Faster switch?

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  1. Posts : 2,752
    Windows 7 Pro x64 (1), Win7 Pro X64 (2)
       #11

    badspell68 said:
    I'm using VLC to view everything off a Synology NAS with WD Red drives to computers only, most have 10/100 NICs. CAT 5 cabling and all the runs are no-longer then 40 feet. I only download or view 720p video.
    Then I'd say you don't have to worry about upgrading to gigabit capability as something "mandatory", either in hardware devices or in cabling. CAT5 cabling and 10/100 NIC's on the computers you're running VLC on should have no problem at all handling 720p streams.

    You've obviously been using your setup for a while, and you've just said it's wired. So where does any WiFi capability come into play, if it does, where a question of adequate bandwidth might come up? In fact, why is there a question about "slower switch" or "faster switch"? Where does that come in to your current setup?

    In other words, why do you say your setup has a "weak link"? What is the performance degradation symptom you feel you're experiencing, and when?

    Also, adding a switch (of either 10/100 or 10/100/1000 capability) would simply be to "port-multiply" and provide more "wired" ports to a location at which you already have one wired port available, if you needed them. So, do you need more wired ports? If so, that's what a switch can buy you and for the nominal price you might as well go with a 10/100/1000 GS105 or equivalent as well as anything limited to 10/100.

    But upgrading to a gigabit switch that's fed by a CAT5 cable isn't going to "speed things up" when the PC's connected to as well as the NAS supplying the streams have 10/100 NIC's in them, since everything else is limited to 10/100 network interfaces. In fact, even having gigabit interfaces won't buy you anything if your cabling is still CAT5. So if you're looking to improve over what you currently have, I'd say the CAT5 cabling is the first thing to upgrade.
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  2. Posts : 231
    Windows 7
    Thread Starter
       #12

    I was streaming video files from a wifi laptop (10/100) to the wired computer using VLC and I had lots of lag. Additionally, the wired computer cannot play Netflix in HD...so, I thought it might be my network. I have Xfinity/comcast and one Netgear 4 port 10/100 switch.

    Thanks again for all the detailed info...its really educational and helpful!
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  3. Posts : 231
    Windows 7
    Thread Starter
       #13
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  4. Posts : 1,074
    Windows 7 Profession 64-bit
       #14

    dsperber said:
    But remember, unless you are doing true PC-to-PC transfers there is pretty much ZERO need for these types of LAN speeds through either a router or a switch. Normal access to the Internet will be limited by your ISP service tier, not the capability of your router or switch or cabling.
    This is the key point to remember. Since you have stated your goal is local streaming, you do want a fast local network, but understand a 100Mb/s network is still very fast. At least twice as fast as most ISP connections and folks stream from the Internet all the time.

    Check your house Ethernet cable again. CAT-5e replaced CAT-5 almost 15 years ago and CAT-5e will support 1Gigibit networks too. Unless your house was wired before 2001, you may have CAT5-e already.

    Is this standard CAT6?
    It is the latest so if wiring your house or making your own Ethernet cables (highly recommended), then you should get CAT6.
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  5. Posts : 231
    Windows 7
    Thread Starter
       #15

    Thanks!
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  6. Posts : 231
    Windows 7
    Thread Starter
       #16

    FYI - UPDATE

    I upgraded to a Netgear FS108 from a 100/100 switch and my network speeds have noticeably increased even with CAT 5 (my cable is newer, I may be using the gigabit CAT 5) The switch is regestering all connects as running Gigabit speeds except for the printer connections.
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  7. Posts : 1,074
    Windows 7 Profession 64-bit
       #17

    (my cable is newer, I may be using the gigabit CAT 5)
    Inspect the cable labeling. It will be printed on the cable itself if CAT-5 or CAT-5e (if like me, you may need a bright light and good glasses).
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  8. Posts : 2,752
    Windows 7 Pro x64 (1), Win7 Pro X64 (2)
       #18

    badspell68 said:
    FYI - UPDATE

    I upgraded to a Netgear FS108 from a 100/100 switch and my network speeds have noticeably increased even with CAT 5 (my cable is newer, I may be using the gigabit CAT 5) The switch is regestering all connects as running Gigabit speeds except for the printer connections.
    Hard to believe you're getting anything faster than 100Mbps from a Netgear FS108 which is a 10/100 "fast ethernet" switch. I don't know what you were using previously, but the FS108 connections are limited to 100Mbps. That's the product spec.

    The FS108 is not a gigabit switch, which is some member of the GSxxx family of products. Only these GSxxx switches can provide potentially gigabit speeds to connected devices.
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  9. Posts : 1,074
    Windows 7 Profession 64-bit
       #19

    Hard to believe you're getting anything faster than 100Mbps from a Netgear FS108 which is a 10/100 "fast ethernet" switch.
    Not sure if I understand exactly what you are saying, but you won't get faster than 100Mbps from the FS108. As you note, it is a 10/100Mbps switch.

    But 100Mbps is truly very fast. Much faster than your Internet connection - unless you have fiber to the home.

    "Fast Ethernet", btw, is a term that came about to differentiate 100Mbps Ethernet from the slower, 10Mbps previous "standard".

    And while a switch can move packets about to various nodes much faster than a hub, the number of devices connected, sharing the streaming bandwidth can certainly impact performance too.
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  10. Posts : 199
    Windows 7 Pro x64 sp1
       #20

    Itaregid said:
    But 100Mbps is truly very fast. Much faster than your Internet connection - unless you have fiber to the home.
    People use gigabit switches for fast data transfer between various computers, NAS etc on their home network. For example my internet is 60mbps and the router is 100mbps. If I connect my pcs via the router the max data rate between pc's is 100mbps (even if the pc's have gigabit LAN).

    However if I use a switch -

    www - [100mbps router] - [gigabit switch] - [all pc's, other switches, NAS etc]

    the pc's can connect to other pc's at 1000mbps via the switch
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