wireless network

[bluebirds_1]

i wonder if anyone can help , i recently changed to wireless running 2 pc's via belkin 802.11b , im on broadband with ntl , it seems really slow now is this usuall ? my norton anti virus is on permanent would this affect it ?? apppreciate all comments................thanks

what wireless card are you using?

how far are the computers from the router/accesspoint?

are the antennas pointing straight up and down?

do you have the latest firmware installed on the router/accesspoint?

[originel]

it shouldn't be slow. 802.11b still runs at 11mbps. what can cause a slow-down is a weak signal. whenever the signal is weak it will throttle itself. i've seen it dip to 5.5mpbs, i've heard it will go much lower. what signal strength are you getting?

[bluebirds_1]

connection is usb , main pc is middleroom downstairs, adapter is upstairs(directly) signal strength is 37% , but it s the main unit that is slow /

[kwebb]

There isn't any throttling down. When the connection weakens it causes resends, reducing the available bandwidth. Signal strength isn't nearly important as signal quality, aka signal to noise ratio (SNR). What's that look like? Also, what exactly is "slow"? Internet or LAN connetivity? Only on wireless clients? Provide as much information as you possibly can if you want precise answers.

[ArcticFox]

Originally posted by bluebirds_1
my norton anti virus is on permanent would this affect it ??

Yep, turn that off and you should see a big improvement. Also remember that wireless networks are much, MUCH slower than wired.

[bluebirds_1]

thanks for all your help, after turning my anti -virus off speeds improved , thanks , but i have another little query (lol ) my network is belkin 802.11b , i have a belkin usb adapter, can i use a different make on another pc or does it have to be a belkin one ?

[Bill in SD, CA]

You can use different.

Bill

[Siliconjunkie]

Originally posted by kwebb
There isn't any throttling down.

Untrue. It will drop back to slower speeds as you get less and less signal, I watch mine go from 11 to 5.5 to 3 to 2 and finally 1 all the time. If you mouse over the connection in XP it will tell you the speed.

[kwebb]

Actually to some degree your correct. I am well aware of the different signalling rates as the signal degrades. Trust me, all too familiar. Basically it is the number of resends that determines this, along with signal quality, ie signal to noise ratio. Semantics really. Not true throttling but there is a signalling rate step process, determined by a number of factors.