Win10 ethernet capped @ 1Mbps!?

[2old2tech]

Hello friends,

 

I have a real mystery for you today!

 

I have a win10 pc that has its ethernet connection intermittently and artificially(?) throttled to 1 Mbps.

 

Here are the details:

• 5g(?) Wireless internet service to the residence.
• Connection speed is capable of 100 Mbps (task manager has displayed steady ~98 Mbps speeds before when connection is "healthy)
• The "modem" from the wireless receiver is plugged into a new 1Gbps switch, from there into the pc, wifi access points, etc.

Here are the troubleshooting steps I've taken so far:

• I've tried multiple cables.
• I've tried a USB3 ethernet dongle.
• I've reinstalled network device drivers.
• I've tried different network configurations (i.e.: directly plugged into the modem).
• I've even tried turning it off and on again!

The first time I tried the USB3 ethernet dongle, it seemed to work. I watched my network speeds in the Task Manager jump from 1Mbps to 90+Mbps instantly. I thought I just had a dying ethernet port on my mobo, but the issue returned.

 

When I moved the ethernet cable from the dongle back to the port on the mobo, again the speed jumped from 1Mbps to 90+Mbps.

 

The entire time, I've been running speed tests on other devices on the wifi and other ethernet connections on the same network, no issues with any other devices.

 

I've even swapped the cable from the affected pc to another pc and had a successful speed test on that machine.

 

The issue seems local to this pc. I've been through the settings to make sure "metered connection" settings are off. I'm not sure what else to check on the machine that might be throttling the connection.

 

TL;DR:

Ethernet speed throttled by PC to 1Mbps.

 

If anyone has any ideas what might be causing my pc to artificially restrict my internet speed to 1Mbps, please let me know. I'm at the end of my cable.

 

Thanks!

[Falcon1986]

23 hours ago, 2old2tech said:

TL;DR:

Ethernet speed throttled by PC to 1Mbps.

1. How many other USB-connected devices do you have?
2. On a desktop, try using a USB port from the rear I/O panel, not the front one.

[2old2tech]

7 hours ago, Falcon1986 said:

1. How many other USB-connected devices do you have?
2. On a desktop, try using a USB port from the rear I/O panel, not the front one.

I have specifically been using the USB3 ports on the I/O panel.

 

10 hours ago, Billbill said:

Go to Device Manager and find your network adapter.  You can check the properties and change settings if needed.  But if you have a data cap and went over it your ISP will slow down your connection.   

No, I have not reached any data cap, and my other network devices have fast stable speeds.

 

Yesterday, after again switching all the cables around and trying everything again, I tried turning off all my firewalls and turned them back on. After "restarting" my firewalls my speed returned.

 

It may be something to do with the firewalls, but as I don't know what is causing the issue, I am unable to force the error. Hopefully it will happen again and I can test the firewall reset a little more thoroughly to confirm.

 

TL;DR:

Possible firewall issue. Turning firewalls off and back on again may have fixed the issue.

 

Hopefully this information helps someone in the future.

[Falcon1986]

1 hour ago, 2old2tech said:

Yesterday, after again switching all the cables around and trying everything again, I tried turning off all my firewalls and turned them back on. After "restarting" my firewalls my speed returned.

Can you give more details on this? You have more than the integrated Windows firewall? Any hardware firewall?

[Allan B]

If your speed test is a website, the ISP could be limiting you the speed after a few seconds, especially if you run a lot of tests.   Test the speed between 2 computers on your 1gbit switch, do you have 2 computers you can connect and transfer data back and forth?

[vmdyap2022]

you can try to go to control panel - network and sharing center - change adapter setting - right click on the ethernet connection then properties - look for configure button. 

Look for speed and duplex - change that to 100 Mbps full duplex

then test it again. 

this might help

[2old2tech]

15 hours ago, Falcon1986 said:

Can you give more details on this? You have more than the integrated Windows firewall? Any hardware firewall?

Just standard windows firewalls.

 

My ISP told me I should be running my connection to the wireless access point first, instead of the switch, because it is the actual router and provides additional security. Kind of a brain fart on my part, but I was so focused on getting as direct a connection as possible I didn't stop to think about that.

 

As stated, resetting my windows firewalls seemed to fix the 1Mbps bandwidth limitation, and I've got full speed back.

 

I will reconfigure the network when I get home and see if it yields the same speeds.

 

Thanks again everyone for contributing. Maybe my google-fu isn't as strong as it used to be, but I wasn't able to find anything online relevant to my situation. Hopefully this thread can help someone else in the future.

 

TL;DR:

Double check your network architecture, reset your firewalls.