Wireless speed is slow

Hi everybody,

This is my first post on the forums! I have been using computers most of my life but only as of late have I been taking an interest in learning everything about them so please bear with me as I am a noob!

I just hooked up my wireless router in my condo and everything seems to be running normally except the speed at my labtop only gets to as high as
18.0 Mbps with a signal strength excellent, in fact right now its at 1.0Mbps.
I was hoping for it to be closer to the normal 54.0Mbps.
I was at a hotel last night using wireless and I was getting 54Mbps so I ruled out my wireless card in the labtop.

I tried moving the router around a little bit, I unplugged my cordless phone (2.4ghz), I even had the labtop in the same room as the router but it still doesn't speed things up.

The router is a Dlink WBR-1310.

Any suggestions?

 

Hi

i`m also having this problem...but not with a home network but a town network..and at first it says 11.0 Mbps then it drops down to 01.0 Mbps at top range...

 

I just repositioned the router on top of a shelf and changed the channel to 4 and it looks as though 18.0mbps is the best it will do on the labtop.
My previous channels were 6 and 1.
I wonder if the router is faulty?
It is hardware version D, firmware version 4

 

improve wireless reception

First of all how far are you from the router.
These quoted speeds are imaginary numbers.
Speed at best is 1/2 of stated.
Speed drops off rapidly with any distance.
Microsoft itself states "Wireless networks never reach their theoretical bandwidth limits.. 80211b typically get 2-5 mbs. 80211g is usually in the 13-23 range ".
Check the settings in the routers.
Transmit rates can be set lower than maximal ( to increase distance)
Install netstumbler and check for other signals - they may be sporadic.
Check for dense inteference - metal doors, walls with metal insulation, furnaces, filing cabinets etc etc.
Placement of the router ?
The best place is high , uncluttered away from anywhere else and either on the first or second floor if it is a two story home.
Also the adapter should be in the open. If it is a pci card it may well be blocked by the metal of the computer case and a wall.
I knew one idiot who had the router in the basement , in the furnace room . under a metal table and swore reception was sporadic.
He and his stupid wife had blocked the signal outside of the basement and were receiving a wireless internet signal , elswewhere in the house courtesy of a neighbour's linksys router.
Change the channel, set the transmission to g only, set the laptop next to the router and check throughput.
It is possible that you have a neighbour's or an adapter which is b and brings the network down to b speeds at its max.
Run spyware scans to ensure that spyware is not limiting your effective throughput.
Hope this helps.
Hope that I never meet such an idiot as that fellow again. Odds are I will.


http://www.microsoft.com/athome/moredone/wirelesstips.mspx

 

Thanks for the reply!

I tried a number of things that you mentioned and to no avail, the max is 18mbps and the average is 11.
I'm not that far from the router mayber 15 feet, it is separated by a regular wood and drywall wall.
The router is on my computer desk, in close proximity to the main computer and printer but even when I put the router up high on a shelf there was no change.
I changed to g only but when I saved the setting I dropped the signal on the labtop and could not reconnect until I went back to the original setting.
There are a couple of other unsecured wireless networks in the building that could be slowing me down - not sure if they are b though.
I will run a spyware scan again and I will also check out netstumbler as you mentioned.

Thanks again!

 

Microsofts own data says:

802.11g is usually in the 13-23Mbps range


so you are not far off.
you might want to build a reflective antenna with tin foil.

http://www.freeantennas.com/

I do not think that you can add or change the antenna on the router model you have.

As I said these 54 numbers are fiction so don's lose sleep over your performance.

another option which is faster is a powerline ethernet adapter.
What type of adapter is being used ? If it is a built in lid type antenna as found on newer laptops that is better, however if it is a pcmcia type lol. The antennas are rather tiny. If so try a usb wi fi antenna extended away from the laptop.
Or if you want a simple off the shelf component antenna

http://www.usbwifi.orcon.net.nz/

 

Thanks for the info!
Visionof the card in the laptop is a Dell true mobile 1300 WLAN Mini-PCI card