Slow wireless router

I am writing in concern over two routers the cisco linksys wrt54g2 (refurbed) and a D-Link DIR 615 (new). I bought the refurbed Cisco Linksys for 25 bucks all I wanted was wireless capability for when I am sitting on the couch etc. After unboxing the unit I noticed my wired Download speed was 16.8 MBPS while my wireless speed was in the low 4's I called cisco and apparently my 90 day warranty was 0 days because it starts when the seller takes shipment . So I sent it back assuming defect and ordered a new D-Link DIR-615 I set the thing up and get the same download speeds i.e. a file downloading at 500 KBPS was around 170KBPS. I tried changing the channel that didn't help the firmware is up to date I even turned off the N-Broadcast (I don't have an N card) still no luck. I cant figure why this is happening I had a cheap D-Link in Queens ny no problem now in the Buffalo suburbs I am getting shackled with these speeds it doesn't make sense. Anyway thanks in advance for any help I truly appreciate it I am really tired of shipping these things back to Amazon.

 

1) Is your bandwidth consistent throughout the day when hooked up directly to the modem?
2) Is there substantial physical interference between you and the router?
3) Have you done a site scan to look for channel interference?

 

Yes my bandwidth is pretty consistent, I am not here 24/7 but around enough to know my speeds are ~16mbps wired that's both through the router and off the modem. I should mention that I get different results depending on which server I test on but the disparity is consistent between the wired/wireless connection i.e. NYC server 25mbps DL wired/12.5mbps wireless. This building is relatively new construction late 70's ~700 square feet no major concrete walls its a 1 Bed 1Bath. I am not sure what you mean by site scan I checked with my Canon wireless printer software and it showed people on channel 1, 2, 6, and of course me on 9.

 

What speed levels are you provisioned from your ISP?

 

Well its Road Runner I am getting Turbo for three months which I believe is supposed to be 16MBPS then it goes to regular which I believe is 10 MBPS. This is a simple home network aside from downloading some media files and school work my real heavy stuff is done on my University's network. It really sucks to pay for 16 and get 4 thats .25 the speed which means I should really be paying $7.50

 

I think I am going to sell the Cisco Linksys to my friend, obviously I am not a d!ck I am going to let him check it out on his network to see if its just my building or ISP but it saves me buying packaging for a return plus he thought these things cost 80-100 bucks. I will take the DIR-615 over to see what my speeds are.

 

Channel 9 still receives interference from channel 6. Set it to 11 (or 12 if you have it) and put your notebook right next to the router.

It is a common misconception to assume 802.11g will give you 54mbit rates. "Real" throughput is often half or less, even in the best circumstances.

 

thanks for the tip I'll adjust it when I get home. I understand its unlikely that I am going to get 54MBPS throughput or even 300 if I get an N-adapter, however, my family d-link adapter is much faster I rarely noticed any difference in speed from most servers, this was quite obvious with the new router.

 

Set it to Channel 11 (2.462 GHZ) its still only downloading at 4.5MBPS

 

Go to Pingtest.net - The Global Broadband Quality Test and see what your ping times are. I have a suspicion.

Here's a good result:

 

sorry for the delay here is my result

 

Is that the first run or second run.
My first test there showed a terrible line, second and third time showed I had a great one. The first run I suspect gets interrupted due top permissions.

 

The second and third time I got ping at 55 to 54 jitter looked the same

 

The pingtest looks alright. Can you see other networks than your own when you're connecting? If so, you might want to grab NetStumbler or something and see what channels they're using, and pick one that's not it.

Remember, microwaves and cordless phones can cause massive interference, so that could even be part of it if you're in an apartment building.

 

And baby monitors. g-d baby monitors have ridiculous range and power.

 

You could try upgrading it with a DD-WRT firmware. My BEFSR41 and WRT54G run amazingly using the DD-WRT.