PC not getting full speeds with wired ethernet cable

Craig R

Craig R

Craig R

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11 Oct 2005
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2,356
I recently got fibre broadband. Over wireless my devices get between 400-550Mbps.

My PC desktop never gets above 310Mbps

I tried the same ethernet cable in my macbook = 500Mbps

I've checked the PCIe GbE Family Controller Properties on my PC and the Speed & Duplex is set to 1Gbps.

Any suggestions for what else may be throttling the speed?
 
I'm using 1Gbps Tp-Link powerline connectors, however I was using this when getting the better speeds on the Macbook too.

I guess I could try connecting the PC directly to the Macbook with the ethernet cable? How would I test the connection speed though?
 
When testing, is the powerline adapter in the same outlet when testing the Macbook and PC? if not, try testing both devices from the same outlet.
 
Any chance your PC is doing a big download in the background, i.e. a windows update, task manager should show you if the line is doing something.
 
Frankly I would just put it down to powerline adapters being *****. If you really want to rule out your PC then either get a long Ethernet cable to plug directly into the router, or move the PC closer for the test.
 
Take the power line adapters out of the equation and test with an ethernet cable connected directly to the main router. You will probably need to move your desktop pc to do this (unless you have a long ethernet cable). It might be a PITA, but this is the best way to determine if it's your PC or the powerline adapters.
 
Yeah definitely not using the macbook wifi.

I'll haul my PC through to the other room to connect directly to the router after work. Fun times.
 
Had similar issue recently, connected via 1Gbps TP-Link powerline adapters, negotiated at 1Gbps both ends, but actual throughput was in line with 100Mbps.

Moved PC that was linked via PL adapters to plug directly to the router (same port as PL adapter was in) and got the full 1Gbps (around 800Mbps after network overheads) not sure if it was a Windows issue or the powerlines themselves, but taking PLs out of the equation fixed issues.

For reference my house was only re-wired 2 years ago and both sockets are "adjacent" on the same ring
 
There's nothing wrong with powerline adapters that a 60cm drill bit and 20 metres of cat 6 can't fix... ;) Horrible things, ditch them if at all possible and watch your issues magically disappear.
 
What's plugged in and powered on at any particular time can have a dramatic effect on powerline adapters. I remember doing some tests in a community hall and they looked really good until we plugged in another 4 or 5 PCs, then the speed dropped horrendously. Upload survived better than download, I assume as the extra load/interference was at the end furthest from the router.
 
Yep, it was the Powerline adapters. Direct to the router I was getting 950Mbps.

I guess I'll just go for a wireless network card instead. Anyone have any recommendations?
 
Yep you never get full speed on them as there is a ton of interference over the mains.

They are good for some things though. E.g I had one sat in a waterproof electrical box in the garden, connected to an underwater IP camera in the pond. So I didn't need to ethernet up the garden.
 
Last edited:
Nasher said:
Yep you never get full speed on them as there is a ton of interference over the mains.

They are good for some things though. E.g I had one sat in a waterproof electrical box in the garden, connected to an underwater IP camera in the pond. So I didn't need to ethernet up the garden.
Click to expand...

The older AV600 ones I have worked perfect for me when I only had an up 90Mb connection. Handled that speed no problem.
 
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