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slow wireless transfer on fast network

ci1
Beginner
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hi folks, I was wondering if any gurus in here could shed some light on why I'm only getting a transfer speed of 5mb/sec (approx 45-50Mbps) on the wireless network below comprised of an older (but very fast), rock solid M6700 Dell Workstation and a newer Asus Q324UA laptop using a Linksys EA6350. Setup below:

1. Dell M6700 Workstation with Windows 7 Pro with Intel Centrino Advanced N 6205 a/b/g/n wireless card , driver Date 6/16/2013, v 15.9.0.5 , provided by Microsoft)

Looks like Dell has a slightly newer driver, v 15.10.0.10, A06 Release date 10/23/2013 but I'm afraid of installing this version as I don't believe the wireless on this Dell is the problem, see below, further details; UPDATE: I just installed this latest driver but the system did no take it, so still back to the older driver).

2.Asus Q325UA (UX370UAR) with Windows 10 Home with Intel Dual Band AC8260 wireless card. (Driver Date 3/19/18, v 20.50.0.4, provided by Microsoft)

3. Between them, I have a Linksys EA6350 router with latest firmware, supporting both 2.4 and 5ghz.

The 5ghz is set to mixed/auto (802.11n and 802.11ac) and both laptops are connected on this 5ghz protocol.

For testing purposes, the laptops are near the router such that I have max connectivity, 5 bars on the Windows 7 laptop and Link up-speed is 300Mbps but Utilization is only 15% on a transfer, Dell to wireless router to Asus.

On the Asus laptop, the "Connection Type" is 802.11ac, but the transfer is 45Mbps.

If I force the router to only use 802.11ac, then the older Dell Windows 7 cannot connect to it, because it's only supporting the N protocol as the best protocol. So I'm leaving the router to "mixed mode" for the 5ghz connection.

Per article at

https://www.ghacks.net/2016/08/05/windows-10-limiting-internet-speed/ https://www.ghacks.net/2016/08/05/windows-10-limiting-internet-speed/

Setting netsh interface tcp set global autotuning = disabled and restarting both laptops, I now show on both laptops: "Receive Window Auto-Tuning Level" = disabled.

Further, on Windows 7, I can turn off the Advanced "Large Send Offload (IPV4)" -- disabled under the Windows 7 laptop but I cannot find this on the Windows 10 Home Edition network advanced properties.

I suspect that since the Asus Windows 10 Home edition connects to 802.11ac but the Dell Workstation connects to 802.11n, there must be something with the router that may slow the connection, even though the router has the latest firmware applied.

So far, I can only get a 5mb/sec transfer between these two laptops (approx 50Mbps) which I feel is suboptimal.

Any thoughts on how I could increase the speed?

Thanks much for any thoughts,

Cos

P.S. hi folks, a quick update: I've connected both laptops to another network 802.11n, the router very close, and while both laptops (windows 7 and Windows 10) show being connected at 300Mbps (Link Speed), again, I could still only see an approx 45Mbps transfer rate between the two laptops.

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idata
Employee
817 Views

Hello oracos,

 

 

We understand you are getting a transfer rate of 45Mbps between you Dell Workstation and your Asus Laptop, and you would like to improve the speed if possible. As you already mentioned, this could be due to router configuration, or other external factors, you might want to check with https://www.linksys.com/us/support-product?pid=01t80000003cgXOAAY Linksys Support about this as well, in order to confirm you are taking advantage of all the capabilities of the wireless access point.

 

* Please be aware that links to 3rd party websites are offered for your convenience and should not be viewed as an endorsement by Intel* for the merchants or services offered there.*

 

 

Keep in mind that the method you use to transfer files is very important as well. If you are doing a file transfer using an internet service you may be limited by the speed of your internet connection; however, if you are transferring files within your internal network you should get a faster connection.

 

 

From our end, we can perform some actions to make sure both Intel® adapters are set to work correctly.

 

 

1. Download the drivers for your Adapters and Operating System from the https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/topics/OEMs.html Computer Manufacturer Support as first option, or if you prefer, you can get the generic driver version from our Download Center:

 

 

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/27239/Wireless-Intel-PROSet-Wireless-Software-and-Drivers-for-Intel-Centrino-Advanced-N-6205?product=59471 Intel® PROSet/Wireless Software and Drivers for Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6205

 

Use the file depending on your OS version:

 

WiFi_Win7_64_19.70.0.exe - for Windows 7*, 64-bit

 

WiFi_Win7_32_19.70.0.exe - for Windows 7*, 32-bit

 

 

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/27849/Wireless-Intel-PROSet-Wireless-Software-and-Drivers-for-Windows-10?product=86068 Intel® PROSet/Wireless Software and Drivers for Windows® 10, version 20.60.0 (for the Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260)

 

 

2. For each system, follow these steps to perform a https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000022173/network-and-i-o/wireless-networking.html Clean Installation of Wireless Drivers.

 

 

3. In the system with the 6205, apply the https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005544/network-and-i-o/wireless-networking.html Recommended Settings for 802.11n Connectivity.

 

 

4. In the system with the 8260, apply the https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000024678/network-and-i-o/wireless-networking.html Recommended Settings for 802.11ac Connectivity.

 

 

Please let us know if you have any further questions after you review and apply the items provided.

 

 

Regards,

 

Jonathan B.
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ci1
Beginner
816 Views

hi Jonathan, thanks a big bunch for the followup.

I've just attempted the same setup at work, between the same two computers but a modern, work router (Open Mesh MR900)

Even though the Link Speed is also 300Mbps on both laptops, the transfer rate of the large 10gb file is the same, approx 5mb/sec.

I have confirmed and the Recommended Settings are appropriate.

I have confirmed that all network drivers are up to date on both computers, per the respective manufacturers (Dell and Asus) driver support websites.

Could there be something in Windows7/Windows 10 that may be limiting the speed?

thank you,

Cos

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idata
Employee
817 Views

Hello Cos,

 

 

This does not appear to be an issue with the wireless adapters, considering that the data rate of the connection is 300 Mbps. Please keep in mind that the actual speed may be limited by the bandwidth of you Internet connection. If the issue persists using the latest driver and recommended settings, this may be an issue with the network configuration or the way you are using to measure performance.

 

 

Here are a few questions that may help you identify the reason for this transfer speed:

 

 

- Which method are you using to copy the files from one PC to the Other?

 

- How are you measuring performance?

 

- What is the speed of the Internet connection subscribed by your ISP?

 

- Is the Internet connection working fine for the computers?

 

 

We hope this is helpful for you.

 

 

Regards,

 

Jonathan B.
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ci1
Beginner
817 Views

hi Jonathan, thanks for the fast followup.

I'm not much concerned about the Internet speed, even though that seems to be fairly crappy as well... around 20-30Mbps. That's the topic of another test at home :-)

What I'm concerned about is the speed of my internal network (TCP/IP4) where I am getting some 45 Mbps, using Windows copy, of one large 10gb file, from one laptop to another, using data link speed of 300mbps on both Windows 7 and Windows 10, N type network on both nic cards.

Approx 5mb/sec transfer rate, in my opinion, is suboptimal, and I'm beginning to think there's additional Windows networking settings that I may be overlooking....

any other thoughts?

thanks,

Cos

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idata
Employee
817 Views

Hello Cos,

 

 

We understand your concern, in this case, the file transfer speed may be affected by factors external to the wireless adapter. Using the latest driver and Recommended Settings we provided before should be enough to make sure the adapter is working correctly, based on your description, this is confirmed with the Link Speed of 300 Mbps that is the normal speed for 802.11n 2x2 supported by the 6205 and 8260 adapters.

 

 

We advise you to contact the Access Point manufacturer, or with Windows* support, so you can check on other possible culprits for the low performance; such as router QOS settings like bandwidth prioritization/limitation and WMM (Wi-Fi Multimedia) being disabled, also hard drive performance issues, antivirus life scan, among others.

 

 

Regards,

 

Jonathan B.
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