Hi Guys,
Remember that if you're using wireless, the PS3 uses wireless G which is 54megabits per sec. However, due to overheads etc the max speed you're ever going to get is about 25 megabits per sec (2.5 megabytes per sec) that's fact.
However, I've done some extensive testing recently and found that in general the PS3 is very slow as a network device, and PSN especially for downloading demos etc is just a joke. The same for copying files etc across from media servers etc.
It seems to have got worse since about firmware 2.41. A bit of background first.
I had a 20 megabit virgin internet connection and should have been able to download demos etc from psn at almost 2mb per sec, but found I never ever got more than about 1Mb per sec using wireless. My netbook always got the full 2Mb per sec downloading using wireless from the same spot.
I've tried various routers from a cheap chinese unknown to, belkin, linksys by cisco, netgear and finally DLink all to no avail, the ps3 was always slow compared to other devices on my network. I always assumed it was just a naff wireless controller on the ps3.
It's not, it's the ps3 as a whole.
Just before xmas I upgraded the broadband to a 50Mb connection. Knowing that the PS3 being wireless G could not take advantage of the 50Mb, I also bought Dlink DAP 1522 wireless N bridge. The idea being that I would connect the Ps3 via short ethernet cable to the bridge, and the bridge would connect via wireless N up to the router upstairs (a Dlink DIR-655).
Also as all ports on the Dir-655, the ps3 ethernet port, and all ports on the bridge were 1 gigabit ports, I would also be 1 gigabit ready for when I put my NAS in later in the year (with the exception of that wireless N link between bridge and router).
Just for info I also have a desktop pc connected to the router upstairs via ethernet. The port on the desktop is only 10/100 so would only connect at 100 megabits per sec. I also as mentioned have a netbook downstairs which has both 10/100 ethernet and wireless G. When in use it uses normally uses wireless.
When everything was connected up, the router showed the ps3 connecting via the bridge at 270 megabits per sec with 100% signal (the bridge is transparent so does not show up as a hop). Again for info, real world throughput rates for Wireless N are between 55 and 120 megabits per sec but thats plenty enough for me for now, and it's faster than my net connection which is the main thing.
Now the interesting bits - speed tests and file copy results. The netbook was swiched off for all tests until required. Wireless encryption between bridge and router was WPA2 / AES only. test were ran 5x each test
1: tests from ps3 to speedtest.net showed an average of 45 megabits per sec to the London server (it's a 50Mb capable server). That matched the desktop pc upstairs which is hardwired into the router. This is at all times.
2: Tests from XBM to PSN showed an average of 9.9 megabits per sec. This changed depending on time of day. at 4am I managed 30 megabits per sec. This is appauling and shows how slow psn is.
3: tests to
BBC iPlayer - Diagnostics showed average streaming results of 17 megabits per sec. Those results matched the PC upstairs. On this test even from the pc upstairs the first test always got 45 megabits per sec ,then the 3 remaining tests were between 10 and 25 megabits.
Now the above tests are not what you would call exact science and give different results dependant on how busy the psn or iplayer etc web sites are. I wanted to test my internal network and see how quick the ps3 was connected to that.
On the pc I have various large AVCHD files from our Sony HD camcorder. Enabling media sharing on the pc lets them show up on the ps3. I can then copy them to test how quick the connection is to the pc upstairs (via bridge and router).
Now remember the PC network card is only a 10/100, so the pc is only connecting at 100 megabits per sec. This means a max throughput from it of about 9.5 Megabytes per sec for file copies etc. The ps3 should be able to write to its harddisk at between 32MB and 68MB per sec, so plenty faster than it can pull data from the pc upstairs!
So the test results.
1: Copying a 1 gig video file from the PC to ps3 gave a average transfer rate of 4 megabytes a sec. That's about 45 megabits.
IMHO very slow, infact completely crap.
Those results would suggest that the reported speeds that the bridge is connecting to the router are wrong, and that it's only getting something like 50 megabits per sec throughput.
No as the following test will show. Unplugging the ethernet cable from the back of the ps3 and plugging it in to the nic on the netbook, then copying the same file gave me a average result of
9.7 Megabytes per sec or about 100 megabits per sec. This is as quick as both the lan ports on my desktop and notebook will go.
It shows me that bridge is connecting at at least 100 megabits per sec wirelessly to the router and that the ps3 is just dreadfully slow as a network device.
Dave
29-12-2009, 1:32 PM
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E. & O.E.
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