Internet Connection Speed

Could be the sites were busy.

Have you tried http://www.dslreports.com/speedtest?flash=1 ?

Wireless systems that are capable of full duplex communications often add the upload and download speeds together for their reports. It's not exactly a lie; but as you saw, it's not exactly the truth either.

Presuming that your upload speed was 2.8Mbps+download speed (reported by one of your tests) was 2.8Mbps, your card should have reported 5.4Mbps. That's pretty close to what it was telling you.

My download speed is 2.8, but my upload is only 0.6Mbps. As far as I have tested, since I got it my upload speed has not changed.

The nominal 54 Mbs speed means the theoretical transfer speed between your computer and the closest node (for example the web server of your ISP), without error correction. Transmission errors on the transfer line will decrease the connection speed due to the repeated data blocks. If you want to connect not only to the closest server but to other ones the speed will depend on the line speed of the additional transfer lines and on their actual traffic.

I would say you will never be able to use the theoretical 54 Mbs.

I am connected to the nearest point, with full signal. At the time of testing, my computer was the only one connected.

What is the speed the ISP claims you are receiving? You should receive 75% of their quoted speed on average.

The speed you can receive primarily depends upon what your service designates not what the card is rated at.

We are on up to 8 Mbps, and on the computer that is wired to the router, the router says it is 5.4Mbps. The computer that is hard wired says that it gets 4Mbps, and on the wireless one, now it only says 2.1Mbps. The little icon that you can set to tell you your internet speed says 5.4Mbps.

When the wireless card was in my previous computer, about half a metre off the floor, whereas now it is only about 10cm, got 4Mbps normally. The router is on the floor in a room down the corridor, and the wireless travels through the bathroom; and consiquently the shower and the bath tub (Don't know if this is of any relevance)

The router is on the floor in a room down the corridor, and the wireless travels through the bathroom; and consequently the shower and the bath tub (Don't know if this is of any relevance)

It could make a difference if the shower is tiled and or if there is metal lathe in the wall, actually plaster may reduce the wireless signal because it often contains metal particles. I know the D-Link 1310 & 2310 model wireless router/hardware firewall is designed for use where there are plastered walls.

I recommend using wired connections to point of use in the home or shop, wires are cheap and dependable.

The shower is tiled, but my old pc which was in my desk rather than underneath, got 4Mbps. That was also going through the tiled shower.

Have you tried using another card?

There may be background services running on the laptop that are reducing the perceived connection speed. In task manager, under processes select the view tab on the tool bar and click 'select columns' then uncheck all but I/O read bytes, I/O write bytes, image path and description then click OK. Expand the page and look for a process that is constantly changing to identify a resource hog.

I tried another card but it was even slower, it was never fast though when it was in another computer. I can't find any memory hogs, apart from windows messenger. I will check the speed later though, because this morning the internet is particularly slow - 300Kbps

Contact ISP and say "FIX-IT"

That means your only getting .35 MB per second. That is a terrible speed.

Try releasing your IP address and renewing it.

Go to Start - Run - type CMD - in the command prompt type IPCONFIG /RELEASE

(notice space between G & /)

it will release your current ip - then type IPCONFIG /RENEW and you will be assigned a new IP by your ISP as long as your network adapter is setup to automatically asign IP from your DHCP

Steve

To get the new IP, does that need to be done on the computer with the router or on the one I am currently on - with the wireless.

http://www.pctechbytes.com/network/networkdetail.php?Renew-Your-IP-Address-12

All I did was google "how to renew ip address with router"

try that if this link doesn't help. I could explain it to you but google is easy enough to use.

Later,

Steve

Hello Bondy,

Found this while reviewing and thought you gain from it. It's designed to stabilize WiFi connections:

http://download.cnet.com/WeFi/3000-18508_4-10701038.html