Distance needed in a network

  • Thread starter Thread starter Sam
  • Start date Start date
S

Sam

I have a network connected via a router with a cable
connection and on one machine cannot connect at a speed
of a 100, it works at 10. This is only 175 feet away
through a cat5 cable.

My first computer is only 15 feet away and works fine at
speeds of 100. What is the distance required to work at
100 speed. I have three network cards installed and it
still doesn't connect at 100.
 
Sam said:
I have a network connected via a router with a cable
connection and on one machine cannot connect at a speed
of a 100, it works at 10. This is only 175 feet away
through a cat5 cable.

My first computer is only 15 feet away and works fine at
speeds of 100. What is the distance required to work at
100 speed. I have three network cards installed and it
still doesn't connect at 100.
Click to expand...


Try bringing the faulty machine closer, and use the cable from the good
machine.
Does it work at 100 now?

If so, you have a bad 175 foot cable.
Is it, perchance, home-made?

The most common cause of what you are seeing is BAD WIRING.
The common wiring error runs OK an 10, but badly / not at all at 100.
The long cable need to be checked:.....

The correct twisted pairs may not be being observed.

It's not enough just to connect 1-1, 2-2, 3-3 and 6-6.
You need to look at the twisted pairs inside the cable.

The most common error is to use use one pair for pins 1&2,
another pair for pins 3&4, another pair for pins 5&6, and a pair for 7&8.
The wires sit neatly inside the connectors if you do it this way.

Unfortunately, this will not work.
( Well, sometimes on a short run it will, but probably not at 100 )

pins 1&2 need to be a pair.
pins 3&6 need to be a pair.

This causes the wires to cross over each other inside the plugs, and it
seems a bit ugly. But this is the ONLY way it will work. Look at the
pictures at the bottom of this page:

How to Wire a Network
http://www.linksys.com/faqs/default.asp?fqid=20
 
The speed is not a function of the distance.

Do you mean that it doesn't matter how far apart the
machines are. Distance doesn't effect the speed of the
computers?
 
Data said:
The speed is not a function of the distance. The NIC must
support the speed you want to use. Older cards did not
support 100 speed. You mentioned a router. Broadband
routers typically only work at 10 speed on the Ethernet
side. If you are connected to the router 10 speed is
normal for that connection. From one PC to the other PC
100 speed will show if the NICs support it.
Click to expand...


You are mostly correct, Data Image, but your statement about
broadband routers may be misinterpreted. Broadband routers
are normally used with cable or DSL modems on the WAN side;
since those modems only need <10 Mb/s, many routers only
work at 10 Mb/s on the WAN side. Most such routers do work
at 10/100 Mb/s on the LAN side, so PCs on the LAN side of
routers should be able to communicate at 100 Mb/s.

Common broadband routers use Ethernet protocol on both the
WAN and LAN side of the router; the WAN side uses the uplink
port and the LAN side uses the downlink port(s).
 
Back
Top