Networking & wireless forum: Not getting good network performace

Thanks for the reply.

1 - turn off all wifi?
2 - if this was defo the problem I would purchase one, but it's a lot of money to pay for a "maybe"
3 - cables are just normal cables I would have got with the devices i.e. I would have gotten them with the router/NAS/home plugs/Sonos

Once in a while you encounter folk that can't do tests to figure out what's up. I'm fine with that.

The switched hubs here are 10 buck items. I carry a spare in my kit when I'm out on call. I've even left one when it fixes the issue and just take it out of the labor portion of the call. Some customers want to think they got it for free.

Good to read about the cables. Home made cables continue to make the shop a lot of money.

-> I'm unsure if you are going to want to try anything. If not, just say so and I'll try my best.
Bob

Ok I will try turning off the WiFi and see if it still happens. Unfortunately with it being intermittent it may be a while to rule it out.

Being a total network beginner, are there no bits of software you can run, or diagnostic tools or anything?

You have also said to try a switch instead of what comes with the Super Hub. Is there a reason for that?

I see I can get a switch for relatively cheap here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-Gigabit-Unmanaged-Desktop-TL-SG1005D/dp/B000N99BBC/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1355332512&sr=1-2

Would I plug this into an ethernet port on my router, and then plug the switch into my NAS/Sonos Bridge and Home plug?

If I knew a certain bit of my network was slowing it down I have no problem in paying to replace it, or change it...if I knew lol

Yes I am an electronics designer from days of old but cringe as I see really poor to non-existent test tools. You've done some of the diagnosis/tests so that's a start.

The reason for the switch is simple. You find the ones in routers can be quite dumb or relying on the CPU in the router. It's one of those things you know to try.

--> There is another way to improve the NAS to Boxee setup and that is to put the NAS on the same LAN segment as the Boxee. I can do this by putting the NAS and Boxee on the switched hub and the uplink port goes to the powerline bridge you noted above.

Since nothing is on WiFi, I always disable that where possible as it cures issues that I won't list here.
Bob

I've bitten the bullet.

In order to rule out the switch on the router I have ordered a gigabit switch.

To rule out my cables (as I am not sure if they are cat5/6, or what state they are in) I have ordered a bunch of cat6 cables.

I will now connect my router/nas/sonos bridge to the switch, and connect the switch to the homeplug. As normal I will connect the boxee to the homeplug, which should give connection to the switch and then onto the NAS. This should (I think) rule out both the router switch and the router itself, as I am not using the router as a pass through.

Does this sound reasonable?

Failing this, the only things it could be, I think, are the quality of the home plugs (I'm using the TP-Link TL-PA211KIT 200Mbps), or the quality of the NAS (I'm using the D-Link DS320).

But rarely helps most NAS since most have 100BT chipsets. Moving the packets off the router's switch is a good move and an old trick in the book.
Bob

I have no idea what the chipset is. Are you meaning the ethernet and what it can handle? I have checked google for the D-Link DS 320 and it says the ethernet port is 10/100/1000 which I assume means it is capable of gigabit.

Doubtful it will help a thing but at least not a waste.

Can I hook the devices up to the switch in the way I suggested above? I read somewhere that devices going directly to a switch and onto other devices (rather than through a router) have problems talking as they cannot resolve IP addresses or something. I have no idea about any of this!

A switch does not route packets according to IP addresses but by the MAC address. It's good to know how it all works but why not just do the free thing first? Turn off the WiFi and test.

Then add a simple switched hub for the NAS to be in the same area as the BOXEE and test. The first idea is free. The second would be 20 bucks here.
Bob

I was going to try the wireless thing to see if that made a difference, before realising my mobile phone, the missus' mobile phone and the laptop are all hooked up to wireless. As well as my Xbox and PS3

As for your second point, you mention make sure they are in the same area. Is this what will happen when they are both connected to the switch? i.e. the NAS direct to the switch, and the Boxee through the home plug to the switch.

p.s. thank you for your help in this.

My thought is to optimize that first. Over the home plug could be subject to interference so if this was mine I'd get a simple 100BT switch hub (10 bucks at Fry's) and then put the Boxee and NAS on that with the uplink port to the home plug.

Sorry if I wasn't clear.
Bob

That's a possible plan.

If the issue was with the home plug, I could easily get a switch (or hub) and stick it behind my TV, where the boxee is. It would then mean having to move my NAS to beside the TV, and even the Sonos bridge that connects to the NAS.

2 issues with this that I see just now.

1 - I also have just bought a new Boxee to sit in my bedroom, and the only way to get the signal to there would be through a home plug
2 - I have noticed a similar issue on a rare occasion with the Sonos. And that component is connected from the NAS to the router to the Sonos bridge.

Now to me, the common component between the issues are the cat5 cables, the NAS (or hard drives within) and the Router. My new switch which should be arriving sometime during the week will rule out the router, and the new cat6 cables will rule out the cables.

So then, to me, the biggest culprit would be the NAS. And that is a component that I don't think I could afford to upgrade to a better model! Unfortunately.

Now this is going on the assumption that the intermittent issue with the Sonos and the Boxee is the same issue (which discounts the home plugs). However, if it is 2 separate issues, then I'd be back to square one lol

I hate networks. I'm a senior software developer, and if I have issues with my code, I can debug it all fairly easily, but not networks lol

I bought a switch, along with some new cat6 cables. And for the last month I have only had this issue once (could have been a fluke bad netowrk at that time), when before I was getting it almost daily at least once.

So it looks like adding in a switch and by-passing the Virgin Media Super Hub router has fixed it!

Cheers.

I see it was in my first reply in the 3 ideas what to do.

Those switches in modem+wifi+router+whatelse are often the lowest cost thing that works most of the time but rarely at speeds you expect from a normal switched hub.
Bob

That's the great thing about forums, getting to use other peoples experience lol

Well this week I should get my switch etc so can start trying all of this. And hopefully get to the bottom of it! Other than this one problem, I am loving my setup.