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Download Speed Question

I have three XP computers connected in a home network to a Linksys WRT54GS router through Linksys WUSB54G (ver 4) wireless adaptors. For each computer I downloaded the same 60 MB file from Garmin.com and got very different download speeds.

Computer 1, a 2.6 GHz clone with an Intel mobo usually connected to the router at 48 to 54 mbps, downloaded at 755 kB/sec.

Computer 2, a Dell 2.4 GHz 4600 desktop usually connected to the router between 24 to 54 mbps, downloaded at 75 kB/sec.

Computer 3, a Dell 3.4 GHz 4700 desktop usually connected to the router between 18 to 54 mbps, downloaded at 37 kB/sec

While Computer 1 seems to often have a better connection to the router, would this alone explain the faster download speed? If not, what might I do to speed up the two Dells?

Reply to
Bobster
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I would turn off Computer 1 and see if that changes speed result. Also do all three have same amount of memory?

Lou

Reply to
LouB

"Bobster" wrote in news:ioKdnQQkuIHCR5zXnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:

Was this a valid comparison ? Was each PC tested while the others were off ? Where they all in the exact same location while testing ? Was this all done at the same time of day ?

Reply to
DanS

I redid the test for Computers 1 and 3 which are in the same room. This time Computer 1 downloaded at a little above 1,000 kB/sec. Computer 3 downloaded at about 39 kB/sec so pretty close to the first test.

I'll redo the test. It's not possible to move all the computers to the same place but I'll do the download one at a time. I suspect I'll get much the same answer. After I did the test, I tried it on my Sony laptop running Vista and I got around 1,000 kB/sec.

Reply to
Bobster

Are all three computers connected via wireless connection?

Reply to
rd

Kinda looks like you're measuring the speed of your unspecified boradband connection. I can't tell for sure because I don't know if kB/sec means KBytes or Kbits/sec.

Find a copy of iperf or jperf. (JPerf is easier to use). Put it your fastest machine, using a *WIRED* ethernet connection to the WRT54GS. Set it up as a server.

Run the iperf or Jperf client on the other machines and see what happens to the speed. This way, you're measuring the speed of a single wireless connection, not the speed through your broadband connection.

Run the test with various wired and wireless combinations and record the results. My guess(tm) is that you have widely varying physical locations for the various machines, resulting in widely varying signal strengths, which are resulting in widely varying performance. However, I note that you say "usually connected" between something and

54Mbits/sec. That may be the initial connection speed. However, once you start moving data, and the system starts seeing errors, the speed will drop. As soon as you stop, it will climb back up to 54Mbit/sec. Not all wireless clients do this, but I'm fairly sure that the WUSB54G does it this way. Just watch the connection speed while it's moving data, not while it's stopped.
Reply to
Jeff Liebermann

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