My NAS transfers very slowly
If you believe your NAS is transferring slowly, there are a few things to check to confirm and potentially resolve any issues.
First, be aware that NAS devices do NOT transfer nearly as fast as a direct connected device will. Typical NAS speeds range from 3MB/s to 20MB/s for consumer level products. If you're device is transferring between these speeds it is likely normal behavior.
Its important to understand that NAS devices are in actuality little computers. They include an OS, RAM and process the information transferred to them. Any transfer between two computers requires resources from both the destination and source and the transfer will only go as fast as the slowest computer.
Additionally, your network is the same. If you have a 10/100 network or even a 1000 network with a 10/100 device: the entire network will transfer at the speed of the slowest device.
If you're certain these are not the issues, please see the check list below:
- Each transfer counts as a connection to the NAS and divides its attention. Your NAS has a specific amount of capacity for the transfers and every connection will divide it by the amount of connections. To ensure the fastest transfer possible, only have one computer connected and transferring only one stream at a time.
- Be sure that you're using a router or switch all throughout your network and that no hubs exist in the infrastructure. Hubs do not have the ability to multi-path connections and will slow the network.
- If you're transferring a lot of small files, that will be considerably slower than large files. This is due to the computing power required to scan and close many individual files rather than one file.
- Sometimes the OS calculator does not give a reliable reading due to various factors, try bench-marking the drive. Many free benchmark tools are available online.
- As the NAS has a limited amount of resources to transfer a file; so too does your PC. If you're experiencing slow speeds, it may be the computer used and not the NAS.
What is the situation you are facing?
