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Will a 5MBps cable modem (with 10/100baset) be slowed down by a Cisco router that has only a 10BaseT WAN port?

I've got a 5MBps cable connection and it is running, standalone, about 4.8MBps. I was wondering if plugging it into a 10BaseT only WAN port (of a Cisco 831 router) would slow the connection down or it will be the same as if it was plugged into a 100BaseT capable WAN port...I understand 10BaseT yields a maximum of 8MBps and so I am within the range, however, I want to make sure.

Thanks

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Lee W, MVP

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scorpioncap

ASKER

Thanks, I'm debating the intelligence level of the engineers who decided to make this broadband router (831) with a 10baset wan port only when everyone else has a 100baset, the switch is 100baset, and broadband is moving up all the time - probably they want to limit the life so you buy a new one every year or two.

Dr-IP

I have actually tested this in real life, and found that you can get a little over 8 megs through a 10M Ethernet port, so the Ethernet port won’t be the limiting factor, but the routers forwarding rate of the router might. Only way to know that for sure is try it, also add to the config “ip cef” if the IOS supports it as it does improve throughput.

Dr-IP

, I'm debating the intelligence level of the engineers who decided to make this broadband router (831) with a 10baset wan port only when everyone else has a 100baset, the switch is 100baset,

That’s an old router design, that when it was created, 1.5 megs was about all anyone got out of a broadband connection, so the 10M port on it was more than good enough back then. Now it’s getting to be very marginal, and I don’t think you will see many more broadband devices coming with 10M ports much longer.