Cannot get anywhere near 300mbps via USB

therawuncut

Junior Member
Oct 10, 2005
23
0
0
Hey gang, this has been driving me nuts for several days.....

I have a WDTV Live Plus that I'm trying to do streaming on (standard 480p content and 720p only). Equipment in use :

Desktop PC with Airlink 6075 USB wireless adapter (also tried D-Link D-130)
Linksys WRT160N.

I get stuttering even when trying to play 480p content (cartoons). It even stutters going to my Dell Studio laptop that connects to the router at 270mbps, so I know the issue is occurring before the media hits the router. The Airlink (which sits 15 feet from the router, no walls) can only connect at 108mbps, and the D-Link adapter can only connect at 135. I have messed with 20mhz-40mhz settings and this hasn't improved things. Why is it that the Dell laptop connects at a great speed (even at farther distances, through walls, etc) when neither of these adapters will? Is there anything else I should look at?
 

VirtualLarry

No Lifer
Aug 25, 2001
56,570
10,200
126
So you are streaming FROM the desktop, with the USB Wifi N adapter? Most of those adaptors are 300Mbit downstream, 150Mbit upstream. Perhaps that's your problem?

You want a 2T2R adaptor. (2 antennas transmit, 2 antennas receive) That will allow you to send at 300Mbits.
 

therawuncut

Junior Member
Oct 10, 2005
23
0
0
Correct, streaming from the desktop via USB. I can understand the upstream/downstream comparison, but the numbers I'm giving are just what Windows is showing as the wireless connection speed before data is even being streamed.
 

imagoon

Diamond Member
Feb 19, 2003
5,199
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Also remember that wireless is "best effort." You neighbors security system or baby monitor could be wrecking the 2.4ghz channel. The 5ghz channel tends to be cleaner but is also "open" like 2.4ghz. Possible that there is some sort of interference.

Also what windows shows is just the "connected at" rate. Wireless is typically half duplex, shared medium and high "retransmit" IE error prone. This will knock down your performance. Sometimes significantly. Try a cable and see if the issue goes away. If so the issue is the wireless. Either a poor connection or interference.
 

therawuncut

Junior Member
Oct 10, 2005
23
0
0
I wish cabling were an option, but it's not.

The issue puzzling me is the fact that the laptop can connect at 270, but neither of the USB adapters I've tried can connect at anything above half that, even sitting directly next to the router.

I've tried these adapters at other addresses as well (using an Asus RT-N16 instead) and there's no change.
 

imagoon

Diamond Member
Feb 19, 2003
5,199
0
0
I wish cabling were an option, but it's not.

The issue puzzling me is the fact that the laptop can connect at 270, but neither of the USB adapters I've tried can connect at anything above half that, even sitting directly next to the router.

I've tried these adapters at other addresses as well (using an Asus RT-N16 instead) and there's no change.

The number rarely means anything in wireless. I have seen wireless cards report that they connected at 48Mbps (G) while not being able to even get 1Mbps out of them.