Strange Wifi issue ...

[Jsh1284]

Hi, folks. Former user of the Anand forums .. been so long, I don't even remember my old e-mail addy or username ... ANYWAYS ... I knew this would be the best place to get uality input on my issue.

I'm having a very frustrating issue with my desktop's Wireless connection. Just finished a new build .. everything is 100% fresh. I'm certain there is absolutely no malware etc on that system. In a nutshell, browsing is so incredibly slow and unreliable that it's usually not usable .. despite a very strong signal. Now .. I know what you're thinking. Some sort of router issue, right? Well .. nope ...

I'm on my laptop, which is right next to my desktop, and also picking up a strong signal from the router. It, however, is working perfectly fine. No speed/stability issues whatsoever.

I HAD been using a Linksys Range Plus (PCI .. internal) adapter, which INITIALLY I thought was defective. Purchased a Netgear USB adapter .. which actually got me a BETTER SIGNAL from the router, but no improvement in actual performance.

It's rare for an issue like this to actually stump me .. but I'm definitely stumped right now. Any thoughts?

 

[Martin Wilson]

Was going to suggest you make sure your drivers are up to date (noticed you mentioned the new build).

However, you tried a USB adapter and still had issues, so unless your MOBO drivers haven't been updated? That's all I can think of right now.

 

[CubanlB]

Are the adapters you are using on the desktop 2.4ghz only while the notebook might be on 5ghz?

Is your router dual band?

You will want to look for packet re-transmits on the router. You say you have good signal strength, what are you basing that off of? The level of bars or a RSSI or SNR reading from the desktop.

 

[SecurityTheatre]

Well, it could be caused by some interference.

I've actually seen interference and noise affect a device with a smaller, weaker antenna LESS than one with a strong antenna.

I would suggest running a package like inSSIDer and see if there is a lot of noise or other signals on the channel and adjacent channels. Compare the desktop and laptop result and see if there is any substantial difference in noise or interference levels.

Also, report the SNR. If it is below -70, then you aren't getting a "good" signal.

Also, double check the CTS/RTS settings, MIMO settings, channel settings, MTU and frequency.

There are some cases where "draft-n" products were highly incompatible with "802.11n standard) products where I saw issues like this. Older "draft-n" cards worked fine, but new "in spec" cards just didn't.

 

[DainBrammage]

The first thing you need to tell us are the capabilities of the gear in question. i.e model numbers. Are they 802.11g or 802.11n or mixed and what type of USB ports you are using and what modes you are running on the router