WiFi card/dongle advice please

Zero-Cool

Hi,

I have a G standard card in my Dell desktop. I installed this myself as no card comes with the computer. All going fine but I recently upgraded BB to UPC 15 mbs. I am only getting 3-4mbs on speedtest.net.

Ethernet is getting 14 mbs. My PS3 is getting 10 - 14mbs. I got a loan of a new Win 7 laptop with N standard wifi card and it gets 14mbs.

I tested all computers in the same room, beside the router.

Can anyone tell me for sure if the problem is my G standard wifi card and if upgrading to N standard will get faster speeds? I've done a ton of testing but wanted to check with the experts before splasing out money on a card/dongle that might not doing anything.

Thanks

marco_polo

sheehy83 wrote: »

Hi,

I have a G standard card in my Dell desktop. I installed this myself as no card comes with the computer. All going fine but I recently upgraded BB to UPC 15 mbs. I am only getting 3-4mbs on speedtest.net.

Ethernet is getting 14 mbs. My PS3 is getting 10 - 14mbs. I got a loan of a new Win 7 laptop with N standard wifi card and it gets 14mbs.

I tested all computers in the same room, beside the router.

Can anyone tell me for sure if the problem is my G standard wifi card and if upgrading to N standard will get faster speeds? I've done a ton of testing but wanted to check with the experts before splasing out money on a card/dongle that might not doing anything.

Thanks

Doubt it would be of much benefit, or at least it would be a gamble for which you might well see no benefit at all. If there is a good signal on a wireless g network and no contention it should be well able to handle the full 15 mbps with room to spare. Very hard to have a firm idea of what is going on but a these are a few things off the top of my head to check out.

Is there a good wireless signal to the desktop and is the card a decent quality brand?

If there are a number of other wireless networks close by it may be worth experimenting with differernt wireless channels on the router in case it is clashing with a nearby network that happens to be using the same channel and causing interference, thus reducing performance.

Also making sure you have the latest drivers for the card installed, I have seen a few chronicly slow wireless cards cured with a driver update in the past.

Zero-Cool

marco_polo wrote: »

Thanks Marco,

Card is a good make, can't think of it off top o my head (in work at the moment) but remember looking it up before. I haven't checked for updates in it in ages tho will will def check that. Signal is always either Excellent or Very Good. UPC said it is either my wireless Card needs updating or my actual computer. I tested the PS3, desktop and 2 laptops, all wirelessly and wired. The old laptop and Desktop (both XP) had slow wireless 3-4mbs. Tested all machines right after another and then re-tested all over again to make sure the speeds weren't going up and down from UPC. UPC actually said I was in a new area and my contention rate should be very low.

Sickened to see the new laptop get 14 mbs straight away, since i'm paying for it, I want to be able to get it on the desktop

marco_polo

It's not a dual channel wireless N router by any chance?

(All of the following assumes a yes to the above )
If so my final theory is that there could be interference problems on the 2.4GHz band that wireless g is confined to, but the 5.0GHz band that wireless adapter N can also use is fine. A quick test would be to enable only the 2.4 GHz band if your route allows and test out the new laptop with the wireless N adapter (wireless N can use both bands), if it slows down to 3-4 mbs then there is your answer.

If this is the case, then a wireless n adapter or a change of channel on the 2.4GHz band might improve things.


If not then I am stumped

Zero-Cool

marco_polo wrote: »

It's not a dual channel wireless N router by any chance?

(All of the following assumes a yes to the above )
If so my final theory is that there could be interference problems on the 2.4GHz band that wireless g is confined to, but the 5.0GHz band that wireless adapter N can also use is fine. A quick test would be to enable only the 2.4 GHz band if your route allows and test out the new laptop with the wireless N adapter (wireless N can use both bands), if it slows down to 3-4 mbs then there is your answer.

If this is the case, then a wireless n adapter or a change of channel on the 2.4GHz band might improve things.


If not then I am stumped

Thanks Marco!

I'm not sure if the router is dual band. I will log into the router settings (typing ip address into address bar)tomorrow. Will I be able to find it in there? Can I change the channel of the router in these settings?

Thanks for your help on this!

marco_polo

sheehy83 wrote: »

Thanks Marco!

I'm not sure if the router is dual band. I will log into the router settings (typing ip address into address bar)tomorrow. Will I be able to find it in there? Can I change the channel of the router in these settings?

Thanks for your help on this!

Any decent router should allow you to change all these settings, where they are depends very much on the model. Sure if you are stuck try here again.