How fast should an 802.11B wireless connection be??

[bozack]

I recently got a Linksys 802.11B wireless router which I am using with my wireless laptop and my xbox via the linksys 802.11 B game adapter...my question is how fast should a wireless connection be when compared to that of one plugged directly into the cable modem??

I ask because whenever I run a speed test, usually this one:

http://us.mcafee.com/root/speedometer.asp

the computers that are plugged directly into the router via cat 5 score upwards of 2000 KBPS for speed whereas the wireless laptop only rings in at 500Kbps and when I have my Xbox running live wireless the best I can get is 60Kbps...just trying to figure out why the huge slowdown with the wireless setup and if I am better off just going back to cables.

thanks

 

[JackMDS]

On Wireless:

802.11b vs. 802.11g.

For Internet surfing it does mot matter since Internet broadband connection is slower than 802.11b

For traffic across Internal LAN, 802.11g is significantly faster.

General Wireless info.

802.11b = 11Mb/sec. Network "Speed" (Carrier transmission 2.4GHz)
802.11g = 54Mb/sec. Network "Speed" (Carrier transmission 2.4GHz)

Wireless Ethernet needs additional protocol over head for the transfer. In addition, it is not as stable as Wired so it needs extra processing procedures.

As a result the 11Mb/sec. of the Network chipset is translated to a much lower actual performance. Usually 4-6Mb/sec.

Few 802.11b hardware units are also capable to work at 22Mb/sec.(usually referred to as b+) it is nice if it works, in real term will yield 20%-40% more than 11Mb/sec. systems.

The 802.11g line that is rated 54Mb/sec. in the real world it yields 18-22Mb/sec.

The differences between the first set of graphs to the second represent the performance differences between 802.11b to 802.11g. It might give you a good idea about indoor's distance coverage. Your actual distance might be different. Indoor coverage depends heavily on the envioroment; graphs like this should be used to understand the relation in performance between Wireless hardware. .

Link: 802.11a/b/g SOHO Routers & Access Points: Performance

The D-Link 624 SuperG and the Netgear WGT624 SuperG seem to out perform the rest of the bunch.

In order to achieve such a performance you should get the matching SuperG cards of the same brand.

The following collection of links might help.

Link to: Wireless Security for the Home User.
Link to: Wireless Network Troubleshooting,

Link to: Extending the Distance of Entry Level Wireless Network.

 

[bozack]

Hey Jack, I think you also replied to my post on practically networked....I guess then something is wrong with my wireless as the speed is considerably less than that of my wired pcs...I don't know how to explain it other than when I run a speed test on my wired PCs it is much faster than my laptop, even when I plug the laptop into the router the speed is much faster than when running wireless...not to mention the lag I am seeing in XBL thanks

 

[gunrunnerjohn]

I don't see where Jack said wireless was as fast as wired, exactly the opposite in fact.

In a prefect world, you'll see maybe 6mbit throughput through a wireless connection, much less than even a 10mbit wired connection. The wireless is half duplex, it shares the bandwith with all the connected wireless stations, and signal strength will frequently dictate a much slower rate. I typically experience 2-3mbit real throughput with a wireless connection if I'm any distance from the base station.