Slow lan speed from pc to pc

[dip_10]

Hello, Me and my friend are using cable internet service.we figured as the service connects us through hubs we may as well find ourselves over lan. We used a lan p2p file sharing software called lanshark to connect each other. Everything went well and we can connect each other and share files. When i download file from my friends computer the speed is 2-3 Mbps but on the other hand when hes trying to download something from my computer its only 70-100 Kbps.
I am using nForce 10/100 Mbps Networking Controller with windows xp service pack 2. While my friend is using VIA Rhine II Fast Ethernet Adapter with xp service pack 3.
We tried to change our lan card settings for 100mb/10mb full/half duplex with no difference. Please help.

Thanks in advance,
Dip

 

[eibgrad]

Your download speeds are always limited by the other's upload speed, which is typically MUCH lower than your respective download speeds. The difference between you is probably because you use different ISPs w/ different upload limits.

 

[dip_10]

we are not using different isp. We r in the same locality and using same cable net isp with 512kbps connc. But we can connect to each other even without logging in our isp just like a LAN. We can use netmeeting also to chat or voice communication. SO i guess the problem is elsewhere.

 

[eibgrad]

Do you both have the same service plan? ISPs typically offer several tiers w/ varying transfer rates and data caps (and of course, a scaled pricing structure to match it).

 

[dip_10]

yah we r using same plan and the fact that its an ethernet network and we dont hav to log in our isp even to connect each other ( that mean even we dont have internet access, we can file share or use net meeting ), I think it doesnt hav anything to do with isps download or upload limit ( which is 512 kbps, where can download from my friend at 3-4 mbps).

 

[eibgrad]

yah we r using same plan and the fact that its an ethernet network and we dont hav to log in our isp even to connect each other ( that mean even we dont have internet access, we can file share or use net meeting ), I think it doesnt hav anything to do with isps download or upload limit ( which is 512 kbps, where can download from my friend at 3-4 mbps).

Something is not making sense here.

I too have internet access w/ cable. I too don't have to log into my ISP. I too am connected via Ethernet to a router which in turn is connected to a modem which in turn is connected to the ISP. And if I want to exchange files, use netmeeting, etc., w/ a friend across the internet, I don't have any problems either EXCEPT I'm limited in terms of performance on my downlink based on my friend’s performance on his uplink, and who is otherwise configured similarly.

I'm just not getting why you bring up all this information about your ISP and your respective downlink/uplink speeds, then when I respond to why that would affect your performance across the internet, you dismiss this as irrelevant. You brought it up! Either you're connected over the internet by your ISP and subject to those limitation I described, OR, this has nothing to do w/ any internet connection whatsoever and it’s a network connection on the same local network (in which case I could see the relevance of Ethernet).

Now if you’re saying that some LOCAL connection is the culprit (wire or wireless), well yeah, that’s always a possibility (but w/ those abysmal numbers that seems highly unlikely). But if that’s the case, then you’ll have equally bad performance when accessing ANYTHING across the Internet. So I suggest both of you get a baseline on your respective Internet performance using SpeedTest.net.

http://www.speedtest.net

There’s no point going any further if those numbers show the same disparate results.

 

[dip_10]

Sorry i am not clear about my connection. Let me make it in detail.

"I too have internet access w/ cable. I too don't have to log into my ISP. I too am connected via Ethernet to a router which in turn is connected to a modem which in turn is connected to the ISP. And if I want to exchange files, use netmeeting, etc., w/ a friend across the internet, I don't have any problems either EXCEPT I'm limited in terms of performance on my downlink based on my friend’s performance on his uplink, and who is otherwise configured similarly. "

- In my cable net if i want to access the internet i need to log in to my isp with a specific username and password. The rest is same as u said. Now my friend is also using the same service ( which is 512 kbps internet connc ) but as we are using same ethernet we thought we can bypass the isp and make direct lan for data transfer. So hes not accross internet but hes in my lan. Thats why i expected greater data transfer speed from his machine to mine. And we can connect each other without even logging in my isp and the speed in which i am downloading file from him ( 3-4 mbps) is far greater than my isps internet download speed (80-100 kbps). So i figured its just working like a local lan and not internet.

I was saying all the information cause i thought they might be relevant in some way. But what i mean here since we are not logging in our isp during file transfer our internet access is disabled. So "this has nothing to do w/ any internet connection whatsoever and it’s a network connection on the same local network (in which case I could see the relevance of Ethernet)" - this is exactly whats going on i think. Otherwise i would never get that much download speed ( which i didnt get from internet ). Now the problem is my friend doesnt hav the same download speed at the same way, when i send him any file. ( his speed stays around 100 kbps whis is still greater than his internet speed ).

Now i went thorough some previous post in this forum about difference in speed over lan and most of them were talking about the NIC configurations. I dont know may be there are something wrong there.

I will ask my friend to do the speed test and then publish the result soon. But again as we are not required to access the internet while file transferring, i dont think we r limited to our internet speed.

Thanks eibgrad for trying to help me here and sorry if i didnt make much sense before

 

[eibgrad]

Oh, ok, so as I speculated, you have a SECOND network connection on the same LAN between you and your friend. That's the part that just wasn't clear. All the other ISP/Internet stuff just kept throwing me off. LOL

I need to know something else about your configuration.

Since you both have your own ISP, then presumably you each has your own router and network. So what I'm not sure about is how the both of you are connected via the same LAN. Do you each have second network adapter and a network cable running directly between them? Or perhaps w/ another router or switch in between them? I know he can’t be in the same LAN (not literally, as in patched to your respective routers) or else you would have a conflict between each of your respective DHCP servers.

IOW, I need to know a little bit more about how that particular part of the network is physically configured. I believe the answer to the problem lies in those details.

(if necessary, draw a picture and post it, if that helps)