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[zero7404]

i've been using dlink for several years. i just replaced my old 655 with the 825 to get more bandwidth as i add devices to my wifi network.

so i hit a snag here when i added an NAS to the network. i am using a my book live 2TB NAS for storage of movies/files/etc. i have no problems streaming HD content (5-25Mbps) to laptops/ps3, even when i have about 5-6 devices connected via g and n (2.4/5). i do get some moments of stuttering or choppy playback but that happens when the bitrate being displayed during a movie hits an inflection/high point. it mostly happens on devices using g rather than n.

the problem: very slow file transfer speed. it is not normal to transfer at a rate of 5 MB/sec. over wifi to the drive. testing the drive while it's connected directly to my laptop, the transfer speed is more tolerable at 40 MB/sec.

this router has 4 ports, all of them gigabit, so why does file transfer move like molasses when it's connected via the router ?
i read around and researched this problem, i'm not the only one, and folks over @ wdc forums aren't helping. i also read people are using adapters/external switches to remedy this. why is it not something that can be remedied from within the router's settings ?

internet is coming into the router via an actiontec modem that comes with my fios service, i am unsure if that modem/router ethernet connection drives the max speed of the routers' connections ? i know the actiontec has ports labeled 10/100, i don't see 1000.

all my MTU values are set @ 1500, and there is no adjust ability in the NAS configuration for network speed/connection. the drive is supposed to operate at gigabit when connected to a gigabit port. 

[zero7404]

correction: the drive isn't supposed to operate at gigbit speed when connected, but i do want faster performance, 40-70 MB/sec.

i am using windows 7, wpa2 aes/tkip

[FurryNutz]

Your best bet would be to ad a GB external switch between the router and all other devices. The NAS will be bound by the 100Mb connection since it doesn't support Gb speeds. The external switch will remove any router processing thats unneeded between devices. Specially for streaming between devices. I use a 24pt Gb switch with my 825 and have a boxee box that streams BD files from my server. Clean as a whistle.

[zero7404]

ive been learning that the limitation in wireless transfer rate is what makes the transfer rate so slow. getting a gigabit switch eont do anything since i am still using wireless to connect to the drive. there are no computers plugged directly into my router.

[FurryNutz]

Huh 

ive been learning that the limitation in wireless transfer rate is what makes the transfer rate so slow. getting a gigabit switch eont do anything since i am still using wireless to connect to the drive. there are no computers plugged directly into my router.

[zero7404]

what i'm having trouble understanding is how a gigabit switch will allow a faster file transfer over wireless if the switch is connected to the same router that the NAS is ?

i must reitterate that i don't have any wired connections between the router and computers. all my networking is wireless.

connecting the drive directly to the pc, i see good transfer speeds of 40 MB/s. what i don't get is how the router is telling me my connection between my laptop (the one i use to transfer files) and the router is a 100 % signal with 104 MB/s transfer rate. so if that's the case, why can't i see at least 40 MB/s in a file transfer over wireless ?

how accurate is the dlink router's info regarding connections and speeds anyway ?

[FurryNutz]

You'll not see 40Mb xfer speeds over wireless. Even when I'm on my 5Ghz N only MacBook Pro connecting at 270Mb wireless connection and xferg files to my Gb wired server, The max I usually see is between 10-15Mb max on xfers. It's not the router, it just the technology man. Wireless is different from wired and there are many factors involved in wireless. It's just the nature of the beast and all routers have this condition. Connection speeds differ from actual file speeds and are not the same.

[zero7404]

You'll not see 40Mb xfer speeds over wireless. Even when I'm on my 5Ghz N only MacBook Pro connecting at 270Mb wireless connection and xferg files to my Gb wired server, The max I usually see is between 10-15Mb max on xfers. It's not the router, it just the technology man. Wireless is different from wired and there are many factors involved in wireless. It's just the nature of the beast and all routers have this condition. Connection speeds differ from actual file speeds and are not the same.

accepting the fact that this is how it is, but why does both the router and windows report speeds so high when they are not ?

the connection in windows under wireless network properties tells me 104 MB/s (not Mbps), in the router i see similar values, but the speeds observed is more than 10 times slower. by rough estimate, to get MB/s, you divide Mbps by 10. so the values displayed in the router and windows could actually be a gross mistake, based on observation i would guess they are supposed to be in Mbps.

edit: i stand corrected, in windows the value is listed as Mbps. in the router it just displays the number followed by an M, so i guess that's Mbps as well.

... owners of NAS drives are complaining because of the unit differences involved and how they convert to MB/s. NAS manufacturers are just advertising the facts, but it would be beneficial to indicate a maximum connection speed in MB/s for the various bands of wireless that ppl use. the connection speed is drastically slower than say an internal SATA drive or a USB drive. so people expect similar speeds with an NAS but don't realize they won't see it unless they plug the drive directly into their computers ....

[FurryNutz]

I understand the frustration man. I wish there were a better standard of speed and connection measurements. There are however when you add Marketing into the mix, they seem to want to confuse everyone and there only out to get people to buy buy buy with looking at the real hard facts about the technology. Same goes for hard drives and such. You'll never see a 1Tb drive after formatting however they market it as such. Why can't we have 1Tb free space after formatting and get what we really pay for? Why can't we get faster speeds on various connections. The other portion is just the technology, were trying to shove bits of information over the air waves has fast as we can get it to go. Radio signal and broadcasting is still fairly slow compared to wired. No sure if we'll ever see wireless perform the same as wired.

[zero7404]

it does suck royally ... one of the things i looked for before replacing the 655 was high bandwidth routers that cn connect @ faster wireless speeds than what i've got. i think i saw one router that can deliver 450 Mbps, but it lacked dual band. i thought dual band would be the answer to my issues, but really despite neighborhood wifis and interference issues to expect from electronics, i really don't have any on either the 2.4GHz band or the 5GHz band.

i have 2 laptops that work on n, but i didn't know that one of them doesn't support 5GHz, so it winds up using the 2.4GHz band along with my g clients.

either way i have to deal with what it is, everything else works fast & without issue, where the router & clients are concerned.

as media collections grow larger & file transfers get bigger i guess i'll resort to plugging the drive directly into my pc. or consider installing network cable throughout the house.

[FurryNutz]

Understand man. Ya the Trendnet has a 450Mb router now. Haven't seen many in use yet. Ya you could probably get a bit more thru it however again, still bound by the radio technology and interferences.

Has media grows larger, not sure what OEMs are going to do to address this for mobility and being able to move and send data over the airwaves. Testing Blu-ray files to my boxx box from the file server on N only at 2.4Ghz just couldn't cut it. Might be different if the boxee had 5Ghz. I need to try 5Ghz on my Mac Book and see how those files perform.

Over all, when it comes to high bandwidth and large data files, wired is best.

[zero7404]

5GHz will connect at little over double the speed of g. but i cannot enable 40MHz bandwidth, i think the router scans the airwaves and prevents turning on the bandwidth because it'll interfere with other networks.

i think 40MHz will give you 600Mbps.

[FurryNutz]

No, 40Mhz won't give you 600Mbs. Your devices have to support the 40Mhz to be able to use it fully.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.11n-2009

I would presume that the router is measuring the amount of other radios near by and trying to make adjustments.

Are there many other routers using N? I find it kinda odd the the N 5Ghz band should work well for you if there aren't other routers near by using the same.

Might have someone on here use teamviewer.com and review your router settings with you sometime.

[zero7404]

i have to check out the specs of the NIC that i have in the machine using 802.11n

[FurryNutz]

Also might try to lower the power output of the routers wifi as well. Having alot of other routers near by all slamming the power out, bring the power down to a smaller foot print to just your apt or room, doesn't always have to be at full power too. Try Mid power and see.