3 MB Cap on Wireless?

Have a 10 MB cable connection, and when I run CAT5 to either the modem or router, my download speeds are as such:



When I run wireless though, it goes to this:



Have even tried a couple of different routers (to no avail)...what's up with this? Is there a 3MB cap on 802.11g wireless?

Thanks

 

How many other computers on the wireless?
What wireless router are you using?
Are you using the latest firmware for your router, and latest driver for your wireless card?

 

Zero.

Linksys WRT54G.

Yes for both.

 

Your terminology is a little off. You don't have a 10MB connection, you have a 10Mb connection, huge difference. 1 B (byte) = 8 b (bits). Internet provider speed is usually measured in bits, but data on computers is usually measured in bytes.

Anyway, a 54G router has a theoretical maximum speed of 54Mb per second. Realistically, transfer rates are around 19Mb per second. Right now, you're transferring at around 3.5Mb, which is a little below the typical speed for 11B (theoretical maximum of 11Mb/s but really 4Mb/s). 3.5 is much closer to 4 than it is to 19, so I'm guessing for whatever reason, your router is broadcasting in 11B mode. Check router settings.

If you read the wireless FAQ that's been stickied, it sounds like you either have your router broadcasting B only speeds, or you are broadcasting a mixed signal (both B and G). If there is a computer on your network that is going at B speeds, ALL your computers drop to B speed. The solution? Force your router to go into G only mode then try again.

 

Have you tried testing with WEP/WPA turned off?

 

Thanks for the reply.

The router is broadcasting on "G-Only".

Computer is a E1505 with the 1390 wireless.

As aforementioned, I tried a Belkin router before this one...had the same issue (10mb wired, 3mb wireless).

 

Yes...same speed (give or take a very small amount)

 

I'd have to say the issue is with your wireless card, or noise on the channel you're using then.

 

I've tried everything (including trying different channels, new firmware, etc.) and can't figure out what the issue is...in reality though, you don't even notice the difference when just browsing the 'net.

For example - the difference in download speeds:

 

Your for getting 1 thing, 11g is 1/2 duplex so after overhead.

I'm using a USR setup /125mbps, I get download speeds of 3MB/sec. Not great but better than yours. But is the price you pay for mobility.

Also remember that most hoster limit bandwidth to ~200kbps.

 

http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=39561

 

Try going to a friend's house and playing with their equipment as well as your laptop and compare speeds. It could be interference in your house's location or your laptop card.

 

Update: Well, after trying everything I could think of (including ideas mentioned here), I pretty much gave up on the notion of achieving higher speeds out of my wireless connection…

Just yesterday though, I decided to give a “system optimization” tool a try. This was completely unrelated to the wireless speed issue, more so just simple curiosity, to see what (if anything) one could do to “speed up” an already efficient machine.

This is the program I tried: http://www.auslogics.com/boost-speed/index.shtml

I certainly wasn’t pleased with its changes to my system (actually slowed things down!), so the program was subsequently deleted, but it actually did something to lift the wireless bandwidth restriction I was encountering and let me receive the full-throughput of the connection!



Problem solved (wish I knew what the actual issue was)!

 

Maybe it was Window's TCP/IP settings?

 

Could have been a MTU setting or something along those lines that was set lower on the wireless connection than it was on the wired (which would basically increase the TCP/IP overhead, and kill the performance of wireless). Glad it's working for you now, though.