Slow 54g speed

[HipHoper]

Have this tp-link 541 router and tp-link 321 usb dongle. I place them in several position which one of them is 5 meters with nothing between them, And i get a meximum speed of 2 Megabytes per second while copying files.
Isn't that quite slow ? Theoretical speed should be almost 7 Megabytes per second, But 2 MB seems lame....
Any similiar experiences ?

Thank you

[slgrieb]

Wireless is hard to troubleshoot, IMHO. I still find NetStumbler to be the most useful freeware utility for testing wireless LAN performance, and it's surprising how RF interference can degrade WLAN performance. NetStumbler lets you examine signal to noise ratios, dropped connections, etc.

In the U.S., we can use channels 1 to 11 of the 14 available in the 802.11x standard, and 11 seems to have the best performance, but I have absolutely ZERO idea what the situation is in Israel. Nevertheless, I think NetStumbler would still be useful for checking wireless performance.

Also, I'm going to toss this idea out as a longshot, but perhaps still worth a look. See if the computer in question has any MRxSMB Event ID 3019 errors in the Event Viewer. This error can cause slow file transfers on both wired and wireless LANs. It is most common in XP SP2 (Microsoft has a patch for the issue, and SP3 is supposed to fix it too) but I've also seen the error in conjunction with both NOD32 v. 4.x and Symantec Endpoint Security v 10 and 11. The fixes in both cases are pretty straightforward, and I wouldn't be surprised if other AV programs might have not similar problems. Just haven't seen it.

[HipHoper]

Thanks Slg for being profesional as always.
I saw some inconsistancy in netstumbler graph under few placing configuration of the card I've tried via the front usb ports and via GOOD 9 feet usb extension cord - It did made some problems in the front usb mode with other computer too. Signal is strong and stable (around -50db) when connected to the rear usb port.
I ordered Tp-link pci card since my router support Extended-Range feature (A nice word for stronger antenna), And they sent me USB instead which doesn't support that feature. I am waiting for another card to arrive in order to see if it performs better :

http://www.dynamode.com/english/page...-GI-600SM.html
It seems to me that this card will also work well since it has 3db antenna vs. regular 1.5db antenna.

The computer uses XP SP3 and I saw only one 3019 event about 2 weeks ago, So I guess all is well regarding this issue.

[CCT]

They say 54 Mbs or 54/8=~7 MBs.

BUT, that is optimum. Front USB ports are oftem 1.1, so they have a High Speed limit of 1.5 MBs (12 Mbs).

That little built-in antenna might be having a hard time dealing with signal transfer due to the metal case.

[HipHoper]

Thanks CCT.
the front usb ports were usb 2, Since xp gives a message when you connect a usb 2 device to a usb 1.1 device ("This device can perform faster")

[CCT]

I think you only get that message IF USB 2.0 is active, ie, enabled in Bios.

I am sure you checked that already.

[HipHoper]

As a matter of fact I didn't checked the BIOS usb speed thingy, But since I managed to achieve a 2mb/s speed, It's already twice as fast as usb 1.1, So maybe it works in usb 1.1 accelarted mode...Just kidding :O)

[CCT]

The readings from various sensors vary like mad - 1.2 MBs versus 2MBs on what sensor?

It matters little if you start with the basic knowledge of what you have enabled - then you know what to expect.

Have you tried a USB hub elevated to get the dongle clear of the case for better tranmission/reception?

[HipHoper]

"Have you tried a USB hub elevated to get the dongle clear of the case for better tranmission/reception?" That's a great idea CCT, but I've used USB extension cable to the same effect but reception was no more than mediocre (Worse than on computer front and rear usb ports)..
I will wait for the PCI wifi card, Since I can live with htis level of receptivity for few days and then I'll move the card to my HTPC and play with it.......

[Motormouz]

The speeds you're getting are probably the best you'll ever get using wireless 54g. I've also never seen it above 2 MB/s. If you really want a higher throughput either use 802.11n equipment that has a theoretic speed of 300 Mbit (realisticly about 100 Mbit) or go wired. Than you'll have reliable 100 Mbit or higher speeds and no neighbours and/or microwaves jamming your signals to further degrade performance

Pull the cables. You'll thank yourself later

[HipHoper]

Thanks for the feedback moto. It seems more and more compelling to use 1GB wired network....I'll see hpw it goes with my further tests, But it is very likely that I'll use wired network, Since speed and stability is quite important for my uses