USB Ethernet question

I have an Asus laptop and i am planning on purchasing a dock replicator w/ LAN (ethernet port)..

Im just wondering if the speed of the internet would decrease if i plugged the ethernet cable into the dock(which is connected to laptop via usb) would decrease my internet speed...

 

let's see:
. USB 2.0 = up to 480mbps
. laptop lan port = 10, 100 (and 1000 depending on the model)

so if ur asus only has 10/100 then i would say no, have not seen any 1000 myself with external dock so it is hard to say

but those r just internal data transfer. ur internet speed (ISP to u) depends on lots of other factors (site constraints, traffic volume, etc ...)

cheers ...

 

Your ISP connection speed is generally in the 5mbps range, so USB2.0 or lan will work. But remember those are theorical speeds. A 100BaseT connection - over head is around 85mbps or can move around 10.5MB/s over ftp. USB2.0 is in the 350mbps if no other devices are using the same controller. That how come 1394 Fire400 still beats usb 2.0.

 

Thanks for your reply...

But lets just for now leave the internet speed (from the ISP) aspect out of this and compare - two different connections USB vs Ethernet regarding the data transfer speed/rate aspect of it.

I know the best option would be to just plug the RJ-45 cable straight into the ethernet port on the laptop but would my transfer rate decrease by MAYBE a tad bit if i were to use a docking station with an ethernet/lan port that is connected to the laptop via USB..

 

Have anyone tried the speed comparison before...?

 

well, i just did a test with my x1000
. cable direct and cable via HP dock = no difference
. cable direct and cable via an external usb2.0 dock (belkin) - definitively a lag and up&down

but then the usb 2.0 hub only claimed to offer the possibility of port expansion, not necessarily garanteeing the performance one/one as coming out direct from laptop

cheers ...

 

That was what i was afraid off --purchasing a USB hub w/ LAN only to have slower internet performance.. I am not too worried about the usb 2.0 speed for my peripherals. Im just worried about the ethernet speed going through the usb hub...

Any other input from others???

 

All im wondering is if i should just plug in the Rj-45 straight into the laptop or into the USB HUB w/ LAN port. If the speed decrease (if any) should take place, i am sure its minimal.....BUT will it be significant?? If for every page i open on the internet takes 4 secs more than i would have, then that would be a problem.

 

Doing so will work, make sure your FW is active. USB speed in most case have a speed that is faster than most ISP. Even the old 10baseT is faster than most. What will change is lag, it will apear faster, because it is more responsive.

 

THank you for the reply...

Im not quite sure what you're saying.....

Will my "page/pages" load faster or slower using the ethernet port on the USB hub??

 

Pages will load at the same speed, but the reaction time (lag) will be lower. So it will have the feel of loading faster. Bypassing a router removes a hardware firewall, so make sure you have a software one running.

 

But im not bypassing any routers..the rj-45 cable is still coming out of the router. It just goes into a dock/port replicator usb hub instead of the laptop... Does using the USB removes the firewall??

This is what i will be using http://www.usbgear.com/USB_docking_station_with_LAN/index.html

 

NO, as long as you go through the router you have a HW firewall. The replicator will induce lag.