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DCWolfie

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 5, 2010
44
7
So I have a problem with my NAS just giving me around 10-15MB/s write and ~20MB/s read. This is a WD EX2 with two WD RED 4TB discs. I've done a lot of troubleshooting, but now I'm completely lost.

Connecting the unit directly to a computer with an Ethernet cable gives speeds of over 100MB/s, so the unit itself is fully capable. The router is a high-end router with gigabit ports (LYNX 9000, from Jensen Scandinavia) so it should be capable as well, so is my computers. Googling the problem shows me that people are capable of getting 70-90MB/s.

I've also tried different protocols. SMB2 (which is the standard for Finder), AFS and NFS, where NFS gives me the best speed (25MB/s) and the rest is the same.

I'm not that experienced with networking, but would really like to get better speed from my NAS. Does anyone here have any tips what I could do to solve this?
 

techwarrior

macrumors 65816
Jul 30, 2009
1,250
499
Colorado
Network speeds are measured in MegaBits per second, 100Mbps is about 12.5 MegaBytes per second.

You want to speed it up, get 1Gbps ethernet routers and\or switches and Cat5e or better cables. That will increase network speeds to around 125 MegaBytes per second.

Most PC and Mac have had 1Gbps ethernet for many years, so likely you have inferior cables or switches on your network that are dialing down the ethernet speeds.

WD Red NAS drives can read\write at 300-350 MB\s (2.4 - 2.8Gbps), so network is your bottleneck. The slower link in the route will dictate performance speeds.

If 125 MB\s (1Gbps) is not fast enough for your needs, 10Gbps ethernet, though costly, may help.
 

DCWolfie

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 5, 2010
44
7
Network speeds are measured in MegaBits per second, 100Mbps is about 12.5 MegaBytes per second.
First of all, thanks for answering!
Yes, I'm fully aware of that, I just decided to use MB/s as a measurement (easier to grasp).

You want to speed it up, get 1Gbps ethernet routers and\or switches and Cat5e or better cables. That will increase network speeds to around 125 MegaBytes per second.

Most PC and Mac have had 1Gbps ethernet for many years, so likely you have inferior cables or switches on your network that are dialing down the ethernet speeds.
That's the thing, I don't. All my switches are gigabit-switches and my cables are Cat6.

WD Red NAS drives can read\write at 300-350 MB\s (2.4 - 2.8Gbps), so network is your bottleneck. The slower link in the route will dictate performance speeds.

Well, that's what I'm thinking as well. That's the reason I asked here, under Networking.

If 125 MB\s (1Gbps) is not fast enough for your needs, 10Gbps ethernet, though costly, may help.

Just above 40MB/s is above for my needs, right now (as written above) I get around 20MB/s read, which is not enough for my use. IF, I connect the NAS directly to my computer, I get 100MB/s+, but then it's not really a Network Attached Storage anymore...
 

Howard2k

macrumors 603
Mar 10, 2016
5,715
5,672
Network speeds are measured in MegaBits per second, 100Mbps is about 12.5 MegaBytes per second.

Although that's almost always correct, it's not always correct. MB/s are still used in some instances. I actually responded to a customer's bid for networking services where they'd used MB/s and actually meant MB/s, not Mb/s. It's rare, but it does happen. Usually I dismiss it as incompetence, but sometimes it's right. :)
[doublepost=1544221434][/doublepost]
First of all, thanks for answering!
Yes, I'm fully aware of that, I just decided to use MB/s as a measurement (easier to grasp).


That's the thing, I don't. All my switches are gigabit-switches and my cables are Cat6.



Well, that's what I'm thinking as well. That's the reason I asked here, under Networking.



Just above 40MB/s is above for my needs, right now (as written above) I get around 20MB/s read, which is not enough for my use. IF, I connect the NAS directly to my computer, I get 100MB/s+, but then it's not really a Network Attached Storage anymore...


I think you've done a pretty good job of nailing down the issue - it's on the wireless side by the sounds of it.

Macbook - Ethernet - NAS is quick.
Macbook - Wifi - NAS is slow.

So what is your Macbook seeing on the wifi side?

Can you do an opt-click on your wifi icon and show us what it's seeing.


EDIT: I assumed this is wifi. If it's Ethernet then you need to check the connection details on the Mac and on the router and see. There may be a mismatch. On the router, can you force the port to 1Gb/s?

Macbook - Ethernet - NAS is quick.
Macbook - Ethernet - Router - Ethernet - NAS is slow.
 
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DCWolfie

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 5, 2010
44
7
I think you've done a pretty good job of nailing down the issue - it's on the wireless side by the sounds of it.

Thanks, this is how far my knowledge goes :).

Macbook - Ethernet - NAS is quick.
Macbook - Wifi - NAS is slow.

So what is your Macbook seeing on the wifi side?

Correct. It's a bit up and down, but as I said in the initial post it's usually around 10-15 MB/s write (that's MegaBytes :) ), and ~20MB/s read.

Can you do an opt-click on your wifi icon and show us what it's seeing.

Sure, added it to the post.

EDIT: I assumed this is wifi. If it's Ethernet then you need to check the connection details on the Mac and on the router and see. There may be a mismatch. On the router, can you force the port to 1Gb/s?

Macbook - Ethernet - NAS is quick.
Macbook - Ethernet - Router - Ethernet - NAS is slow.

Yes, this is through WiFi. The speeds giving me 100MB/s + is with the NAS connected directly to a computer with ethernet.

Computer - WiFi - Router - Ethernet - NAS (NAS is slow)
Computer - Ethernet - NAS (NAS is fast)

No, the router doesn't support forcing it but it supports it, though my NAS does.
 

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Howard2k

macrumors 603
Mar 10, 2016
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5,672
Good stuff.

Are you in the same location where you normally use the MacBook? I'm assuming that you are.
It also looks like you have your network split between 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz?

So assuming both of those things are true, you should be seeing far greater speeds. You connection speed show 780Mb/s. Currently where my MBPro is located I'm seeing a connection of 702Mb/s. Sometimes it's higher, sometimes lower. Sending and receiving data to my NAS

A complication is when using small files. Small file transfers are incredibly inefficient. For that reason, I'd find a 500MB file, or larger. It doesn't really matter how big, just pick a file and use it for consistency.

I have a 1.48GB file and copying that file to my NAS right now, again given my (now 867Mb/s) negotiated connection, I'm looking in Activity Monitor and seeing this:
Screen Shot 2018-12-07 at 7.46.14 PM.png


It took bang on 30 seconds to transfer. So you can see that the 103MB was a peak, but 1.48GB in 30 seconds is approx 49MB/sec.

Do you have a large file you can use to test? And can you verify before starting the test that you're still seeing the same (or similar) 780Mb/s negotiated speed?
 
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DCWolfie

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 5, 2010
44
7
Good stuff.

Are you in the same location where you normally use the MacBook? I'm assuming that you are.
It also looks like you have your network split between 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz?

That's correct. Yes, I'm in the same place where I've done most of the testing. Though I've tried right in front of the router, so I can safely say that the location does not matter.

So assuming both of those things are true, you should be seeing far greater speeds. You connection speed show 780Mb/s. Currently where my MBPro is located I'm seeing a connection of 702Mb/s. Sometimes it's higher, sometimes lower. Sending and receiving data to my NAS

A complication is when using small files. Small file transfers are incredibly inefficient. For that reason, I'd find a 500MB file, or larger. It doesn't really matter how big, just pick a file and use it for consistency.

I have a 1.48GB file and copying that file to my NAS right now, again given my (now 867Mb/s) negotiated connection, I'm looking in Activity Monitor and seeing this:
View attachment 809279

It took bang on 30 seconds to transfer. So you can see that the 103MB was a peak, but 1.48GB in 30 seconds is approx 49MB/sec.

Do you have a large file you can use to test? And can you verify before starting the test that you're still seeing the same (or similar) 780Mb/s negotiated speed?


Yeah, I'm making sure my testing is consistent. Though, my speeds are so far the theoretical ones that It really dosen mater at the moment. For my testing I've mainly been using BlackMagic Disk Speed Test and CrystalDiskMark with 1 and 4 GB file sizes.

This is what I get now, with 2GB file with BlackMagic Disk Speed Test.

image.png
 

Howard2k

macrumors 603
Mar 10, 2016
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Thanks. I'm not at all familiar with BlackMagic Disk Speed test or Crystalthingy. What happens if you go old school and just use a stopwatch and a large file and drag it to the NAS through Finder?
 
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DCWolfie

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 5, 2010
44
7
Thanks. I'm not at all familiar with BlackMagic Disk Speed test or Crystalthingy. What happens if you go old school and just use a stopwatch and a large file and drag it to the NAS through Finder?

It goes incredible slow. This is what I get from a 2.3GB file.
upload_2018-12-8_2-27-20.png
upload_2018-12-8_2-29-3.png
 

Howard2k

macrumors 603
Mar 10, 2016
5,715
5,672
It goes incredible slow. This is what I get from a 2.3GB file.
View attachment 809285
View attachment 809287


Thanks. That’s brutal.

So computer to NAS direct via Ethernet you’ve tried.
And computer to NAS via wifi router you’ve tried.

Have you tried the computer to the NAS with Ethernet on both sides?

MacBook eth router eth NAS
as opposed to
MacBook wifi router eth NAS

Or in the first post where you said macbook to NAS via Ethernet was fast, was that through the router using Ethernet on both sides?
 

DCWolfie

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 5, 2010
44
7
Thanks. That’s brutal.

So computer to NAS direct via Ethernet you’ve tried.
And computer to NAS via wifi router you’ve tried.

Have you tried the computer to the NAS with Ethernet on both sides?

MacBook eth router eth NAS
as opposed to
MacBook wifi router eth NAS

Or in the first post where you said macbook to NAS via Ethernet was fast, was that through the router using Ethernet on both sides?

Correct!
No, I have not. My laptop doesn't have an ethernet port (the year of USB-C :) ). I could of course move my desktop and try it.
No that was Computer - Ethernet - NAS, excluding the router.
 

Howard2k

macrumors 603
Mar 10, 2016
5,715
5,672
Correct!
No, I have not. My laptop doesn't have an ethernet port (the year of USB-C :) ). I could of course move my desktop and try it.
No that was Computer - Ethernet - NAS, excluding the router.


Ok cool. Yeah I was going to ask you about that.
Let me guess, wifi but not Ethernet on the MacBook, and Ethernet but no wifi on the desktop? :D If you have wifi in the desktop, how does that work?

To ask a stupid question, if you do an Internet speed test from the computer when connected via wifi, what performance do you get? And do you know the bandwidth of your Internet connection?

Trying to figure out if it's wifi to NAS is slow but wifi to other places is fast. Have you tried moving files between the desktop and MacBook using wifi on the MacBook?
 

DCWolfie

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 5, 2010
44
7
Ok cool. Yeah I was going to ask you about that.
Let me guess, wifi but not Ethernet on the MacBook, and Ethernet but no wifi on the desktop? :D If you have wifi in the desktop, how does that work?

No, the desktop has WiFi as well :). I get the same speed as on the Mac with an AC WiFi-card. I also have a Mac Mini where the results are also the same.
[/QUOTE]

To ask a stupid question, if you do an Internet speed test from the computer when connected via wifi, what performance do you get? And do you know the bandwidth of your Internet connection?

I get (almost) the full speed of my connection, ~85Mbps down, ~25Mbps up. My equipment is fairly new and high end, so I belive my HW is more than enough.

Trying to figure out if it's wifi to NAS is slow but wifi to other places is fast. Have you tried moving files between the desktop and MacBook using wifi on the MacBook?

Yeah, I haven't tried moving anything through other devices on the LAN. Not a bad thought tho. I haven't tried this. I did a quick test, moving a 600MB 4K clip from my iPhone X through AirDrop. I got around 15M/s, but on a second thought I think that my phone compresses the clip while transferring. Not sure about this tho.

Do you have any tip on how to test this quickly?
 

Howard2k

macrumors 603
Mar 10, 2016
5,715
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Thanks. 85Mb/s is about the same as what you’re seeing (10MB/s) to the NAS. So inconclusive. I was hoping you might have a super fast connection. (It's still faster than mine!).

You can enable File Sharing in System Prefs here:

Screen Shot 2018-12-07 at 9.33.21 PM.png
Screen Shot 2018-12-07 at 9.33.53 PM.png



Mine is turned off since I only have on Mac at home.
 

DCWolfie

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 5, 2010
44
7
Thanks. 85Mb/s is about the same as what you’re seeing (10MB/s) to the NAS. So inconclusive.

Well, shouldn't AirDrop go locally, which is 1750Mbps for mye 5Ghz net?

I was hoping you might have a super fast connection. (It's still faster than mine!).

Hehe, cheaper in Scandinavia :)

You can enable File Sharing in System Prefs here:

View attachment 809294 View attachment 809295


Mine is turned off since I only have on Mac at home.

Ah, yeah right, file sharing. Forgot that.

Well, that was a horrible experience. Moved a 2.3GB file from Mac to Windows computer (believe it uses SMB).

Screenshot_6.png
 

Howard2k

macrumors 603
Mar 10, 2016
5,715
5,672
Well, shouldn't AirDrop go locally, which is 1750Mbps for mye 5Ghz net?



Hehe, cheaper in Scandinavia :)



Ah, yeah right, file sharing. Forgot that.

Well, that was a horrible experience. Moved a 2.3GB file from Mac to Windows computer (believe it uses SMB).

View attachment 809303


Thanks. AirDrop - I’m not sure actually. From a wifi perspective, on your MBPro it’s going to top out at 1.3Gb/s since it’s a three antenna system. I’m not sure what the iPhone supports, but i suspect it’s less. I’d guess 2x2, so 867Mb/s.
And with AirDrop specifically, I’m not sure what it does from a protocol perspective. But no chance of 1,750 :). In fact I’m not totally sure how they’re getting those 850Mb/s 2.4Ghz and 1,750Mb/s 5GHz connections that they claim. The may be doing channel bonding perhaps. That’s a bit odd. But looking at the connection details you posted earlier, your 5GHz connection looks good.

Anyway, if I understand correctly, the transfer from the Windows machine to the Mac was the worst yet - 2.8MB/s. And assuming that’s a single large file, that’s atrocious. Was this Ethernet to router to wifi? Or Ethernet to router to Ethernet? Who was talking and what were they using?

Yep, that’s SMB. But my previous NAS used SMB 1 and i was seeing 30MB/s to 40MB/s from my desk with a 700Mb/s to 800Mb/s type negotiated connection. So with SMB it’s not going to limit it to 3MB/s. But if your windows machine is wifi, then that clouds the issue. Ideally we need Gigabit Ethernet to Gigabit Ethernet.
 

DCWolfie

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 5, 2010
44
7
Thanks. AirDrop - I’m not sure actually. From a wifi perspective, on your MBPro it’s going to top out at 1.3Gb/s since it’s a three antenna system. I’m not sure what the iPhone supports, but i suspect it’s less. I’d guess 2x2, so 867Mb/s.
And with AirDrop specifically, I’m not sure what it does from a protocol perspective. But no chance of 1,750 :). In fact I’m not totally sure how they’re getting those 850Mb/s 2.4Ghz and 1,750Mb/s 5GHz connections that they claim. The may be doing channel bonding perhaps. That’s a bit odd. But looking at the connection details you posted earlier, your 5GHz connection looks good.

Hehe, well 1750Mbps was a bit of a stretch :D. I merely ment that I should expect higher than 10MB/s.

Anyway, if I understand correctly, the transfer from the Windows machine to the Mac was the worst yet - 2.8MB/s. And assuming that’s a single large file, that’s atrocious. Was this Ethernet to router to wifi? Or Ethernet to router to Ethernet?


Yes, that's correct. I was streaming from my NAS to my Apple TV at this moment, but that shouldn't affect the all over WiFi speed that much. This was Wifi on both ends, I should start clarify in more detail what I actually do :).

Who was talking and what were they using?

What do you mean? Are you referring to which computer did what? In that case I was copying the file from my Mac, to my Windows computer. I used File Sharing from Sharing in System Prefs. I belive SMB2 was used (that's the default on MacOS?).

Yep, that’s SMB. But my previous NAS used SMB 1 and i was seeing 30MB/s to 40MB/s from my desk with a 700Mb/s to 800Mb/s type negotiated connection. So with SMB it’s not going to limit it to 3MB/s. But if your windows machine is wifi, then that clouds the issue. Ideally we need Gigabit Ethernet to Gigabit Ethernet.

I see. I will do some more extensive testing tomorrow (it's 4 am here now). I'll move my Mac Mini next to the router and try: Mac Mini - Ethernet - Router - WiFi - MacBook Pro/Windows computer.

I can't do Ethernet on both ends unfortunately. I do have a powerline network adapter that I could use. This powerline is not powerful for reaching the same speed as a clean Ethernet cable, but it eliminates the Wifi, and I can try Ethernet on both ends.

Anything else you might think I should try?
 

OLDGUYWITHAHIFI

Suspended
Nov 14, 2018
235
354
Are we talking about wireless speeds? What kind of connection are you using? 5Ghz? 802.11ac?

What kind of network speeds are you getting? Hold down the option key and click the network icon at top. Should tell you what kind of TX rate you are getting.

If it's wireless rates you are concerned about you could try changing channels.
 

Howard2k

macrumors 603
Mar 10, 2016
5,715
5,672
Hehe, well 1750Mbps was a bit of a stretch :D. I merely ment that I should expect higher than 10MB/s.




Yes, that's correct. I was streaming from my NAS to my Apple TV at this moment, but that shouldn't affect the all over WiFi speed that much. This was Wifi on both ends, I should start clarify in more detail what I actually do :).



What do you mean? Are you referring to which computer did what? In that case I was copying the file from my Mac, to my Windows computer. I used File Sharing from Sharing in System Prefs. I belive SMB2 was used (that's the default on MacOS?).



I see. I will do some more extensive testing tomorrow (it's 4 am here now). I'll move my Mac Mini next to the router and try: Mac Mini - Ethernet - Router - WiFi - MacBook Pro/Windows computer.

I can't do Ethernet on both ends unfortunately. I do have a powerline network adapter that I could use. This powerline is not powerful for reaching the same speed as a clean Ethernet cable, but it eliminates the Wifi, and I can try Ethernet on both ends.

Anything else you might think I should try?


Yeah, a couple of things I would try, in no particular order.
* Reboot the router
* Get a USB/Ethernet adaptor for the MBPro and transfer between the Mini and the Pro. I'm hoping you can do direct from the MBPro to the Mini back to back (1 cable), AND you can do the Mini to the Pro through the router (2 cables (or more of course)), and see if there is a difference? But if this isn't an option let's park it for now. I'm not sure the Powerline thing will add much clarity.
* Run a site survey by opt-click the wifi icon and choose Create Diagnostic Report. Once that's created, there is a file called wifi.something. wifi.csv, or wifi.txt, cannot recall exactly. Inside there is a report showing what your local wifi looks like. Or, download an app called NetSpot (free) and it will give you a GUI view. Sort by signal strength. The wifi report will let you do the same thing by importing it into a spreadsheet. What we want to see is which other networks in the 5GHz channel are visible, and what channels are they using.

Screen Shot 2018-12-07 at 10.34.24 PM.png


AppleTV shouldn't be material. Although to be sure, make sure it's on the 2.4GHz network. Or even better, turn it off. But yeah, that's not sounding like it's a huge issue. It's a straw worth grasping at some point though.
[doublepost=1544240455][/doublepost]
Are we talking about wireless speeds? What kind of connection are you using? 5Ghz? 802.11ac?

What kind of network speeds are you getting? Hold down the option key and click the network icon at top. Should tell you what kind of TX rate you are getting.

Right here:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/nas-serving-low-speed.2158882/#post-26889051

:)
 

DCWolfie

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 5, 2010
44
7
Are we talking about wireless speeds? What kind of connection are you using? 5Ghz? 802.11ac?

What kind of network speeds are you getting? Hold down the option key and click the network icon at top. Should tell you what kind of TX rate you are getting.

If it's wireless rates you are concerned about you could try changing channels.

It's mention in the posts above, but I'm using 5Ghz and ac connection on all my units. The TX rate is ~600-780Mbps (there is a screenshot a few posts back). There are no major disturbance from other 5Ghz net around me, so I belive changing channel won't matter. Or is it something I don't know?

Yeah, a couple of things I would try, in no particular order.
* Reboot the router
* Get a USB/Ethernet adaptor for the MBPro and transfer between the Mini and the Pro. I'm hoping you can do direct from the MBPro to the Mini back to back (1 cable), AND you can do the Mini to the Pro through the router (2 cables (or more of course)), and see if there is a difference? But if this isn't an option let's park it for now. I'm not sure the Powerline thing will add much clarity.
* Run a site survey by opt-click the wifi icon and choose Create Diagnostic Report. Once that's created, there is a file called wifi.something. wifi.csv, or wifi.txt, cannot recall exactly. Inside there is a report showing what your local wifi looks like. Or, download an app called NetSpot (free) and it will give you a GUI view. Sort by signal strength. The wifi report will let you do the same thing by importing it into a spreadsheet. What we want to see is which other networks in the 5GHz channel are visible, and what channels are they using.

View attachment 809323

AppleTV shouldn't be material. Although to be sure, make sure it's on the 2.4GHz network. Or even better, turn it off. But yeah, that's not sounding like it's a huge issue. It's a straw worth grasping at some point though.
[doublepost=1544240455][/doublepost]

Right here:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/nas-serving-low-speed.2158882/#post-26889051

:)

I've reset my router many times through out this by the way :) Even did a complete factory installation with a new SSID.
I'm not sure what Mac - Ethernet - Mac would show us? I don't have the opportunity to buy an ethernet adapter for laptop at this moment unfortunately.

I already have an app for that :) These are the results. As you can see, it's not much of interference.
upload_2018-12-8_15-4-33.png

So... here's the results. Everything is done with the same file. A 2.3GB video file. I did use Teamviewer to display the Mac Mini on my laptop while doing this. To make it consistent I ran all the tests with this open. All tests are done through SMB.

Pure ethernet:
1.1) from NAS - Ethernet - Router - Ethernet - Mac Mini: ~50MB/S (peaked at 70MB/s)
2.1) from Mac Mini - Ethernet - Router - Ethernet - NAS: ~103MB/s

With Mac Mini connected directly to router, rest with WiFi:
3.1) from Mac Mini - Ethernet - Router - WiFi - MacBook Pro: ~24MB/s
4.1) from MacBook Pro - WiFi - Router - Ethernet - Mac Mini: ~50MB/s
5.1) from MacBook Pro - Ethernet - Router - WiFi - Windows PC: ~10MB/s
6.1) from Mac Mini - Ethernet - Router - WiFi - Windows PC: ~10MB/s

I also did some of these tests with BlackMagic Disk Test as well. With stress set at 2GB.

Pure ethernet:
2.2) from Mac Mini - Ethernet - Router - Ethernet - NAS: ~50MB/s write, ~100MB/s read

With Mac Mini connected directly to router, rest with WiFi:
3.2) from Mac Mini - Ethernet - Router - WiFi - MacBook Pro: ~12MB/s write, ~16MB/s read
3.3) from MacBook Pro - WiFi - Router - Ethernet - Mac Mini: ~20MB/s write, ~16MB/s read

I first thought these tests showed that the WiFi really was the bottleneck. But just to be sure I did it all twice. I then got 50-60MB/s on 4.1. which didn't really make this consistent I. Though, the router seems to handle high speeds through the Ethernet ports when excluding the WiFi. I excluded the testing with the Powerline since it can't handle good enough speeds.
 

mrex

macrumors 68040
Jul 16, 2014
3,458
1,527
europe
have you checked what version of smb macOS is using? (terminal - "smbutil statshare -a")

you can also try to turn off client signing - some has said that it helped to improve the speed. You can see if the signing is on in terminal (the same command as above) (https://support.apple.com/en-bh/HT205926)

I have the same problem with my nas and mbp. Win laptop gets double the speed while mbp is slower. Both are connected on the same way. I haven't figured it out yet but browsing the content (seeing thumbnails) from the nas with mbp is painfully slow if the directory has lots of stuff inside, e.g. photos... But that is another issue than just slow transferring speed and apple has made recently an article about improving the browsing speed. unfortunately I tried it and it didnt work.
 
Last edited:

IdentityCrisis

Suspended
Sep 9, 2018
684
345
So I have a problem with my NAS just giving me around 10-15MB/s write and ~20MB/s read. This is a WD EX2 with two WD RED 4TB discs. I've done a lot of troubleshooting, but now I'm completely lost.

Connecting the unit directly to a computer with an Ethernet cable gives speeds of over 100MB/s, so the unit itself is fully capable. The router is a high-end router with gigabit ports (LYNX 9000, from Jensen Scandinavia) so it should be capable as well, so is my computers. Googling the problem shows me that people are capable of getting 70-90MB/s.

I've also tried different protocols. SMB2 (which is the standard for Finder), AFS and NFS, where NFS gives me the best speed (25MB/s) and the rest is the same.

I'm not that experienced with networking, but would really like to get better speed from my NAS. Does anyone here have any tips what I could do to solve this?

With my synology as comparison, I get around 110 mb/s transferring files to it. So your WD is performing like it should with ethernet. Now I am unsure how you are getting the 10-20mb you are saying if you get over 100 over ethernet.
 

Howard2k

macrumors 603
Mar 10, 2016
5,715
5,672
It's mention in the posts above, but I'm using 5Ghz and ac connection on all my units. The TX rate is ~600-780Mbps (there is a screenshot a few posts back). There are no major disturbance from other 5Ghz net around me, so I belive changing channel won't matter. Or is it something I don't know?



I've reset my router many times through out this by the way :) Even did a complete factory installation with a new SSID.
I'm not sure what Mac - Ethernet - Mac would show us? I don't have the opportunity to buy an ethernet adapter for laptop at this moment unfortunately.

I already have an app for that :) These are the results. As you can see, it's not much of interference.
View attachment 809398

So... here's the results. Everything is done with the same file. A 2.3GB video file. I did use Teamviewer to display the Mac Mini on my laptop while doing this. To make it consistent I ran all the tests with this open. All tests are done through SMB.

Pure ethernet:
1.1) from NAS - Ethernet - Router - Ethernet - Mac Mini: ~50MB/S (peaked at 70MB/s)
2.1) from Mac Mini - Ethernet - Router - Ethernet - NAS: ~103MB/s

With Mac Mini connected directly to router, rest with WiFi:
3.1) from Mac Mini - Ethernet - Router - WiFi - MacBook Pro: ~24MB/s
4.1) from MacBook Pro - WiFi - Router - Ethernet - Mac Mini: ~50MB/s
5.1) from MacBook Pro - Ethernet - Router - WiFi - Windows PC: ~10MB/s
6.1) from Mac Mini - Ethernet - Router - WiFi - Windows PC: ~10MB/s

I also did some of these tests with BlackMagic Disk Test as well. With stress set at 2GB.

Pure ethernet:
2.2) from Mac Mini - Ethernet - Router - Ethernet - NAS: ~50MB/s write, ~100MB/s read

With Mac Mini connected directly to router, rest with WiFi:
3.2) from Mac Mini - Ethernet - Router - WiFi - MacBook Pro: ~12MB/s write, ~16MB/s read
3.3) from MacBook Pro - WiFi - Router - Ethernet - Mac Mini: ~20MB/s write, ~16MB/s read

I first thought these tests showed that the WiFi really was the bottleneck. But just to be sure I did it all twice. I then got 50-60MB/s on 4.1. which didn't really make this consistent I. Though, the router seems to handle high speeds through the Ethernet ports when excluding the WiFi. I excluded the testing with the Powerline since it can't handle good enough speeds.


Good stuff, very thorough. You do have another network using the same channel as yours in the 5GHz space (Get-72337C?) and the area up by channel 150 is free. So I would move my network there.

I don't think that's the issue though, unless that Get-72337C network is being hammered, which would seem unlikely. But if we're grasping at straws...

The good news is we've ruled out the NAS, since you're seeing poor performance with some other configurations. So that's progress - test 3.1, for example.

And aside from 4.1, it kinda looks like it's a wifi issue, though it's inconclusive.

These are the challenges that I see:
* There's another network using the same channel.
* Your RSSI shown above is -57dBm.
* Your noise shown above is -88dBm.

None of these things individually should be killing your wifi. And in totality, I don't think there's enough there to cripple it either, to be honest. but wifi can be odd. Especially when the signal degrades and you get retransmissions.

So I would change the channel to 153, or thereabouts, and ensure that all your other wifi devices are off, and try test 3.1 and 4.1 again.

But again, I'm not convinced it will fix anything. At least we can rule out that other network.
 

OLDGUYWITHAHIFI

Suspended
Nov 14, 2018
235
354
It's mention in the posts above, but I'm using 5Ghz and ac connection on all my units. The TX rate is ~600-780Mbps (there is a screenshot a few posts back). There are no major disturbance from other 5Ghz net around me, so I belive changing channel won't matter. Or is it something I don't know?



I've reset my router many times through out this by the way :) Even did a complete factory installation with a new SSID.
I'm not sure what Mac - Ethernet - Mac would show us? I don't have the opportunity to buy an ethernet adapter for laptop at this moment unfortunately.

I already have an app for that :) These are the results. As you can see, it's not much of interference.
View attachment 809398

So... here's the results. Everything is done with the same file. A 2.3GB video file. I did use Teamviewer to display the Mac Mini on my laptop while doing this. To make it consistent I ran all the tests with this open. All tests are done through SMB.

Pure ethernet:
1.1) from NAS - Ethernet - Router - Ethernet - Mac Mini: ~50MB/S (peaked at 70MB/s)
2.1) from Mac Mini - Ethernet - Router - Ethernet - NAS: ~103MB/s

With Mac Mini connected directly to router, rest with WiFi:
3.1) from Mac Mini - Ethernet - Router - WiFi - MacBook Pro: ~24MB/s
4.1) from MacBook Pro - WiFi - Router - Ethernet - Mac Mini: ~50MB/s
5.1) from MacBook Pro - Ethernet - Router - WiFi - Windows PC: ~10MB/s
6.1) from Mac Mini - Ethernet - Router - WiFi - Windows PC: ~10MB/s

I also did some of these tests with BlackMagic Disk Test as well. With stress set at 2GB.

Pure ethernet:
2.2) from Mac Mini - Ethernet - Router - Ethernet - NAS: ~50MB/s write, ~100MB/s read

With Mac Mini connected directly to router, rest with WiFi:
3.2) from Mac Mini - Ethernet - Router - WiFi - MacBook Pro: ~12MB/s write, ~16MB/s read
3.3) from MacBook Pro - WiFi - Router - Ethernet - Mac Mini: ~20MB/s write, ~16MB/s read

I first thought these tests showed that the WiFi really was the bottleneck. But just to be sure I did it all twice. I then got 50-60MB/s on 4.1. which didn't really make this consistent I. Though, the router seems to handle high speeds through the Ethernet ports when excluding the WiFi. I excluded the testing with the Powerline since it can't handle good enough speeds.

I think you are covering the issue and being pretty thorough. Not much more you can rule out. You have tested on multiple machines, ethernet, wireless, etc.

I really hope you figure this out because I would like to know what happened.

I use a Synology NAS with port aggregation. I have two ethernet cables plugged into my Asus AC5300 which also supports port aggregation. I have not tested speeds but it is quick enough to run flex and transcode 4k. I have noticed my wireless signal and speeds fluctuate depending on where I am in the house. 2.4ghz vs 5ghz really makes a difference.

Have not read the whole thread, but have you tried reseting your NAS and setting up fresh?
 

mrex

macrumors 68040
Jul 16, 2014
3,458
1,527
europe
Does the link aggregation actually make any difference if you don't use a computer with two ethernet? Link aggregation may increase fault tolerance for a single device but does it speed the transferring without two ethernet in a client? If you have multiple device connecting to the nas at the same time, those may use different ip's (nas/2 ethernet) though.
 
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