1. #1

    Wireless Speed Inconsistency

    Hey everyone,

    Finished my new build about a week ago (see: http://pcpartpicker.com/ca/p/2cUV) with a lot of help from this site. I added an ASUS PCE N-15 wireless N card as running a cable was aesthetically unpleasing.

    The problem that I've come across is that the speeds that I get using speedtest.net are half that of my laptops which is a 2 1/2 year old ASUS N50V-1A that has a wireless G card. I get around 45-60MBps on the laptop and at most 25MBps on the desktop (the tests were done with the laptop and desktop next to each other to eliminate the distance variable). The router is an ASUS RT-N16 flashed with dd-wrt.

    I've gone and updated the drivers on the wireless card but the speed remains the same. My router is set to a mixed wireless G/N signal so I can continue to use my laptop and cellphone via wifi. As for the settings on the wireless card, there really isn't much, and I've matched any setting that I could to that of the routers.

    Any thoughts?

  2. #2
    Scarab Lord Djinni's Avatar
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    Whats the speed of your outside line?
    Do you really use your home network that much that it makes any difference to anything except an arbitary number?

    While "Interesting, and a potential problem" It's unlikely that it's actually making any difference, (Much like FPS and latency counters in games... People say they experience a difference between say 60 and 70 FPS (I sure don't...) or between 20 and 30ms (Again... I sure don't)... when all it really is is a different number, the difference is virtually if not totally imperceivable.
    Last edited by Djinni; 2011-11-18 at 04:57 PM.

  3. #3
    Brewmaster Majesticii's Avatar
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    Do you live in the vicinity of multiple wireless networks? IE close proximity houses, or an appartment etc. Maybe they're all on the same channel, and you should change it.

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by Majesticii View Post
    Do you live in the vicinity of multiple wireless networks? IE close proximity houses, or an appartment etc. Maybe they're all on the same channel, and you should change it.
    You would need a BUNCH of peolpe on the same channel for it to really matter. Either way, 25 MBps sounds like "G" to me, not "N". Sometimes, with certain A/B/G/N routers, if you have it set up as "G/N", it will run at the "G" speed. Regardless, why does it matter? Do you ever download at 25 MBps to begin with?

    ---------- Post added 2011-11-18 at 12:05 PM ----------

    Quote Originally Posted by Djinni View Post
    Whats the speed of your outside line?
    Do you really use your home network that much that it makes any difference to anything except an arbitary number?

    While "Interesting, and a potential problem" It's unlikely that it's actually making any difference, (Much like FPS and latency counters in games... People say they experience a difference between say 60 and 70 FPS (I sure don't...) or between 20 and 30ms (Again... I sure don't)... when all it really is is a different number, the difference is virtually if not totally imperceivable.

    I agree with what is said here. It's not going to matter. No need to fret over it... It's not like you're using DSL or Dial-up. lol

  5. #5
    Deleted
    For N functionality to kick in - you must be using WPA2. WEP security is in violation of the N spec and most devices will not run with N speeds if WEP is used. The spec does also permit N speeds when no security is set at all, but this is intended for troubleshooting purposes - not actual operation.

    Beyond that, its simply not impossible to outrule that the laptop Wi-fi card simply has better reception. While ethernet cards basically perform identical to each other, wi-fi cards have dramatic differences on almost every measurable criteria. (Some do better range, others do better throughputs of specific types)

  6. #6
    @Djinni: Outside line is advertised at 32MBps, but when hardwired directly to the cable modem I can easily hit 50MBps.

    @Majesticii: No, my card only picks up 3 other wireless networks. Two with 2 bars or lower, and one at full bars....which is weird b/c it's stronger than my own signal and I know that it's my neighbour from across the street (my street has 4 lanes).

    @Informed: No I don't, and as I'm with Rogers my torrent speeds are in the bytes/sec. I've seen direct download speeds hit around 6-7MBps on both my laptop and desktop. And you're right, I have "high-speed" DSL at work and it's by far the most infuriating piece of crap that constantly cuts out and resets.

    @DarkXale: I'm pretty sure that I'm using WPA2, but will double check when I get home in cause I may have inadvertently set it to just WPA. Fortunately I can still exchange the card if need be.

    Thank you all for the input. I'm definitely satisfied with the performance of the card, but just curious as to why there was such a large variance in the speeds.

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