Help me with my wireless problem?

[rust5tyle]

Okay, I just want some opinions on this: I am connected to the internet through my D-Link DI-614+ Router. (It's a cable connection) I use a D-Link DWL-520+ wireless card to connect to the AP on the router. My problem is that the wireless connection is EXTREMELY slow (we're talking slower than dial-up), while my fixed connection is just as fast as ever. I've tried the following things to attempt to pinpoint the problem:

-Through fixed connection, I pinged the router. All 4 test packets returned fine. Through wireless, 1/2 of the time 50-75% of the requests will time out and the return speed is noticibly slower than the fixed connection.

-Through fixed connection, I pinged outside pages (Google, Hotmail, etc.) and I experienced no problems, again. All returned in a timely matter and there were no timeouts. But, through the wireless connection, the timeouts were even worse than when I just pinged the router itself. (Almost always >50%)

-The control program (the one d-link provided, not the windows one as it tends to optimistically guess signal strengths) claims a signal strength rating of 75% and a link quality rating of 88-90%. But, it randomly seems to dip down into oblivion, and I can't seem to figure out why)

-The drivers are all updated, and I've updated the firmware on the router. I've tried playing with MTU sizes, and that didn't seem to make it any better.

-Lastly, I tried moving my desktop closer to the AP and it made no differance. The same problems continued to occur.

The only thing I've heard that may be a possibility is that alloy cases (I have a Lian-Li case) can damage/prevent signals from making it to the AP. I'm just searching for ideas here though. Please give me an opinion, and thanks in advance.

 

[PCHPlayer]

Location, location, location. How many walls does the signal have to go through? Do you have any 2.4GHz cordless phones in the house? Does you neighbor? Have you tried switching channels? Try 1, 6, and 11 as they are in non-overlapping portions of the 2.4Ghz spectrum. Have you done a site survey to see if there are any other wireless routers/AP's out there? How close is the router and computer to any electrical source such as monitor, printer etc?

 

[rust5tyle]

I'll try switching channels here quick and let you know what happened. There are no 2.4Ghz telephones in my house. The signal has to go through 1 wall, maybe two depending on how you look at it. They are typical drywall/wood and are about 5 inches thick. I've moved into the same room as the AP before and have had the same problems. I haven't looked for other sources yet either. My friends bring their laptops over with their wireless cards and have no problem with my network.

 

[PCHPlayer]

Remember that the thickness of the wall depends on the angle between the wireless components. If the angle is 90 degrees (straight through) then the wall is 5" thick. If they are on different sides of the same wall, but separated by 5 feet, the wall is very thick (Almost 5 feet). Given that you have tried it in the same room and that other model cards seem to work, you may have a bad card. Try disabling 2X/4X mode and see if that helps.

 

[RhythmAddict]

Do you have WEP on? I know the dlink does 64, 128 and 256..I'm not sure this would be a cause of severe network speed degradation however...Was it ever running faster? Or has this been an issue since installation?
How did switching channels go? I read somewhere that wireless networks usually function better on the less crowded (ie, NOT channel 6) channels...which seems reasonable of course. If you deem the case is causing some sort of interference, perhaps you could try one of these...
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProdu...342&manufactory=1935&DEPA=1&sortby=14&order=1

hope that link works

 

[JackMDS]

Donate your PCI card, get a USB card and hang it high in the sky.

When it comes to Entry Level Wireless Clients almost all of them are based on PCMCIA cards.

The so called USB is PCMCIA card connected under the plastic to a USB interface.

The so called PCI is PCMCIA plugged or soldered to PCI interface board.

Since the PCI and the USB are PCMCIA with additional interface circuitry and different buses the performance resultant is some what less (about 5%-10%) than pure PCMCIA.

What shell I use?

For Laptop the regular PCMCIA is the best solution,

For Desktop (or tower case) USB Wireless Client Card should be considered as the preferred solution.

Why?

Wireless is depending on signal propagation.

PCI Wireless Client Card ends up been stuck behind the computer's case, resultant in obstructed transmission and poor performance. USB is connected to the Port with 2-3' cable allowing the Antenna to be placed above the System for better Transmission.

However a PCI card is a good choice when a powerful external Antenna is needed for long distance. Many Wireless PCI cards come with a removable Antenna.