If I'm transferring a file between PC and laptop via router, why am I limited to....

[Zeze]

ISP's speed?

The set up is my PC and laptop are both connected to same router by wire. When I attempt to move the file from PC to laptop, it transfers at the speed of ISP's internet bandwidth (5 megabytes a sec = 40~ megabits, similar to our 50/5 comcast).

Last year when our service was 25/5 and did the same thing, it did at the same speed too (2.5-2.7 megabytes a sec).

Why is this the case if I'm moving stuff internally inside the home network. Shouldn't it be as fast as the Ethernet cable can handle?

 

[SheHateMe]

Use a switch in addition to the router. Plug the PC and the Laptop into the switch and come back and tell us what the transfer rate is then.

 

[Zeze]

Use a switch in addition to the router. Plug the PC and the Laptop into the switch and come back and tell us what the transfer rate is then.

I see. But why should the existing setup bother at all with the external internet speed? It's pretty stupid.

 

[Merad]

ISP's router or yours? If theirs, I guess it's possible they have some screwy setup to limit speeds, but there's no reason that should happen.

 

[Zeze]

ISP's router or yours? If theirs, I guess it's possible they have some screwy setup to limit speeds, but there's no reason that should happen.

This happened to me over different ISPs too. Fios back then and Comcast now.

[edit]
In different homes and different equipment.

 

[SheHateMe]

I see. But why should the existing setup bother at all with the external internet speed? It's pretty stupid.

I dont know. All I know is, when I need a LAN setup between devices, I always use a switch in addition to the router. I have a few mini LANs around my house coming out of the router.

I used to try and use my Popcorn Hour and NAS directly from the Router, but I couldn't stream shit for whatever reason. I added a switch and hooked the devices directly via the Switch and voila...Transfer speed was like 38MB/s -50MB/s

 

[BUTCH1]

<----Peripherals

 

[zCypher]

That doesn't make any sense. If both devices are connected to the same local area network then your speeds would be determined by the network adapter/software on each device, and the router. and your ethernet cables of course. Your connection speed to the ISP doesn't come into play for transfers from 192.168.x.A to 192.168.x.B, as the content isn't being sent over the internet.

Why don't you unplug the DSL phone cable or coaxial cable depending on your connection type, so your connection to ISP is off. Then see if your devices can still reach each other and transfer files between each other (they should). There's no reason for you to need a switch in addition to your existing gateway or router. Lack of a switch isn't limiting your speed.

Can you describe in exact detail step for step, what you are doing to accomplish the file transfer?

 

[13Gigatons]

Sounds like a router problem or you are confusing bits and bytes.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

You're not getting it. The data doesn't go from your computer to the router and then to the laptop, it's going to the ISP's router and back to yours before going to the laptop.

 

[ImpulsE69]

Something isn't right here. Unless for some reason you're routing it out to your WAN (ISP) and back into your router, it shouldn't even be touching anything but the router (acting as a switch). It should be getting maximum throughput that your PC/LAptop/Router are capable of (laptop is probably slower due to the drive). If it's going out to your ISP, you're doing it wrong. Is the router provided by your ISP? Are they doing any kind of throttling at the router level?

There is an issue sometimes with Windows copying between 32-bit and 64-bit going really slow.

And yes there's a difference between Mbit and Mbyte.

 

[zCypher]

You're not getting it. The data doesn't go from your computer to the router and then to the laptop, it's going to the ISP's router and back to yours before going to the laptop.

The transfer shouldn't be leaving the local area network 192.x or whatever they use, unless they are doing the transfer through an online service.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

The transfer shouldn't be leaving the local area network 192.x or whatever they use, unless they are doing the transfer through an online service.

It's not configured that way. He doesn't have a local area network, he has two computers sharing a router to his ISP.

 

[KK]

you remember reading about that NSA data mining center out west, the one that is capturing every packet of data transmitting. Don't you think that is going to slow down the transfer rates alittle?

 

[zCypher]

It's not configured that way. He doesn't have a local area network, he has two computers sharing a router to his ISP.

What does "sharing a router to his ISP" mean? Whether the ISP provided the router he is using, or whether he is using his own router, the same thing is happening - there is a local area network. Unless his router is configured in bridged mode and isn't doing any local routing. That would mean both of his connected devices are getting their own separate public WAN IP addresses from the ISP. In which case the devices wouldn't see each other for them to transfer directly like you would on a local area network.

And if THAT is the case, I again ask what exactly are the steps being taken in order to accomplish this file transfer?

 

[ImpulsE69]

There isn't enough information in any of the OP's posts to really point to a real reason. There are lots of reasons that could cause this, or make a perceived issue that isn't there.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

What does "sharing a router to his ISP" mean? Whether the ISP provided the router he is using, or whether he is using his own router, the same thing is happening - there is a local area network. Unless his router is configured in bridged mode and isn't doing any local routing. That would mean both of his connected devices are getting their own separate public WAN IP addresses from the ISP. In which cases the devices wouldn't see each other for them to transfer directly like you would on a local area network.

And if THAT is the case, I again ask what exactly are the steps being taken in order to accomplish this file transfer?

Exactly. Just because Windows calls it a LAN doesn't make it one. The application layer has to be configured correctly on each computer. Being in the same room or on the same router does not make it a LAN.

 

[zCypher]

Exactly. Just because Windows calls it a LAN doesn't make it one. The application layer has to be configured correctly on each computer. Being in the same room or on the same router does not make it a LAN.

Exactly, so why would multiple locations and multiple equipment all get set up this way? It is not the default configuration for any ISP I've ever heard of. OP, are you setting up your router config yourself?

also, provide more information, getting your device's internal IP address would be helpful, which you can do from a command prompt using "ipconfig" command, or from your network connections screen if you're using windows, right click the connection, then status I believe...

 

[Fardringle]

Exactly. Just because Windows calls it a LAN doesn't make it one. The application layer has to be configured correctly on each computer. Being in the same room or on the same router does not make it a LAN.

Actually, being on the same router DOES make it a LAN unless the router is assigning separate public IPs to each device. If it is doing routing and NAT translation (one external IP, multiple private internal IPs) then it is a LAN and communication between devices on the LAN will never go through the WAN/ISP connection unless the ISPs router is specifically (and stupidly) configured that way.

I suspect that the OP is using wireless G, and the speeds that he listed are slightly low but well within the normal range for file transfers on a G network. The fact that the speeds are similar to downloads from the Internet is merely a coincidence (or the ISP is being throttled by the local wireless connection as well).

 

[JackMDS]

There isn't enough information in any of the OP's posts to really point to a real reason. There are lots of reasons that could cause this, or make a perceived issue that isn't there.

+1
----
LOL, this whole Thread Reads like an exercise in "Magical Thinking".

OP, please explain in details the nature of your Network and the hardware involved.

LAN transfer per-se has nothing to do with ISP and Internet speed.

 

[Braznor]

Check if your ISP has set/changed/affected the duplex mode of your network cards some way?

 

[Zeze]

Sounds like a router problem or you are confusing bits and bytes.

No confusion here.

 

[Dstoop]

IMO the easiest way to test without knowing more details about the config is to simply unplug the external connection from the wall. If the router is doing its thing properly, both devices will still see each other on the LAN and can still connect to each other, they just wont have an internet connection.

The other thing to consider is how you are observing and reporting these speeds. Are you just going by the default windows drag-and-drop file transfer bar? If so, you also need to take into account hard drive read/write speeds. Gigabit ethernet is great, but if the receiving drive is an old spinning disk you aren't going to be coming anywhere near maxing out that throughput as windows will only buffer X amount of unwritten data while it waits for the drive to catch up.

 

[Zap]

Why is this the case if I'm moving stuff internally inside the home network. Shouldn't it be as fast as the Ethernet cable can handle?

Are both hard-wired? Or is the notebook on WiFi?

 

[mammador]

Why not simply transfer files directly between each machine? Just assign static IPs to both and use a patch cable.