Did cisco rip me off?

[capr]

I have the E4200 On the router's website they clearly advertise 4xGigabit Ethernet ports. Today I found out that this is crap.... (could it be that the internet plugin port isn't gigabit but the other ports are?)

 

I am on a Gigabit internet line. the technician's laptop got much higher speeds than my computer is getting with and without the router (his numbers were in the 700s with a macbook pro). But that's another story. Think my mobo manufacturer also ripped me off?

 

 

Without the router 

 

With the Router

 

 

[+John Teacake MVC]

Well if the techs laptop was getting much faster laptop with the equipment they installed and provided to you. Logic dictates its your equipment i.e Laptop!

[tsupersonic]

Are your networking settings in the OS setup properly? I'd check that first. If the technician got good speeds with and without the router, then it's your computer, and not the router...

[spaceelf]

I have the E4200 On the router's website they clearly advertise 4xGigabit Ethernet ports. Today I found out that this is crap.... (could it be that the internet plugin port isn't gigabit but the other ports are?)

Wouldn't it make more sense to ask the manufacturer?  Most people aren't going to have your exact equipment to test with.

 

Note that it advertises a gigabit switch not gigabit routing, so no...you got what you paid for.

[sc302 Veteran]

Well they advertise 4xGigabit Ethernet ports.  4x = 4, ie. 4 lan ports.  They do not advertise what the internet port is, but what I have seen looks also to possibly be Gigabit Ethernet.  If the tech was able to produce similar speeds on both the modem and the router, then the issue is your computer not the router (could be drivers or firmware..could be that you need to replace the nic). 

[grunger106]

That router has 4x Gb/E ports on the switch and a single Gb/E port for the WAN

 

Looking at the speed I'd say you had the WAN port fixed at 100Mbit

 

Also - that might have Cisco written on it, but that's not a Cisco in my book... That's a Linksys.

[sc302 Veteran]

That router has 4x Gb/E ports on the switch and a single Gb/E port for the WAN

 

Looking at the speed I'd say you had the WAN port fixed at 100Mbit

 

Also - that might have Cisco written on it, but that's not a Cisco in my book... That's a Linksys.

Belkin bought linksys...it isn't cisco anymore. 

http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/15/belkin-acquires-linksys/

[francescob]

Just because the ports are gigabit it doesn't mean the router can actually ROUTE at a gigabit speed. Buy a switch instead or set the router to not act as a gateway, if it allows you to.

[sc302 Veteran]

Just because the ports are gigabit it doesn't mean the router can actually ROUTE at a gigabit speed. Buy a switch instead or set the router to not act as a gateway, if it allows you to.

huh?   the business answer would be to buy a firewall to be able to route to the internet at speed.  buying a switch would only support the internal network, and on a home network you wouldn't be routing on your local lan other than out to the internet.  You would need a very expensive switch to be able to route to the internet and provide firewall capabilities such as nat, not something that you would go to a brick and mortar store to buy and certainly not something a home user would be able to configure.

 

please understand the difference between firewall, router, and switch before making a recommendation of such equipment (in simple terms, it is best to not confuse people more than they already are).

[grunger106]

Belkin bought linksys...it isn't cisco anymore. 

http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/15/belkin-acquires-linksys/

Indeed they did - but this particular model was a Linksys developed unit as I recall.

 

However proper Cisco gear is a different matter - this is a Cisco router ;) (Although admittedly an older one now)

 

 

 

There is clearly something wrong with something at the OPs place - I wonder if the WAN port has had it's speed fixed, that said I very much doubt you'll get much more than 150- 200Mbp/s through a cheap consumer router regardless of port speeds as it just won't have the grunt.

 

The one pure 1Gb leased line I've configured here in the UK required a ?2200 router (or more correctly in this case a firewall - Zyxel's USG 2000) to get anywhere near that, and even that tops out at 750Mbp/s IMIX

 

[sc302 Veteran]

Yes it is, and they are rock solid compared to their linksys counterparts.

[Top Qat]

Linksys E4200 is capable of routing at higher than 100Mb/s speed.

 

Check out this http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wireless/wireless-reviews/31651-cisco-linksys-e4200v2-dual-band-n900-router-reviewed?showall=&start=2

 

Looks to me like the Ethernet port auto negotiation is setting 100Mb instead of 1000Mb.

Did you check for more up-to-date network drivers?

[grunger106]

Yes it is, and they are rock solid compared to their linksys counterparts.

Damn right - got an Cisco 861 ISR for my home router (overkill - but rock solid, highly flexible) and a load of 1841s on sites I manage.

 

(As an aside - you can pickup 1841's with WICs for under ?100 on ebay now - bargain!)

[Mando]

grunger106, on 29 Aug 2013 - 18:16, said:

Indeed they did - but this particular model was a Linksys developed unit as I recall.

 

However proper Cisco gear is a different matter - this is a Cisco router ;) (Although admittedly an older one now)

 

 

 

There is clearly something wrong with something at the OPs place - I wonder if the WAN port has had it's speed fixed, that said I very much doubt you'll get much more than 150- 200Mbp/s through a cheap consumer router regardless of port speeds as it just won't have the grunt.

 

The one pure 1Gb leased line I've configured here in the UK required a ?2200 router (or more correctly in this case a firewall - Zyxel's USG 2000) to get anywhere near that, and even that tops out at 750Mbp/s IMIX

 

man not seen that model in a while :) spend most of my days configging 1921s now.

[francescob]

huh?   the business answer would be to buy a firewall to be able to route to the internet at speed.  buying a switch would only support the internal network, and on a home network you wouldn't be routing on your local lan other than out to the internet.  You would need a very expensive switch to be able to route to the internet and provide firewall capabilities such as nat, not something that you would go to a brick and mortar store to buy and certainly not something a home user would be able to configure.

 

please understand the difference between firewall, router, and switch before making a recommendation of such equipment (in simple terms, it is best to not confuse people more than they already are).

 

Who said his modem isn't perfectly capable of routing without an additional router? Most SOHO solutions do. Switch + Modem = everything connects through the modem, it's not like he uses PPPoE or other old protocols to connect.

[grunger106]

man not seen that model in a while :) spend most of my days configging 1921s now.

I like the new 19XX series - but I'm thinking a 1841 (with 2 WICs) at ?100 is still a nice deal :)

 

Still I think I might be straying from the topic here!

[sc302 Veteran]

Who said his modem isn't perfectly capable of routing without an additional router? Most SOHO solutions do. Switch + Modem = everything connects through the modem, it's not like he uses PPPoE or other old protocols to connect.

Some cannot, like my less than 6mo old modem from comcast.  It hands my router (or pc, if it is directly connected) a outside IP address.

 

So do we know that he has a modem capable of doing what a "router" can do? 

 

I use the word router loosely because that is what the market has determined this device to be, even though I believe it to be a firewall with a built in 4 port layer 2 switch.

[capr]

Linksys E4200 is capable of routing at higher than 100Mb/s speed.

 

Check out this http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wireless/wireless-reviews/31651-cisco-linksys-e4200v2-dual-band-n900-router-reviewed?showall=&start=2

 

Looks to me like the Ethernet port auto negotiation is setting 100Mb instead of 1000Mb.

Did you check for more up-to-date network drivers?

 

so my hypothesis was wrong and everyone else's speculations are wrong. Thank you for this. I will investigate and see if I can find where the settings are. 

[sc302 Veteran]

I am pretty sure that you can't change the port out of auto negotiation. 

[capr]

I updated the firmware to version 3. it improved a lot but not all the way there. I am on version 1.0.0.5 and the smallnet site is on version 1.0.0.0 

 

maybe they deliberately dialed it down? This is the result going through the router now. 

[tsupersonic]

That speed is better than the speedtest you posted without the router (1st post)...So umm what's wrong? 

[sc302 Veteran]

While you are clearly over 100Mb/s, you aren't were you need to be...you are just about 1/2 way there.  I think you have another issue on your network, perhaps you computer nic card or the computer is loaded with crapware.

[primexx]

definitely try a differenet computer. also try TomatoUSB or DD-WRT on the router too.

[daorbed9]

Are your networking settings in the OS setup properly? I'd check that first. If the technician got good speeds with and without the router, then it's your computer, and not the router...

 

What exactly does one change to speed up the network connection?

[daorbed9]

Just because the ports are gigabit it doesn't mean the router can actually ROUTE at a gigabit speed. Buy a switch instead or set the router to not act as a gateway, if it allows you to.

 

Very true.  In fact there are not many current routers that do true 1000Mb/s.  Some are even limited to the 10-20 range even though the port is a 100Mb/s port.  The WAN speed is limited by the firmware or the processor in the router generally.  When 30/50 Mb/s first hit the area I had to switch out quite a few of the Netgear VPN routers because they are limited to 8 on the WAN port.