The switch appears to restrict internet performance.
The switch appears to restrict internet performance.
You've recently installed fiber and are experiencing inconsistent speeds. Your setup includes Ubiquiti's Mesh point system and a US-8 switch, which should support higher bandwidth. Connecting directly to the router gives you mid-high 30MBps, while the switch delivers roughly 10-12MBps. Since you haven't adjusted any settings on the switch, it’s possible the hardware or configuration is the issue.
It seems you're experiencing limited bandwidth, around 12MBps or less.
I'd definitely at least check fast.com and speedtest.net to get some idea if this is a Steam bottleneck. Steam downloads can throttle if your CPU is not powerful enough to keep up, or the storage. Although this wouldn't explain the speed differences, its worth identifying what those differences are when trying to push the maximum. So test both on the router and switch again for comparison. Also, what speed fibre are you paying for, for reference?
I used those two speed testers on my tablet through a USB dock, and they displayed consistent speeds. I resolved the issue afterward. Ran a fresh cable from the router to the PC and tablet, which confirmed the expected 266mbps (250mbps down, 25mbps up). After swapping the new cable into the switch, the speed remained stable at around 266mbps. When I reinserted the old cable back into the switch, the speed dropped again to about 266mbps. I’m still puzzled about what caused this change.
The cable magic might have been gently squeezed just a bit, which could lead to minor problems but won’t noticeably slow down the connection.