Forum Discussion

cox88's avatar
cox88
New Contributor II
3 years ago

laptop max 100 Mbps only on COX 150 Mbps plan

I have COX 150 Mbps plan but when I check laptop it says connection is 100 Mbps only. I used to be able to go above 100 Mbps in past, but recently the adapter connection shows max 100 Mbps only. Also when I do a speed test, it is around 94 Mbps. Any idea why the adapter is limited to 100 Mbps only? I have set adapter to auto-negotiate sped and did not choose the 100 Mpbs setting ( did not change from when it worked in past ). Windows 10, Dell laptop. Thanks.

19 Replies

Sort By
  • Bruce's avatar
    Bruce
    Honored Contributor III
    3 years ago

    When you hover your cursor over the network icon in the notification area, it reads 100 Mbps?  This would be from your NIC and not your data plan.  For some reason your NIC is configured for Fast Ethernet (100 Mbps).  Open Device Manager via Run command to troubleshoot:  devmgmt.msc

    Check the properties of your NIC and as Mouth noted, try another cable and perhaps another port on the router.  Something isn't auto-negotiating.

  • cox88's avatar
    cox88
    New Contributor II
    3 years ago

    If I am reading the web info correctly, my NIC (  Realtek PCIe FE Family Controller ) is limited to 100 Mbps.

    Thanks everyone for the feedback/suggestions.

    ** Speed is set to Auto Negotiation, which according to other website, if working correctly, should support up to 1 Gbps. But is limited to 100 Mbps on my laptop.

    Ethernet adapter LAN:

    Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
    Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
    Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Realtek PCIe FE Family Controller


    https://www.minitool.com/news/realtek-pcie-gbe-family-controller.html

    ** If your Realtek PCIe FE Family Controller is a 10/100M network device, it means its maximum speed is 100 MB/sec. FE means Fast Ethernet that is 10/100 MB/sec.

    https://www.quora.com/What-is-a-%E2%80%9CRealtek-PCIe-FE-Family-Controller%E2%80%9D-and-what-are-its-functions

    • Bruce's avatar
      Bruce
      Honored Contributor III
      3 years ago

      Doesn't look like Win10 dialog boxes.

    • CurtB's avatar
      CurtB
      Valued Contributor III
      3 years ago

      It looks like your ethernet adapter (NIC) is the limiting factor.  In addition to the 100 Mbps speed in network adapter settings, the FE in the description is further evidence.  I recently replaced my NIC with a Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller that adapter settings show 1.0 Gbps speed. 

    • cox88's avatar
      cox88
      New Contributor II
      3 years ago

      Thanks everyone for the help.

      Now that I at least know the NIC is the limiting factor, I will have to determine my next step.

      And one of that is definitely to decline Cox offer to upgrade my speed 🙂

      Thanks.

      • Bruce's avatar
        Bruce
        Honored Contributor III
        3 years ago

        So you never measured 100 Mbps on this PC?

        Is your NIC really a "limiting factor"?  What would you do on this PC requiring more than 100 Mbps?

        You only started this post because your NIC read "100 Mbps" but not because you weren't getting enough bandwidth.

  • cox88's avatar
    cox88
    New Contributor II
    3 years ago

    Thanks Mouth and Bruce.  Not Cox Panoramic, it is an old modem / router with wifi, before Cox came out with Panoramic. The NIC is set to Auto Negotiate. Running troubleshooting came back no issue. I did try with different ports / cat 6 cables and hooked up directly to the cable modem port and nothing helped. I have Dell Inspiron 17-5570 and after more web search it looks like the NIC may be limited to 100 Mbps. This info is Not on the Dell site but other people review site, almost impossible to find. I was on the 300+ Mbps plan in past and could have sworn that I had speed close to 300+ Mbps back then. Maybe I was using a different laptop back then. For a moment I thought Cox McAfee may be causing the issue. Anyways thanks for your feedback.

    • Bruce's avatar
      Bruce
      Honored Contributor III
      3 years ago

      Did troubleshooting update the drivers of your NIC?  You can get the make and model of your NIC via the same run command and research...or post.  If no drivers available, you could disable then re-enable...then uninstall then re-install...the NIC.

      I don't think manufacturers have sold Fast Ethernet computers in decades.

      • cox88's avatar
        cox88
        New Contributor II
        3 years ago

        thanks for the suggestions.

        running the troubleshoot came back with no issues and it did not have to update my NIC drivers. I do not think I want to uninstall that NIC driver at this time, may lead to other issues - such as not able to find / download / install the correct driver.

        The Dell Support Assist software broke and is no longer able to run, so it is no longer able to update my drivers.

        see reply above - my modem/router works at 150 Mbps. I have a company laptop that is able to go above 100 Mbps. It is only my own Dell laptop that is limited to 100 Mbps. Also if I use 5 GHz Wifi, I am able to get over 100 Mbps. So it is definitely the NIC card in my own Dell laptop that seems to be the issue.

    • CurtB's avatar
      CurtB
      Valued Contributor III
      3 years ago

      How to check ethernet adapter speed in Control Panel

      Press Windows Key + R and type control panel. Click OK to open the Control Panel.

      Windows 10

      1. Open Control Panel.
      2. Click on Network and Internet.
      3. Click on Network and Sharing Center.
      4. Click on Change adapter settings.
      5. Double-click the network adapter.
      6. Check the connection speed in the Speed field.

      Windows 7

      1. Open Control Panel.
      2. Click on Network and Internet.
      3. Click on View network status and tasks.
      4. Click on Change adapter settings.
      5. Double-click the Local Area Connection.
      6. Check the connection speed in the Speed field.

      If the ethernet adapter speed is 100 Mbps, you will be limited to a download speed less than 100 Mbps, regardless of the download speed provided by Cox.