Can I get faster internet speed?

Early B.

My home network consists of a host computer, #2 desktop computer and a laptop. I have a wireless-B router attached to the host computer. Virtually all of my computing is done on the #2 desktop computer which has a hard-wired connection.

Question -- will an upgrade to a wireless-G router increase the speed for my hard-wired #2 desktop computer? If not, how can I boost the speed for it without spending more than about $40? The reason I ask is because sometimes the speed to #2 slows to a crawl for several hours at a time. Not quite back to 56K, but slow enough where it becomes annoying. Even the laptop is much faster when used downstairs at a signal rate of 40% - 50%. Just wondering if I can do something to rev things up a bit.

Thanks.

audiobliss

I can't imagine that a 802.11G router will do anything for you, but I could be wrong. Regardless, I'll be looking at the answers because I'm on that #2 desktop you mentioned (hardwired to a 802.11B router), and it's not as fast as usual.

PolkThug

Early B. wrote:

Question -- will an upgrade to a wireless-G router increase the speed for my hard-wired #2 desktop computer?

Does the hardwired pc only act slow when the laptop is on the air? It is possible that the router is slowing down the other connection when it senses the B connection on your network. Some routers act this way, so slower connections will get an equal chance when on a network with faster connections.

If you upgrade to a G router then you need to upgrade your laptop B card to a G card or you will have the same problem.

Early B.

PolkThug wrote:

Does the hardwired pc only act slow when the laptop is on the air?

No. My hardwired PC slows down periodically, but especially during certain times of the day, like 11 pm - 1 am. But generally, it's unpredictable. The laptop is very rarely used.

I assumed that hardwired should typically be faster than wireless. Is that correct?

unc2701

Doesn't matter. The fastest interent connection is still slower than B. Let's say I chuck you one football every ten seconds and you turn around an hand it to the guy beside you in one second. So your rate is 60 footballs a minute, mine is 6 footballs a minute. IF you get your footballs from me, it doesn't matter how fast you go, the guy beside you is still only gonna get them at less than 6 per minute.

wireless b= 11mbps; cable modem ~6mbps. The fastest you'll get data is 6mbps.

Now, that could be a sign of some issues with your network, or things could be so bad that your wireless is running well below full speed, but G won't necessarily fix that.

If you have cable modem, it sounds like a bad service issue. If there's not enough badwidth in a neighborhood, you'll get crappy speed at peak times and all you can do is **** at the provider until they fix it (yeah, good luck).

Early B.

I have DSL. The router is a Netgear MR814.

OK, so if wireless-G won't help me, how do I determine if I am maximizing my router speed and what can be done about it?

myork

Resetting your DSL modem periodically will bring your speed back up. DSL modems do not renegotiate back up in speed when they get knocked down, so when your online and the phone rings, the speed can drop slightly. Same thing if there is a storm and there is noise on the line.

But most DSL connections max out at 3Mbps, and that is only if you live close to the central office. Realistically you can expect speeds between 768Kbps - 1.5Mbps. I honestly doubt your router is slowing you down because the router ethernet ports are usually 10/100Mbps - much higher than any DSL speeds.

The easiest way to check your current speed is to go to www.dslreports.com/speedtest. The site will test your down/up speeds and post it graphically against other forms of internet access.

If your not really using the wireless connection, dont bother replacing the router. You may even want to shut down the wireless to make sure someone isnt "borrowing" your bandwidth. I hope you are at the very least using WEP keys to secure the wireless network, and have it set to not broadcast your SSID.

PolkThug

Your download speed : 3927 kbps or 490.8 KB/sec.
Your upload speed : 361 kbps or 45.2 KB/sec.

myork

Oh I forgot to add - The number one cause of slowdowns on home networks is spyware. If you dont already have it download the Microsoft Antispyware and run it - it's free and is one of the top rated spyware removal programs.

unc2701

Yeah, make sure you don't have any moochers on your wireless. Given the fact that certain times of day are "bad" that could be a sign of them getting on & stealing bandwidth. Very easy. No, really, I'd never do anything like that. And I'd especially not change someone's password from the factory default so they couldn't lock me out.

Early B.

myork wrote:

The easiest way to check your current speed is to go to www.dslreports.com/speedtest. The site will test your down/up speeds and post it graphically against other forms of internet access.

OK, I checked my speed and it is higher than normal for my area provider (Hellsouth Fast Access DSL). My download speed results were 1699 Kbps and 239 Kbps upload.

I'll bet if I run that same test at night around 11 pm, the results will be vastly slower.

McLoki

I would blame something on your PC. Next time you notice your desktop slow down, fire up your laptop and see if it has the same issues. If your PC is hard wired, I don't think that a new router will speed things up for you since they will both be connected at 100mb. (a faster wireless router will only speed things up that are using the wireless connection.)

I would blame spyware, virus, or hackers before I blamed the router.

Michael

jrlouie

myork wrote:

I hope you are at the very least using WEP keys to secure the wireless network, and have it set to not broadcast your SSID.

I 2nd that ^

Early B.

jrlouie wrote:

I 2nd that ^

I might 2nd that, too, if I knew what the hell it meant and how to do it.

Kex

Dude, this thread is FIVE effin' years old!

I'm reporting this post as spam, because of the link you provided ...

hearingimpared

Of course it's spam!