Gigabit ethernet reporting as 100 Meg

My Windows 7 system with a gigabit NIC reports the connection to my cat5e Ethernet network as 100 Mbps, even though the Netgear GS605 switch that manages connections is gigabit. However, the Thomson ADSL router is connected to the network from one of it's 100 Mbps ports and from the patch panel into the gigabit switch into which the other network connections go. Does this mean that the whole network will be reduced to 100 Mbps? Or is there a problem with the wired network that it cannot sustain anything other than 100Mbps? If it's my patch cables, how can I test them for gigabit performance?

It doesn't matter that the router is 100Mb, it won't slow down the rest of the network.

Have you tried turning off Auto Sense and set the card to 1Gb manually from the network cards properties in device manager?

In reply to a post by commandergc:

It doesn't matter that the router is 100Mb, it won't slow down the rest of the network.

Have you tried turning off Auto Sense and set the card to 1Gb manually from the network cards properties in device manager?

Thanks for the suggestion, but not sure how to do that. I tried device manager settings but no sign of Auto Sense setting or anything like that.

Possibly the cabling causing it - there can be many reasons.

I have Gbit here and 4 cable running to one location. Three register as Gbit and one as 100Mbit - I have checked terminations and remade some, but cannot get it to move!

As for testing patch cables, use them direct from a Gbit capable NIC direct into the Gbit switch - if necessary move the switch or PC temporarily.

Possibly the cabling causing it - there can be many reasons.

I have Gbit here and 4 cable running to one location. Three register as Gbit and one as 100Mbit - I have checked terminations and remade some, but cannot get it to move!

Sounds ominous.

At the faceplate end, the longest length of untwisted wire terminated at the IDC is maximum 25mm, but at the patch panel it's about 30mm, so I'm wondering if the length if the untwisted wire is causing a problem?

I'll certainly try your suggestion by connecting the PC to the switch with nothing else connected to it and see if it registers gigabit. Then I'll know if the wired ethernet is causing the problem.

What did you do to get your cables to register as gigabit?

That's a lot of untwisted cable IMO.

The drivers for quite a few gigabit network cards will allow you to do some cable quallification - check the network card's control panel applet to see if there's a "cable test" option in there. This will generally measure some of the key properties of your cabling and let you know whether it's in spec for gigabit

I did nothing to get the card and switch to work at Gigabit.

25mm and 30mm may be a little long - I believe the advised maximum is 13mm. See if you can take one cable off and "retwist" at both ends down to 10mm and try again.

Which wiring scheme did you use? 568A or 568B ?


With my one problem cable - I have a feeling there may be a broken conductor and need to check it all out, wire by wire.

Edited by MHC (Tue 15-Feb-11 10:17:01)

In reply to a post by MHC:

25mm and 30mm may be a little long - I believe the advised maximum is 13mm. See if you can take one cable off and "retwist" at both ends down to 10mm and try again.

Which wiring scheme did you use? 568A or 568B ?

I used 568B which is what the RJ45 modules and patch panel use.

I haven't much choice with the 30mm max length because of the length of the patch panel terminating block ~ 30mm. If I have 30mm of wire exposed and just untwist the bare minimum needed, would that be okay? Otherwise I might be better off ditching the patch panel and just terminating to RJ45 plugs.

"Have you tried turning off Auto Sense and set the card to 1Gb manually from the network cards properties in device manager? "

I would check the drivers for the NIC and update them if possible.

An intereesting snippet from the Broadcom support site,

"
Why is there no option to force the speed and duplex to 1000Mb/s - Full Duplex?

Per the IEEE standard, the only IEEE compliant way to operate at 1000Mb/s-Full duplex is through auto-negotiation. If the network switch being used is IEEE compliant, the link speed will auto-negotiate to 1000Mb/s-Full duplex when autoneg is selected.
"

I would be tempted to move the mini-switch next to the device in question, connect a short patchlead between the two, and see what happens. If it doesn't negotiate to Gb then, it rules out your fixed wiring.

In reply to a post by joconnell:

In reply to a post by MHC:

25mm and 30mm may be a little long - I believe the advised maximum is 13mm. See if you can take one cable off and "retwist" at both ends down to 10mm and try again.

Which wiring scheme did you use? 568A or 568B ?

I used 568B which is what the RJ45 modules and patch panel use.

I haven't much choice with the 30mm max length because of the length of the patch panel terminating block ~ 30mm. If I have 30mm of wire exposed and just untwist the bare minimum needed, would that be okay? Otherwise I might be better off ditching the patch panel and just terminating to RJ45 plugs.

Exposed is no problem - just leave the pair twisted until the last moment. Are you 100% certain that you have terminated correctly at both ends? Some RJ45 sockets can be a little confusing - they show which is the blue/orange/green/brown pair but not always which is the solid and which is the white/colour. If everyone is doing it, the suggestion is that you have the same anomaly on every cable as all four pairs are used in Gigabit but only 2 pairs in 100Mbit.

Do you have a continuity tester or meter? Get a couple of RG45s with flying leads and then at one end connect 1 and 2 together, check for continuity across 1 and 2 at the other end. Then 1 and 3, 1 and 4 &c.

Are you 100% certain that you have terminated correctly at both ends? Some RJ45 sockets can be a little confusing - they show which is the blue/orange/green/brown pair but not always which is the solid and which is the white/colour. If everyone is doing it, the suggestion is that you have the same anomaly on every cable as all four pairs are used in Gigabit but only 2 pairs in 100Mbit.

Do you have a continuity tester or meter? Get a couple of RG45s with flying leads and then at one end connect 1 and 2 together, check for continuity across 1 and 2 at the other end. Then 1 and 3, 1 and 4 &c.

I've tested the connections at both ends using a LAN signal tester, the type where you plug one end into the RJ45 socket, the other end into the patch panel, and the test unit sends a signal down each pin 1 to 8 which I've checked at the receiving end and all looks okay from that.

In reply to a post by shtu:

I would be tempted to move the mini-switch next to the device in question, connect a short patchlead between the two, and see what happens. If it doesn't negotiate to Gb then, it rules out your fixed wiring.

That's my next step

That confirms 1:1, 2:2, &c but not that pairs are correctly distributed.

Can you provve that each colour pair are working as a twisted pair?

On the back of a socket or patch panel, punch a link between the Gn & Gn/W then at the other end put a meter across 3&6 (use a patch lead and touch the pins - ignore the colours)

repeat with Blue 4&5
Orange 1&2
Brown 7&8

At least then you have proved that all 8 connections are end to end and the twisted pairs are being used as pairs.

At that point - you need to definitely revisit the card and switch.

Can you provve that each colour pair are working as a twisted pair?

So if they're not then that identifies a problem with the patch panel or RJ45 socket?
I'm not sure what you're getting at?

Yes it could - not necessarily with the panel or socket but with the identification or interpretation of the pin outs. 1&2 must be twisted together similarly, 3&6, 4&5 and 7&8 The LAN tester will only prove all wires are connected end to end, broken or crossed. Some top end ones may suggest there is incorrect pairing but basic ones do not.

All I am trying to do is go though proving your wiring is 100% correct.

I used to have a 8 port GS608 & I never manged to get all ports to run at 1GB. I always had 2 or 3 ports that would run at 100mb (orange LED). After a lot of messing around swapping nics & cables I came to the conclusion that it was the switch that was the problem.

I eventually replaced the switch with a Zyxel 8 port switch & I've not had any problems since.

Al

Any half decent lan tester will check the appropriate pairs rather than just a continuity test of 1 - 8.

In reply to a post by Rockh:

Any half decent lan tester will check the appropriate pairs rather than just a continuity test of 1 - 8.

Any recommendations then? The LAN tester I've used just tests signal continuity and was borrowed from a mate, so I'm happy to invest in a half-decent one

Sorry can't recommend a consumer grade one . You need to make sure it does wiremap or can identify split pairs, not just continuity.

I found quite a few pro-grade ones upwards of 100 quid, but also found a few consumer ones from various electrical distributors like TLC and QVS for between 15 and 30 quid so I might invest in one of those.

However, I replaced the patch leads with 0.5m ones and hey presto, I'm getting 1Gbps ethernet according to Windows 7!

I would like to test the real world network speed though, are there any tools for doing this?

Just the patch leads?

Have you tested those? I did come across some very cheap ones which were only 2 pair.

In reply to a post by joconnell:

However, the Thomson ADSL router is connected to the network from one of it's 100 Mbps ports and from the patch panel into the gigabit switch into which the other network connections go. Does this mean that the whole network will be reduced to 100 Mbps?

Nope. If it is on a completely different port on the gigabit switch, it will not affect the speeds of any other ports on the switch.

In reply to a post by joconnell:

Or is there a problem with the wired network that it cannot sustain anything other than 100Mbps? If it's my patch cables, how can I test them for gigabit performance?

What cable lengths are you running from the switch to the devices which are only showing 100mbps?

Edited by chris6273 (Thu 17-Feb-11 04:09:56)

In reply to a post by MHC:

Just the patch leads?

Have you tested those? I did come across some very cheap ones which were only 2 pair.

I tested the patch lead I originally used which yielded the 100Mbps rating from my PC and it's fine, though at over a metre long might have been too long? And as you say, the quality might not have been that great.

I'll still redo the terminations at the patch panel just to make sure I'm getting max performance, esp. when I get a NAS device.

1 metre patch leads should not be a problem - some of mine are 2, 3 and 5 metres and all still give Gigabit. Provided the leads are all four pairs and are rated appropriately. Having a quick skim though catalogs - there are quite a few that are only 100Mb rated.

In reply to a post by MHC:

1 metre patch leads should not be a problem - some of mine are 2, 3 and 5 metres and all still give Gigabit. Provided the leads are all four pairs and are rated appropriately. Having a quick skim though catalogs - there are quite a few that are only 100Mb rated.

Maybe I'll test the long patch cords I used before and plug them directly into the switch from the PC to see if they are indeed only 100Mbit rated - I hadn't thought of that.

In reply to a post by joconnell:

I would like to test the real world network speed though, are there any tools for doing this?

If you want a test tool that will actually do "qualification" type tests, you're into paying £hundreds. Such tools are normally used by professional installers as part of providing the warranty on the cabling install.

For a domestic setup? Not worth it, just faultfind as you are. Most cheap ones just do a straightforward continuity test.

What you will probably find as the next weak link, once you have all your devices singing at Gb, is the switch.

While each port may show Gb, the switch's limited processing power will limit the actual throughput once several ports are working hard.

That's the time to consider moving up to the sort of switches discussed before. Look at the backplane throughput of the switch in the specs, and if it's not specified, assume it's rubbish. Some basic managment is also very useful, and doesn't have to break the bank - a while back I did some maths on here showing that buying a 24-port managed switch worked out cheaper than 2 or 3 "cheap" ones.

However, it does come back to exactly how hard you expect to work your network - what you have done to date puts you far, far ahead of almost every domestic setup.

Have not had issues with 15m patch leads and Gigabit, there were from Blackbox if I recall.

Even cables that I make myself and can be 50 to 70m are happy with Gigabit, but we do use CAT6 as the central gives a little extra strength for temporary outdoor installs.

Thank you to everyone for your feedbacl and advice, I've certainly learned a lot. I'll get a better network tester and re-test for more than just continuity. I've seen a tester for £30 that'll hopefully do the job. I'm not using many of the network points at the moment and so the Netgear 605 gigabit switch will do for now but once the network sees heavier use, esp. when I introduce a NAS device, then I'll look at getting a better switch such as the Zyxel one mentioned here.

Thanks again

Before you spend your £30, please link to it here. I'd be very surprised if a £30 tester does more than a simple continuity test.

About time we saw some photos of this installation...

In reply to a post by shtu:

Before you spend your £30, please link to it here. I'd be very surprised if a £30 tester does more than a simple continuity test.

About time we saw some photos of this installation...

Photos will be forthcoming

LAN tester links at TLC Direct, Toolstation and Amazon

Solwise do a pretty nifty one for less than £50

None of those are wonderful! Yes they will tell you if the cable is open/short,OK,crossover but it will not check that your pairs are used correctly.

Something like This looks ok compared to the cheap continuity testers.

You can hire proper testers too. Where I work bought a Fluke tester which was mega money - but before that we used to hire out a tester from somone (can't remember where at the moment) whenever we did a major install.

I did see someone renting out fluke gear for 100 quid a week
The other option is to find a network tech who'll be willing to test out your LAN for a bit of cash in hand on the side