Cascade Crew

mrpopo573 · Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 12:37 pm Post subject: Wireless Networking Woes!

Hey guys, very non car related, but I need wireless help. I am a decent techy, but I know that jon and xopher might have me covered with this dilemma I can't figure out.

I have a belking wireless G USB card, giving my inspiron wireless. My mothers laptop has the same card. Both at home and at the car lot I run mixed g and b wireless through a qwest wireless dsl modem/gateway. Recently, at the car lot, I am only able to attain 11mbps speed even with full signal strength. While at home, with the same network, WEP system, my moms laptop gets 54mbps like it should. Even though hers is a 1998 sony vaio. No matter what I do, like eliminate phone interference, reinstall drivers, move/relocate, speed stays low. I haven't tried running pure G band mode on the gateway yet. Don't think it will help, but maybe? To further the problem, when I had a PCI version of the wireless card, I got 54mbps speed even with low signal.

I am so darn confused. ANY help is appreciated.

mrpopo573 · Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 12:39 pm Post subject:

oh and this is a new USB card, I replaced it already thinking that would fix it. My girlfriends brand new toshiba with internal wireless gets 54mbps at the car lot too. AHHHHHHH

Xophertony · Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 5:49 pm Post subject:

are you testing the other laptops at the same time of day? it could be your network is being used by somone else at some point, limiting it's bandwidth (though i doubt this could be it) or that somthing at another local bussness is afecting your signal.

is your wireless router hooked up via a UPS? if not that may be the cause. my Cisco instructor relayed a story about somthing similar:
a wherehouse had wireless comunications for the hand scanners to ship things out (think the UPs guys clipboard/PDA) and also had wired networking for the desktops in the front office. at the same time everyday they would experiance slow wireless communications and diconects, and somtimes the ENTIRE network would "go down" for a few moments.

turns out the site nextdoor had some bigtime equipment they used once a day and that was creating a "dirty power" situation since they were working off of the same pole. a UPS fixed the problem.

1) the first thing to do is to determine if this is JUST with your laptop or not. since you get 54MBPS at home it is probably not your lappy, try the card out of your moms laptop in yours and your card in hers to see if the problem moves witht the card or laptop, be sure to have both lappys at the shope at the same time to eliminate as manny variables as possable.

IF the problem stays with your laptop you know that is the where the issue is comming from. IF the issue swithches over to your moms laptop you have isolated it to the card or brand of card.

if for some reason BOTH laptops are affected...
2) i would examine what is around your shope (or in it) that could create alot of EMI or usses alot of juice. try using the network after hours (when all your power tools are off) and see if that fixes the problem.

3) use your laptop to search for networks NOT your preffered network and see if it pops up alot of other networks. if it does it is possable some of these oporate on interfearing frequencies. (this is just an educated guess, i don't actualy know if that is possable)

i think any further dignostics would require some tools. john will probably chime in with somthing better and more direct, i am not to good at the wireless stuff yet.

mrpopo573 · Posted: Sun Jan 14, 2007 11:00 am Post subject:

Thank you for all the tips xopher. I switched the mixed mode on the router to G BAND ONLY and have now gained back all my speed. ???

Still don't know why. Thanks again

Xophertony · Posted: Sun Jan 14, 2007 11:19 pm Post subject:

sweet. glad i could sorta help.

Alphius · Posted: Tue Jan 16, 2007 8:38 am Post subject:

In a mixed mode network, if any clients act funky to the router, or if a wireless B device connects, the router defaults itself down to B speeds, a maximum of 11 Mbps. By setting it to be a G only network, you have eliminated the possibility of the router dropping down to 11 Mbps, at the expense of interoperability with old hardware...

So it seems to me that where your network was at 11 Mbps, there was an old wireless device connecting at B speed, or some G device was confusing the router. It's even quite possible that the router saw a B device connected even though there was none.

Chances are the router was just confused...

I have the same modem and it's a pile of junk. Very Happy

mrpopo573 · Posted: Tue Jan 16, 2007 1:05 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the extra info. I was suspecting that after reading about G/B usage online. Thing is, im the only wireless device, and I don't think my 128 bit wep has been broken. I changed it anyways.

The router/modem is junk, and so is my belkin g usb, flimsy and only half reliable. I need to go get a netgear card again.

And welcome to the board! Very Happy

Schultzy89GTA · Posted: Tue Jan 16, 2007 3:28 pm Post subject:

(hehe - he joined a month before you)

mrpopo573 · Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 9:55 am Post subject:

Ahhh. Damn. I saw the new member quote and didn't check dates.

HEY WAIT, I joined october of 2005. He is september of 2006. HAHAHA,

keeping me on my toes schultzy?

Schultzy89GTA · Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 12:20 pm Post subject:

looks like it is the other way around popo!

doh!

-Schultzy