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