topic Re: LAN clamped at 100Mbps on Smart Hub Plus in Broadband & Landline

LAN clamped at 100Mbps on Smart Hub Plus

adrianmay — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 13:13:38 GMT

When I plug my linux laptop into a cheap gigabit switch it shows 1Gbps in ethtool. When I plug it into the Smart Hub Plus it shows 100Mbps.

This router is advertised as having 1Gbps LAN ports. If that's physically true but the firmware clamps them at a tenth of that speed, the router should be advertised accordingly.

100Mbps is slower than fibre broadband and people want to use ethernet for its stability, so this undermines the speed claims of the higher-priced broadband deals.

Is there a workaround or setting to fix this, or can I look forward to a firmware update?

Re: LAN clamped at 100Mbps on Smart Hub Plus

XRaySpeX — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 13:19:54 GMT

The SH+ is not being clamped to 100 Meg. If you look round here you'll find plenty of peeps getting 1 Gig over Ethernet from it.

Re: LAN clamped at 100Mbps on Smart Hub Plus

adrianmay — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 13:26:05 GMT

I did a controlled experiment on the SH+ in factory state.

Re: LAN clamped at 100Mbps on Smart Hub Plus

Profile closed — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 13:39:45 GMT

Just tested mine.

925/110 at the router.

741/110 to my phone over wifi.

Re: LAN clamped at 100Mbps on Smart Hub Plus

JimM11 — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 14:03:30 GMT

@adrianmay All 4 off the LAN ports on the EE Smarthub+ are 10/100/1000 auto sensing, and negotiating with your laptop at the 100Mb/s speed, so either a hardware, or software issue, only other most common, is the rj45 cable with only 4 cores connected, that is automatic 100Mb/s no matter what, 1Gb/s requires all 8 cores connected. Wan port is 2.5Gb/s and the fastest port on the router.

Re: LAN clamped at 100Mbps on Smart Hub Plus

adrianmay — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 10:15:52 GMT

I believe you. My post is about the LAN ethernet ports.

Re: LAN clamped at 100Mbps on Smart Hub Plus

adrianmay — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 10:29:33 GMT

If you read my post carefully, you'll see that my laptop is happy to go at 1Gb when plugged into a gigabit switch but it drops to 100Mb when plugged into the SH+. I used the same cable for both tests. It does rather look as if the SH+ is insisting on 100Mb in the negotiation you mention.

I believe that the WAN port goes fast. Otherwise I (and other people) would not be measuring >100Mb from the internet to a *phone over wifi*.

Has anybody actually measured >100Mb from anywhere to the *LAN ethernet* ports of the EE SH+?

Cos if not, full fibre is a mis-sell. Nowhere does it say "wifi only" against the speed claims, nor would it sell very well cos wifi is still flaky after all these years.

I think it's a kernel configuration issue and has been like this in all routers for years. But over copper broadband nobody noticed cos it didn't matter.

Actually, it matters for moving data around the house but you solve that with a gigabit switch so that you only need to use one LAN port on the router.

Re: LAN clamped at 100Mbps on Smart Hub Plus

mikemodd — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 10:44:40 GMT

What happens if you plug the SH+ into the switch ?

What speed does the switch report ?

Re: LAN clamped at 100Mbps on Smart Hub Plus

JimM11 — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 10:42:28 GMT

@adrianmay I have tested the four LAN ports on the EE Smarthub+ router for auto negotiation of Lan Port speed, but had to do it via two older switches as do not have an older device to force down, 10Mb/s switch forced both Laptop and EE down, 100Mb/s switch did the same, there is no way to check the actual port on the router but as the switches can only output at 10mb/s and 100mb/s and both worked fine, indication on the switch has output status by colour and did show correctly.

I have also Lan/wan tested through the router on internal network to ensure max speed which for me is 1Gb/s and throughput of both is there.

The wan port is 10/100/1000/2500 auto so you know, wan is currently sitting a 1000 due to Nokia ONT wan port input.

Re: LAN clamped at 100Mbps on Smart Hub Plus

adrianmay — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 10:47:46 GMT

So your second paragraph means that you pulled data:

1) from some place connected to the WAN port,

2) into the *EE Smart Hub Plus*,

3) out of its LAN ethernet port,

4) faster than 100Mb?

And you're quite certain of all those criteria?

Re: LAN clamped at 100Mbps on Smart Hub Plus

JimM11 — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 10:57:34 GMT

@adrianmay Yes you are correct, if you need advice on how to wan link test a router, device to device then i will find the link and send to you. You can do it all yourself to test your internal network. Do not have a 2.5Gb/s switch or any nic's that can go that fast so do not care about that.

Actually here is the link, you will also find lot's of interesting further info on the site.

Router "WAN to LAN" throughput Test

Re: LAN clamped at 100Mbps on Smart Hub Plus

adrianmay — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 11:10:37 GMT

Well I can't test the WAN today cos the engineer doesn't come to install it until tomorrow and the WAN settings seem to be hidden from dumb users like me and it doesn't seem to have a bridge mode. Nevertheless, if ethtool says an ethernet is going at 100Mb, that's that.

I suppose it's theoretically possible (but seems pointless) that the LANs only go fast when the WAN is connected. But I'll test it all again tomorrow.

Thanks for helping!

Re: LAN clamped at 100Mbps on Smart Hub Plus

Profile closed — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 12:25:43 GMT

I don’t know if any of that is aimed at me. My desktop and laptop days are over. A tablet and phone meets my “computing” needs. The only kit I have connected to SH+ over Ethernet is Hive Hub plus Home Cinema via a switch, none of which I can test speed directly from.

Hence using EE’s test at the router and Speedtest’s own version, each initiated from my phone. I was picking up on XRay’s point about other experiences. I thought that might be useful.

Clearly not.

Re: LAN clamped at 100Mbps on Smart Hub Plus

XRaySpeX — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 13:02:24 GMT

@adrianmay wrote:

When I plug it into the Smart Hub Plus it shows 100Mbps.

Where does it show 100 Meg?

When I plug my Windows PC into the SH+ & look at Windows' Control Panel\Network and Internet\Network Connections > Change Adapter Settings > Ethernet connection > Status it shows 1 Gig. Exactly the same as my BrightBox 2 does. And I don't even have FTTP but 80 Meg FTTC 😉.

So I think that proves:

The SH+ doesn't clamp the LAN at 100 Meg.
The LAN speed does not follow the WAN speed as you thought possible.

So maybe you should be looking towards your Linux lappy & its calibration of speeds.

Re: LAN clamped at 100Mbps on Smart Hub Plus

adrianmay — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 14:18:44 GMT

Hi XRaySpeX,

That windows setting you mention is present on my windows laptop when nothing at all is plugged into the interface. I think that means it's the physical maximum speed, not the currently negotiated speed. It can't be the latter cos there is no negotiation until something gets plugged in. Ethtool on Linux shows the physical speed at all times, and the negotiated speed only when something is plugged in.

How about if you measure the speed of any data transfer involving the SH+'s LAN ports? I did this a few days ago and got about a Gbps just using a switch which slowed down to 100M when the SH+ was involved. I'll repeat that and other tests after tomorrow - I want to rule out the installer having to flip some setting.

Thanks, Adrian.

Re: LAN clamped at 100Mbps on Smart Hub Plus

adrianmay — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 14:21:07 GMT

Hi Minkey1,

Indeed it is useful to know that the WiFi is faster than 100M cos I can use it in tests knowing it isn't the culprit.

Thanks, Adrian.

Re: LAN clamped at 100Mbps on Smart Hub Plus

XRaySpeX — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 15:47:24 GMT

@adrianmay wrote:

That windows setting you mention is present on my windows laptop when nothing at all is plugged into the interface. I think that means it's the physical maximum speed, not the currently negotiated speed. It can't be the latter cos there is no negotiation until something gets plugged in.

I can't agree with that if you are trying to say that on Windows that Status always shows the physical maximum speed of 1 Gig regardless of whether something is plugged in or not. In fact the Status always shows the currently negotiated speed.

Now my BrightBox 2 has 1 LAN port of 1 Gig & the others of 100 Meg. Here follows the Status of its various pluggings:

Nowt Plugged: NO STATUS
1 Gig LAN:
100 Meg LAN:

All this while connected to a 80 Meg WAN.

Re: LAN clamped at 100Mbps on Smart Hub Plus

adrianmay — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 15:23:13 GMT

Well I finally found your setting in windows and confirmed your result, so I tried it again in linux and it also said 1G. Maybe it was just a flaky cable before. I'll have to find out which one. I wonder if a gigabit switch actually does this negotiation or the PC just assumes no news is good news.

Anyway, I'm happy cos combined with the lack of a bridge mode this would have been a huge problem.

Sorry about the false alarm folks.

Re: LAN clamped at 100Mbps on Smart Hub Plus

JimM11 — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 15:23:18 GMT

@adrianmay There are NO settings that the installation team can flip! Just so you know....

Re: LAN clamped at 100Mbps on Smart Hub Plus

adrianmay — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 15:50:09 GMT

Hi JimM11,

Yeah I thought it would have to be a kernel parameter, and why would anybody go to the trouble.

Cheers, Adrian.