Major networking issues no matter what settings I use.

[rldev]

The spare I have is the same exact switch. I just swapped it out, but as I said I have experienced problems with the two types of unmanaged cheapo switches I have. So it is not much of a test.

[barnabas1969]

Well, you could try using your spare to swap one switch at a time to see if that solves the problem.

[TeddyR]

I have the latest driver from intel with very advanced settings. You can run diagnostics, etc from this interface. I just see nothing titled "green".


I have an Intel CT Gigabit Desktop Adapter. This is not an old card.

For intel cards the item is listed as "Energy Efficient Ethernet". The option is not within the intel diagnostics tools / proset tools but in the network adapter advanced configuration.

Still... there is a chance that the card does NOT support the feature which is why it may not appear for you,

[Venom51]

Approach this logically to make sure you aren't chasing your tail. Start at the HTPC...connect an extender directly via a crossover cable. Does the problem persist? Than the HTPC is the culprit.

If the extender works fine than the HTPC is off the hook. Move the extender to the first switch...Does the problem show up? That's the bad switch. If not move to the next switch in the chain and test again. Eventually you will find the culprit.

Managed switches just have tools to help you manage traffic and troubleshoot traffic problems. I'm sorry Barnabas had issues with the ones he purchased. I've had very good luck with them but there are plenty of cheap managed switches to be had via Ebay.

[barnabas1969]

Approach this logically to make sure you aren't chasing your tail. Start at the HTPC...connect an extender directly via a crossover cable. Does the problem persist? Than the HTPC is the culprit.

If the extender works fine than the HTPC is off the hook. Move the extender to the first switch...Does the problem show up? That's the bad switch. If not move to the next switch in the chain and test again. Eventually you will find the culprit.

Managed switches just have tools to help you manage traffic and troubleshoot traffic problems. I'm sorry Barnabas had issues with the ones he purchased. I've had very good luck with them but there are plenty of cheap managed switches to be had via Ebay.

I didn't intend to place any blame, Venom51. You've been extremely helpful to many people with their networking problems, and I'll admit that you seem to know a lot more about networking than I do. Networking isn't my primary job function, but I need to be able to communicate effectively with our networking group (and provide them with documentation of issues), so I've learned some things over the years.

One thing to mention for the OP, just in case he doesn't already know... if you connect your extender directly to the Ethernet port on your PC with a crossover cable, you'll also need to manually assign the IP address of both the PC and the extender. They should be in the same subnet (e.g. set your PC to 192.168.5.1 and set your extender to 192.168.5.2).

[foxwood]

One thing to mention for the OP, just in case he doesn't already know... if you connect your extender directly to the Ethernet port on your PC with a crossover cable, you'll also need to manually assign the IP address of both the PC and the extender. They should be in the same subnet (e.g. set your PC to 192.168.5.1 and set your extender to 192.168.5.2).

He shouldn't have to manually set an IP address if he uses a crossover cable to connect the XBox directly to the PC. Both interfaces will assign themselves an IP address in the 169.254.x.x range, and pairing should work transparently, without any need to even check the IP addresses.

The OP is using XBoxes, but if he was using Echos, manually assigning an IP address wouldn't even be an option. But he'd still be able to use the Echo in this configuration.

[rldev]

Thanks for all the tips. I am going to start with the crossover cable approach.

[foxwood]

Thanks for all the tips. I am going to start with the crossover cable approach.

I think XBox 360's have auto-sensing ethernet ports, so you may not even need a crossover cable.

[rldev]

Doesn't hurt to have one:)

[adam1991]

Gigabit ethernet by definition does autosense, so if that's what you have on your computer you can use any cable whatsoever. Yes, I know XBox is only 100 megabit.

[rldev]

FYI, the culprit of much of the problem was Crashplan. I have disabled it and many of my problems have gone away.

[Venom51]

FYI, the culprit of much of the problem was Crashplan. I have disabled it and many of my problems have gone away.

Just for further knowledge. Where were you running Crashplan? On the HTPC? My next question would be...Why?

The HTPC unless you mess with it all the time should be a fairly static configuration. A single disk image taken any time you make a change should be enough to recover the machine.

Crashplan can also be limited in the amount of bandwidth and or CPU it can use as well as limited to only running when the box is idle.

[rldev]

Just for further knowledge. Where were you running Crashplan? On the HTPC? My next question would be...Why?
Why? Because I do not have the money to allocate to a new machine just for WMC, I like to back up the recordings as well.

The HTPC unless you mess with it all the time should be a fairly static configuration. A single disk image taken any time you make a change should be enough to recover the machine.

"Crashplan can also be limited in the amount of bandwidth and or CPU it can use as well as limited to only running when the box is idle."
Crashplan's cpu options are for user "away" or "present". When I use Media Center, I am never logged into the media center pc. This is when the system will get the highest usage from extenders, etc. Unless I misunderstand this setting. I have tweaked all of these settings and will evaluate the results over the next couple of days. I have CP set to run outside of the scope of our daily viewing.

[staknhalo]

Out of curiosity.... what does your upload traffic look like every month?

[rldev]

Are you referring to specifically crashplan or the whole system? Where do I find this information?

[staknhalo]

Either TBH. Router should be able to provide the info or some ISPs have a page where you can see what your download/upload info is.

[rldev]

The Fios router and account page do not log this information.

[foxwood]

The Fios router and account page do not log this information.

"Too cheap to meter" - they just charge a $60/month "administration fee" to let you connect.

(Warning for the sarcasm impaired - the preceding statement should not be taken seriously!)

[rldev]

[rldev]

It looks as if changing the settings didn't work altogether. Family was watching tv last night and FOX was breaking up every minute. I disabled Crashplan and the problem mostly went away. I have read of another user experiencing this same problem. He had to uninstall it. So I have uninstalled it and will test it for a couple of days. I will report back.