Ethernet Port Stuck at 100Mbps

[Woodlehh]

Hi everyone,

I just moved house and now my internet speed is up to 200Mbps but my computer ethernet port status is limited to exactly 100.00Mbps. How can I improve this to take in my highest potential internet speed?

My motherboard is: ASUS Z87M-PLUS: m-ATX, USB3.0, SATA 6.0, XFIRE. I looked up the motherboard on ASUS' website (https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Z87MPLUS/specifications/) and it says LAN: Realtek 8111GR, 1 x Gigabit LAN Controller(s). Doesn't that mean it shouldn't be locked to 100Mbps?

I have my router ethernet plugged into a 200Mbps homeplug (TP-LINK TL-PA251KIT) which then links to the other same homeplug and connects to my pc via ethernet cable.

I've tried updating the LAN drivers and intel chipset but have seen no difference in the Ethernet Port Status. It's always 100.00Mbps.

Is it possible to get the ethernet port to 200Mbps? How do I achieve this? What is limiting my PC to 100Mbps?

I appreciate any and all help, I've also emailed PCspecialist to see if they have an idea. I would ring but I have no minutes available on my phone.

 

[Oussebon]

What router do you have? Does it definitely have gigabit Ethernet? If it's just 'fast Ethernet' it will be 100mbps.

There's also an article claiming that certain powerline adapters only have 100mbps ethernet despite advertising higher speeds: http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/review/p...-adapter-with-ac-pass-through-review-3491685/

Assuming your router has gigabit Ethernet, if you plug the PC directly into it does this solve the issue? (ignoring the fact you don't want your PC next to the router for a moment).

 

[Rakk]

My motherboard is: ASUS Z87M-PLUS: m-ATX, USB3.0, SATA 6.0, XFIRE. I looked up the motherboard on ASUS' website (https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Z87MPLUS/specifications/) and it says LAN: Realtek 8111GR, 1 x Gigabit LAN Controller(s). Doesn't that mean it shouldn't be locked to 100Mbps?

Its max speed is 1000Mbps, not 100 so that's not your problem

Things it could be (in addition to Oussebons thoughts)
1. if either of the ethernet cables connecting the homeplugs are Cat5 cables rather than Cat5e or Cat 6 then you will be limited to 100Mbps (Cat5 goes upto 100, Cat5e and Cat6 go up to 1000)
2. your router - I've heard that sometimes only the port nearest the incoming internet connection can get the highest speed available to you - this is likely to be on older/cheaper routers though - I did actually ask one of the tech guys here about it cos I was having issues with my internet speed and the guy on the phone suggested that and I was convinced he was lying until the tech guy told me that is actually possible

 

[Woodlehh]

Thanks for the replies.

My router is the Virgin hub 3.0 (DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem functionality).
This is the page I'm looking at: http://store.virginmedia.com/discover/broadband/explore/fast-wireless.html

Is this bit important? Am I using the wrong ethernet port? I've just got it plugged into Slot 1.
Four ethernet 10/100/1000BaseT ports
Wireless b, g, n capable in 2.4GHz band plus wireless a, n & ac in 5GHz band (Dual-concurrent frequencies)

2 different frequency bands is also new to me.

Whilst on the phone to Virgin technical staff I plugged a laptop (not yet willing to unpack and repack my desktop pc) straight into the router whilst in modem mode and it capped at 100, but the laptop also had the same 100Mbps ethernet status, just like my desktop pc says.

 

[Woodlehh]

I'm also reading that article you linked now, and so I'm having a look at the ethernet cables.

One ethernet cable came with the TP-LINK homeplug, and that has "INVAX DATA CABLE CAT.5 UTP 26AWG" written on the side of it.
The other ethernet cable came from virgin and it's a cat.5e. I've read enough to know that cat.5e is a good one, so I assume that's not a problem. The Cat.5 though I'm not certain on.

I've done a lot of reading over the last couple weeks on internet speeds, and it seems like there are so many reasons why you may never reach the high speeds you're after. Quite infuriating. The most important speed for me is upload though, and with that only being up to 20Mbps rather than 200Mpbs, shouldn't I have a much easier time accomplishing that than the download?

 

[Oussebon]

These are two separate issues - one is you only getting 'fast ethernet' speeds for your local network connection - and the other is your internet connection speeds.

With regards to the second one, upload speed is pretty much always slower than download speed. Indeed that Virgin page you linked shows:

"Our [Virgin's] typical broadband download speeds for August 2016"

Advertised Broadband Download Speed ​	Average speed at peak times (8pm-10pm) ​	Average download speed over 24hrs​	Average upload speed at peak times (8pm-10pm) ​	Average upload speed over 24hrs​
Up to 50Mbps	47.63Mbps ​	52.25Mbps ​	3.08Mbps​	3.05Mbps​
Up to 100Mbps	91.03Mbps ​	100.21Mbps ​	6.28Mbps ​	6.31Mbps​
Up to 200Mbps	154.78Mbps​	183.43Mbps ​	12.47Mbps​	12.60Mbp​

I believe this is actually set by the provider as the for majority of consumers download is more important than upload. Businesses that need fast upload speeds will often have special internet packages designed around that.

I get about 8Mbps download speed and 1Mbps upload on my ADSL 2 plus (and I live in a town that actually has decent infrastructure, lawl). So at least you can upload stuff at least twice as fast as many people can download it (and 20 times faster than they can upload).

With regards to the local network speed, that's totally different to internet speeds. I'm not a network guy, but it's my understanding you need every 'link' in the chain to support gigabit Ethernet in order for your to get that. So if your PC has a gigabit network port (it will do), and so does the router (it seems to), but the cable only supports 100Mbps or the Ethernet ports on the homeplugs themselves are only 100Mbps (which is what that article seemed to be saying), that means you'll be stuck at 100Mbps for the device that's connected with that cable / homeplug.

 

[Woodlehh]

I understand, I'm just trying to identify each link, as you put it.

The only 2 links I don't have a complete understanding on at this point are the 2 ethernet cables (cat.5 + cat.5e) and the virgin hub itself. I read through the virgin page on the 3.0 hub but still couldn't work out whether the ethernet ports in the hub allow for 200Mbps data transfer or not.

 

[Rakk]

but the cable only supports 100Mbps or the Ethernet ports on the homeplugs themselves are only 100Mbps (which is what that article seemed to be saying), that means you'll be stuck at 100Mbps for the device that's connected with that cable / homeplug.

Yep, Cat5 has a max speed of 100Mbps, so that is the problem, the homeplugs claim to be 2000Mbps - though why they'd come with a Cat5 cable I do not know.

I read through the virgin page on the 3.0 hub but still couldn't work out whether the ethernet ports in the hub allow for 200Mbps data transfer or not.

I have the Virgin Superhub 2 and it can manage 200Mbps (in fact I've seen it max at about 220 - when no one else in the neighbourhood is online) fine so yours should be fine

 

[SpyderTracks]

I understand, I'm just trying to identify each link, as you put it.

The only 2 links I don't have a complete understanding on at this point are the 2 ethernet cables (cat.5 + cat.5e) and the virgin hub itself. I read through the virgin page on the 3.0 hub but still couldn't work out whether the ethernet ports in the hub allow for 200Mbps data transfer or not.

The ethernet ports on the Virgin Hub 3.0 are all gigabit so capable of 1000mbs

https://www.broadbandchoices.co.uk/guides/hardware/virgin-media-broadband-routers

Try with another cable. Seems to be the weak link

Even if you manage to get the transfer rate set at 200mbs, the tp links will only support a max of around 80mbs over very short distance, even though they say 200mbs, they'll never actually reach that, sucks I know.

http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/netw...ng/52059/tp-link-tl-pa251-homeplug-kit-review

 

[Woodlehh]

Ah great, thanks. So my next step is to simply order a cat5.e or cat.6 ethernet cable and plug that in?

 

[Woodlehh]

Thanks for the info. Would a faster homeplug be able to reach better speeds?

 

[Rakk]

Ah great, thanks. So my next step is to simply order a cat5.e or cat.6 ethernet cable and plug that in?

Yes, unless there's something else limiting it, but while you're using the Cat5 cable you will be limited to 100Mbps whatever else is going on .
If you connect your PC/laptop directly to the router using the Cat5e cable does it get higher than 100Mbps?

Thanks for the info. Would a faster homeplug be able to reach better speeds?

The 200Mbps one should be fine until Virgin increase their speeds again (though admittedly my last upgrade was really a downgrade - I can get to 200-220 at 6am, but in the evenings its more like 90-150 )
Edit: after Oussebons comments, you may need to return said homeplugs and get better ones.

 

[Oussebon]

Pretty sure the TP Link ones only claim to be 200Mbps (although TP Link do sell 2000Mbps ones...)

I strongly suspect that those homeplugs may fall into the category described in that article of actually having only 100Mbps Ethernet despite claiming to support higher speeds. I guess if you change the cat 5 cable to cat 5.e and still have the same problem with the PC when using the homeplugs, you know the answer.

Heh, now that I check it my TP link "500Mbps" (TP-PA411 - the old one, not the new Nano model)


is also only letting my spare PC have 100Mbps Ethernet (cat 5.e / cat 6 cables both ends, gigabit port on the PC and router). I never noticed before because the wiring in this house is so terrible I only get about 10-20Mbps file transfer rate anyway.

 

[Rakk]

I strongly suspect that those means they may fall into the category in that article of actually having only 100Mbps Ethernet despite claiming to support higher speeds.

Hehe, shouldn't that be classed as false adverting
But I guess it would explain why they only included a Cat5 cable

 

[Oussebon]

Hehe, shouldn't that be classed as false adverting

Well, they got me twice over since I bought those as an upgrade from a 200Mbps pair (I had better wiring in my last place). Consider me rekt: http://i.imgur.com/F5FAhYV.gif

Hopefully the newer ones' listed speeds are more accurate and in the OP's case it's just the cat 5 cable that's the issue. I hope they'll keep us posted

 

[Scott]

By advertising 200Mbs they probably mean 100 up and 100 down, I've seen advertising like that before, effectively using the half/full duplex as a clause

It's also likely that your laptop only has a 100mb ethernet port, unless otherwise specified?

I would be very surprised if the cable was your issue, there is no cost difference involved so I doubt you would have cat5 over 5e, last thing you want to do is buy cables when it's the plugs that are the issue. It may be a pain, but to get over the hurdle could you directly connect your PC to the router? I understand that it would involve moving them next to each other but if you set up remote desktop via your laptop you won't need to move anything other than the tower and the power cable.

 

[Woodlehh]

if you set up remote desktop via your laptop you won't need to move anything other than the tower and the power cable

Does that mean use the laptop as the screen+keyboard+mouse for my desktop pc?

I'll look at doing that when I get a chance. I've ordered a cat5e ethernet cable to see if that makes any difference, but that'll arrive on Thursday.


EDIT: Thanks again for everyone's help. Really appreciate it.

 

[Scott]

Does that mean use the laptop as the screen+keyboard+mouse for my desktop pc?

I'll look at doing that when I get a chance. I've ordered a cat5e ethernet cable to see if that makes any difference, but that'll arrive on Thursday.


EDIT: Thanks again for everyone's help. Really appreciate it.

Indeed...

Turn on both the PC and the Laptop, have them connected to your network at the same time. Open up "This PC" or "My Computer" on the laptop, depending on your Windows version, and then navigate down to "Network" you should see your Desktop listed (you need to know its name). Right click on it and click "Remote Desktop" or words to that effect. A window will open asking you to logon to the PC. Once you have, you will have control over the Desktop via the laptop. If you now plug the desktop directly into the router and do the same you will be able to run speed tests without the hassle of moving the monitor etc.

There are a couple of things to bare in mind...

Having the router in modem mode won't work, you need to have it in router mode so that your laptop can connect to the network as well. This won't make any difference to your tests though.

You need to make sure that your desktop has a password. If it doesn't, you won't be able to use remote desktop as it's not secure. If you want the desktop to autologon you can still do this with a password on the PC by hitting start, typing run (or pressing Win+R) and typing "control userpasswords2". If you then untick where it says you need a password to log in, type in the password, it will now automatically log you in without the need to type in a password but you will still need it to open remote desktop. I've ran this way for years with no issues.

 

[ubuysa]

First off I'm not sure where the suggestion to try remote desktop came from (or why) but I'd advise against messing with that at this point. You have a networking problem and so messing about trying to get remote desktop to work (for why?) seems pointless.

Here is what I think we know, correct me if I'm wrong.

1. Your router has 10/100/1000baseT ports and that means that any of them should be capable of gigabit speeds. Though I recognise the issue rakk mentions about only the first port being true gigabit but I think that's something from the distant past TBH.

2., Your PC has a gigabit Ethernet port so it's capable of gigabit speeds.

3. Your homeplugs are capable of 200Mbps as rakk has verified.

4. One of your cables is cat5e which is capable of gigabit speeds.

5. One of your cables is cat5 which means it's only certified to 100Mbps, there is no magic cutoff at 100Mbps for cat5 however, it might well be stable faster than that. You've wisely ordered a cat5e for this link I see, so that will eliminate that issue.

What we don't know is how good your mains cabling between the two homeplugs is. It's not impossible that this is the issue.

With networking problems like this there is no alternative but to start simple and work backwards. There are no shortcuts.

So first you must verify that you can get more than 100Mbps downloadspeed from Virgin. If your laptop only has a 100Mbps Ethernet port you MUST temporarily plug your PC's gigabit Ethernet port via a cat5e cable into your Virgin router and measure the download speed. If that is not more than 100Mbps then that's your issue.

Assuming you get more than 100Mbps download from Virgin the problem must be in your home.

If you have a double outlet socket close to the router plug both homeplugs into adjacent sockets. Connect one with a cat5e cable to the same router port you used for the download test and with a cat5e cable plug the other into your PC. Now test your download speeds. If that is not more than 100Mbps then your homeplugs are the issue.

Assuming you get more than 100Mbs with the homeplugs in adjacent power sockets the problem must be your house wiring.

 

[Scott]

First off I'm not sure where the suggestion to try remote desktop came from (or why) but I'd advise against messing with that at this point. You have a networking problem and so messing about trying to get remote desktop to work (for why?) seems pointless.

It came from me, and there's no need to be condescending. If you actually read the entire post rather just skimming, scoffing and replying you would see that I suggested it as a means to test the ACTUAL PC with the ACTUAL router while bypassing the plugs without the hassle of moving the monitor, keyboard, mouse etc.

It's a common practice to use remote desktop facilities to find out mid-place errors, and IMO a very straight forward one rather than your plan above. Using remote desktop to test the PC directly plugged into the router will confirm exactly everything you have said to confirm ... only it won't be via speculation or purchasing anything unnecessary.

The only other PROPER way to test it is to move everything rather than just the tower and forego the Remote Desktop usage.