Vodafone hg556a router usb hdd slow transfer speeds

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akoudrin

7 posts

Wannabe Geek

#113073 4-Jan-2013 17:50

Hi,

I have a similar problem as

http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=40&topicid=90431&page_no=2#527216

where my access permissions to the external usb ntfs drive attached to HG556a Vodafone router sometimes don't allow writing. However, my main problem is that file transfer speeds to and from the drive connected via 100 MB/s LAN is ~500 KB/s. I've posted the following on the Vodafone forum, but I'm not sure when/if I'll get an answer:

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Hi,

I get slow file transfer speeds (~500 KB/s) between my Windows 7 machine and external usb hdd connected to hg556a router. WiFi and Internet access seem to be fine.

I've already posted it as answer in this thread, but now think it may go unnoticed:
forum.vodafon...mpossibly-slow

Details on File Transfer Speed

I connected my Windows 7 PC via 100 Mb/s LAN cable to the Vodafone hg556a router. I have already flashed it to the software version V100R001C12B037. I connected my external USB 2.0 hard drive formatted in NTFS to the back USB port of the router. I followed instructions and set up FTP and mapped the network drive on my PC.

The result is I can see the hdd fine in explorer. I can copy/read from the drive at ~2 MB/s and can write to the drive at ~500 KB/s. These are extremely slow file transfer speeds compared to when I had that same hard drive plugged straighted into the PC where I'd get speeds of 10-20 MB/s.

This is far too slow to be able to do anything useful with the USB attached data. It is almost as if the USB port is USB 1.1 rather 2.0... I understand that 100 Mb/s lan is only capable of 12.5 MB/s as a theoretical maximum and probably ~10 MB/s as a real maximum. But 500 KB/s is ~20 times slower, which puzzles me.

Is there anything I can do to fix it?

File Access

In addition I sometimes get an access error for certain files and folders, but not for others. Interestingly the Vodafone page:

help.vodafone...tail/a_id/11572

Says that I wouldn't be able to write to an NTFS drive, which is not true. It was only sometimes that I was getting the access error.

It would be nice to have access problems fixed too.

Any help appreciated!

Regards,
Alex

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nitrotech

1285 posts

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#740244 4-Jan-2013 18:47

Same for me it's unusable so sloooowwwww.........

akoudrin

7 posts

Wannabe Geek

#742766 10-Jan-2013 12:56

bump

PhantomNVD

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#748549 21-Jan-2013 23:12

cheap is cheap?

low qual / free to end user = slow crappy equipment - USB access is for advertising, not real use?

sbiddle

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#748568 22-Jan-2013 06:11

My only advice is to buy a decent router if that functionality is important to you, rather than a cheap as chips free device from your ISP.

Spend $349 and get a Fritz!box. USB capabilities are great, throughput is good, and it does NTFS. You also get an exceptionally power ful dual band device with a heap of other capabilities incl VoIP.

akoudrin

7 posts

Wannabe Geek

#748591 22-Jan-2013 07:45

I have since been looking for router that would include a 4 Gigabit lan ports and one (preferably two) USB ports. Some Netgear routers seem to do it. Although they are pretty expensive at $200+ and they don't do USB 3.0. Any recommendations for such a router?

Cheers,

Btw, recommending a $350 router to someone who is trying to save $$ is not a great idea. I'm not a PC freak who spends every last cent on PC parts. USB 2.0 and Ethernet have been out there for over a decade and I expect even the "cheap as chips" equipment to work properly. In the case of this router it seems at some stage there is a problem (hardware or software). It's interesting that no enthusiast looked into this slow transfer rate given the number of these routers in New Zealand!

sbiddle

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#748594 22-Jan-2013 08:06

I simply put the option out there - you didn't make any mention of price in your initial post. If you had done I wouldn't have said what the best solution was.

The simple reality is if you want performance you sometimes have to pay for it - a decent modem with Gig Ethernet and good capabilities doesn't come cheap and you can't expect to get the same level of performance or functionality out of a US$35 device as what you'll get out of a device costing 10x the price.

Price is a perceptive point - while you may consider $200 expensive for a device, in all honestly that's the starting point for anything these days that is semi decent if you want more than just basic modem and routing capabilities.

Lenovo

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Handle9

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#748595 22-Jan-2013 08:06

akoudrin: Btw, recommending a $350 router to someone who is trying to save $$ is not a great idea. I'm not a PC freak who spends every last cent on PC parts. USB 2.0 and Ethernet have been out there for over a decade and I expect even the "cheap as chips" equipment to work properly. In the case of this router it seems at some stage there is a problem (hardware or software). It's interesting that no enthusiast looked into this slow transfer rate given the number of these routers in New Zealand!

Where did it say in your post that you were trying to save money? The reality of cheap/free routers is that the USB on them is crap. They are low powered and have very little memory so they won't perform well. It's a bit like trying to tow a boat with a mini. It may work but it will be a rubbish experience. This isn't exclusive to the Vodafone router, all the cheap/free routers are like this in my experience.

If file transfer is important for you then you need to invest in the right tool for the job.

groynk

234 posts

Master Geek
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#748653 22-Jan-2013 09:58

Handle9:
akoudrin: Btw, recommending a $350 router to someone who is trying to save $$ is not a great idea. I'm not a PC freak who spends every last cent on PC parts. USB 2.0 and Ethernet have been out there for over a decade and I expect even the "cheap as chips" equipment to work properly. In the case of this router it seems at some stage there is a problem (hardware or software). It's interesting that no enthusiast looked into this slow transfer rate given the number of these routers in New Zealand!

Where did it say in your post that you were trying to save money? The reality of cheap/free routers is that the USB on them is crap. They are low powered and have very little memory so they won't perform well. It's a bit like trying to tow a boat with a mini. It may work but it will be a rubbish experience. This isn't exclusive to the Vodafone router, all the cheap/free routers are like this in my experience.

If file transfer is important for you then you need to invest in the right tool for the job.

I too have struggled away without decent performance from the vodafone router usb. I have given up using the hard drive through the router and will get a NAS once I can afford it.
(btw I can agree now that it is a cheapo, but locking into a 12 month contract to get the modem isn't the same thing as free)

It's a shame the thing can't do very well what it advises it can do. Having a tow bar on a mini is a good anology, but would they advertise the tow bar as a prominent feature on the box?