CAT 5 vs USB 2

[j0ckser]

i was recently supplied with a high speed cable modem. i have a mini network and everything works the way it should, but i noticed when hooking it up that CAT5 and USB were both offered as direct connection options.

the network uses a gigafast 4 port wireless router connected to the modem; the wireless part is so i can connect with my portable in another room. the desktop is an older pc with o/s win98se and is connected directly to the router with CAT5. i am considering using the USB cable in place of the CAT5.

QUERIES:
*is there likely to be any noticeable performance difference by changing to USB?
*are there issues with win98se that may make my life difficult (i.e., more of a challenge than the performance increase might be worth)?

per ardua ad astra

 

[eyec]

unless your old machine has USB 2.0 on it i would stick with the CAT5. this also saves your USB ports for other attachments you may end up needing.

 

[j0ckser]

how do i determine if the machine has USB 2? i understand the saving of ports, but if the performance improvement is significant, a hub will add extra ports.

per ardua ad astra

 

[BrucesXP]

Checking if USB 2 is installed (and more to the point Enabled)

http://www.usbman.com/Guides/checking_for_usb_2.htm

but basically look in device manager under USB for one or more mentions of the word ENHANCED. (Complication: If you have say a USB1 motherboard and a USB2 PCI card then it gets a bit tricker but the ENHANCED test will tell you there IS a USB2 port - now you just have to figure out which it is)

Regarding USB vs Cat5:
If you have no other USB devices then go for it - it may well work despite being a bit unusual and therefore liable to find bugs in software that have been removed for an ethernet connection.

If you do have other devices things get a tad more complicated. Especially if (say) you want to connect to the internet via USB and use a USB headset, hi Res webcam and microphone.

USB2 is capable of very high speed but at some point the controller has to dump that bandwidth back onto one of the data busses. So each USB controller has an amount of bandwidth to share between its USB ports.
A Hub will thus not add any bandwidth, it will just share the controller/card bandwidth between more sockets. Furthermore each 'real' USB socket is supposed to be able to supply up to 500mA of current to a device. A hub needs to be powered to deliver that to all it's sockets.

Finally look on the troubleshooting pages of any major USB device - not supported on hubs, adapters etc ect. Connect directly to motherboard it will say. SO say NO to external HUBS!!

My Webcam vendor is currently struggling with getting real world USB ports to handle HiRes streaming video although the specs suggest there would be no problem. Imagine if you are also using USB to stream the same video out on to the Net, suddenly bandwidth shortage, stuttering etc

So If you have scanners, webcams, etc etc personally I'd use a network card /port for the network connection.

Ive spent hours trying to resolve USB problems and zero hours on ethernet cards/ports. Personally that says it all!

 

[cdogg]

OK, first of all, the USB port on the cable modem isn't really an option for you, since you have a router involved that requires ethernet.

Connecting a PC directly over USB 1.1 or USB 2.0 to the cable modem doesn't matter. The internet's not going to be any faster than it is right now over ethernet. Remember, average download speeds are still less than 512KB/s, and even USB 1.1 can handle up to 1.5MB/s which is 3 times that. CAT5 ethernet goes up to 12.5MB/s.

The only time that the connection matters is when you are transferring from one PC to another. In that case, you would consider the following interfaces:

1) 10Mbps ethernet - 1.25MB/s
2) USB 1.1 - 1.5MB/s
3) 100Mbps ethernet - 12.5MB/s
4) USB 2.0 - 60MB/s
5) 1000Mbps ethernet (gigabit) - 125MB/s
etc...

~cdogg
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Albert Einstein
[tab][navy]For general rules and guidelines to get better answers, click here:[/navy] faq219-2884

 

[dglienna]

It will be slower via USB, as it involves software that translates the packets. Go with the CAT5 cable. Also, check out that some cable modems don't support BOTH at the same time. You have to reboot the router to switch from USB to CAT5 connection.

-David
2006 Microsoft Valueable Professional (MVP)
2006 Dell Certified System Professional (CSP)

 

[SkipCox]

1) 10Mbps ethernet - 1.25MB/s
2) USB 1.1 - 1.5MB/s
3) 100Mbps ethernet - 12.5MB/s
4) USB 2.0 - 60MB/s
5) 1000Mbps ethernet (gigabit) - 125MB/s
etc..."

I run 4 of the 5 listed...effective difference ain't much.

Skip

http://skipcox.net

 

[cdogg]

Skip,
What's the "effective measurement" you're talking about?


If you're talking internet speeds, I've already explained why it doesn't matter which one you choose. If you're talking about transferring files over the network from one PC to another or hosting an application server, then it's a different ballgame, and the interface used DOES make a difference.

~cdogg
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Albert Einstein
[tab][navy]For general rules and guidelines to get better answers, click here:[/navy] faq219-2884

 

[dglienna]

I get 1.5 mB/s with DSL, but my neighbor gets 8 mB/s.
Over my WIFI-G LAN, at 54 mB/s, they're different, but over a WIFI-B at 11 mB/s, there is no difference.

mB = MegaBit *

-David
2006 Microsoft Most Valueable Professional (MVP)
2006 Dell Certified System Professional (CSP)

 

[cdogg]

David,

Not sure what you trying to say? Your DSL connection and your neighbor's broadband are both SLOWER than WIFI-B or WIFI-G.

WIFI requires some headroom, but there should be very little difference, if any, between B and G for internet-related tasks.

~cdogg
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Albert Einstein
[tab][navy]For general rules and guidelines to get better answers, click here:[/navy] faq219-2884

 

[SkipCox]

I'm saying precisely what you just posted cdogg...sorry I didn't make my post clearer.

In other words, I click and the desired result happens. Makes no real difference if it's internet related, network file transfer, or network printer use.

Skip

http://skipcox.net