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User profile for user: VirtualRain
VirtualRain Author
User level: Level 1
1 points

Data transfer speeds to TC drive (internal or USB) are terrible!!!

I did some experimenting this evening to assess data transfer rates to various storage items in my home network which uses a new Time Capsule as the router/hub.

Connected to the Time Capsule are the following:
- Mac Pro (GigE)
- Vista Machine (GigE)
- MBA (Wifi)
- Raptor Drive (USB 2)
- Time Capsule Drive (Internal)

Transferring a 650MB file between devices yielded the following results:

MP > Vista (GigE) = 288 Mbps
MP > MBA (5GHz) = 52 Mbps
MP > MBA (2.4GHz) = 43 Mbps
MP > Raptor (TC USB) = 38 Mbps
MP > TC Drive (Internal) = 38 Mbps
MBA (5GHz) > TC Drive (Internal) = 22 Mbps

It seems that transferring files to a USB drive or the internal drive on the Time Capsule is painfully slow. It took 2:20 to transfer the 650MB file to the Time Capsule over GigE vs. 0:20 seconds to another machine.

What's worse, is that the data transfer speeds to the TC are a function of link speed... the slower your connection, the slower your transfer rates... it's not simply limited by some bottle-neck in the TC. It took 3:45 to transfer the same file to the TC from the MacBook Air over the 5GHz Wifi connection.

When I complained about this the other day at the Apple store, the "Genius" said that it's due to QOS built into the router to ensure it doesn't kill my web browsing. YIKES! Who needs this kind of QOS?

I wish Apple would expose the settings to the user allowing us to decide where we need our bandwidth allocated! :mad:

In the mean-time, if you have aspirations that the TC can offer you NAS level performance... forget about it! :mad:

2009 Mac Pro, 2008 MBA, 3G iPhone, Mac OS X (10.5.6), 2009 Time Capsule

Posted on Apr 25, 2009 1:20 AM

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11 replies
User profile for user: bilbobiker
bilbobiker
User level: Level 1
9 points

May 14, 2009 8:05 AM in response to VirtualRain

I get the same behavior with my TC. I get acceptably fast performance as long as I'm not copying to or from the TC's own internal drive, or a drive attached to its USB port. I'm using 5 Ghz 80211n. Transfers between two Macs, both attached wirelessly to the TC, go at around 50 Mbps. If one of the Macs is attached by ethernet to the TC and the other wirelessly, then the transfer rate is around 100 Mbps. If I transfer a file directly to the TC's internal drive though, then the transfer rate is only about 1.6 Mbps! I get the same dismal performance even when attached by ethernet to the TC, so it doesn't seem to have to do with the wireless at all.

This makes no sense to me. I know it's not that the TC's internal drive is slow, because I get the same slow performance when I attach an external drive to the TC via USB. I know that this external drive performs just fine when attached directly to a computer.

Did you ever find a solution to this? I've tried powercycling, the TC but that didn't change anything.
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User profile for user: Dino1956
Dino1956
User level: Level 1
51 points

Jun 25, 2009 1:16 PM in response to Timnl

Funny thing, I put my iTunes Folder on Time Capsule & the lag time on the Apple TV was not long at all but when I was on my Mac & I went double clicking (selecting) through songs on iTunes, I would get a Beach Ball & it would take a good 5 seconds for the first file to load. I couldn't deal with the wait, since I'm ALWAYS listening to music on my Mac. If it wasn't for that my iTunes Folders home would definitely still be on the Time Capsule, as was what I intended.
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User profile for user: JPinCheshire
JPinCheshire
User level: Level 1
42 points

Jun 28, 2009 12:38 AM in response to Dino1956

IF you are using wireless in 802.11n mode to connect to the Time Capsule, it may be worth trying to use the supposedly slower 802.11g.

A couple of us have found that firmware 7.4.2 and 802.11n and an original Time Capsule (not the dual band model) perform VERY slowly using 802.11n when compared to (in my case) 7.3.2. (7.4.1 was also pretty unusable.) Switching to 802.11g results in similar times to 7.3.2. (Just over 2 minutes for a minimal hourly backup compared to about 80 minutes with 7.4.2.)

Just a suggestion but if a few more were to try this, we might discover some more facts about this problem and whether this is a more generally applicable "bypass".
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User profile for user: JPinCheshire
JPinCheshire
User level: Level 1
42 points

Jun 29, 2009 9:23 AM in response to Exivus

Yes, I was suggesting trying 802.11g.

Though perhaps I had better expand on my config and experience before leading you astray.

My TC (original/single band) is running as a wireless client to my ISP supplied modem/router and I use wireless on an iMac to connect to both the TC for TM use and to the modem/router for internet access. One other person has also resolved their slow problem by dropping down to 802.11g.

I have been experimenting today with protocols/firmware levels/wireless configs.

Testing TM (regular "hourly" minimal backups) with the above wireless config, 7.3.2 is fine with both 802.11g and 802.11n. 7.4.2 is fine with 802.11g but absolutely terrible (VERY slow BUT reliable) with 802.11n. (Fine means 2-3 minutes; slow means anywhere between 1 and 2 hours in my case.)

Switching to using the TC as the wireless router (and ignoring internet connectivity for a moment), both 7.3.2 and 7.4.2 are fine - similar backup times to the other combinations.

So, in my case, it is the combination of 7.4.2 and using the TC purely as a wireless client that seems to trigger bad behaviour. Why is the interesting question. (I may need to experiment with moving my modem/router nearer the TC and changing the wireless channel just to eliminate those variables, but I still don't see how 7.4.2 should be so different when neither the wireless channel nor the modem/router have changed.)

(The currently active minimal hourly backup has been running for 55 minutes so far and is nowhere near finishing. Should take 2-3 minutes.)
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User profile for user: ytry
ytry
User level: Level 1
0 points

Jun 30, 2009 11:28 AM in response to JPinCheshire

I hope this helps!

Setup: MacBook, Macbook Pro, and IMac all connecting over wireless N 5GHz to Time Capsule (original 500gb model) which is connected to a cable modem.

I would suggest changing the broadcast channel, When I changed to channel 9 I saw a significant increase in both internal network speeds as well as internet speeds both wireless N 5GHz . Right now I average 20 megabytes / 160 mbps when getting files off the TC drive, and 3.75 megabytes / 30 mbps when downloading large files. I love my ISP !

Time Machine backups average 1 to 2 minutes ( min backups only) when backing up 750 MB it usually takes 5 to 10 minutes. However I don't see a drop in internet speeds when Time Machine is backing up!
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Data transfer speeds to TC drive (internal or USB) are terrible!!!

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