of hardware, commonly found on the motherboard, that you use to connect to a network. It has a network port (RJ45) or a wireless antenna. Most modern NIC's (Network Interface Card) support speeds of 1000mbps or even higher depending on the quality and tier of the card. You can never reach a speed higher than the maximum speed of your NIC.

The cables
Network cables have a specific maximum bandwidth. These cables are separated into categories (cat's), the most common categories today are CAT5, CAT5e and CAT6. A CAT5 cable has a maximum bandwidth of 100mbps, where CAT5e supports up to 1000mbps and CAT6 are basically a higher-quality version of CAT5e.

It is also possible that there are faults in the cables you use, this can result in a lower maximum speed. You can get a cable tester to test for this.

Your router or modem
All routers or modems have a maximum bandwidth associated with them, this is listed on the box and can sometimes be seen inside the settings of the device. Most low-end routers or modems have a certain bandwidth limit but struggle to provide a lot of devices all using that bandwidth, in this case upgrading your router or modem may help.

ISP
After leaving your house, your connection is handled by your ISP, they're the people you pay for internet. Even if all the hardware in hour house can easily manage gigabit internet, they may throttle your connection if you pay for something less. It is also possible that you may not always reach the speed you pay for, depending on the load on the network and the system you are connecting to.

Cas
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Probably one of the secondary wires in your cable is interrupted and the connection drops to 100Mbit using only the green and orange pairs. get a cable tester and check your cable.

-Updated-

Maybe a pin from the NIC socket then ? Test this very simple: get a cable you use, get a laptop. Set IP addresses to the NIC and laptop NIC and try linking with multiple test cables. Also try to totally uninstall the NIC driver and install the newest version for it. I assume you did try different SW ports and resetting it.

Overmind
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  • the cables are not the problem because even though I have cat5e, also have armed a cat6a cables. and they have also given me new cat6 cables of my work, in the event that my cables improperly assembled – br1comp Sep 15 '16 at 13:09
  • I have updated my reply. – Overmind Sep 16 '16 at 06:46