Getting up to speed...

[swe9]

Background: I'm trying to get the most out of my internet connection. I have comcast.net Performance (6m) and a new SB6120 that can get up to 20Mbps on speedtest direct connected. However, I can't run direct connected because I have a number of other devices that also need bandwidth including internet telephony. I have a WGT624v2 which I finally got configured well enough to give stable wireless connections where I need them. It also handles most of my wired ports today. The problem is that this device is limiting the wired speedtest to 10Mbps. I'm trying to meet these goals in order:

1. 100% reliable
2. Get the 20Mbps potential out to all wired devices (5 total ports now, 8 later)
3. Get >20Mbps potential out to all wired devices if I decide to upgrade with comcast at some point
4. NAS/printer connections nice to have
5. Stay under $100 if possible or near it if not

I first thought I should replace the WGT624 with a newer wireless router but my wireless needs are currently fairly modest since I invested time wiring the house. So, now I'm thinking about a Smart Switch solution like the Netgear GS108T-NAS with the WGT624 behind it. Burning more electrons is the main downside to this for me, but it might still be less than I'm currently using.

I've previously spent hours trying to understand enough to make a good decision. Today I've spent several more hours getting all this stuff back in my head. I read all the sticky posts in this forum and went several levels deep on the how-to stuff. I apologize if this still sounds like a newbie problem but the choices are bewildering.

Is there a wireless router with 8 ports that can handle top wired speeds? With a USB port?

Should I just go with the switch? Is there something better than the Netgear for what I've described?

(BTW, the SB6120 is *nice*

TIA for any help you can offer!

 

[swe9]

I thought of 2 more requirements that I forgot to mention last night:

1. The new device must be quiet
2. The new device needs to handle all the same firewall stuff the WGT624 did

 

[00Roush]

Are you sure your router is limiting you? I currently have an old Linksys WRT54Gv6 wireless router with the same modem on Comast. With Speedtest I see about 22 Mbps on the download. Based on the SmallNetBuilder Router Charts it looks like very few routers would limit your download speeds over a wired connection.

Based on your requirements I don't think you would need to get a new router or a smart switch. A basic 8 port gigabit switch behind your current router should work just fine. That way you can use your router for all of the firewall/wireless/dhcp functions and still have extra network ports that can run at gigabit speeds.

Here is how I have my network setup. Motorola cable modem---> Linksys wireless router---> Netgear GS108T switch All my computers connect to the Netgear switch and communicate with each other at gigabit speeds. I only use the Netgear switch because it supports link aggregation with my server. Before the Netgear switch I used a Dlink DGS-2208 switch which worked great.

If you really are seeing slower download speeds when using the router I would try to disable any special settings on the router. Then reset the modem and router. Generally I have found it is best to let the modem power up fully before turning on the router. Once everything is settled in try testing your speeds again. Also be sure that while doing the test no other devices are using the connection.

00Roush

 

[swe9]

00Roush, thanks for the response!

I *did* see 10Mbps going through the router and 20Mbps going direct to the modem. I also found a forum thread that said my particular router was limited at 10Mbps in other people's tests (later versions apparently didn't have this problem.)

I was kind of rushing a little when I did the setup because I had comcast support online. I can't remember whether I powered off the router when I made the modem swap. The SB6120 is supposed to show a blue light when it's got bonded channels. With the router it shows orange. When I did the direct connect I saw blue. I'll go through the whole restart sequence again and retest. Maybe I can get a blue light with the router that way.

For the longest time I had trouble with the router having poor reception over wireless. I found one last firmware update and applied that. Then I switched from b/g to just g. I may have tweaked a couple other things. After all that I now have good connections over wireless so I'm "afraid to touch it" at this point If you had any particular settings in mind please let me know. I'll also take a look and see what seems promising.

Thanks again for helping!

 

[swe9]

Sequential power cycle didn't change anything. The speedtest came back similar to the first time through the router.

 

[00Roush]

Interesting results... Your router seems newer than mine so I wouldn't expect it to limit your wan throughput. I did some direct connect tests as well as tests using the router and for the most part saw similar speeds (20-30 Mbps) for both on Speedtest.net. Except for one connection to Germantown, WI. I got like 30-50 Mbps with direct connection and like 20 Mbps with the router. It could be due to the small amount of extra latency introduced when the router and switch are in the mix. Have you tried different servers on Speednet? I generally test the default one along with at least a couple from both coasts (US).

FYI this might help you better understand the lights on the Motorola modem. http://support.cox.com/sdccommon/as...sprt_cid=4ccb524b-368b-4830-8461-85d56b17c4a8 The light that was blue when directly connected to your computer was probably for the gigabit connection speed. The top four lights should all be green unless your provider supports channel bonding. If they do then the receive and/or send lights will be blue. In my case the receive light is blue and the send light is green. Guess I don't get channel bonding in my area for uploads.

If you wanted I bet you could get a 8 port unmanaged switch and a new wireless router for about $100. Looks like the Netgear GS108 switch is about $44 (mail in rebate) at Newegg right now. Probably could pick up a wireless router for $50 or less.

00Roush