Ethernet speed

LybsterKodi · August 15, 2022 at 12:36 PM

The ethernet on my RPi4 seems slow compared to the old RPi3.

Copying three backup files (c1GB) 0from the Pi over to my Windows PC took c50 minutes. This is using Filezilla over wired ethernet from the Pi to a gigabit powerline LAN adapter to Billion router to gigabit powerline LAN adapter to Windows PC. Copying around 8GB of video files from another Windows PC on the same LAN takes around 10 minutes.

I would expect some difference since I was using Filezilla for the Pi to PC and a simple copy for the PC to PC but nothing like this.

Any suggestions?

3aRm · August 15, 2022 at 2:34 PM

My Pi4 libreelec10.0.2 had 100mbit, was a my selfmade bad cable.

I used iperf3 for testing the network speed.

After changing the cable I get ~925 Mbits/sec.

LybsterKodi · August 15, 2022 at 2:44 PM

Thanks, I'll try testing that cable between two good points (Windows PC -> Windows PC) I'll also have a go at switching the powerline adapter to a different socket.

LybsterKodi · August 15, 2022 at 4:03 PM

I tried it with a net result that I can't connect via Filezilla and ping fails 2 out of three attempts.

The only test I could think of on the RPi4 was to download a skin and that worked so I do have internet connection.

I'm also getting this "remote communications server failed to start" when I turn off and back on.

Looking up that phrase now on the forum.

Doesn't seem to be much about it. Certainly no fixes. Coud TVHeadend cause this?

Mrtj18 · August 15, 2022 at 4:17 PM

i just want to add, I have a pi4 2gb model. And I have to use speed test addon constantly just to view my speed. For whatever reason my WiFi just degrades over time. To the point I can drop from 75mb down all the way to 2mb down.

Going to try to use am Ethernet cable to hopefully stabilize my net speed, because it's awful and kills my tvheadend setup as well.

**chewitt** · August 16, 2022 at 2:16 AM

Quote from LybsterKodi

I'll also have a go at switching the powerline adapter to a different socket.

^ so the RPi4 is connected to a powerline adapter? .. If so the interface/port speed might be Gigabit but I guarantee actual throughput on the link is nowhere near Gigabit. All you've done is prove that your powerline connection is slow. Connect the RPi4 and PC directly to a proper Gigabit switch and measure again.

LybsterKodi · August 16, 2022 at 6:23 AM

I know that the rated speed will not be reached but unfortunately I do not intend to rearrange my home to suite a RPi4 even if it stood a chance of improving things.

Since my last post I have tested all the various bits and plugging a laptop in rather than the RPi4 I can get roughly 20 times the speed. Jut trying to ping the Pi now results in half the packets being lost. I cannot access it either via my Windows PC or my Linux Mint PC. I'll try a fresh install.

LybsterKodi · August 16, 2022 at 9:37 AM

Bit more info

1) my 6TB drive has been corrupted again

2) full reinstall of nightly 14/08/2022

3) the powerline adapter is a double, one socket goes to the Pi and the other to the TV. Simple ping to the RPi4 (after reinstall of LibreElec) results in 25% - 68% lost packets, to the TV 0% loss

4) the RPi4 now seems reluctant to connect to the internet (can't download addon) so even if I could produce logs showing the problem I can't send them.

Having changed everything apart from the RPi4 itself I have no idea what else to try, and I don't feel like spending any more trying to get things working.

Unless anyone has a suggestion I think the RPi4 can be put into a dark cupboard and I'll recommission my RPi3s.

Pretoriano · August 16, 2022 at 10:08 AM

Like others suggested ,try connecting (temporarily ,just to test) the RPi4 directly to the router/switch LAN and test again .If that works ,then the power line + RPi4 combo it's to blame.

Also test with Raspberry OS instead of LibreELEC ,with and without the power line .

Without proper testing it's almost impossible to know who's to blame .

LybsterKodi · August 16, 2022 at 12:10 PM

Pretoriano I can understand why you and chewitt have recommended that, and I possibly haven't been clear enough yet. The connection via the powerline adapter to the router is sound. a) its the same one as used with the RPi3 which did not have a problem and b) plugging a PC rather than the RPi4 in to the adapter achieved very acceptable results and c) another device in the second socket of the adapter pings correctly.

I'm failing to understand what moving the Pi and TV (otherwise I have no idea what's going on) or, going out and finding a long enough ethernet cable, so I can plug directly into the router will achieve.

The only thing I'm not sure about currently is whether its the RPi4 hardware or LibreElec or Kodi so I'll try putting Raspberry OS on and see what that does. I'll report back later on.

Pretoriano · August 16, 2022 at 1:02 PM

That's exactly why i recommended that test approach ,because it's the only way to rule out if there's a HW fault on your RPi4 or just some odd conflict/issue .

EDIT: Here are my iperf3 results with RPi4 8GB and Libreelec 10..0.2

Code

Accepted connection from 192.168.188.38, port 58994
[  5] local 192.168.188.51 port 5201 connected to 192.168.188.38 port 58996
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bitrate
[  5]   0.00-1.00   sec   109 MBytes   915 Mbits/sec
[  5]   1.00-2.00   sec   110 MBytes   921 Mbits/sec
[  5]   2.00-3.00   sec  97.7 MBytes   821 Mbits/sec
[  5]   3.00-4.00   sec   107 MBytes   894 Mbits/sec
[  5]   4.00-5.00   sec   110 MBytes   922 Mbits/sec
[  5]   5.00-6.00   sec   112 MBytes   936 Mbits/sec
[  5]   6.00-7.00   sec   110 MBytes   928 Mbits/sec
[  5]   7.00-8.00   sec  95.6 MBytes   802 Mbits/sec
[  5]   8.00-9.00   sec   109 MBytes   912 Mbits/sec
[  5]   9.00-10.00  sec   102 MBytes   859 Mbits/sec
[  5]  10.00-10.01  sec   896 KBytes   919 Mbits/sec
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bitrate
[  5]   0.00-10.01  sec  1.04 GBytes   891 Mbits/sec                  receiver

Display More

LybsterKodi · August 16, 2022 at 1:20 PM

So far its a bit inconclusive - its loaded my two goto websites (amazon.co.uk & bbc.co.uk) Raspberry Pi OS seems deadly slow but that may just be because I'm not used to it.

Had a bit of a problem to start with since it hooked onto wifi rather than using ethernet.

Pinging from my Windows PC is either 0% or 25%, mainly 25%

The one thing I haven't been able to test is power since I have only the one USB-C power supply (3A) and I've had to move the USB keyboard dongle to a hub.

Pretoriano · August 16, 2022 at 1:33 PM

If you can,try iperf3 (with server located on another local machine).Btw,i'm using a SSD here so that might also make the difference,especially if you are using a microSD card on your RPi4.Write speed on the microSD could be very low and that would be a bottleneck.

LybsterKodi · August 16, 2022 at 1:59 PM

I'm using SSD as well and I know its speed is good since I tested it just after its arrival.

Thanks to your suggesting a different OS I'm coming to the conclusion that its the RPi4. On wireless (once I connected to my private network rather than the public bit I share) pings were 0% lost. Went back to wired and it loaded amazon.co.uk but then speedtest.net disconnected. Transfering multi GB files over wireless is a bit of a none starter - it can be done but....

I've been trying since last October to get this off the ground. First waiting for LibreElec to implement features I needed now this. I think I'll resurrect my Pi3Bs - just watch them decide not to work now.

Pretoriano · August 16, 2022 at 2:22 PM

Well,another thing i would try is updating the RPi4 bootloader to the latest version (if it's not already the latest one) and test again .

LybsterKodi · August 16, 2022 at 3:36 PM

Quote from Pretoriano

Well,another thing i would try is updating the RPi4 bootloader to the latest version (if it's not already the latest one) and test again .

Good guess - did it ages ago. Fortunately I had the sense to "dismantle" my RPi3s carefully so I'm now back to a running system.

I'll mark this thread as resolved and maybe try again in a few months, or when the price of a Pi comes down.

Thanks for trying to sort me out.

LybsterKodi · August 17, 2022 at 10:20 AM

I won't know for sure until I receive a cable from Amazon but I think I've sussed it. I deserve to be shot at dawn for such a stupid mistake. Most of my equipment is mature so Cat5 cable is fine but with the RPi4 and the powerline adapter both being gigabit there was data loss. Today I bunged a 5 port 10/100 hub in between the powerline adapter and the Pi4 and things work properly.

Hopefully the only problem I have left to solve is why its trashing the hard drive.

Pretoriano · August 17, 2022 at 12:31 PM

Well,i never thought about old cables.

It's a HDD ,a SSD or both?Probably it's a power issue ,my RPi4 can handle a single with a 5v 3A power supply ,but it struggles with a single HDD + Wi-Fi and the only way was to use an external powered USB hub.

Ethernet speed

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