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What is your internet speed? I doubt it's as high as a 54 Mbps router can handle. Perhaps there's something else slowing her down? Bad reception, slower CPU, bad configuration, etc.

Jay G.

Unless you're transferring files between your PC and laptop, you're not likely to see a speed boost. Wireless G allows speeds up to 54Mbps, and averages around 19Mbps, which is typically much faster than most people's internet access.

If you still want an N adapter for the laptop, "card" adapters typically stick out less and are more solid connections. Of course, you'll have to check what kind of card slot the laptop has. If it was made more than a few years ago, it might have a Cardbus slot. If it's newer, it may have an ExpressCard slot. You can see comparisons of the two types here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ExpressCard

I still recommend using the same brand adapters as the router when possible, as this reduces compatibility issues. D-Link has two fairly well rated N adapters on Amazon, although you may want to check reviews elsewhere as well. They're both N Draft 2.0 certified.

D-Link DWA-652 Cardbus Adapter
http://www.amazon.com/Xtreme-Wireles...apter-802-11N/

D-Link DWA-130 USB Adapter
http://www.amazon.com/D-Link-DWA-130...dp/B000QDBOCY/

The bad reviews for the USB adapter center around Vista computability, which D-Link has since fixed, with the most recent drivers for it being Vista certified:
http://www.dlink.com/products/vista-support/

jack999

I just did a speed test on both the wired desktop and the wireless laptop:
Desktop - 1754 kbps
Laptop - 903 kbps

That translates, if I understand correctly, to 1.7 mbps, and .9 mbps, the laptop being about half the speed of wired desktop and well under the capability of 54mbps. Of course we should assume the max speed is usually going to be the 1.7 (approx).

Shouldn't this router give the laptop a speed closer to the wired laptop? The wireless utility on the laptop says the signal strength is excellent. The laptop is about 10-15 feet from the router.

jack999

I did the speed tests using CNet and Speakeasy and they certainly give different results:
------Speakeasy CNET
Laptop----2.4-----.7
Desktop---4.8----1.3

I think CNET is more realistic.

Jay G.

I think it's odd that the wifi internet speed is consistently about half the speed of the wired connection. Maybe there's some sort of rule or option enabled on the router that throttles the wifi's internet use?

I'd test to see how fast the connection is between the two computers on the network, to see how fast the wifi connection itself truly is. You can just transfer a file between the two PCs to get a rough idea.

wewantflair

It's probably just poor wireless signal connectivity on the laptop, which N addresses.

jack999

The wifi utility on the laptop usually says the singal is good or excellent and it's only 10-15 feet away. You think the speed of the laptop would increase using an N adapter?

Jay G.

You should really test to see what the wifi speed is within the network. You can check this blog post for instructions:
http://www.raymond.cc/blog/archives/...network-speed/

jack999

I've had the DIR655 for 7-10 days now and it's an improvement over the Vonage/Linksys router. At least 1-2 times a week, and sometimes more, we had to reboot the router to get connectivity, and not just wireless. My wired up desktop would have no internet in the morning quite often.

Since installing the DIR655, we have not had one internet outage or even one Vonage outage. Clearly the old router was getting flaky.

I decided to get the Dlink DWA643 N Expresscard for my wife. I thought that would pep up her wireless internet connection and it hasn't. With the internal card her pc was getting 4-5 bars of signal strenth and now she's getting 1-2 bars. No improvement on speed. Despite the week signal, she is getting a stable connection that is as good as what she had.

Since I plan on connecting my Wii to the wireless router, I'm running the router in mixed mode. Is that the problem? I thought these N routers had much better range.

Fok

I picked up the D-Link 825 a few weeks ago, so far pretty good and the connection has been pretty stable. Only thing is that I'm only getting a G connection with my Toshiba A300-06H laptop (max speed of 54 mbps), even though both router and laptop are N compatable. I have another post in regards to this as the problem could be with Vista