Does Wi-Fi drastically slow down speed?

Question

If I use my WI-Fi I get about 3mb speeds, if I hook up directly to the modem I get 10+mb. Do I need to upgrade my wireless router?

Answer 1

Yes an 802.11 g will slow you down tromendously compared to a direct connection.....

You can upgrade to a router using the latest technology......802.11n, you will also need to upgrade your wireless card in your computer to take advantage of this technology.....
http://www.netgear.com/Products/RoutersandGateways/RangeMaxNEXTWirelessRoutersandGateways.aspx

Update: WiFi 802.22g is 54 mbps.....802.11n 300+ mbps

Answer 2

Well, there are a lot of factors which can affect your wifi connection besides just the wireless router you are using. You can optimize your connection without having to buy a new router. BTW, as a general rule, expect to see a drop in connection speed going from an ethernet connection to a wireless connection - 20-40% drop is not uncommon. Here are some things you should look out for:

1. Which generation of wifi router are you using? 802.11b has a maximum speed of 11 Mbps versus 802.11g with a maximum speed of 54 Mbps. If you are using 802.11b, you might want to consider bumping up to 802.11g or even the newer 802.11n standard.

2. How far away is your router from your computer? Are there obstacles between your computer and the router? As a general rule, try to keep the distance between your computer and router less than 30 feet. I know many companies advertise that their routers have a maximum range of 100 feet or even 100 yards but don't expect anything but a faction of this in reality. Make sure there are no obstacles between your router and computer - or as little as possible. Keep routers away from metal objects, elevated the router off the floor or table andtry to have a line of sight between the router and computer.

3. Consider investing in a hifi antenna to replace the antenna which came with the router. Omnidirectional antennas are O.K. but uni directional ones are better.

4. If you are using Windows, the default settings are not optimize for broadband connections. Use a free utility like Dr. TCP or SpeedNet's TCP Optimizer to change Windows settings for broadband connection. If you need links to these tools, drop me an e-mail.

Answer 3

Let us understand first.... network cable connections can give you a bandwidth speeds of 10 to 100 mbps. Your actual speed will still depend in many factors like: PC speed (processor, memory, current load, etc.). Now for WiFi, the early ones, using protocols 802.11a/b, can give you bandwidth rage up to 11mbps. The latest ones, using 802.11g, can give you up to 54mbps or some even 108mbps. Again, these are just ranges. The actual speeds will depend on other factors... on the PC or in the router. And one more to note with WiFi, both the Access Point (router) and the Wireless device (WiFi card) must use the same protocol to make use of the max bandwidth.

Going to your question, if you say you only have 3mbps with the WiFi, then check the following:

1. Check the WiFi protocol of both your AP (router) and WiFi card. If one or both of them are using an old protocol like 802.11a or b, then you need to upgrade it or both to 802.11g (the latest).

2. If both AP and WiFi card are already using 802.11g protocol,
a. Check the setting/properties of the WiFi card if it is set to a specific speed rate. Some cards can be set to "Auto" or "Use Best Rate" and switches to a lower speed if it sees it necessary. You can set it to the max but as I said, the actual speed will still depend on other factors.

b. Take note also of the distance of the PC from the AP and other magnetic objects or devices that may attribute to radio noise. Even walls are a big factor. So position your AP carefully.

c. Are there anyone else using your AP? Sharing your bandwidth will definitely degrade your available speed. Unlike cables, there are better switching methods done by routers to share the bandwidth. But for WiFi, the router can not distribute the bandwidth equally to all WiFi devices. So secure your Access Point. Look into the user guide and set an encryption method. Use MAC filtering, so you will know which WiFi devices can use your AP. You can also use IP address assigning or filtering.

Hope this helps.

Answer 4

No. No distinction, even nevertheless, if there are any thick partitions, or the different places the place the sign is weakened via obstruction, then under pressure may be the extra suitable determination for those. yet you nevertheless do no longer might desire to drill everywhere. in simple terms cord up a on the spot bridge/get right of entry to factor to the room the place the sign is susceptible, then you definately'll want on the spot there too. in simple terms place the modem+on the spot router someplace close on your laptop room, or on the middle of the abode in case you utilize it by the abode. the fee that the cable/DSL runs into your house is severely below the fee your router is able to turning in wirelessly. Your assumption is right. My information superhighway connection is approximately 8 MBps, way below the router's rated fifty 4 MBps. So there could be no bottlenecking. even nevertheless, while you're utilising your connection for extra suitable than in simple terms sharing information superhighway, then ethernet would be extra suitable. Why? via fact while you're streaming movies/video games/and so on. over the community, your confusing rigidity study velocity is a lot swifter than the fee at which on the spot B/G can manage, which might bottleneck the streaming. on the spot N could be a much better determination for streaming HD movies over the community. even nevertheless, I bypass movies over my G community each and all of the time, and that i've got not any buffer wait circumstances. examine out the bit cost of your movies in case you intend to bypass them. complete them up with all the different simultaneous connections you intend to have, then you definately'll comprehend if it is going to be slowed down via your on the spot community velocity.

Answer 5

Get a better antenna on your computer if you are far away from your router (A.K.A. AP for access point).

Answer 6

typical wifi speed is 54mbps
typical wired speed is 100mbps