Can't connect at 1Gbps

[velocci]

Hi all, I have a PC that I built with an Asus P8Z68-V PRO motherboard and I just bought the Negear WNDR4500 router. I am unable to connect to the PC to the router at a link speed of 1Gbps. when I go into the properties of the nic card and set it to 1Gbps, it doesn't connect and says the network cable is disconnected. If I choose auto-negotiation, it will only connect at 100Mbps. I have other devices that can connect to the router at 1Gbps just fine. I have tried the latest nic drivers from Asus's site, I tried installing windows 7 64bit from scratch, I reset the router, upgraded the firmware. all my cables are cat6 or better and I even tried removing all other devices from my router. I just can't get it to connect at 1Gbps. Can anyone think of why this is happening?

 

[Hawkeye22]

I'm sure you have done this already, but have you tried using a different port on the router? Also, the maximum length of the cable can only be 100m, though I doubt you have a run that long. Also, make sure jumbo frames is turned off on the NIC.

 

[velocci]

yes i tried another port on the router, the max length is not 100m. I'm sure jumbo frames is turned off on the nic, but i'll double check tonight. this morning I tried another network cable from the PC to the wall and I tried using the intel nic drivers instead of the Asus nic drivers. neither fixed the problem.

I'm sure you have done this already, but have you tried using a different port on the router? Also, the maximum length of the cable can only be 100m, though I doubt you have a run that long. Also, make sure jumbo frames is turned off on the NIC.

 

[Hawkeye22]

this morning I tried another network cable from the PC to the wall

To the wall? Do you have an ethernet wall plate in the room? If so, is the wiring in the wall cat6 and is it wired properly at both ends? To test this, make sure the computer is wired directly to the router and see if it gets a gigabit connection.

 

[velocci]

Hi, the cable in the wall is cat6e and is wired properly on both ends. I'm pretty sure I connected my other PC to that same port in the wall and got 1Gbps, but I will do it again to make sure. I will also plug the PC directly into the router and the modem and see if I get 1Gbps connection in both cases. thanks.

 

[Hawkeye22]

Let me know the results. I know when I've run wires through walls before, they sometimes kink bad enough to break a wire even though the insulation is intact. Any decent cable tester will show lost continuity in such a case.

 

[velocci]

you're saying something could happen to a cable so that I can't connect at 1Gbps but still connect at 100Mbps?

 

[Hawkeye22]

Yes, especially if one of the pairs is reversed. Only 4 wires (2 pairs) are used for 10/100, the rest are used to prevent crosstalk on the wires. All pairs are used in gigabit.

http://www.ertyu.org/steven_nikkel/ethernetcables.html

If you have a reversed pair (polarity) you can still transfer data, but at the expense of a lot of data collisions on the network, at least on 10/100 networks. I'm sure somethng similar would happen on a 1000Mbit network.

 

[velocci]

i'm sure I have the colors in the right order and i'm tried another port in the wall and it still didn't connect at 1Gbps.

 

[Hawkeye22]

Well, the components that come into play are

1. router
2. computer/motherboard (NIC)
3. patch cable (computer to wall)
4. wall wiring.

You have ruled out the router by plugging other computers into the port. Assuming 3 & 4 above are correct, which you state is, that leaves your computer. Since a new nic driver didn't fix the problem, that leaves the nic itself. Since it's an onboard nic you won't be able to remove it. As a test, I recommend going into the device manager and disabling the nic. You will need to buy or borrow a PCI/E nic card to test in it place.

If you do a lot of your own wiring, I recommend getting one of these. They are easy to use and they can diagnose a lot of line problems.

http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/Test-Um-LanRoverPro-TP600-network-tool-tester-kit/913611.aspx

 

[velocci]

it could be a incompatability issue between the nic and the router. is there a nic and router chipset combination that tend to be incompatible with each other?

 

[Hawkeye22]

Not that I know of. The standards for ethernet 10/100/1000 have been around for quite a while. That doesn't mean that there can't be, but it's unlikely. A poorly written driver would be more likely.

Edit:

You can always try connecting two pc's via an ethernet cable. Check the status lights of the nic to see if it's connected at gigabit speeds. If the link light isn't on at all, then it's not running at gigabit speeds since gigabit nic's must be able to auto negotiate speeds as well as have auto mdi-x. You motherboard manual should show which light is the link light and which is the data light. The link light will usually change it's color depending on what speed it's running at.

 

[velocci]

I have an update: I tried different ports and it seems that two of my ports in my office only do 100Mbps and the other one does 1Gpbs. I was able to connect my PC to the 1Gbps port and connect at 1Gbps. all three ports are exactly the same, using the same cable. the cabling was just installed during this past summer. do you think the problem with the other ports is that there is something defective in the cable itself or how i terminated them?

 

[tomatthe]

99.9% on how they were terminated would be my guess. Get a cable tester for $10 or whatever they are and check them.

 

[velocci]

what does a $10 cable tester do? I know the cable itself works, just not at 1Gbps.

 

[Hawkeye22]

Cable testers are more than $10. I posted a link to one a few posts ago. They can check for line continuity, reversed polarity, switched pairs, cable length, and other stuff.

 

[velocci]

I don't want to spend that much for a tester. I'm going to buy some keystone jacks and redo the ports in my office. lets assume right now that the problem on the end with the keystone jack in my office rather than the other end of the cable where I terminated it with the plugs that plug into my router. must the problem be that one or more of the individual wires are not making proper contact with the keystone jack?

 

[Hawkeye22]

Without a cable tester, you won't know. It can be a broken wire somewhere in the middle of the run. Unless there is a noticable kink in the cable or a break in the insulation, you would never know.

We buy spools of cat5/6 and make our own cables here at work. Sometimes the cable is bad right off the spool. We'd be wasting hours re-ending our cables if we didn't have a cable tester.

At this point, all you can do is trial and error.

 

[velocci]

and this cable tester will tell me if the wire is cabable of going 1Gbps?

 

[Hawkeye22]

If you are using cat5e, cat6, or better cable and the tester passes it, then yes, it will be capable of gigabit speeds.

 

[velocci]

if it doesn't pass, does it say what the problem is? and do you test the cable by plugging in both ends to this tester?

 

[Hawkeye22]

This particular tester tests for shorts, opens, miswires, reversals, and split pairs. Yes, you put both ends of the cable in. Part of the tester seperates from the rest so you can plug it into the opposite end of the cable and it also comes with patch cables and alligator clips. It can also tell you how long the cable run is. So, yes, it does tell you what the problem is and the manual describes each problem.

If you are only ever going to use it once, I can't recommend spending the money on it. If you make a lot of your own cables, then it's definitely needed. Like I said, we buy cat6 cable by the spool, 1000 feet per spool, so it makes my life much easier.

 

[velocci]

I don't really make my own patch cables. I had a company run the wires in my house and I just terminated the ends myself. but it would be nice to have so I can test those cables that only work at 100Mbps. maybe I can buy one from Home Depot and then return it. what do you think of this one? but I don't think it splits like yours does.

http://www.homedepot.ca/product/multimedia-cabling-tester-vdv/945500

 

[Hawkeye22]

Yes, as long as it supports RJ-45 (ethernet). This includes a tone generator, which I forgot to mention the TP600 does also. This does seperate too.

Convenient remote wiremap/testing unit is stored inside tester and accommodates RJ-11, RJ-45 and F-style connectors.

I've never used this brand before, but if it works as advertised, then yes, it should be fine.

 

[velocci]

maybe i'll give it a try. thanks