家里有网络路由器(network router)的每个人也都有一个局域网 ( LAN )，这使得设备之间的资源和数据共享变得容易。现代网络也飞速发展，使得通过LAN传输大型文件变得可行。
也许您有一个装满媒体和文档的大型NAS （网络附加存储）。(NAS)也许您正在与其他协作者一起工作，并且需要在本地设备之间随机播放信息。可悲的是，即使是现代网络也会遇到性能问题，文件传输也会陷入困境。
您是否发现自己经常想知道“为什么我的网络这么慢”？这里有一些有用的修复，可以让数据再次流动。
链条中最薄弱的环节
从网络数据包从一台设备发送到另一台设备发送的那一刻起，整个过程中会有很多曲折。总网络传输速度仅与链中最慢的组件一样快。
在尝试追踪缓慢的网络数据传输的来源时，请记住这一点。如果可能，系统地消除可能的罪魁祸首。
有一些网络工具可以帮助您找到网络瓶颈，但这些工具是为复杂的业务网络设计的。在小型LAN中，一般有以下组件链：
- 发送设备（例如 PC）
- 网络连接（以太网(Ethernet)或WiFi）
- 网络路由器
- 网络连接（以太网(Ethernet)或WiFi）
- 目标设备（例如另一台 PC 或网络连接的存储设备）
有时它可能比这更复杂一些。例如，您可能正在使用电力线适配器(powerline adapter)或WiFi中继器，在链中添加另一个步骤。Mesh WiFi路由器在家庭中也变得越来越普遍。这意味着您可能还需要检查网格系统的各个节点。
对您的网络速度进行基准测试
在您开始到处寻找问题之前，好的第一步是使用专门的实用程序对您的网络性能进行基准测试。这些程序旨在测试您的网络从一个点到另一个点的传输速度，同时排除不相关的因素，例如硬盘驱动器或操作系统缓存的速度。
如果网络基准测试显示正常的性能水平，那么您可以寻找与您的网络硬件无关的另一个问题来源。
LAN Speed Test Lite就是这种网络测试实用程序的一个很好的例子。您所要做的就是指定网络上的共享文件夹作为目标，应用程序将测量传输速度。由于这仍然涉及两个设备的硬盘驱动器，因此您也可以将其与LST Server结合使用。
在目标计算机上运行服务器应用程序并在另一台计算机上进行速度测试。这将测量纯网络性能，让您清楚地了解实际可用的传输速度以及您的网络为何如此缓慢。
WiFi信号弱
网络数据传输速度不佳的最常见原因之一是WiFi信号强度较弱或信号干扰。与以太网(Ethernet)电缆连接不同，无线连接可能会出现很大的波动。位置或距离的微小变化、一天中某些时间的无线电干扰、月相；这些因素中至少有两个会导致您的WiFi速度下降。
提高WiFi性能值得单独写一篇文章，因此请参阅增强 WiFi 信号和提高性能的最佳方法，(Top Ways to Boost WiFi Signals & Improve Performance)并获取获得更好无线信号所需的所有热门技巧。
存储速度
在对慢速网络进行故障排除时，一个经常被忽视的因素是传输两端的存储介质的速度。对于高速千兆家庭LAN(LANs)甚至是慢速网络，一些机械驱动器根本无法快速传输数据以跟上速度。
即使不是驱动器本身，设备存储系统中的任何瓶颈都会影响网络速度。如果某个特定设备的传输速度很慢，这可能是原因之一。
如果慢速驱动器导致文件传输缓慢，您可以执行以下操作：
- 将相关驱动器升级到更快的型号，例如SSD或高转速机械技术。
- 在网络上设置(Set)共享存储区域，例如专用的家庭NAS（网络附加存储）产品。
- 在RAID(RAID)配置中使用多个驱动器以提高性能。
存储设备几乎总是让事情有所保留，因此将最大和最常访问的文件保存在为速度而构建的本地网络驱动器上是有意义的。如果您的宽带连接速度非常快，那么将文件保存在Google Drive 或 Dropbox(Google Drive or Dropbox)等云服务上可能会更快。
重新考虑你的路由器
您的网络路由器是网络性能的核心。路由器实际上是一台专用计算机，具有自己的处理器、内存、存储和操作系统。具有许多CPU内核、大量RAM和最新网络技术的路由器将显着优于其他一切。
如果您对当前路由器的要求过高，则用更新更好的型号替换它可能是答案。如果您的网络性能问题影响整个网络，而不仅仅是某些设备之间，则尤其如此。
路由器固件更新(Router Firmware Updates)和自定义固件(Custom Firmware)
路由器的性能也会受到运行它的操作系统的影响。这是路由器的固件。路由器(Router)可能会挂断，有错误并且处理网络流量很差。路由器(Router)制造商通常会发布固件更新，以修复性能问题并提高可靠性。
即使您的路由器更新的固件不能很好地处理网络性能，您也可以选择自定义固件。这是由第三方创建者编写的固件，可以修复错误并解锁其他路由器功能和性能。我们不向新手用户推荐这个，但如果您有兴趣查看您的路由器是否有自定义固件，请查看DD-WRT或OpenWRT。
路由器服务质量设置
许多路由器具有 QoS 或服务质量(Quality of Service )设置，可让您指定网络上的哪些类型的流量应获得优先权。
如果您希望文件传输到您的NAS设备始终获得大量本地带宽，那么您可以通过登录路由器并修改QoS设置来指定。不幸的是，每个路由器都有自己独特的QoS接口，因此您必须查阅您的型号的手册以了解细节。
网络适配器速度和设置
网络上的每台设备都有一个网络接口适配器。那是以太网(Ethernet)适配器或WiFi适配器。适配器本身支持一组特定的标准。例如，您最新的玩具可能支持WiFi 6，但您网络的其余部分由WiFi 4和 5 设备组成。同样(Likewise)，在旧硬件上支持 10GBps、1 Gbps、100Mbps 甚至更低的 以太网适配器可能都混合在一起。(Ethernet)
在这些情况下，最低公分母将限制数据传输速度，从而导致整体网络缓慢。但在某些情况下，适配器本身可能配置错误。当您的以太网卡实际上能够提供更快的传输速率时，它可能被设置为以 100Mbps 的速度运行。
更新网络驱动程序
不仅您的路由器可以从更新软件中受益。您计算机中的网络接口卡，无论是以太网(Ethernet)还是WiFi，也会不时获得驱动程序更新。(get driver updates)
制造商的管理软件也可能会更新，这可以通过引入新功能和设置来提供帮助。驱动程序告诉您的操作系统如何与硬件“对话”。在这种情况下是网络接口设备。
如果驱动程序中存在错误或开发人员找到更好的方法来管理网络流量，那么新驱动程序将为您的设备带来这些改进。
更新网卡固件
网络(Network)接口硬件也受益于固件更新和修复。通常寻找这些类型更新的最佳位置是在您的主板或计算机制造商网站上。如果是集成设备。如果它是USB设备或扩展卡，请转到指定设备的支持页面。
固件(Firmware)是在最基本层面上操作网络硬件的硬编码内部代码。新的(New)固件更新用于修补错误、提高稳定性，甚至为旧硬件添加新功能。所有这些都可能提高网络性能。
更新网络设备
我们的网络现在不仅仅是传统的计算机。您可能拥有 IP 摄像机、NAS网络驱动器、流媒体服务器，甚至是一两个智能冰箱。其中一些设备可能会导致拥塞或其他网络性能问题。
所以值得检查他们的个人配置是否正确，并且他们都有最新的软件更新。这是您应该避免购买非品牌网络设备的原因之一。他们通常不会从高级品牌获得相同的修复和更新小工具。
以太网电缆类型
您的计算机和路由器都支持特定的网络速度。然而，当您通过网络复制文件时，您将无法达到最佳性能。重要的是要记住，额定速度是理论上的，是在理想的实验室条件下测试的。不过，问题很可能出在您的以太网(Ethernet)电缆上。
虽然以太网电缆(Ethernet cables)看起来几乎相同，但不同类别的电缆的制造方式不同。这对他们的表现有很大的影响。它们具有不同级别的屏蔽、不同数量的电缆绞合等等。
例如，5 类(Category 5) 以太网(Ethernet)的额定速率为 100Mbps。因此，在 1Gbps 硬件上使用它不会为您提供应有的性能。再说一次，您经常会在更高质量的电缆上看到更高的速度。5 类(Category 5)e以太网(Ethernet)的额定速度仅为 125Mbps，但我们已经成功地测试了使用此类电缆超过 500Mbps 的速度，只要它们足够短。
最重要的是，您应该确保您的以太网(Ethernet)电缆类别适合您使用的硬件的速度等级。
网络带宽饱和
过去，您的路由器只需要将几台计算机连接在一起即可。现在，您家中的所有东西都需要网络的一部分。智能手机、游戏机(game consoles)甚至智能微波炉等现代电器都需要连接，这样它们就可以相互交谈并从互联网上下载信息。
现代路由器可以轻松连接和管理数十台设备，但这并不意味着所有这些设备都有无限的带宽。如果太多的设备同时在网络上推送数据，那么您最终会遇到一个缓慢的网络。
解决方案是减少竞争带宽的设备数量，在有线和无线连接之间拆分它们，或者更改它们的设置。需要更改的设置因设备而异。通常，您要么想在夜间安排某些类型的网络操作，要么禁用不需要的传输。
损坏的设备
这通常不是人们首先想到的，但如果您已经尝试了所有方法并且您的网络传输速度仍然不是应有的速度，请考虑您的网络设备实际上可能已损坏。网络电缆是最常见的罪魁祸首。磨损(Frayed)、扭曲或以其他方式磨损的以太网(Ethernet)电缆可能仍然可以工作，但无法像通常那样移动尽可能多的位。
网络接口卡上的以太网端口也可能存在问题。对于WiFi，请检查您的外部天线。特别是在使用外部电线连接天线的桌面系统上。
更换以太网电缆是检查损坏的一种方法，但使用替代网络接口（例如在以太网(Ethernet)和WiFi之间交换）可以查明故障设备。
对你来说足够快吗？
那么，这些提示中的任何一个是否解决了您的网络速度慢的问题？让我们知道您的网络性能问题是否已解决。如果没有，请发表评论描述情况，如果您幸运的话，我们的读者社区的成员可能已经找到了解决您特定问题的方法。
网络(Network)问题总是有点令人沮丧，但如果您系统地查找问题，它可能会比您预期的更容易解决。
Why Is My Network Data Transfer So Slow? 12 Fixes
Everуone with a network router at home also has a local area network (LAN), which makes it easy to share resources and data between devices. Modern networks are also blazing fast, making large file transfers over LAN feasible.
Maybe you’ve got a large NAS (network attached storage) full of media and documents. Perhaps you’re working with other collaborators and need to shuffle information between devices locally. Sadly, even modern networks run into performance issues and file transfers can get bogged down.
Do you find yourself wondering often, “Why is my network so slow”? Here are some useful fixes that will get the data flowing again.
The Weakest Link in the Chain
From the moment a network packet is sent from one device to when it arrives at another, there are lots of twists and turns on the journey. The total network transfer speed is only as fast as the slowest component in the chain.
Keep this in mind when trying to track down the source of slow network data transfers. If possible, eliminate possible culprits systematically.
There are network tools out there that can help you find network bottlenecks, but these are designed for complex business networks. In a small LAN, the following is generally the chain of components:
- The sending device (e.g. PC)
- A network connection (Ethernet or WiFi)
- The network router
- A network connection (Ethernet or WiFi)
- The destination device (e.g. another PC or network attached storage device)
There are times when it can be a little more complex than this. For example, you might be using a powerline adapter or WiFi repeater, adding another step in the chain. Mesh WiFi routers are becoming more common in the home as well. This means you may need to check the individual nodes of the mesh system as well.
Benchmarking Your Network Speed
Before you start looking all over the place for problems, a good first step is to benchmark your network performance using a specialized utility. These programs are designed to test the transfer speed of your network from one point to another while cutting out irrelevant factors such as speed of the hard drive or operating system caches.
If the network benchmark shows normal performance levels, then you can look to another source of problems not related to your network hardware.
LAN Speed Test Lite is one good example of such a network testing utility. All you have to do is specify a shared folder on the network as a target and the app will measure the transfer speed. Since that still involves the hard drives of both devices, you can also combine it with LST Server.
Run the server app on the target computer and the speed test on the other machine. This will measure pure network performance, giving you a great indication of how much transfer speed is actually available and why your network is so slow.
Weak WiFi Signal
One of the most common causes of poor network data transfer speeds is weak WiFi signal strength or signal interference. Unlike an Ethernet cable connection, wireless connections can show quite a lot of fluctuation. A small change in position or distance, radio interference at certain times of day, the phase of the moon; at least two of these factors can make your WiFi speed drop.
Improving WiFi performance deserves an article all to itself, so head over to Top Ways to Boost WiFi Signals & Improve Performance and get all the hot tips you need to get a better wireless signal.
Storage Speeds
One oft-overlooked factor in troubleshooting a slow network is the speed of the storage media on both ends of the transfer. With fast gigabit home LANs or even on slow networks, some mechanical drives simply can’t shift data quickly enough to keep up.
Even if it’s not the drive itself, any bottleneck in the device’s storage system will affect network speeds. If slow transfers happen with one specific device, this could be one reason.
If a slow drive is causing slow file transfers, there are a few things you can do:
- Upgrade the drive in question to faster models such as SSD or high-RPM mechanical technology.
- Set up a shared storage area on the network, such as a dedicated home NAS (network attached storage) product.
- Use multiple drives in a RAID configuration to speed up performance.
Storage devices almost always hold things back a little, so it makes sense to keep your largest and most frequently accessed files on a local network drive that’s built for speed. If you have a very fast broadband connection, it might actually be faster to keep your files on a cloud service like Google Drive or Dropbox.
Rethinking Your Router
Your network router sits at the heart of your network’s performance. A router is actually a specialized computer, with its own processor, memory, storage and operating system. A router with many CPU cores, lots of RAM and the latest network technology will significantly outperform everything else.
If you’re asking too much of your current router, replacing it with a newer and better model could be the answer. This is especially true if your network performance problems affect the entire network and not just between certain devices.
Router Firmware Updates & Custom Firmware
Your router’s performance is also affected by the operating system that runs it. This is the router’s firmware. Routers can hang up, have bugs and handle network traffic poorly. Router manufacturers usually issue updates to their firmware that fix performance issues and improve reliability.
Even if your router’s updated firmware doesn’t handle network performance well, you may have the option of custom firmware. This is firmware written by third party creators that can fix bugs and unlock additional router features and performance. We don’t recommend this to novice users, but if you’re interested in seeing whether your router has custom firmware, check out either DD-WRT or OpenWRT.
Router Quality of Service Settings
Many routers have QoS or Quality of Service settings that let you specify which types of traffic on the network should get priority.
If you want file transfers to your NAS device to always get the bulk of local bandwidth, then you can specify that by logging into your router and modifying the QoS settings. Unfortunately each router has its own unique QoS interface, so you’ll have to consult the manual for your model to learn the specifics.
Network Adapter Speeds and Settings
Each one of your devices on the network has a network interface adapter. That’s the Ethernet adapter or WiFi adapter. The adapters themselves support a particular set of standards. For example, your newest toy may support WiFi 6, but the rest of your network consists of WiFi 4 and 5 devices. Likewise, Ethernet adapters that support 10GBps, 1 Gbps, 100Mbps and even less on old hardware may all be mixed together.
In these cases the lowest common denominator will limit data transfer speeds, causing an overall slow network. But there are situations where the adapter itself could be misconfigured. Your ethernet card may be set to run at 100Mbps when it’s actually capable of faster transfer rates.
Updating Network Drivers
It’s not just your router that can benefit from having updated software. The network interface card in your computer, whether Ethernet or WiFi, will also get driver updates from time to time.
There may also be updates to the manufacturer’s management software, which can help by bringing in new features and settings. Drivers tell your operating system how to “speak” to hardware. In this case a network interface device.
If there are bugs in the driver or developers figure out better ways to manage network traffic, a new driver will bring those improvements to your device.
Updating Network Card Firmware
Network interface hardware also benefits from firmware updates and fixes. Usually the best place to look for these types of updates are on your motherboard or computer manufacturer site. If it’s an integrated device. If it’s a USB device or an expansion card, then rather head over to the specified device’s support page.
Firmware is the hard-coded internal code that operates the network hardware on the most basic level. New firmware updates are used to patch bugs, improve stability and even add new features to old hardware. All of these might improve network performance.
Update Network Appliances
Our networks now have more than just traditional computers on them. You might have IP cameras, NAS network drives, streaming servers and even a smart fridge or two. Some of these devices might cause congestion or other network performance issues.
So it’s worth checking that their individual configurations are correct, and that they all have their latest software updates. This is one of the reasons you should avoid buying off-brand network devices. They typically don’t get the same fixes and updates gadgets from premium brands do.
Ethernet Cable Types
Your computer and your router both support a specific network speed. Yet, when you copy a file over the network, you get nowhere near peak performance. It’s important to keep in mind that rated speeds are theoretical, tested under ideal lab conditions. Still, the problem might very well be your Ethernet cable.
While Ethernet cables may all look pretty much the same, different categories of cable are made differently. This has a big effect on their performance. They have different levels of shielding, different numbers of cable twists and so on.
For example, Category 5 Ethernet is rated for 100Mbps. So using it on 1Gbps hardware won’t give you the performance you should be getting. Then again, you’ll often see much higher speeds on higher quality cabling. Category 5e Ethernet is only rated for 125Mbps, but we’ve successfully tested speeds in excess of 500Mbps with such cables, as long as they’re short enough.
The bottom line is that you should make sure that your Ethernet cable categories are appropriate to the speed ratings of the hardware you’re using.
Network Bandwidth Saturation
It used to be that your router would only have to connect a handful of computers together. Now everything in your house wants a piece of the network. Smartphones, game consoles and even modern appliances like smart microwaves want a connection so they can talk to each other and download information from the internet.
Modern routers can easily connect to and manage dozens of devices, but that doesn’t mean there’s infinite bandwidth for all of those devices. If too many devices are pushing data on the network at once, then you’re going to end up with a slow network.
The solution is either to reduce the number of devices competing for bandwidth, split them between wired and wireless connections, or change their settings. The settings that need to be changed will differ from one device to the next. In general you either want to schedule certain types of network operations for night time or disable transfers you don’t need.
Damaged Equipment
It’s usually not the first thing one thinks of, but if you’ve tried everything and your network transfer speeds still aren’t what they should be, consider that your network equipment might actually be damaged. Network cables are the most common culprit. Frayed, twisted or otherwise worn Ethernet cables might still work but can’t shift as many bits as they normally could.
There might also be issues with the ethernet port on your network interface card. For WiFi, check your external antenna. Especially on desktop systems where the antenna is connected using external wires.
Swapping out ethernet cables is one way to check for damage, but using alternative network interfaces, such as swapping between Ethernet and WiFi, can pinpoint faulty equipment.
Fast Enough for You?
So, did any of these tips resolve your slow network issues? Let us know if your network performance issues were resolved. If not, leave a comment describing the situation and if you’re lucky a member of our reader community may have found the solution to your specific problem.
Network issues are always a little frustrating, but if you look for the problems systematically it will probably turn out to be an easier fix than you might have expected.
