Fast Wifi, Slow Wired connection?

Breezer

Hi, hope this is in the right place.

I have a BT Voyager 2110 wireless router connected to my DSL line that serves as the connection point for several other boxes, phones etc. in the house. I've been using it solely for 802.11g WiFi for several years and it's still doing that fine.

I've recently tried cabling up a PC via one of the 10/100 ethernet ports. This is where the problem lies: the wired connection drops periodically, about every half hour. My PC reports that it's still connected but other computers on the home LAN can't see it. I can't remember if it can connect to the internet when this happens.

The speed of the wired connection is also very slow. It's fine for accessing the internet, I guess because I'm limited to 3 Mbps anyway. But sharing files over the LAN is painfully slow, slower than the wireless G. The PC reports a 100 Mbps connection despite this.

I've narrowed the problem down to the router by trying:

- a different computer, which also reported a 100 Mbps connection but was just as slow.

- plugging both machines into the router. No joy.

- a different router with the same cable - problem solved, but I only borrowed this router and have to return it.

My question is: is my router broken? Or could it be a setting or something? Just hoping to get some ideas before I pony up for a new one.

Thanks.

corkcomp

try a firmware upgrade but it sounds like its in trouble.. I know it looks like a router prob but id also untick option in nic properties to allow device to be turned off for power save

Breezer

corkcomp wrote: »

try a firmware upgrade but it sounds like its in trouble..

Tried it. It seems to have made things worse if anything.

I know it looks like a router prob but id also untick option in nic properties to allow device to be turned off for power save

Is this on Windows or within the router's web interface?

corkcomp

Breezer wrote: »

Tried it. It seems to have made things worse if anything.

Is this on Windows or within the router's web interface?

in windows - device mgr and properties of the network card(s)

Breezer

That would explain why I couldn't see it. I'm running Xubuntu on the wired PC. Actually it seems to have stopped dropping the connection since I upgraded the firmware, it's just slow now. So I wouldn't think that's the problem. I'll try a new cable just to be sure, but I'd be fairly sure the router's gone

watty

I had a router that dropped packets and slowed horribly on the 10/100 switch ports if there was a lot of WiFi traffic. Some router/switch/WiFi/Firewall combos are just really underpowered.

I solved it by adding dedicated 3Com 10/100/1000 switches and having only one ethernet port on WiFi/Router/Firewall/Switch connected to the 3Com switch.

docentore

I had similar issue with one of the simplier Linksys router. Fine on WiFi but around half a speed on cable.
See if you can get another router to check if thats the problem with router or cabling.

brianoconnell

I'm not sure if this will help, but I had a similar problem with an old Sony laptop that I rebuilt with Ubuntu. The wireless would not work - the chipset was not supported and the wired connection would only work intermittently! It turns out that chipset was not supported either, and while it would negotiate a wired connections there were massive errors on the line and it would eventually fail.

You could check what network card/chipset your wired pc has and then check that for Linux support.

If you are not committed to xubuntu, you could try out some of the other Linux distributions to see if they have better networking support. That is relatively easy to do with the Linux LiveCd feature. I eventually got it to work with the PCLinuxOS 2009 and made my kids happy!

Breezer

Thanks guys. I've run a few more tests and it's definitely the router. I've ordered a new one so hopefully that'll be the end of it.