I'm getting ridiculous DL speeds.....

[globiumz]

all of it gone

 

[jlazzaro]

what data rates are you actually paying for from your ISP? try and hard-wire your computer to the router to eliminate wireless as an issue. if speed if still an issue, connect directly to the modem.

...i thought jensen made cheap car audio equipment ;x

 

[ScottMac]

I Think the first thing wold be to download and run NetStumbler (www.netstumbler.com it's free).

What that will show you is what channels are used and what the interference level is in your area. Choose the least congested channel out of 1, 6, or 11 (choose the least congested, least interfered-with from one of these three only).

If "upstairs" and "downstairs" are both PCs (not laptops), then run NetStumbler at both computers, and choose; channel interference and noise could be very different for each system. If either system is a laptop, then just wander between the two spots while running NS.

Next, verify your wireless security (WEP, WPA). If you're using MAC filtering or have SSID broadcast disabled, turn em both on, they're not helping security at all. If you're using WEP, reconfigure and start using WPA (probably WPA-PSK) ... the point being that you may be unintentionally sharing your bandwidth with some asshole parasite of a neighbor.

If your AP / Wireless router doesn't do WPA, personally, I"d scrap it. If you can't, then at least change the SSID every week or so (or when you notice the system slowing down again).

Next, run Ad-aware and spybot Search & Destroy (both are free)

If none of the above help, then I guess we'll talk about the specific of your machines.

Good Luck

Scott

 

[Lemon law]

If I did my math right without slipping up by a few factors of 10, a 40 megabyte file file downloaded in 10 minutes translates into a speed of about 530 kilo bits a second down. About typical for a non premium dsl line in the US. They may advertise up to 768, but factor in some noise, and 530 is about the typical throughput.

So some questions are in order.

1. How many kbits/second does your internet provider advertise you will get? But if there is a big gap in what is probably
advertised as an up to X kbits/sec and what you are getting, its often due to a lot of line noise on the line feeding your modem. But since you imply this is wireless feeding your modem, something in the area could be generating white rf noise that could add what is similar to line noise. Or it could be a line of sight problem also so a better pick up antenna located differently could be the answer. And if a bad signal is the case, the first tree to bark up is a check on line noise. And if you have high rf noise in your area , you have to isolate the source.

2. Do you get a higher speed when the modem is hardwired into the computer than you get when the upstairs computer gets the signal wirelessly? Some lower performance comes with your personal wireless networking. But if its a huge difference, something is wrong.

In short, have an idea where the problem is and be able to put a measurable number on it. And have some idea of where does the speed go away?