Question about LAN

=adrian=

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I just bought NAS, started backing up my PC. Getting 10-11 MB/s. Backing up my PC will take 3 days. It is not a disaster, as I am not in great rush or anything, but just thinking aloud here. Would I get much better speed if I upgrade my network.

Bellow is a little graph of what my network currently looks like:

Desktop PC (with Intel® I219V network card - gigabit) --------> Cat 6 cable --------> 2x TP-Link home plugs capable of 600Mbps ---------> Cat 5 or Cat 6 cable (not sure) -------> Sky Hub (100Mbps)

Am I right in thinking that if I upgrade the router to gigabit and change the router cable to make sure it's Cat 6, I should be getting better speed? What speed can I expect? Is it worth my while?
 
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cat5 or 6 will not matter until you start using 10Gbit/s. I think your NAS or homeplugs are the bottleneck here. I had a QNAP TS-210 and wow that was really slow at everything so I upgraded my NAS. What NAS do you have by the way?
 
10-11 MB/s is quite slow really, how old is your PC?
 
sorry but that is rubbish. cat5 is as fast as cat6 for Gigabit.

It amazes me how many people are so ill informed on this subject and just read rubbish on the internet.
 
My PC is only a year old. i7 7700k, ASUS Maximus IX Hero MB, 16GB RAM, ASUS ROG 1080 GPU.

My NAS is Qnap TS-431P, so just entry level NAS, as I only need it for backup / access to files over the net.
 
I can actually prove it if you fancy a trip to Bangor University where I work in IT Services. I can show you a transfer rate of 970Mb/s up/down full duplex using cat 5.
 
Adrian, I think it's either your homeplugs or your router. You have a good NAS and PC. So I would start with the other items. Don't listen to anyone telling you to upgrade to cat6....it's rubbish!
 
I know my router is only capable of 100 Mbps, so that is the bottleneck. I'm just wondering if it is worth my while to drop money on a new one
 
Adrian, I think it's either your homeplugs or your router. You have a good NAS and PC. So I would start with the other items. Don't listen to anyone telling you to upgrade to cat6....it's rubbish!
Thank you. The cable is not really a problem, as they can be had for cheap anyway. Getting a short piece (only that's needed) of Cat 6 cable, will be peanuts anyway. I just don't want to buy a new router only to find out that nothing improved.

Sadly homeplugs are brand new, I have only just bought them a few days ago, together with the NAS. I thought they will be sufficient for good transfer speed (not realising that the router is crap anyway). Maybe I could return them, but I would be without access to NAS until I get better ones.
 
One other problem with homeplugs I have is that I have a very tight space where they are. There is only a couple of inches between my drawers and the wall where the socket is. I coulnd't find any gigabit homeplugs (dual-port) that would be small enough to fit there.
 
I think that would help yes. 10MB = 80Mbit/s and if you have a 100Mbit/s router then you are reaching its capacity. A Gig router should help.
 
sorry I posted before reading your last post. Are your homeplugs quite low speed? It will cause an issue I think if they are.
 
They will be fine. But if you have a 100Mbit router then that will be the bottleneck I believe.
 
sorry but that is rubbish. cat5 is as fast as cat6 for Gigabit.

It amazes me how many people are so ill informed on this subject and just read rubbish on the internet.

Aye if you read the article I posted 'You may be able to get gigabit speeds on a Cat5 cable, particularly if the cable is shorter, but it isn't always guaranteed.'
 
OK, so "in theory" if I replace the router I should be getting much better speed.

Off to have a browse around Amazon for a better router. I don't fancy spending much to be honest, as I just dropped 600+ on NAS and HDDs, but I'll have a browse around. Thank you :)
 
Instead of a new router. Just get a 5 port 1gb switch.

Then plug everything into the new switch. (Router, homeplug and nas). This will link all the devices together but at 1gb.
 
Instead of a new router. Just get a 5 port 1gb switch.

Then plug everything into the new switch. (Router, homeplug and nas). This will link all the devices together but at 1gb.
That is an interesting idea. I will be honest, I'm not great at network stuff and don't really know what a switch do. However I won't be physically able to connect all the devices into one thing though. My router is downstairs in the kitchen, while my NAS and PC are upstairs in my office.
 
Also just reading again. You cannot use another router with sky. You are stuck with the slow router. So just add a 1gb switch
 
In that case you can plug a switch into your homeplug in the office then plug the pc and nas into the switch. A network switch is a bit like a 4gang Power strip but for networking
 
Also, since my last post I started digging around upgrading router and since I have been waiting for fibre here for a very long time, I've decided to contact Sky and... wow, I still cannot believe it. I have been told that fibre broadband is finally available here :D:D:D Of course I had to get it :) I will be also getting their Hub 3.0 router as well (they didn't want to give me one, but I insisted). I've not checked yet, but I hope it is a gigabit router

EDIT: it is! :D
 
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In that case you can plug a switch into your homeplug in the office then plug the pc and nas into the switch. A network switch is a bit like a 4gang Power strip but for networking
Hmmm, interesting. Will I be connecting NAS and PC directly through the switch then? So something like this?

PC ----- switch-------\
................................---------Homeplugs ---------- router
NAS ----- switch-----/

Sorry for confusing graph :D

So if my logic is correct then, I will have them both connected without the need for router, so they can both run in maximum speed?
 
I assume the nas and pc are currently both plugged into your 2 port homeplug in the office. According to your amazon link the network ports are both only 100mb.

So plugging a 1gb 1000mb switch into the office homeplug will allow the pc and nas to connect to each other at full 1gbs and also link back to the router at 100mb
 
I assume the nas and pc are currently both plugged into your 2 port homeplug in the office. According to your amazon link the network ports are both only 100mb.

So plugging a 1gb 1000mb switch into the office homeplug will allow the pc and nas to connect to each other at full 1gbs and also link back to the router at 100mb
The homeplugs are rated as 600Mbps
 

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