Wireless card issue?

Hi all,

Just a quick query regarding if the problem I'm having is due to a faulty wireless card or something else.

I'm living with 2 friends in an apartment and we have the 100MB UPC package.

We noticed bad DL speeds on the speedtest so re rang up to see what the problem was.

After being on the phone for a while the issue was resolved and speeds were at an acceptable level.

One of the machines using the internet is agaming rig that was built not too long ago.

The problem is a wired connection on the rig will get speeds of betweem 50 and 70 Download but wirelessly it is barely going past 14. Any other wireless device on the network is getting well above that.

Apparently the wireless card was loose when the PC was being transported and as such, it may have been damaged.

Here is the Wireless card - http://www.elara.ie/productdetail.aspx?productcode=ECE2325149

Do you think it is an issue with the wireless card? Could it be something to do with the speed of the card itself? It's only a 150Mbps, should I get a 300Mbps?

Any help most appreciated.

Issue like this are usually associated with the router.

Jan2011 wrote:

Issue like this are usually associated with the router.

But how do two other laptops that are connected to the same router get much better wireless download results?

Also if this is an issue that is related to the router then is there anything I can do? (Besides gettting a new router.) I don't know if you can have a different router with UPC anyway.

Oh yeah - you're right. You did mention that other wireless devices are doing fine. I was then thinking that the wireless card in question might be an older b or g version. The link you provided says it's an 'n' version, so that shouldn't be the problem.

Common things that slow down wireless connections are:
- distance between the device and the router
- interference between the router and the device. i.e. metal heating ducts, appliances, etc.
- other nearby transmitting devices such as cordless phones and microwave ovens.

Jan2011 wrote:

Oh yeah - you're right. You did mention that other wireless devices are doing fine. I was then thinking that the wireless card in question might be an older b or g version. The link you provided says it's an 'n' version, so that shouldn't be the problem.

Common things that slow down wireless connections are:
- distance between the device and the router
- interference between the router and the device. i.e. metal heating ducts, appliances, etc.
- other nearby transmitting devices such as cordless phones and microwave ovens.

Distance between the router is not really an issue it is in the same room as it.

Again I don't think there is any interference. The router is in your standard 'sitting room'.

No phones or microwaves either.


I genuinely think that the wireless card may have been damaged some how.

I just want to exhaust all other possibilities before buying a new one. Are there any particular tests I can do with the wireless card itself to see what the issue is?

The only thing I can think of is to PING the router. PING sends an IP packet and looks for a response. It's like running a speedtest between the device and the router.

First you need to find the router's IP address. So open a CMD prompt by holding the Windows key and hitting the R key. In the Open dialog box, type in CMD and hit the ENTER key.
This should bring up a black window with white text.
You will see a prompt ending with your user name and a >.
Type in ipconfig and press the ENTER key
Note the Default Gateway.

Now type in PING x where x = your Default Gateway. Here's an example:
ping 192.168.1.1

You should get 4 responses. Look at the time. That's the time it takes to send a signal to your router and for it to return. It's typically less than 5 ms. Compare that to a PING run from your other devices.

Jan2011 wrote:

The only thing I can think of is to PING the router. PING sends an IP packet and looks for a response. It's like running a speedtest between the device and the router.

First you need to find the router's IP address. So open a CMD prompt by holding the Windows key and hitting the R key. In the Open dialog box, type in CMD and hit the ENTER key.
This should bring up a black window with white text.
You will see a prompt ending with your user name and a >.
Type in ipconfig and press the ENTER key
Note the Default Gateway.

Now type in PING x where x = your Default Gateway. Here's an example:
ping 192.168.1.1

You should get 4 responses. Look at the time. That's the time it takes to send a signal to your router and for it to return. It's typically less than 5 ms. Compare that to a PING run from your other devices.

Probably should have mentioned that I have a farily decent knowledge base and experience with computers so I could have saved you the trouble of typing out a step-by-step guide to running a ping. Sorry about that! I appreciate the effort and help though.

I will give that a go when I am home. I tried pinging 127.0.0.1 (The wireless card itself) and it's recieving all packets and seems to be working in that regard. Pinging the router is a good idea though. I have a strange suspision that it will yeild similar results, though. I remember pinging a website the other day and it returned normal results.

Last edited by CrashOverride9 on 20th April 2012, 1:24 pm; edited 2 times in total (Reason for editing : left out a word / spell check)

Hello Crash...do you still need assistance here?

DragonMaster Jay wrote:

Hello Crash...do you still need assistance here?

Hi DragonMaster Jay,

Yes I'm still trying to determine whether or not the wireless card on the machine is damaged or not. As you have probably seen, other devices in the house are getting the appropriate speeds but this one is not. I just want to try everything to diagnose the problem before I go out and buy a new/faster/better one in case I don't need to.

Regards,

Crash.

When the wireless card is connected, do you see other wireless networks in the Connection Manager?

Do you see the wireless network you are trying to connect to?

It is better to either connect all PCs on wireless, or all on wired. Usually, when one computer is wired, it is priority over other computers. However, if they are all connected wirelessly, then the chances of getting a fair share are better.

DragonMaster Jay wrote:

When the wireless card is connected, do you see other wireless networks in the Connection Manager?

Do you see the wireless network you are trying to connect to?

It is better to either connect all PCs on wireless, or all on wired. Usually, when one computer is wired, it is priority over other computers. However, if they are all connected wirelessly, then the chances of getting a fair share are better.

The wireless card picks up all the networks around us and there is a lot.

It has not problem connecting to my network and connects almost instantly.

It only give 4/5 bars of signal strenght even when it's only a few feet away from the router.

I think at the time when the problem irst arose, all machines were connected wirelessly and I think we even tried just having that PC on.

I have not tested it wirelessly for a while so I may try again later today but it just seems strange that it could not reach the same limits as any of the laptops.

[...]but it just seems strange that it could not reach the same limits as any of the laptops.

Even if plugged in ethernet (instead of wireless connection)?

DragonMaster Jay wrote:

[...]but it just seems strange that it could not reach the same limits as any of the laptops.

Even if plugged in ethernet (instead of wireless connection)?

Oh no, sorry - Ethernet has no isues it actually gets the best download results on the speedtest (as expected).

Could it be possible that I am limited to the speed of the wireless card itself? It's 54mbps.

We live in a small private, mini estate and almost every apartment around us also has Broadband with UPC. They are the only company in Ireland to offer any DL speeds over 24mb (they have 50 and 100mb) and apparently congestion free as it is 'fibre power' broadband. Initially I was thinking that it could be a congestion/bandwidth issue since everyone around us is using UPC but since it's apparently congestion free I doubt that is the problem.

If the card is only 54 MBPS, and you want faster transfers, then yes, the card is limited to only 54 MBPS.

Also, FWIW, a 300 MBPS Wireless N card is the best new technology, and usually is the best deal if you buy it from the manufacturer or reseller.

I bought a new wireless N card back a few years ago with that speed, and had no difficulty, and to this day, still don't!

I probably paid $74 USD for it. (Like 56 euros).

DragonMaster Jay wrote:

If the card is only 54 MBPS, and you want faster transfers, then yes, the card is limited to only 54 MBPS.

Also, FWIW, a 300 MBPS Wireless N card is the best new technology, and usually is the best deal if you buy it from the manufacturer or reseller.

I bought a new wireless N card back a few years ago with that speed, and had no difficulty, and to this day, still don't!

I probably paid $74 USD for it. (Like 56 euros).

Yeah looks like it is probably just an issue of the speed of the card itself is not fast enough.

I shall have a look for a 300mbps N card and replace it. I can't see any other reasons that this problem would occur.

Thanks for your help anyway, I just wanted to make sure the problem was not something that could be fixed easily.

Yeah, I get it.

Hopefully it works out for you.

Topic closed.