Wireless Slow

For some reason the internet seems very slow through my wireless adapter, the signal is probably two off from being full but still some things wouldn't load through it, connected ethernet cable up and everything working perfect now, any suggestions?.

What is the link speed reported in the properties of the wireless connection?
Wireless frequently can connect but suffer from interference that results in the speed going up and down dynamically.

If you move the computer into the same room as the wireless adapter do things improve?

I haven't tried putting the computer in the same room as it will be difficult to pick up the whole computer plus the wireless router is in the hall, i will look at the link speed now and report back as i am on ethernet right now.

Link speed is 54Mbps.

Edited by tomxlisa (Wed 31-Oct-12 18:18:51)

You may be getting interference from another router, in which case you may benefit from using a different wireless channel. You can use inSSIDer to check for nearby routers.

The kids was trying to use this site and the games was hardly loading, web browsing doesn't seem too bad but it is for sure faster through ethernet, the kids used that site again through ethernet and the games was loading really fast, this is the site.

http://andkon.com/arcade/

The site that you are trying to access is pretty irrelevant. You need to sort out your wireless configuration.

I have just tried something, plugged out the wireless adapter and put it in the side USB's in the front of the case, it seems to be working ok now, checked the signal and that still remains the same so are one of my USB's in the back not setup properly or something?.

It could be that you have USB 1.0 on your motherboard, especially if it is old. You should also check if there are any firmware upgrades or updated device drivers available for your motherboard.

I have only just bought the motherboard and installed all drivers from the CD, it seems it never solved the problem anyways, just tried to load a game off that site for the kids and it struggled, put ethernet back in and it was flying, strange.

Drivers on installation CDs are usually out of date. Check the manufacturer's website.

I will do, it could be the wireless adapter i have though, it isn't the best one, it is only a cheap thing from ebay, could that be the reason also?.

TBH, I would always use a PCI/PCIe wireless adapter on a desktop, not USB. Something like this should fly along. What wireless standard is your router, and what slots are available on your motherboard?

The router is a wireless N router i think, and i have plenty of slots available on my motherboard that i am not using, i have just checked the USB drivers and they are 2006, so quite old, there are newer ones on the site shall i try them, would it just be the USB drivers i would need to update to hopefully make it work properly?.

Yes. Just update the USB drivers. Is your mobo PCI or PCIe? I'm guessing PCIe in which case the wireless adapter that I pointed to won't fit unless there's a PCI slot available.

I think i do have a PCI slot on the motherboard which is available, i am not keen on the aerial though, do you have to use that, i will update the drivers now and report back.

I like external aerials because you can position them to get the best reception. You can get cards where the aerials just plug into the back of the card such as this. What's your router? I know you've probably posted this info before but I haven't been keeping track.

My router is just one that my ISP give me, it cant be the router though as it is fine through ethernet, i did try and update my USB drivers, i think i did some but in device manager it is still saying 2006 for the date, strange.

Edited by tomxlisa (Wed 31-Oct-12 19:27:50)

In reply to a post by tomxlisa:

My router is just one that my ISP give me

It would help to know what it is in order to select a suitable wireless card.

Think it is this.

http://www.broadbandbuyer.co.uk/Shop/ShopDetail.asp?...

This should do the business.

I just done a speedtest and even speeds on the tests are slow, just done one with the ethernet and its full speed.

One thing you could try is limiting your router to 802.11g. This is a slower connection than 802.11n but can be more reliable and give higher throughput. You might have to change your wireless adapter settings as well.

Belay that. You are getting good throughput on your front-panel USB ports.

Edited by micksharpe (Wed 31-Oct-12 20:01:12)

I have just checked the channel and no other routers are on the same channel as mine, so cant be that, i will try your idea.

This is a strange one though as on my other motherboard i had, an old one too, it was fine, so it cant really be the dongle i am using can it?.

Have you looked for any others with the same motherboard and USB issues?

Wireless USB dongles can show up weaknesses in a USB port - does file copies to and from a USB key go fast and smoothly?

This is the motherboard, i have not tried that yet as i cant find my USB file storage device.

http://uk.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/P8...

Edited by tomxlisa (Wed 31-Oct-12 20:14:55)

Does it let you turn off the USB 3 support in the bios? Worth a try

Could that be causing the problems, i thought that would help it?.

In that case, no. The problem looks like a dodgy USB port or out-of-date firmware/drivers. I think you need to make sure that all the firmware and drivers for your motherboard are up-to-date.

Edit: Of course, it could just be the positioning of the wireless dongle. Have you tried moving the PC around?

Edited by micksharpe (Wed 31-Oct-12 20:26:41)

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

Does it let you turn off the USB 3 support in the bios? Worth a try

Or use a USB 2.0 port. I find that the USB 3.0 ports on my PC don't work that well.

P.S. The USB 3.0 controller will have it's own firmware/drivers. Updating the USB 2.0 firmware/drivers will not affect the USB 3.0 controller.

Edited by micksharpe (Wed 31-Oct-12 20:34:16)

If your wireless dongle is only USB 2 then it may not have tested or even designed to work well with USB 3

Early releases of faster devices/ports are riddled with compatability issues

A Wireless Ethernet Adapter might be a better idea, I hate USB for networking

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

I hate USB for networking

Agreed.

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

If your wireless dongle is only USB 2 then it may not have tested or even designed to work well with USB 3

Early releases of faster devices/ports are riddled with compatability issues

A Wireless Ethernet Adapter might be a better idea, I hate USB for networking

So what is a wireless ethernet adapter, is that the same thing that micksharpe mentioned to me?.

http://www.broadbandbuyer.co.uk/Shop/ShopSearch.asp?...

A list of the devices, the TP-Link is probably enough for your needs, we reviewed the Asus EA-N66 recently, but its not cheap http://www.thinkbroadband.com/hardware/reviews/74-as... which may give a few more ideas.

I think i am going to go back to ethernet and lay the cable down, cant really beat it, don't have to worry about signal, don't have to worry about security with people nicking your bandwidth, and it seems much quicker and smoother than wireless.

If your wireless router is really a wireless N device then a wireless access point such as this http://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-TL-WA701ND-150Mbps-W... should work quite happily.

The wireless access points connect with a ethernet cable to the PC (and we know your ethernet works) and have the advantage that they can be sited for maximum signal strength.

You can also use the wireless access point that SKY do for their SKY+ HD boxes. The new wireless N one was £9.99 (no £21.99 or so) which was great value. All you need to do is to connect it to the SKY box, set up the wireless password and then disconnect it and connect it to the PC - the AP remembers the password!

Thanks for that, but i think i am just going to go back to using ethernet, never known my internet to be so quick like it has the last couple of days using ethernet.