Slow wireless connection speed

[AJackson]

I've got a problem with my wireless connection that's popped up fairly recently. We currently have road runner cable internet, the modem connected to a Linksys BEFW11S4 wireless-b router. My roommate is directly wired into the router, but I'm about 30 feet from the router and am using a USB wireless adapter. Recently, in about the past two weeks, my download speed has slowed significantly. When downloading files, my speed is shown as being in about the 4-6 KB range. My roommate has had no problems and is downloading at much faster speeds. The third computer, a laptop connected via wireless (a Netgear WG511t pc card) is having the same slowing as my computer. That one is much close to the router, about 7 feet away from it, so I don't think this is related to distance or walls being in the way(there is only 1 wall between my computer and the router, as well). Before I call up time warner and ask them for help, which they probably won't give seeing as it appears to be the router and not their modem or connection, I was hoping that one of you could offer advice or suggestions as to how I can speed up my connection without having to buy a new router/adapter or running a really long cable down our hallway.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.

-A.

 

[ch33zw1z]

power cycle the router at all?

 

[AJackson]

Several times. Also tried cycling the modem...that did nothing too.

 

[Lemon law]

To AJackson,

You basically have your diagnosis handed to you on a platter---it can't be a slow cable---so its got to be in the wireless---now your computer may be slowing down due to poor reception
or by something disrupting the signal---but you can easily move the laptop into the same room and test to see if it speeds up. And have you--or for that matter someone in the vacinity
added some new piece of equipment that could be causing reception problems. But it sounds like its time to at least borrow another router to see if things speed up---and maybe it would be better to go with G instead of B.

 

[AJackson]

I was afraid you'd say that. Nothing new has been added, hardware wise, recently. The router is a couple years old now and we had problems with dropped signals a few months back. We live in an apartment complex with several other residents, though. Could any of their electronics be fouling up my signal? I know there is at least one other wireless network in the building, and I'm still confused if other devices (such as phones) can interfere with wireless signals.

 

[Lemon law]

To AJackson,

All kinds of devices COULD be jamming your signal----a cheap but somewhat painful test would be to move your wireless equipment to someplace else far away---if you have another friend with comcast cable in a more electronically quiet area----and just the laptop is required to test the wireless---if it suddenly speeds back up---you know its not a defect in the wireless section of the router.--or alternately---you could ask the person with the wireless network in the apartment building to shut it down just for a few moments necessary to test---for all you know now, maybe your wireless is also screwing them up too---and they also may be tearing their hair out wondering why their thruput is so slow.---if thats the case--the fix may be as simple as putting something metal between you and their lines of sight. ---is that other wireless network in your apartment building new?

But now that I think of it---if you can get a fairly small section of thick sheet metal---you could place it fairly near your wireless antenna's ---and try various positionings of the metal---above-- below---and around the sides and see if your truput suddenly increases.---you would have to make the equalvalent moves with the laptop also so its shielded also.

 

[AJackson]

Well, the problem sort of resovled itself. The router completely died after I spent time dealing with Time Warner and Linksys. I just got back from the local computer store with a SMC Wireless G router, and having gotten over the hiccups of setting it up(with the help of the friendly tech support guy) I have a much improved wireless connection. Still not blazing fast, but that's in part to the cheap wireless adaptor I have. Next on the list to be upgraded, I suppose. Thanks for all the help and suggestions.

 

[Lemon law]

If your wireless adapter, the wireless card card on the laptop, and the wireless access point on your PC are type B instead of type G---your new G router will default down to B settings, speed, and frequencies. If part of your problem is outside interference in the neighborhood---you may get away from it with all 802.11G network.--and will retain it if you default down to a 802.11B network.---but even a proper G wireless network will get beaten by a cat 5e or better hard wired connection. But 4-6 KB/sec is dial up 56 K modem speeds---what are you getting now?---and what does the computer with a direct cable connection get?

 

[AJackson]

My adapter and router are both type g, and my download speeds are averaging about 160kb/s. The computer with an actual cable connecting it to the router gets about 550kb/s.