# Wireless adapter--very slow internet connection



## sdrail (Jul 6, 2008)

Hello

I recently installed a wireless usb adapter (Airlink101 802.11G, 54Mbps) to my desktop and I'm connecting through my router on the other end of the house. According to one of the speed test sites, I have a download speed of around 400 kbps and it seems even slower than that. I can't even watch a youtube video without letting the video completely download first.

My signal strength is about 50%. The Wireless Network Connection Status window generally says I have 'good' signal strength and the speed is usually around 11.0Mbps. Also I'm using WinXP pro OS.

Any help in figuring out why my internet connection is so slow would be very much appreciated, thank you.


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## johnwill (Sep 26, 2002)

11mbit connections will actually yield a true throughput of around 5mbit. If you have 802.11g devices and they're only connecting at 11mbits, my guess is wireless interference or weak signals, regardless of what you think the signal strength is.


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## sdrail (Jul 6, 2008)

Thank you very much johnwill. If I were to install a pci adapter instead would this give me a better signal and faster internet connection?


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## johnwill (Sep 26, 2002)

Well, both ends determine the speed of the connection. What's the make/model of the router you're connecting to? USB devices can connect at 54mbit speeds, though I prefer PCI adapters myself. USB devices tend to have more driver and interface conflicts in many systems.


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## faridsmith (Jul 9, 2008)

I only have a limited knowledge on this subject, but I do know that wireless networks always work better if the adapter and the router are built specifically for each other. I have a d-link router, and 3 wireless computers on it. Two of them had linksys adapters and were always slower that the third, which was a d-link adapter. 

I think you should check to make sure that the adapter and router are compatible models. Try checking the manufacturers website if you need more info on that subject. Hope this helps.


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## johnwill (Sep 26, 2002)

I have a varied mix of wireless equipment here, including three laptops, several wireless PCI cards, and a couple of USB adapters. None of them have problems talking to any of the three different brands of router I have here.


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