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How To Improve Network Performance Series

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No matter how you cut it running inside network traffic across your router uses cpu cycles. Unmanaged gig switches are so cheap now I think everyone should buy one and run the inside network devices on it rather than the router. That way you don’t have to monitor your router all the time whether you have enough spare cpu power. I would play it safe and just buy a switch.
 
This might be a dumb question, but is there anything I need to change (enable or disable) in the router settings when I hook it up to my TP-Link Gigabit Switch to avoid conflicts or does it "just work". Thanks!
 
This might be a dumb question, but is there anything I need to change (enable or disable) in the router settings when I hook it up to my TP-Link Gigabit Switch to avoid conflicts or does it "just work". Thanks!

Nope, it all "just works", simply plug a cable from one of your router's LAN ports to one of the switch's ports and voila! more ports!:D
 
Looking for advice...

I am very happy that I found this site and carefully read this 3 part article. I have very high hopes that I can get some assistance.

So here is some background information which will serve as a base for the rest of this thread(I hope).

Sorry if this is long, I promise to keep things short and to the point on the remainder of the conversation.

About me: I have been asked to take over the duties of the "IT Guy" in a small organization. I am a programmer by trade but, my "networking" knowledge was and still is very limited. In the past 6 months, I have been reluctant to make any changes, but have documented myself as best as i could. I am now ready to attempt improvements on our network, which at times is very slow.

I am fortunate to have a boss who is willing to spend some money to make things better, but his previous spendings did not bring about the improvements that he was hoping for. I do have a budget for this task, but this time around, we/he needs to make sure that we see the results.

About our network: We have approximately 50 hosts on our network. 1 Server, about 30 wired workstations, 4 network printers, 4 printers attached to workstations directly but shared, and about 10 people using their smart phones, tablets and laptops with a wireless connection.

We also make extensive use of shared drives on our server, as most users store their important documents on our Server and access them through map drives. We also have an area that we provide for customers as an internet cafe area, with 4 computers.

We upgraded our internet connection to what amounts to be the best that money can buy in our area(60mbit/s).

We purchased a Cisco RV 220W router (It is not in use as we had some issues with it).

We are currently using a LinkSys-WRT300N which acts as our router and also our wireless access point.

Our internet service provider also gave us another when we upgraded our connection, but it is not yet connected/in use.

We upgraded a lot/most of our computers to at least Dual Core machines, with plenty of RAM and Gigabit Network Cards.

All our cables seem to be cat 5e. But we don't have enough of them, thus the need for additional switches!

Our cable modem seems to be doing just that(a modem).

I think the main problems comes from our topology, and the way things are connected. Also our switches are old and only have Fast Ethernet ports. Also, I did find a very old hub(gulp!) that is still in use on our network!

Here are some of the things that I have detected that I think do not seem right...

Our server is connected directly to our router. I can only assume that the previous IT guy wanted to make use of what amounts to the only Gigabits ports on our network.

We are starting to have some/too much "daisy chain" on our switches because of the lack of cables.

Our 2 biggest switches(24 ports each) are both connected to the router, so we do not have one fast "backbone" switch.

As per this article, our router does too many things. Routing, Access Point, Switching, connection to our File Server, etc...

We only have one Server, that acts as a Domain Controller, File server, DHCP server, DNS Server, etc...

So I know that, based on this article, I will disable wireless on our main router, and install another or two on the network for that task only.

I will also purchase a fast powerful switch(Gigabit), and attach our server on it. There will only be one cable from the router to that "backbone" switch. I would love to make that link as fast as possible, but I don't know how.

I will run my other switches from that "backbone" switch. Depending on the size of the "new switch" that we get, I will connect not only the server but also "important" hosts that need speed. All the others will be connected to the secondary switches that run off that main switch.

Where should I plug in my network printers and does that make a big difference?

How important would it be to separate my only server into more than one so that I can have dedicated File Servers or maybe NAS units, leaving our DC Server for that task only?

Would it be useful to attach a file server or a NAS unit on each of the secondary switches and have the hosts connected on that switch use that as file storage, as to attempt to contain traffic on these switches only and not force the backbone switch to work every time someone accesses a file(Cutting things in half)?

I don't think we need VLAN, or Trunking(Maybe switch to Router or Switch to Switch?), or anything like that at this point, but I am open to all suggestions and feedback.

P.S. We actually have 3 different locations in that building, all completely separated networks, and we are paying for 3 internet connections, one for each. There seems to be a way for us to be able to have access to , if not all 3, at least 2 of these location's internet access. Would bringing that second internet access(that one completely under used as there is only one computer on it!) give us more flexibility or speed? Maybe connecting the Internet cafe computers on it?

We have a computer that is used as a DVR, with security cameras on it. Where should that one be connected as we need to be able to access/view the cameras remotely?

Any help or suggestions will be greatly appreciated as again, my knowledge is very limited.

Best Regards.
 
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Opinion: Instead of getting advice here from people with varying credentials, or no credentials, have you considered buying some hours from a well-vetted IT pro to do a design and changes that you implement? Then keep that person on retainer. And you can take some self-help courses on line or at a community college.

I'd also be very, very careful about how your WiFi is configured, from a security viewpoint, and protecting company and customer information, real or imagined.
Generally, I find that WiFi should be used only buy guests and guests have access only to VPN to their home servers or use the internet. Employees need a full AAA LDAP type authentication with a rigid and automated password change frequently, etc.
 
Hello Stevech,

We do have a server that authenticated users on the domain.

Wireless is mostly used by our employees so that they can connect their smart phones.

Our network seems pretty basic and we do not need any fancy config. So i figured I could get some advice here.

As a very very very very senior member, you are the kind of member I was hoping would respond and I would have taken your advice very very very seriously if you would have offered any.

Thanks.
 
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This isn't a professional setting, so again, I suggest you be careful, as IT compromises can hurt a company's status and if customers' data is involved, the lawyers may descend.
 
Obviously, your are not going to offer any advice...

If we get sued, I'll send a link to this thread pointing out the fact that I did try to get some! What does "be careful" mean? How am I, practically speaking, supposed to "be careful"?

This is a charity organization. Our resources are not only limited, but we also need to make sure that every dollar spent yields results.

So I should tell my boss: "Hold your horses and hold on to your money. I am now registered for the september semester and I will be taking networking classes. In the mean time, we will live with a slow network"?

I may be a new member on this networking forum but I have a lot of experience in programming forums. And when there, I never let my frustration with the "programming industry" get in the way of trying to help people and use the forum as an opportunity to vent out some frustrations, and tell people: "Why don't you hire a pro?". Why don't you hire someone like me?

I am not there to promote myself nor to discourage people from learning. I try to give advice and answers as best as I can. That is what a forum is all about.

I do see a lot like you thought, expert programmers who are only there to try to show off there knowledge, and who purposely, although unconciously, give more complicated answers than they should. Just because they spent so much money and energy learning their skill, and are frustrated when people seek advice and tell themselves: Why doesn't he go through hell to learn like I did?

I tend to ignore them and I think that I will now ignore you...

But before I do, let me let you in on a little secret. Programming is not that complicated, and networking is not that complicated. Sure, there is a whole world out there, but on forums, people tend to ask very basic questions that require very basic answers. It scares you that giving basic answers is going to open the door to them? Why visit the forum then? Why post answers? You have been completely unhelpful and probably spoiled this thread for me.

I described and asked questions in the context of the article that I read. The article says, let the modem be a modem, and let the router be a router, and let a switch be a switch.

So I come here and say, well it looks like my router has the server on it so it is also a switch. It looks like my router does wireless, so I will take that task away. It look like my switches only have Fast Ethernet, so I will get a Gigabit switch. I also extended the logic to the server and asked if seperating duties of DC and File on the server would also help. These are very basic questions that do not require hiring a Pro to answer. It doesn't even take a very very very senior member to answer...
 
One Step at a Time

LeMec:

You are responsible for a pretty substantial network, I'd be careful and make small changes and test them one at a time before changing anything further. Here are a couple simple things to start with.

One, verify your router has a public IP. See part 1 of my series, ensure the WAN interface on your router is not 10.x.x.x or 172.16-31.x.x or 192.168.x.x. If your router has a private IP, then you need to bridge that modem.

Two, your idea of adding a gig switch can't hurt. Connect your WRT300N to the new gig switch, then connect the other switches to the new gig switch. Connect all devices to switches. Get rid of the hub.

Try these simple things, see what impact they have.
 
Any test results available?

I like the idea of splitting up the network duties, but I'm wondering what kind of speed improvements I'm likely to see? I know this can vary depending on the router/AP combination but are there any test numbers available?

It would be very interesting to test a consumer wireless router as a wifi router and then retest it as an AP, maybe even using the same model as the router.
 
I like the idea of splitting up the network duties, but I'm wondering what kind of speed improvements I'm likely to see? I know this can vary depending on the router/AP combination but are there any test numbers available?

It would be very interesting to test a consumer wireless router as a wifi router and then retest it as an AP, maybe even using the same model as the router.

To get an idea take a look at the performance test at the bottom of the page:

http://routerboard.com/RB2011UAS-2HnD-IN

Look at the numbers drop as more and more features are turned on. You still wouldn't notice unless you were using 512 or 64-byte packets (unlikely).

Now - this is a high-end semi-commercial router with power only high-end consumer routers can achieve. So a mid-range or low-end router might show some noticeable degradation.

However you'd be unlikely to see it over wireless. You might notice some over wired, but probably only over gigabit wired connections which aren't used in mid- to low-range routers.

I'm just supposing though. I agree it would be nice to see tests!

It's probably more important to have a separate router and AP for these reasons:

- you can locate the AP in a more central location (this would have a huge impact, far greater than any load reduction on the router!)

- you would like a router with a different feature set than the router you use as an AP
 
To bridge or not to bridge a Motrola 3310-02 with Assus RT-N66U router

My modem is a Motorola 2210 -02 a “combo” connected to a RT-N66U B1 Asus router, FW is http://www.mediafire.com/download/y1by2r9v8l29xa2/RT-N66U_3.0.0.4_354.29-BETA1-dwrp.zip . The modem info is found at https://secure.dslreports.com/faq/amfaq/2.6.1_Motorola_2210

I am able to connect to the internet using the modem with factory defaults and the Asus RT-N66U. There is a double NAT problem.

I am able to connect to the internet using the modem with mode (PPP on the modem and Public IP for LAN device) NAT is disabled on modem.

I can bridge the modem using http://www.att.com/esupport/article.jsp?sid=KB401538&cv=801#fbid=zgUc0e7z3Lo (procedure listed below) but; I cannot connect to the internet.

AT&T support states: “Using a router with the 2210 modem
Set the modem for Bridged mode (PPP is not used) or ppp is on the computer and set the router for PPPoE
The modem gui is still accessible in bridge mode the dhcp server is disabled so the computers tcp/ip info will need to be set manually.
A direct connection to the modem is required.
IP address: 192.168.1.64
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0”

What has to be changed in the RT-N66U GUI to connect to the internet with the modem in bridged mode?

Please give a step by step listing for the Asus RT-66U B1 as I have tried and am missing something.
Thanks in advance.
 
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1. Disconnect the Asus router from your modem and reset asus router to factory defaults

2. Call AT&T and ask them what your AT&T DSL username and password is

3. Put the Motorola in to bridged mode

http://www.dslreports.com/faq/15817

4. Connect the Asus router to the modem and access the Asus router at 192.168.1.1. Admin/admin The wizard will ask you for your DSL user name and password. That's pretty much it. You may possibly have to Powercyle the modem and router if you're having problems.
 
1. Disconnect the Asus router from your modem and reset asus router to factory defaults

2. Call AT&T and ask them what your AT&T DSL username and password is

3. Put the Motorola in to bridged mode

http://www.dslreports.com/faq/15817

4. Connect the Asus router to the modem and access the Asus router at 192.168.1.1. Admin/admin The wizard will ask you for your DSL user name and password. That's pretty much it. You may possibly have to Powercyle the modem and router if you're having problems.

Thanks for your reply,
I used your URL http://att-training.net/simulator/index.htm to determine I have a 2210-02-1022 for AT&T 22 State interface

I had my AT&T DSL username & network password from AT&T web site on my last modem reset.
I disconnected the modem from the router and connected my computer to the modem, logged in to the modem and moved the PPPoE to the router which is bridge mode as I understand the modem literature.
I connected the modem to the router. The router could not detect the modem. I logged into the router at it's new IP address and set the detection method from automatic IP to PPPoE mode and made sure my AT&T DSL user ID and Network password were in the router. The router could not detect the internet.
By the way this is the second time I have followed the procedure you have suggested. So far, it didn't work the first or the second time, that why I asked if I was missing something.
 
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Question about equipment

Hi:
I have enjoyed reading and learning on this website as I find it very useful. The article on how to improve performance got me to thinking as I have a large home on 3 levels and also outside decks and patios. I had been using a Linksys E4200 and was getting marginal wireless coverage of about -70db in average locations and about -85db in outside area. I primarily use for web surfing but intend to stream some videos. The location of the ISP is of course at the extreme end of the house and the patio is thru the garage and outside at the other end about 75 ft away.

I have the following equipment:

Comcast ISP with 30/5
Motorola Sufrboard SB6121
Ericsson ES-1005G GB 5 port unmanaged switch
(2) Asus RT-N66U
Linksys E4200
(3) Netgear XWNB5201 Powerline adapters

My thought were: modem to E4200 as router only, to Ericsson switch. From switch to Netgear powerline in two locations plugging the RT-N66U into each and using as APs.
Any suggestion on set up would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance
 
My thought were: modem to E4200 as router only, to Ericsson switch. From switch to Netgear powerline in two locations plugging the RT-N66U into each and using as APs.
Any suggestion on set up would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance

Yes, that sounds good. You could also enable the wireless of the E4200 as well - it may impact performance a bit as the article states but it might also fill in coverage if you need it.
 
Hi:
I have enjoyed reading and learning on this website as I find it very useful. The article on how to improve performance got me to thinking as I have a large home on 3 levels and also outside decks and patios. I had been using a Linksys E4200 and was getting marginal wireless coverage of about -70db in average locations and about -85db in outside area. I primarily use for web surfing but intend to stream some videos. The location of the ISP is of course at the extreme end of the house and the patio is thru the garage and outside at the other end about 75 ft away.

I have the following equipment:

Comcast ISP with 30/5
Motorola Sufrboard SB6121
Ericsson ES-1005G GB 5 port unmanaged switch
(2) Asus RT-N66U
Linksys E4200
(3) Netgear XWNB5201 Powerline adapters

My thought were: modem to E4200 as router only, to Ericsson switch. From switch to Netgear powerline in two locations plugging the RT-N66U into each and using as APs.
Any suggestion on set up would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance

Thanks so much, I will try that this weekend.
 
Modem in Bridge Mode

As suggested in this article, I changed my modem to bridge mode, as also my router to the same Internet connection type listed in modem before the change (it did not work in Automatic Configuration - DHCP, as before).

But now, I can not access the modem's web page. I think it is related to the router's local IP address (192.168.2.1) and its DHCP server settings, enabled from 192.168.2.100 to 192.168.2.120. First, I tried for the modem the address I knew, 192.168.1.1, and after the default gateway listed in router's status for internet connection. Is there any idea how can I access the modem itself?

Thanks for your attention
 
Once the modem is in bridge mode, it is likely no longer be accessible, unless you factory reset it. That is the intent. A modem in bridge mode bridges your ISP connection to your router.

Your router now fully controls your network. You should be able to access your router at 192.168.2.1.
 
Modem choice

I have built a small network conforming to the ideas presented here. I'm wondering if there is a difference in Modem dsl chips...are some better/faster/more reliable than others? Everywhere I look for a review it is always for a modem/router. I've found no reviews and benchmarks on just a modem (bridged). Somehow I doubt if they are all the same.


So any suggestions on where to find a review of the fastest dsl bridged modems...modems only used as wired modems?

I have two nominal 10 mbps dsl connections (CenturyLink) one goes through a bridged Actiontek PK5001 the other through a bridged D-Link DSL-520B (always slower). They are balanced by a TP-Link TL-470T+ and the result fed to a e3000 running DD-WRT mini finally the router output goes to a TrendNet unmanaged switch. Everything is wired, I don't use the wifi on the e3000.
 

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