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Using Cat 5e 100 mhz cable and can't get gigabit speed connection....???

post #1 of 17
6/8/12 at 11:25am
Thread Starter 
Used this cable based on websites saying it was speced for gigabit speed,but when I connect to it best I can get is 100...Any ideas what might give? Wrong cable? Could problem be the termination jacks at the wall plate. Said cat 5e on them. Really perplexed although network is running fine and able to stream multiple streams of movies thru house,but just wondering what's up? Tested with my laptop.

brickie
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post #2 of 17
6/8/12 at 11:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by brickie View Post

Used this cable based on websites saying it was speced for gigabit speed,but when I connect to it best I can get is 100...Any ideas what might give? Wrong cable? Could problem be the termination jacks at the wall plate. Said cat 5e on them. Really perplexed although network is running fine and able to stream multiple streams of movies thru house,but just wondering what's up? Tested with my laptop.
brickie

Cat5 was rated for 100Mhz and is only capable of 100mb/s speeds.
cat5e is rated at 350Mhz(or is it 250Mhz?) and is capable of gigabit speeds.

There is cat5 cable that is rated above 100Mhz. When the spec was announced for Cat5e they started making cat5 to the new spec before it was ratified and those cables can do gigabit. But a true Cat5 cable can't handle gigabit speeds. We have thousands of old Cat5 patch cables boxed up at work. You can't get higher than a 100BT connection with any of them,
Edited by aaronwt - 6/8/12 at 11:44am
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post #3 of 17
6/8/12 at 11:51am
Thread Starter 
Actually the label on the box says cat 5e cable. Granted i bought it at menards just to run a few lines to see how it goes...any chance it could be the wall plate?
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post #4 of 17
6/8/12 at 3:57pm
Yes, the wall plates are rated as well. What cable is in the wall?
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post #5 of 17
6/8/12 at 4:09pm
Thread Starter 
Going to try to grab a pic when i gdt home later. It's a grey colored cable that says cat 5e on the box as well as the cable. Will get more details when i gdt home.

Brickie
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post #6 of 17
6/8/12 at 5:11pm
How good are your connections? One bad crimp or punchdown will bring your network down.
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post #7 of 17
6/8/12 at 5:22pm
Thread Starter 
Network is running fine,so I assume all connections were pretty good. But I guess I need to at least look at the punch down connection I made to the wall plate.
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post #8 of 17
6/8/12 at 7:28pm
Rather than getting all focus on the cable, how about letting us know what your network set up consist of? You might have the right cable, but if your device(s) do not support gigabit then you are not going to get gigabit. I am surprised the you were able to find Cat5e @ 100mhz. That's pretty old cable. The newer standard is Cat5e 250 to 350 mhz cable. I've been changing my Cat5e 350 mhz cable for Cat6 cable now. I did noticed an improvement in connectivity, but speeds wise is pretty much the same.

What I meant by connectivity, is that I no longer get dropped packets or errors when communicating or sending data over my network. The only one I get dropped packets or errors is from my only Cat5e cable that I've got going from my living room to the master bedroom.
Edited by GusGus748s - 6/8/12 at 7:41pm
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post #9 of 17
6/8/12 at 8:17pm
Thread Starter 
2012-06-08220351.jpg

2012-06-08220404.jpg

2012-06-08220436.jpg
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post #10 of 17
6/8/12 at 8:35pm
Thread Starter 
First let me apologize that all these pics are upside down. Guess I was holding my camera wrong,and when I auto uploaded didn't even check to see how they were.

But this is the cable I used and the 2 different switch boxes I used.I have a wndr 4500 Netgear router that from 2 of the gig ports have lines running to the basement and up to a place on second flr. The 10/100 box is in the basement feeding xbox 360,ps3, blu ray player, and media player box on 1st flr. the line to basement was not ran with the cable in the picture,and does indeed give gigabit speeds when I unplug it from the switch and straight into my laptop. up on 2nd flr is the gigabit switch which is fed from this cable in picture. And feeds xbox 360,desktop computer,media player, and dish hopper.These are in various rooms and from my checking aren't gigabit capable anyway. Which is fine.Problem is I have plugged my laptop into the main line from basement that feeds 2nd flr gigabit switch and only get 100 speed. Of course I assume that this main line from gigabit port on router should give me gigabit speed...

I know pretty mmuch all these devices aren't gigabit capable,but my laptop is. Which is why I assume it must be the cable....Which pisses me off because according to internet should be fine..I figure best thing to do is when I get a chance(busy weekend) is to make a short or long cable out of that cable in picture and make a patch cord and go straight into the router with it and see if the cable works as it should..

brickie

Hope this was enough info..
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post #11 of 17
6/9/12 at 2:42pm
The Dlink is 10/100 which is not Gigabit, so there's your issue. Get something to replace the Dlink that's gigabit and that should do it.
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post #12 of 17
6/9/12 at 3:46pm
Thread Starter 
Dont see how that coyld be problem for second flr when the dlink is in basement. The keezbox is on 2nd flr. Which is gigabit and doesn't give me gigabit speed when plugging in my laptop to it. Not unless the dlink slows the entire network down just by being actively working.
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post #13 of 17
6/9/12 at 8:11pm
Well, a quick test to see if the Dlink is the issue would be to simply disconnect it. Do you have a gig connection from your computer? Most on-board network connections are 10/100. did you drop in a gig nic?
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post #14 of 17
6/9/12 at 8:36pm
Thread Starter 
My laptop has gigabit network connection built in...Will pull it out the loop tomorrow to see what happens.
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post #15 of 17
6/11/12 at 3:58pm
Thread Starter 
Well when I checked today everything was good..eek.gif Don't know what happened since I didn't change anything at all.10/100 switch is still hooked up but thru the gigabit switch it works like clockwork. So very satisfied at this point. Now to go play with the Roku XS that came in the mail today. Guess time to go read that forum to get up to speed. Thanks to all for suggestions and those who replied. Still don't know what happened...

Thanks brickie
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post #16 of 17
6/11/12 at 4:12pm
Roku + Plex is a good combination for streaming wink.gif.
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post #17 of 17
6/11/12 at 4:41pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks Gus...That's what I've been hearing.Box was free with some thank you points, so hopefully will like enough to keep it. Would be perfect if with Plex it will do the job of my WD media player and allow me to movie it to a secondary room..We'll see.

brickie
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