Shaky unstable SLOW wireless internet

I'm currently living in a dorm and my internet is extremely unstable. Although the speed at times is extremely fast but the reliability is horrendous. At times my internet drops for no reason. The signal strength also constantly changes too.

When I try using http://www.speedtest.net/ it says that I get:
Download: 2.79 Mb/s
Upload: 0.10 Mb/s
Ping: 22 ms

I'm using a Intel Wireless Wifi Link 4965AGN on:
Asus M50S
Core 2 Duo T9300 @ 2.5 Ghz
4 GB
ATI Radeon HD 3650
15.4" WSXGA+
500 GB @ 5400 RPM
Intel 4965 AGN
Vista Ultimate 64-Bit

However my roommate which is right next to me using a Macbook Pro gets:
Download: 12.96 Mb/s
Upload: 8.01 Mb/s
Ping: 10 ms

Is there like something wrong with my Wifi Card?
What could I do to fix it?

 

Anyone got any idea what the problem might be?
Would it help if I got myself a new GIGABYTE GN-WI06N-RH? or a Linksys Ultra RangePlus Dual Band Wireless-N PC Card?

 

yea it will help if u got a new wireless USB card , with the two antennas.

 

Would getting a new internal like the GIGABYTE GN-WI06N-RH or an external be the better option?

 

find out who is using microwave ovens nearby. Those, bluetooth, other wifi, cordless phones, etc, etc can all impact a wifi network.

 

Its a college dorm, everyone is using Wifi, Cellphones, Some people are stupid and leave their bluetooth on their cellphones for no reason and there's a microwave in the lodge.

Just wondering if I could at least improve my connection to the point its like useable

 

Have you tried a usb wireless receiver?

Are the drivers up to date?

 

Haven't tried a usb wireless receiver but my drivers are up to date. My question is which is the better option

usb wireless receiver/Wireless Notebook Express Card like this

or

Internal Wireless Card like the GIGABYTE GN-WI06N-RH

Any Recommendations?

 

interference is interference and living in a crowded, communal environment makes things tough.

Is wired an option?

 

It is, but that doesn't explain why my roommate that is sitting right next to me gets a better connection then I do

 

One wall can make a difference, have you tried connecting you computer in his room and do you know what wireless card he has?

 

We are in the same room. Its a double (two people per room) so he is LITERALLY sitting right next to me. There is no wall in between us.

I believe the macbook pro 15.4 inch has an Airport Extreme 802.11a/b/g wireless card

 

ok firstly i would suggest trying linux live CD to be sure its not a software problem , or u can do a fresh install for widows if u have time ( remember to backupp ur data ) , if this didn't help you then u ll need to buy a new high end external receivers like the link sys with the two antennas

 

So a GIGABYTE GN-WI06N-RH isn't better than a Intel 4965AGN?

 

am sorry i can help you with this decision , though i am sure this will do better than your internal wireless card
http://images.google.com.eg/images?...&sa=1&q=+WUSB300N&btnG=Search+images&aq=f&oq=
and still i reccomend using linux ubuntu live CD and try the wireless function , u will not need to install u can run from the CD , its pretty easy , just to be sure its not a software problem ,
if you don't want to carry a usb wireless card around you will need to buy an internal adapter like the gigabyte u sent earlier , but ask people which internal card is better , i also suggest opening checking that the two cables of the antenna of the laptop are connected perfectly to your internal wifi card , hope i helped ya

 

why has noone mentioned transmit power?
go to device manager, click network devices, click your wifi card, go to the advanced tab, scroll to transmit power, put it to 5. see if that helps.
also check your card is set to use G, preferably only G.

 

Alright and I actually have Ubuntu on my computer, haven't tried it since I'm not in my dorm at the moment.

Whoa...this is something new. The Transmit power is at 5. Whats Roaming Aggressiveness and all the other stuff in here?

 

roaming agressiveness should not be touched, its not used unless your in an environment with multiple unsecured networks.
roaming agressiveness is how likely the laptop is to change network connection to a stronger signal.

for example, you have 3 unsecured networks around you. you connect to one, but te signals not great. if roaming agressiveness is set high it will switch to one of the other networks very quickly, sometimes without the current network even showing any problems.
if its set low, it will not switch to another network no matter what.
so dont change roaming agressiveness. lol.

you could try thoughput enhancement, but this only reduces lag on loading webpages and ping times really. might keep a more steady connection. it pings small packets to and from the router constantly to keep the connection open.


also try changing your wifi mode to G only instead of a/b/g. could be intereferance from the other 2 modes, plus it could increase the transmit power slightly. (power divided across 3 modes would be less than just 1 mode, i dunno how scientifically accurate that is, but hell give it a try).

 

swap seats with your roomate.

seriously

 

My roommate says "HELL NO" XD

 

Okay I did some testing and here are my results

Wireless Mode: 802.11g
Thoughput Enhancement: Off
Download: 2.08Mb/s
Upload: 0.73Mb/S
Ping: 25ms

Wireless Mode: 802.11g
Thoughput Enhancement: On
Download: 3.96Mb/s
Upload: Crashes on Upload...
Ping: 10ms

Wireless Mode: 802.11a/b/g
Thoughput Enhancement: On
Download: 3.76Mb/s
Upload: 0.19Mb/S
Ping: 8ms


Wireless Mode: 802.11a/b/g
Thoughput Enhancement: off
Download: 6.48Mb/s
Upload: 0.42Mb/S
Ping: 6ms

Wireless Mode: 802.11a
Thoughput Enhancement: off
Download: No Internet
Upload: No Internet
Ping: No Internet

Wireless Mode: 802.11b
Thoughput Enhancement: off
Download: 1.69Mb/s
Upload: Crashes on Upload...
Ping: 16ms

Wireless Mode: 802.11b/g
Thoughput Enhancement: off
Download: 2.49Mb/s
Upload: 0.13Mb/S
Ping: 6ms

Wireless Mode: 802.11a/b/g
Thoughput Enhancement: off
Run in Ubuntu
Download: 4.19Mb/s
Upload: 0.28Mb/S
Ping: 12ms

 

Wireless Mode: 802.11a/b/g
Thoughput Enhancement: off
Download: 6.48Mb/s
Upload: 0.42Mb/S
Ping: 6ms

omg is this a bad connection , i get 50 kb/sec download 15 kb/sec upload and ping around 200 and i am happy.

man i can't help u with this very very slow speeds ,
i understand that you got used to the 50 mb/sec speeds ......

 

ok..
the wireless router that your dorm is running at 802.11b/g
so....
i think it is better to put b/g only
theres some article where it says better to turn off throughput enhancement when b/g connection is active

i believe it is easy to swap , either to Intel wireless 5350 or 5300...
better off changing internal rather than wasting your single USB port

oh yes...another thing to remind..if your open up your internals , and found out that there are only TWO instead of THREE cables connected to your wireless card , better off go for expresscard wireless adapter..

basically the cables are antennas , usually nowadays laptops comes with three cables , to improve signal reception , but if yours is only two theres no point of upgrading the internal wireless card

 

I would suggest upgrading to the latest drivers

 

Regardless of the speed, the biggest problem is the unreliability. I can't play online games without disconnecting after 5 minutes of playing. Sometimes web pages don't load at all. Today is actually one of the better days.

Is a Intel Wireless 5350 good?

Already have the latest driver actually