Gigabit switch advice, please?

[Speranza]

Hi all, am new to the world of NAS and all that comes with it.

I am running a 110J 1 bay NAS, with a Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB inside as the HD.

My modem/router is a BT Voyager 2091 wireless/wired(54Mbps?). The 110J is attached to the Voyager via its ethernet cable. My PC connects wirelessly to the Voyager.

Currently, my transfer speeds do not exceed 2mbps. And here's the question.

Would a gigabit ethernet switch benefit me? If I attached it between the Synology 110J and the BT Voyager, would my speeds increase? Or would the fact that I'm using a wireless connection to the PC negate this?

Any info would be appreciated, thanks in advance.

[henkg]

Or would the fact that I'm using a wireless connection to the PC negate this?

Your wireless PC <-> router connection (54g) is the weakest link. Also after upgrading the router <-> NAS connection from 100 mbit to gigabit.
Adding a gigabit switch will only help if you connect both the PC and the NAS wired to that switch. And the NIC in your PC must support gigabit.
Connecting both PC and NAS wired to your current router will give 100 mbit (12 MB/s).

[Speranza]

Thanks Henkg for the reply.

If I need to upgrade my modem from a 54g to something better, would it make more financial sense to buy a modem/router with a gigabit port(s) built in already rather than buying a separate gigabit switch and a separate faster modem/router?

Oh, and yes the PC does have a gigabit NIC.

[duffykins]

Wireless is always going to give you a performance hit. Better to move away from it with a NAS.

Buy a gigabit switch and cable attach (cat5e or cat6) the PC and DS to the switch to take advantage of the higher speed. Gigabit switches are around UK£25 - 30 for an eight port. Alternatively buy a new, gigabit capable modem/router (though I suspect that this will be more expensive than a basic switch!).

Connect your existing modem router to the switch to enable web access but remember that the web access speed is limited to your normal telephone (internet) speed.

[henkg]

Switch: EUR 25,-. Router: EUR 90,-
If you do not need many wired connections (a standard router has 4 ports) I would go for just a gigabit WiFi router. Later on you could add a cheap gigabit switch to extend the number of ports.

All (most?) gigabit WiFi routers support the wireless N-protocol. This should give a tranfer rate of 6 to 7 MB/s. Three times faster than 54g.
Owning a desktop (wired only) as well as a laptop: I use the laptop mostly wireless. Only for excessive tasks (such as creating a laptop OS image to the NAS; transferring very large files), I make a wired connection.

[Speranza]

Thanks duffykins & henkg.

During the week I ordered a Netgear DGN3500 Gigabit wireless modem/router (£42 inc.delivery! Was worth it in the end duffykins) with 4 ports. I only need 2 at the most right now wired. Against some advice, I also ordered some CAT6 (rather than 5) cables.

So, I have the NAS 110J connected to the new modem/router with a CAT6, and the PC also connected with a CAT 6 cable to the same new modem/router. Transfer speeds now within Windows explorer to the NAS reach an average of 40mbps. I get the feeling that is the best I'm going to do?

I tried a laptop also, and the average speed there was 11mbps.

Am I likely to be as far as I can go in terms of transfer speeds? Don't get me wrong, 40 is the difference between night and day compared to 2mbps! However, if there's a way of achieving a faster transfer speed, I would like to reach it.

Thanks for your advice and help both of you

[Speranza]

(The laptop was wirelessly connected.)

[henkg]

Transfer speeds now within Windows explorer to the NAS reach an average of 40mbps. I tried a laptop also, and the average speed there was 11mbps.

B = bytes, b = bits.
If you mean: 40 MB/s (and 11 MB/s), thats it for my DS210j (same as DS110j, except for two bays).
I get 42 MB/s read, 26 MB/s write, both for large files.
The original specs (http://www.synology.com/us/products/ds210j/perf.php) were measured with DSM 2.3. From DSM 3.0 on speeds have decreased, probably due to more demanding software.

I think your wifi speed is perfect. An acceptable average for the N protocol is 6 - 7 MB/s.

[Speranza]

henkg, many thanks.

Yes, I did mean 40 MB/s. Apologies for the unclear figures.

I'm glad to hear that it would seem I'm at my maximum and within normal parameters for transfers.

For those people achieving higher speeds, is that due to faster NAS devices, i.e. more expensive with higher spec CPUs in?

[henkg]

Yes.
With my new DS412+ I get 95 MB/s read, 85 MB/s write. With plain desktop green 5400 rpm HDD's. All tasks run a lot faster now, especially SABnzbd and Photostation convert.
The DS210j is a backup unit now. Still happy with it. It never let me down in the past 18 months, rebooted only for FW updates and testing. Power on hours for the Samsung HD203WI HDD's now 13000 hours.

[johanvdk]

would check the D-link type (5x gigabit DSG 1005)or a type which supports link aggregation....

[henkg]

Then I would have to replace the four disks with faster ones also. Now: green 5400 rpm, 105 read, 105 write (according to Crystal Disk Mark, sequential, 1000MB).
I am quite happy with my current speeds.