Should I use built in wireless?

dave oc · 23-12-2005 3:12pm #1

Ok just got ntl 3mb installed and wireless network set up and ive noticed on my laptop im not quite getting the full 3mb. My laptop has built in wireless g and im connecting through it and im wondering would i get much of an increase in speed if i bought a network card? My pc is connected wirelessly by usb adaptor and it is getting a better speed (probaly because both it and the router are netgear). Any suggestions would be great.

D

Capt'n Midnight · 23-12-2005 3:52pm

You will NEVER get the full 3Mb.

Because of contention with other users and overheads in the protocols like handshaking, flow control, checksums.

How close do you get ?

dave oc · 23-12-2005 4:11pm

I checked the connection by ethernet cable and i got 2.95mb stable. On my pc i get around 2.9mb (sometimes 2.5 but not often) which i think is pretty impressive over wireless. I knew i would never get the full speed im just looking for the best way to maximise the speed i have.

Capt'n Midnight · 23-12-2005 5:11pm

Wireless falls back to slower speeds if the signal quality isn't good enough to support a faster one. eg 11Mbs 5.5MBs 2 MBs 1MBs
Note they are half duplex speeds.

you might get slightly faster speeds by playing with the MTU size

humaxf1 · 26-12-2005 10:30am

the Internet connection speed is independent of your internal LAN speed.

Also, speed tests will fluctuate up and down whether checking from wired or wireless ethernet connected PC

badrobot · 02-01-2006 6:34pm

Some internal wireless network cards in laptops have really dodgy throughput, most notably the Intel 2200BG which is standard on a lot of laptops. I have one and I'm thinking of changing soon. I sometimes get only about 50% of what I'd get on my other wireless computer, even though I'm a lot closer to the router on the laptop.

Should I use built in wireless?

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