Ran Cat 5e through house but can't get gigabit speeds

[johnnyh55]

I ran Cat5e throughout my house and I wasn't ready to install my patch panel because I want to cut a section out of the drywall and install a half inch plywood in the cutout section so that it will sit flush with the drywall and I can mount my network equipment to that. Since I wasn't ready, I still wanted to try one cable for my desktop computer. I have used Cat5e solid cable for all the runs and used the T568B standard for everything. I installed a keystone jack near my desktop and punched down the wires.In the basement, since my patch panel wasn't ready, I put an RJ45 8P8C plug on the solid cable and plugged it in to the back of my ISP modem/router. Since I have fiber to the home, the fiber optic cable comes in near the electrical panel and connects to an Optical Network Terminal(ONT) and from there I ran a Cat 5e cable to feed the WAN port of my ISP modem/router. On this cable I put an RJ45 8P8C connector on both ends. Once everything was connected I check my desktop PC and it said that I was connected at 1Gbps. My ISP bandwidth that I am paying for is 940Mbps/Down-100Mbps/Up. I ran a speedtest from my desktop and the maximum I could get was 88Mbps. I then ran the speedtest on my 5Ghz Wifi device because I know before I could get 275-300Mbps speed on wifi and I only got 88Mbps. So I figured something was wrong. I took the modem and moved it back beside the ONT and used a Cat 6 patch cable to connect the WAN port of the modem/router to the ONT and turned it on. I then ran another speed test on 5Ghz WiFi and got a result of 275-300Mbps. I then connected the Cat5e cable that was running from the Ont to the Lan closet into the back of the modem/router and at the lan closet I used an RJ45 coupler and connected that cable to the cable that is going to my desktop PC and then checked the link speed and it said 100 Mbps.

Would this be a problem with the Cat5e wiring or I would need to run Cat 6 cable instead? I thought Cat 5e was sufficient for gigabit so I used that. Could it be because I put rj45 8P8C connectors on solid cable while it's meant to be punched down? I also followed this guide to punch down the keystone jack:

http://www.cableorganizer.com/learning-center/how-to/how-to-wire-keystone-jack.htm

But then I noticed on this site, it shows to keep the pairs twisted and just separate them enough to be able to fit them into the keystone jack while still twisted up to that point, could that be it, too much untwisted wire?

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-afmKVonIBT0/TjwppRoJCGI/AAAAAAAAA8g/0GAXP4i-sIc/s1600/Wired+Cat6A+Jack.png

I am not sure where to start or if I need to buy Cat 6 and run that instead.

 

[fralexandr]

Cat5e is good for gigabit speeds up to a cable run length of ~100m/300 ft. How long is your cable run for the desktop?
It's hard to find information on cat6/cat6a, but some sources say it should be good for around twice the length at gigabit speeds.

What modem/router are you using? Does it have gigabit ports?

 

[ch33zw1z]

Re-check the keystone punchdowns, and put a keystone on instead of the rj45. Don't worry too much about how tight the twists are inside the keystone just get it punched down good, making sure you're not accidentally cutting the inside.

If you plan on doing youre own cabling, doesn't hurt to keep a land cable tester on hand to verify the run afterwords. Giving you information like open pins, crossed pins

 

[RadiclDreamer]

IIRC you need all 4 pair to get gig speeds but you need only 2 pair for 100mb, possibly a bad termination.

Also, are you crimping ends on a solid core run? That is a bad idea, if it isnt failed now, just give it time and it will fail.

 

[johnnyh55]

Cat5e is good for gigabit speeds up to a cable run length of ~100m/300 ft. How long is your cable run for the desktop?
It's hard to find information on cat6/cat6a, but some sources say it should be good for around twice the length at gigabit speeds.

What modem/router are you using? Does it have gigabit ports?

My cable run to the desktop is maybe 80 feet if that.

I am using the Bell Canada, Home Hub 2000 which is made by Sagecom, model is Fast 5250

Re-check the keystone punchdowns, and put a keystone on instead of the rj45. Don't worry too much about how tight the twists are inside the keystone just get it punched down good, making sure you're not accidentally cutting the inside.

If you plan on doing youre own cabling, doesn't hurt to keep a land cable tester on hand to verify the run afterwords. Giving you information like open pins, crossed pins

Ok the rj45 could have something to do with it? And keeping the twist is not that important?

 

[johnnyh55]

Also, are you crimping ends on a solid core run? That is a bad idea, if it isnt failed now, just give it time and it will fail.

Oh really, you can't crimp solid at all? Why would it fail in the future if the wiring is stable? Like not being bent all the time like a patch cord.

 

[ch33zw1z]

It's definitely do-able, but not a permanent solution, and strongly discouraged. Just think of the difference between the keystones and rj-45 heads.

The keystones offer a permanent set point for the solid cable, and are typically not disturbed once installed in the infrastructure.

The rj-45 heads are crimped, and the crimp tool pushes the little gold pins into the cable. On a solid cable, in a patch cable environment where it's more often plugged/unplugged, wiggle, pushed, rolled over, etc...this will eventually cause problems at the pin/cable connection point.

Crimp an rj-45 head on a stranded cable presses that pin into the little copper strands, which makes a good connection. Even those can fail is it's a poorly made cable, ie extra cable between jacket and head causing extra pull on the connection point.

You can put the rj45 head on the solid cable, it's just that when you have issues...then it lurks in the back of your mind as a question. Just another thing to remember and verify

 

[ch33zw1z]

Ok the rj45 could have something to do with it? And keeping the twist is not that important?

Yes, the rj45 could have something to do with it.

Inside the cable yes, the small amount coming out of the cable into the jack, not really. There's not alot of room to work with as it is.

When I put cables into keystones, I also get the cable jacket into the keystone, just a bit. The picture from that link irks be a bit, as the jacket is hanging out of the keystone. But I tend to be pickier than most.

 

[MadScientist]

Re-check the keystone punchdowns, and put a keystone on instead of the rj45. Don't worry too much about how tight the twists are inside the keystone just get it punched down good, making sure you're not accidentally cutting the inside.

If you plan on doing youre own cabling, doesn't hurt to keep a land cable tester on hand to verify the run afterwords. Giving you information like open pins, crossed pins

Totally agree, get yourself a cable tester. I networked my house a few months ago and found a bad connection that was greatly reducing my speeds. This one is cheap but works.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-RJ45-RJ...r-Test-Tool-/231324139398?hash=item35dbfe3f86

 

[johnnyh55]

So it was a bad connection on the feed cable from the Optical Network Terminal to the Modem/Router. I put a keystone on both ends and a patch cord to the device and got my internet speed up. I have a cable tester just didn't know how to use it. So you put a tester end at each end of the cable and then you turn it on, take note of the lighting sequence on the base, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 and then go find the remote and check for the same sequence there, unless it's a crossover cable correct?

 

[ch33zw1z]

That's how you use the tester.

If you want to test a keystone run, put a known working patch cable on each end of the keystone run and plug the tester in like you're testing a long cable

 

[RadiclDreamer]

Oh really, you can't crimp solid at all? Why would it fail in the future if the wiring is stable? Like not being bent all the time like a patch cord.

Crimp on ends have "blades" that are designed to penetrate stranded cable, when you get solid core and crimp them down, they make contact, but dont penetrate like they are supposed to and bend and twist since they cant cut through the solid copper. You may use a cable like this for a while, but they are not designed this way and will eventually have issues. I've been doing networking for almost 20 years, and most of the "bad copper cables" have been from someone who homemade them.