Slow data transfer over Ethernet and 5G Wi-Fi
Slow data transfer over Ethernet and 5G Wi-Fi
Hello, I believe everyone is enjoying this time staying indoors as much as I am. I’m now facing a problem where my PC has configured one of my drives as a shared storage for the TV, phones, etc. But when I attempt to move video files (a 10GB test file) from my iMac to my PC—let's call it the main server—I encounter this unusual data limit. Through Ethernet it’s about 500 megabits per second, whereas WiFi 802.11ac at 5GHz delivers 100-200 megabits per second. I definitely don’t expect my WiFi to reach all 1Gbps, but I should be able to get at least 500 or 700 megabits per second depending on distance and interference. My devices are just a few feet away, so the signal isn’t too far. On Ethernet, it consistently caps at around 500 megabits per second. I’ve tried various solutions: swapping cables, turning off 2.5 and 5GHz sharing, adjusting switches, changing AP settings, tweaking Unifi Security gateway, modifying Apple WiFi configurations in hardware (everything is set for 1Gbps over 1000Base T). I’m hoping for some guidance, because solving these issues feels straightforward. To be honest, all my hardware, gadgets, wall connections, and cables operate at 1Gbps networking—except for a few exceptions (my phone lines weren’t installed). Any help would be greatly appreciated. I’m not expecting exactly 1Gbps on Ethernet or WiFi, especially since that’s unrealistic. What I need is at least 70-80% usage on my network, particularly when transferring files between computers. Edit 1: My PC and iMac can handle up to 950Mbps but only send about 460Mbps (this was tested with a speed test where I used Ethernet and set the PC as the target). On WiFi it manages around 170Mbps in both directions. Below is a diagram of my network setup. Networking Unifi Security Gateway: No static IPs, no port forwarding. D-Link 8-Port Switch x1 at 1Gbps, three 5-port switches at 1Gbps, one 5-port switch at 100Mbps. All Ethernet connections use Cat5e, Unifi AP AC Lite with 3 units, configured for 802/11/ac 5GHz at 80MHz, channel 150. Devices: Asrock B450 motherboard (Ethernet), Realteck PCIe Gbe Family controller, flow control enabled, receive buffers set to 512, speed & duplex at 1.0 Gbps full duplex, transmit buffers at 128. Drivers installed yesterday: Ryzen 5 2600 (3.5GHz, didn’t auto-boost), 64GB Corsair RAM Sapphire Pulse Vega 56. iMac: 2014 model set for 1Gbps, 2007 model also set for 1Gbps. iMac Book Air 2014 WiFi supports 802.11ac at 702Mbps. I’m looking for assistance because I find these problems frustrating and want to resolve them quickly.
Initially, I commend your network diagram. It’s clear that any connection point linked to the 100Mbps switch or operating on a 100Mbps Ethernet link will remain capped at that speed, regardless of upstream or downstream capabilities. For instance, according to your diagram, anything marked orange is already limited, even the 2 UAP-AC-Lites. Upgrading both the switch and Ethernet to gigabit speeds would be advisable for clients at these nodes interacting with other network devices.
Additionally, running all UAP-AC-Lites on the same 5GHz channel could overload your traffic queues and deplete available bandwidth, especially at 80MHz channel width. Consider conducting a wireless survey using tools like WiFi Analyzer or UniFi’s built-in features to identify unused channels. If neighboring networks interfere, switch to different channels and narrow the 1 or 2 APs to at least 40MHz. Make sure you’re running the latest UniFi Controller firmware and updating all devices—USG and UAP-AC-Lites. I’ll review further UniFi settings once I have access to a controller.
Edit: On the USG, turn off Threat Management and Deep Packet Inspection via the UniFi Controller to free up CPU resources for other tasks. Avoid using the same SSID for both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands; separate them and direct essential clients to the 5GHz network.
Falcon, I've adjusted my AP settings to focus only on the 5GHz band across various channels and frequencies. I also turned off Unifi Threat Management and Deep Packet Inspection on the USG. Temporarily paused the lines running at 100Mbps to the AP that are labeled orange; they now provide a solid 100Mbps connection via Wi-Fi. We'll revisit this soon. Regarding Ethernet, when I run a file test from "iMac A" to "Windows 10 PC" using the Black Magic disk speed test on iMac A, I encounter an unusual issue. After switching off Wi-Fi on the iMac, I'm getting up to 850Mbps in transmission but only 500Mbps in transfer—especially noticeable since both devices are just a few feet apart and on the same switch. The selected drive is a 1TB PCIE NVME M.2 SSD from Crucial. This is quite puzzling. What's happening with the data path? Why am I sending out only 500Mbps while receiving up to 850Mbps? Photo A attached below. It's really confusing. PHOTO A PHOTO B
@Yottabyte_AVD1 Download iPerf on every machine and perform an internal speed test. Keep in mind one host should act as server while another as client. The variation in speeds may stem from other constraints. Refer to the article provided. Could the AP linked to the 100Mbps switch be completely offline? Is it sharing the same SSID with the other APs connected to the gigabit switches? Please share a WiFi Analyzer screenshot (free from Microsoft) of the Analyze, 2.4GHz and 5GHz pages as well as the Networks page.