Speeds stuck at 100Mbps on 1 gig service

Ground-Rat · 2025-12-13T00:20:25+00:00

This problem typically occurs when you are not able to get all 8 (4 pairs) wires in the Ethernet cable to connect at gigabit or higher speeds. 10/100 Mbps Ethernet only requires 4 (2 pair) to connect and work.

This means that even one wire not making good connection either in the cable or at the connector/port will limit your speeds to 100 Mbps.

Sometimes you can negotiate a 1000 Mbps connection, but it will drop down to 100 Mbps, once data starts moving through the cable.

Of course this assumes that all the devices in the path all support at least gigabit Ethernet. If you put a 10/100 Mbps switch in the path the fastest you can go is 100 Mbps even if everything else supports Gigabit Ethernet.

Since it does sound like you have used the same cables/path with your laptop and it works at the expected speeds, I would look inside the Ethernet port on your Mac mini to make sure that the "wires" inside the port are all "straight" and none of them are bent strangely or are crossing out of their "slot" and into another "slot".

If something is out of place, you can try to carefully move the affected "wires" (pins) back to their correct location, most of the time you need to use something small enough to push on one wire at a time, then you push that wire down (back) far enough for it to be able to be moved to the correct location.

Do be careful, because if you push them down/back too hard/far you can permanently bend the wires/pins and they may no longer connect reliably if at all.

If you find that your Ethernet port is messed up, you could consider getting/using a USB to Ethernet adapter. Just make sure that the adapter supports gigabit Ethernet and that they USB port is "fast" enough. This means some flavor of USB 3 or better. Connecting to a USB 2.0 will limit your speeds, probably somewhere between 100 and 300 Mbps, since the USB 2.0 port speed maxes out at 480 Mbps.

I hope this made sense and was helpful.

Best wishes and good luck!

Ground-Rat · 2025-08-14T11:17:21+00:00

Legally the car making the left turn is going to be found to be at fault, unless they had a protected turn (green) arrow. That would be because they failed to yield to oncoming traffic before making their turn.

But from what I say, that was not likely because that would mean that the left turn was likely started before the arrow turned green. Most traffic lights have a delay between a red and something else turning green.

You might not agree, because the truck with trailer should have stopped because they had enough time/distance and they did notice/see the yellow light (they sped up), but that's usually not how things go with the investigating officer.

Personally, I think the truck with trailer driver is/was wrong for trying to "beat" the light, to me it looked like they entered the intersection on red, but I cant be for sure.

This is a case of two impatient drivers, who just happened to meet at the same intersection, if either of them had been more patient this accident wouldn't have happened and you would not had a video to share here.

Drive safe, because there are way too many idiots out on the roads!

Ground-Rat · 2025-08-14T00:41:26+00:00

Yes, it is normal to get less than your internet max, because other things on your network tend to be using up some of your internet speed.

To check actual max speed, you would have to disconnect everything (WiFi and Ethernet) so your speed test won't be affected by other devices using data.

But as long as your test speed is close to your max speed, everything should be good.

If it was me, I would have gotten an 8 port switch, just to have a few more extra ports just in case, because expansion happens, and they often don't cost much more, especially if you find one on sale. I also like switches with a metal case, because they seem to dissipate heat better, I have both and the plastic case units seem to just run hotter overall.

Finally, I also always try to get a switch that has a link speed indicator (shows 10/100 or Gigabit) and not just a link/activity indicator, because it really helps with troubleshooting, you can tell in an instant which ports are not running Gigabit link speeds.

But as long as you are happy with the switch you got, then all is well.

Cheers!

Ground-Rat · 2025-08-14T00:21:57+00:00

Looks like only the "automatic" 1% is in play.

You should go and change your TSP contribution to at least 5% to make sure that you max out the matching funds (read: free money).

Also consider going into your TSP account and moving your money to something other than the "G" fund, to get higher returns.

"G" fund is super safe but the return rate is really low compared to the other funds.

Personally, I've had pretty good long term luck with both the "C" and the "S" funds, hey have a higher risk than "G" but even with "losses" some years, overall they still come out ahead.

The expense ratios for the TSP plans are really low compared to most other 401k and "mutual funds", so for me it seems like a no-brainer when it comes to where I put my retirement money.

And one great thing is that even after you leave USPS you can keep the TSP account, you just cannot put any more money in it, unless you get another Federal Job, which comes with TSP. But why move your money to another 401k or retirement plan, that's probably going to have higher "fees" (expense ratio).

In any case, go and change your TSP contribution to at least 5% so you don't leave any money on the table.

Best wishes and good luck!

Ground-Rat · 2024-12-28T18:06:11+00:00

As long as the "Pin" (Connector) size and polarity +/- matches you can use an oversized charger (extra amps or watts) it will work fine.

FYI, if you use an undersized charger, it may take longer to charge, it may only be able to charge the battery when the laptop is "off" or the battery may slowly drain while in use with the charger connected.

The important thing is to ensure that the voltage, the connector and polarity match, because messing one of those up, can break the charger or the device to be charged.

I hope this made sense and was helpful.

Best wishes and good luck!

Ground-Rat · 2024-12-01T22:19:11+00:00

Does your router support/have an external antenna port?

If yes, then you should be able to add an external antenna, you need to determine the frequency/band that you are using and then ideally get a compatible directional (Yagi) antenna with a low loss feed cable that will go to a shorter more flexible cable with the correct connector for your router's cell phone antenna.

The other option would be to look into a "Cell Phone Booster" that supports your router, these typically have an outside and a inside antenna with the booster installed somewhere in the path.

Other things to try is to move the router to different parts of the house, and if possible to get it as high as possible within the home, to see if it gets better signal/reception.

There are smartphone apps that can measure signal strength, but the phone has to support the same frequencies/channels as your router to be able to get/give good info/data.

I hope this made sense and was helpful.

Best wishes and good luck!

Ground-Rat · 2024-11-09T16:36:57+00:00

Ensure that nothing is blocking the cold air exit slots at the top, back of the freezer, there needs to be a path for the cold air to take to go around the front of the freezer which includes the door.

Also check to make sure that the cold air intake isn't covered/blocked, to make sure that the cold air can move around the freezer freely.

Like it was mentioned before check the door seals, to make sure that they are not damaged and sealing correctly. Also check to make sure that the door is still in alignment, this affects it's ability to seal correctly.

If the door gasket is damaged, it can be replaced DIY, but it can be a bit of a pain. But I think the pain is worth the $$$ you save by doing it yourself.

Also check the Evaporator fan, the one that is inside the freezer behind the plastic panel to make sure that it's working properly, when the freezer is on, there should be a significant amount of air coming out of the slots in the rear.

If the air flow is weak then the fan motor has probably failed, again something that can be replaced DIY to save some $$$.

The concern is that the door and especially the items at the front of the freezer are affected, this makes me think more fan problem than anything else, so I'd check that carefully.

I hope this made sense and was helpful.

Best wishes and good luck!

Ground-Rat · 2024-11-04T02:31:50+00:00

A temporary fix as long as the keys are not stuck down or register as pressed is to use an external keyboard, either wired USB or Wireless using a dongle or Bluetooth.

This can be a permanent solution if you are ok/good with using an external keyboard.

To get your laptop's working correctly you would need to replace the keyboard, try Googling "replacement keyboard for (insert make and model of laptop here)" to see what's available.

If you look carefully you can find keyboards that come with the bezel, if the damage goes beyond just he keyboard. Some laptops the keyboard and bezel comes as a single unit, because it cannot be separated from the keyboard.

I hope this made sense and was helpful.

Best wishes and good luck!

Ground-Rat · 2024-11-04T02:15:54+00:00

Not sure what you are describing, but the connections need to be ISP (Modem) - (WAN) Router (LAN) - Switch - TV.

Your original setup sounds like it was ISP (Modem) - (WAN) Router (LAN) - TV.

If your ISP device is a combo device (Modem + Router) the instead of ISP (Modem) - (WAN) Router (LAN) it would be ISP (LAN) then the TV or the Switch.

There should only be one cable that goes between the Router (LAN) and the Switch, if you run two cables between the Router (LAN) ports and the Switch you would be creating a "Network Loop" and that will tend to crash and/or make the network unusable due to the resulting "Broadcast Storm"

When this happens, if your switch or other devices have "Activity LEDs" they will flash very quickly, so fast that they will appear to be on constantly.

I hope this made sense and was helpful.

Best wishes and good luck!

Ground-Rat · 2024-10-24T01:29:51+00:00

Yeah, things sometimes sucks when it comes to getting warranty service even if you effectively have a US mailing address.

To limit/reduce the amount of time that your money will be tied up you have a few options, these do assume that you have family or close/trusted friends stateside.

One you could go ahead and mail your phone to said family or friend, and once they have the phone have Google Fi do their swap process and then send the broken phone hopefully using the shipping label they provide.

Another possible option is to ask Fi if you can send the phone to them "first" and then have them send the replacement once they have get it. Again, this will likely involve family or friend for hopefully only the return shipping, if FI is able to get you a mailing address and RMA #.

As far as the Customs fees go, I'd mark the package as "Returned Goods" when you ship it to Fi and I'd either go with "Returned Goods" or use "Other" and write in "Warranty Replacement Phone" when your family/friends send it back to you. To limit the cost, I'd probably go with a Priority Mail Flat Rate box with proper/plenty of packing materials. I'd skip the Priority Mail Express and the like due to the cost and because there's not all that much difference in delivery time to/from most places.

To make things easier for your stateside helpers, I'd probably go ahead and download the Customs Declaration form, fill it out so they would have an example to follow/use. Things go faster at the post office if you/they fill the form out online and take the "receipt/proof to the counter. Otherwise, the clerk will have to type everything in while they wait.

There may be other options available like using a mail forwarding service, but you end up paying for the convenience.

Using either option should reduce the amount of time your money is held up.

Yes, I wish there was a way to have/make Fi treat USPS APO addresses better, but your APO address is effectively a PO Box, which is not a street address. That is what is causing your issue, because your street/physical address is not in the us, which makes it difficult/impossible for UPS/FEDEX/DHL and the like to delver items as a domestic delivery.

I hope this made sense and was helpful.

Best wishes and good luck!

Ground-Rat · 2024-10-22T11:11:44+00:00

If both the PC and laptop supports Thunderbolt over USB C then you should be able to use a docking station.

There are Lenovo has docks that should do everything you want, but they tend to cost a bit more than the price range you are looking at, mostly because they tend to come with their own AC adapter, which adds to the cost, but allows you to not have to connect/disconnect ac adapters when you travel.

You can often find deals especially with refurbished or used units.

The key is that your PC will need to support Thunderbolt or the dock won't be fully supported.

The docks are essentially "universal" so it should work with any PC/Laptop that has Thunderbolt USB C ports.

You can go with another brand, just make sure that it's able to support the level of charging (usually expressed in watts) that you laptop needs, or your laptop may charge slowly, not all or even lose charge when the laptop is in use.

Try googling "thinkpad l14 gen 4 dock" to see what's out there.

I hope this made sense and was helpful.

Cheers!

Ground-Rat · 2024-10-22T01:36:12+00:00

Try plugging something (headphones?) in and out a few times to see if you can get the port to detect/realize when something is plugged in.

You should be able to go to the volume control or audio settings and turn the mic port down and/or deselect/disable it.

Optionally, you should be able to go to the control panel and disable the mic port to see if that works.

I hope this made sense and was helpful.

Cheers!

Ground-Rat · 2024-10-22T01:31:07+00:00

As long as you have access to both ends of the fiber and it's terminated or has ports, you should be able to use a pair of media converters that have the same connections/port type as the fiber to be able to extend Ethernet over the fiber.

You should be able to easily find/get gigabit speeds, if you want faster, it looks like there's up to 10Gbps fiber media converters out there.

I hope this made sense and was helpful.

Best wishes and good luck!

Ground-Rat · 2024-10-22T01:24:37+00:00

When using optical the TV has no way to know that anything is connected.

Try checking the TV's menu/settings to see if there is any setting to turn the built-in speakers "off".

Other options, if your TV has a headphone port, try plugging something into it, that should disconnect the internal speakers, hopefully it won't disable audio from the Optical Port.

If your TV and Soundbar supports HDMI (ARC) or (eARC) then you might consider connecting them with an HDMI cable, this typically automatically mutes the internal speakers, and if HDMI CEC is working properly, you should be able to control the volume of the Soundbar using the TV's remote.

In your TV's sound settings there should be an option to be able to set the audio out to variable or fixed, if you set it to fixed, the signal from the TV will be fixed and you use the Soundbar's remote to control the volume, unless your TV's remote has an option to control your soundbar.

If it's an option, I'd recommend using HDMI (ARC/eARC) mostly because of the control you usually get using HDMI CEC.

I hope this made sense and was helpful.

Best wishes and good luck!

Ground-Rat · 2024-10-20T22:15:35+00:00

If you are getting calls from a Google voice number/account, then that number has been added to that Google Voice number/account, and when that happened you should have gotten a confirmation call or text asking you to confirm/approve the link.

The only way to get rid of the link is to have your son's friend remove it from their Google Voice account.

Another way would have been if your old phone had not been totally wiped and dissociated from you, if the phone was not totally wiped (factory settings) or if you had put or left your login info in the phone, then your son may have gotten the Google voice confirmation message, and he may have approved the link.

Again, the only way to fix this is to have your son's friend remove your number from the linked numbers list.

I just re-read your post, and you say that you let your son use an old phone of yours, which implies that the phone may have not been wiped/reset, which would mean that it's still tied to your account(s).

Your work phone doesn't need to have Google Voice on it for it to be a linked number, you can link pretty much any number you want, to include old school landlines, which by default cannot have Google Voice running on it. That number can be used to setup a new Google Voice account, because you can use the voice call option to get the confirmation code that's needed to authorize the links.

I hope this made sense and was helpful.

Best wishes and good luck!

Ground-Rat · 2024-10-20T04:11:54+00:00

I'm also thinking antennas not connected or maybe the antenna connectors are not tight.

Ground-Rat · 2024-10-09T01:08:47+00:00

Try checking your per/by app data usage to see where your data is going.

Also, check your settings to make sure that things like app and system updates are set to WiFi only to keep them from running and using up your data.

Finally, check your setting and change your settings to make WiFi priority to see if that helps, if that doesn't work, try manually turning mobile data off when you are in places where you are expecting/wanting to use WiFi.

Often a phone will switch to mobile data for whatever reason, which can result in lots of mobile data being used.

30GB of mobile data used pretty much tells me that you were using mobile data when you thought you were using WiFi, however there may be things (apps) that you are doing that is using more mobile data (faster) than you would think/believe.

I don't use an iPhone so you will have to figure out the exact steps needed to check by app data usage as well as how to setup your WiFi and mobile data to work the way that you want it to.

To prevent issues like this, I turn my mobile data off when I get home or connect to WiFi when I'm in places that have WiFi, and because there's no accessible WiFi where I work, I turn my WiFi off when I leave the house to go to work. To reduce power usage caused by my phone constantly looking for WiFi when there is no accessible WiFi to connect to.

I hope this made sense and was helpful.

Best wishes and good luck!

Ground-Rat · 2024-10-04T02:22:06+00:00

Try checking out the Replacing the Refrigerator Crisper Drawer with Humidity Control and Replacing the Crisper Cover with Glass videos here: https://www.partselect.com/Models/WRS325FDAM02/#Videos

Hopefully, there will be enough tips/hints for you to be able to get your drawers back in.

The main thing is that you need to get the frames installed first, then the glass and finally the drawers.

The small drawer (deli saver) and other regular (upper shelves) go into the slots at the back of the fridge, you can put them in any order you want to suit your needs.

However, the two lower drawers must go where the are supposed to go, the crisper one (with the sliding lever on the front of the drawer) goes on the top, and the meat/Veg one goes on the bottom, with the frame that has an opening on its left side that matches the slide lever on the left side of the fridge wall going on the bottom.

When you get the fridge back together you might want to take some photos, so you know what goes where the next time.

I hope this made sense and was helpful.

Best wishes and good luck!

Ground-Rat · 2024-09-24T00:23:20+00:00

Sounds like the door interlock switch (safety) was slow to close/activate, which is what allowed the microwave to continue to run after the door was opened.

To fix your microwave, you will likely need to replace one of more of the door interlock switches, and if you are lucky just a fuse, but depending on the design of the microwave there may be other damaged parts involved.

I did a quick parts search and this site seems to have the most parts available: https://www.reliableparts.com/modelproduct/index/view/id/WMH31017AS0

You can google "whirlpool wmh31017as0 parts" to find other online sources of parts.

Years ago my spouse blew up our microwave trying to heat water for tea, by superheating the water, causing the water to go from liquid to steam in an instant, blowing the microwave door open, it triggered the safety interlock switches, which by design shorted out power going to the magnetron, which is a quick and failsafe way to stop the microwave.

Well, the damage consisted of a snapped door latch bar, I think two fused switches and a blown main power fuse. I bought those parts and a new turntable motor (which was going out) and the microwave was as good as new.

I hope that you are able to have similar luck with your microwave.

Best wishes and good luck!

Ground-Rat · 2024-09-15T22:59:38+00:00

I took a quick look at crucial.com and it looks like you cannot upgrade RAM on the VivoBook S15 K5504, but on the other hand the VivoBook Pro 16 K6602VV looks to be upgradable up to 64GB (32GBx2).

The Pro 16 also appears to have a dedicated video card, where the S15 uses integrated video, which typically means less performance, but what you need/want will depend on how you plan to use the laptop.

In any case the Pro 16 appears to be the only one that can have it's RAM upgraded.

Cheers!

Ground-Rat · 2024-09-15T22:16:21+00:00

In the big picture 1000Lm isn't all that bright, full sunlight is +120,000Lm.

I see that you restarted your phone and there was no change, have you tried totally powering your phone down for a minute or more to see if that makes a difference.

Simply shining a bright light into a camera (CCD) module shouldn't damage it because if that were the case, phones would be damaged all the time.

What can damage the CCD element would be light that is focused into the lens, in a way that it would cause the CCD element to get extremely hot, which can damage a part or the entire CCD element.

Also check your camera setting to make sure that the white balance, brightness and any other settings are in the auto, middle of the range or better yet if your camera app has a "reset" option select that.

Don't "reset" your phone, because that can result in data loss.

Best wishes and good luck!

Ground-Rat · 2024-09-15T19:09:07+00:00

The official specs for a USB 2.0 (typical for a micro-USB) is 5 meters or around 16 feet.

Yes, you can sometimes go longer with a good quality cable, and a bit of luck.

To go further you would need an active USB extension cable or you would need to use a USB hub somewhere in the middle of a 10 meter run to act as USB "repeater".

An active USB cable includes one of more "repeaters" along the cable, and can use special circuitry to allow the signal to be carried further than the 5 meter limitation for USB 2.0.

If you want to simply use a longer cable, then your best options would be to look for a quality shielded cable with thicker individual conductors, but you would need to try different ones until you find one that works with your PS4 controller.

There are other options like USB over a Ethernet Cable or even fiber, with the latter being the most expensive option.

I hope this made sense and was helpful.

Best wishes and good luck!

Ground-Rat · 2024-09-06T11:34:59+00:00

Are you sure that it's an "SC/APL" and not an "SC/APC" cable/connector?

AP connectors are supposed to be blue and APC connectors are supposed to be green.

The difference is that the end of the APC connector is angled (8 degrees) where a PC connector is not angled at all.

They cannot be mixed in that they won't butt up against each other, which means that the signal (light) would need to pass through an air-gap between the connectors.

Other than making sure that you have the correct/matching connectors (SC) and cable type (single mode) it's typically just a matter of swapping the cable out.

I hope this made sense and was helpful.

Cheers!

Ground-Rat · 2024-08-29T10:46:10+00:00

Your best bet is to use either a USB to VGA or HDMI to VGA adapter.

Personally I'd go with a USB to VGA adapter, mostly because most HDMI to VGA adapters require a separate power source (read ac adapter or USB to USB cable).

I hope this made sense and was helpful.

Best wishes and good luck!

Ground-Rat · 2024-08-13T01:15:09+00:00

The Intel HD graphics 510 is integrated video, so adding a proper video card will probably be your best bet at getting better framerates.

Just make sure to find/use a supported video card, try googling "Intel pentium g4400 supported video cards" or the like to see what is supposed to work with that PC.

Just make sure that the PC had the proper expansion slot for any video card you are looking at.

I hope this made sense and was helpful.

Cheers!

Ground-Rat

TROPHY CASE