NAS storage speed

Dan_P · 5 Dec 2016 at 14:31

Good Afternoon,

Sorry if this is the wrong section.

I'm looking for a little advice, to see if its possible to improve my read/write speeds on my NAS setup.

I have a Buffalo Linkstation 4TB NAS which I use for storing Photo's, Videos and Backup's of my Computers. The NAS is connected to my BT router via Ethernet as is my main PC. The current speed of transfer is 10MB/s to and from my NAS.

Is there anyway for me to improve this? Would connecting it to my PC directly help? (It only has one Ethernet port (as does my PC)).

My Internet connection is 78-80Mbps (which I believe if my math is correct, is ~10MB/s.

Many Thanks in advance

Dan

ToTheMax · 5 Dec 2016 at 16:12

It sounds like you might be running at 100mb ethernet and not 1gb. Check your link speed and whether both ends supports the higher speed.

Dan_P · 5 Dec 2016 at 16:20

ToTheMax said:
It sounds like you might be running at 100mb ethernet and not 1gb. Check your link speed and whether both ends supports the higher speed.

Sorry, How would I check this?

Dan_P · 5 Dec 2016 at 18:09

So, i've found on the NAS the below:
Data transfer rates: 10/100/1000 Mbps (auto sensing)

However my PC (network settings) is only showing 100Mbps:
http://prntscr.com/dfpeub

But my motherboard supports Gigabit :S

LAN
Intel® I218V, 1 x Gigabit LAN Controller(s)

ToTheMax · 5 Dec 2016 at 18:11

First check on your computer by going into your network settings, easiest way would be to right click on your network settings and select "open networking and sharing centre", then click on your ethernet link and see what the speed is.

For the NAS you either have to access its admin screen or the router and find it's network details. Can't be more specific than that on this part I'm affraid.

ToTheMax · 5 Dec 2016 at 18:19

Ok good, so it sounds the NAS is capable of 1gb but your PC connection isn't. Check that the PC is using CAT5e or CAT6 cable and isn't going through any surge filters as that can mess it up. If you are using and old cat5 cable this could be the problem, or your PC is really old and doesn't have 1gb port. Easiest way then would be to get a cheap add-in card

eg
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/pc-components/adapter-cards/network

Kei · 5 Dec 2016 at 19:21

What version of BT router do you have? Older models only had one gigabit port.

Dan_P · 5 Dec 2016 at 19:53

ToTheMax said:
Ok good, so it sounds the NAS is capable of 1gb but your PC connection isn't. Check that the PC is using CAT5e or CAT6 cable and isn't going through any surge filters as that can mess it up. If you are using and old cat5 cable this could be the problem, or your PC is really old and doesn't have 1gb port. Easiest way then would be to get a cheap add-in card

eg
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/pc-components/adapter-cards/network

Looking at the motherboard detail, it shows Gigabit ethernet. (It's only around a year old (See signature))

Kei said:
What version of BT router do you have? Older models only had one gigabit port.

I have the BT Home Hub 5.

I may have worked out why I am only get 100Mbps connection, i currently use Powerline adapters in my house. It is rated at 500Mbps, do i need a 1000Mbps+ instead? (I would have expected a 500Mbps connection instead though?)

Bluecube · 5 Dec 2016 at 21:16

No chance. Powerline adapters rely on the quality of your home's electricity cabling. It's often poor... it wouldn't surprise me either if your powerline adapters only had 100Mbps ports! For comparison, I have 1200Mbps powerline adapters which give me a real speed of about 220Mbps.

bledd · 6 Dec 2016 at 07:42

Powerline is near useless for LAN transfers. Throw them in the bin and run a network cable.

Even the most expensive ones max out at 250mbps (25MB/s). With a network cable, you'll get nearer 950mbps (around 112MB/s)

This assumes that your NAS can handle that speed.

Dan_P · 10 Dec 2016 at 14:21

Thanks all for your help, I will see if i can run an Ethernet through my house to my office but don't think it will be so easy

I was hoping that Powerline adapters would be a better option to using Wi-Fi and provide similar speeds to ethernet.

Dan_P · 21 Jan 2017 at 17:16

Apologies for the late reply, I have been thinking about fixing this issue, today I tested running a long Cat5e cable from my router to my PC which boosted speeds from 10MB/s to 100MB/s.

I am currently just about to buy some long cat 6 cables to run under the carpet (or through the loft) to my office to fix this long term.

thanks for your help and advice