Just Ralph or any other network guru

[Buddha]

I have a wireless network in my house connected to a cable internet connection. My question is this. On my computer I have a USB wireless adapter. Would getting a PCI be any faster on my end of the network? Specifically, when I watch the races online, there is a lot of buffering recently, and I was wondering if it is a network problem, or the USB adapter.

[headhawg]

Buddha,

What 802.11 wireless version do you have? If it's "b" it theoretically transfers data at 11 Mbps (Megabits per second). Actual transfer rate is about 5 or 6 Mbps. USB 2 transfers at 480 Mbps (USB 1.1 at 12 Mbps), so do you know what USB version you have? Having .11b and USB 1.1 may explain the slow transfer. If you have .11a or .11g the actual transfer is about 26 Mbps or so. The USB port/hub may be the bottleneck if it's v1.1.

HH

[headhawg]

BTW, I should have added that a typical cable internet connection speed is around 1.5 Mbps.

[Buddha]

i have a "b" version, and i think i have a v1.1 usb. i know it isnt the "high speed" usb as my pc told me when i went to plug in my mp3 player.

also, when i was connected straight to the router before I never had this problem. and i never noticed it as much before as i do as of recent.

[headhawg]

Buddha,

When you say that connected straight to the router, did you mean that you previously had a wired/cabled router rather than a wireless access point?

You would get better transfer rates (in theory, 5X faster) by upgrading to a USB 2 or PCI .11g wireless card. But, that also means upgrading your access point, unless it supports multiple (b/g) wireless versions.

HH

[Buddha]

yes, it used to be a wired connection, which I could still do, but dont want to run wires around the house. I don't think the router supports both b and g.

how much difference would a pci adapter make? i dont want to have to buy a new router and everything else too :)

[headhawg]

You might see a small improvement. If you know someone with a PCI wireless card you might want to try it first. The transfer rate internally will definitely be faster, but I'm not sure how much "actual" performance increase you will see. It may not justify the cost.

Frankly, the transfer rates are just slower with USB 1.1 and .11b compared to USB 2 and .11g. And most certainly slower than a Fast Ethernet connection (100Mbps) which I'm assuming that you had with your "wired" card and router.

BTW, you are securing your wireless access point, right? You don't want the neighborhood kids to steal your bandwidth (or worse)!!

[Buddha]

i never did anything to secure it before, but i dont think that anyone in a town of 4000 or so people has a wireless network card :) just in case, howso would i secure it?

[headhawg]

I was going to make a separate post about this at one time, so hopefully other users will read this.

Here are the best things that you can do:

1) Change the default admin password and/or the admin account name. Most users don't, so I can get into their access point and lock THEM out, and prevent them from using their own network. At least temporarily.

2a) Disable SSID broadcasts. SSID is like the access point "workgroup"; it allows users to "join" the access point. If you send it out on the airwaves by broadcasting I'll know what it is and then I will use it to get into your network. (Well, not me personally. LOL)

2b) Change from the default manufacturer SSID.

3a) Check to see if there is a WPA security firmware upgrade for your access point. If there is, upgrade the firmware following the manufacturer's instructions. (CAREFUL!!! Upgrading the firmware is a lot like "flashing" the motherboard bios -- take care in doing so.) However, WPA is important enough to have on your access point. If this is available, configure WPA according to manufacturer instructions.

3b) In lieu of WPA, enable WEP with 128 bit encryption. It's better than nothing, but does create a false sense of security. Also, the WEP key must be entered on the client side as well, otherwise no connection.

4) There is normally a section for configuring the access point to respond only to specific wireless cards by something known as a MAC address (aka, hardware address, physical address). Enter the address info into that configuration section for the computers that need access. You can find out the MAC address by going to the command prompt (not the Run menu), and typing the "ipconfig /all" command (no quotes). M$ lists it as a physical address (12 hexadecimal numbers/letters). I am assuming a windows o/s.

Hope this helps!

HH

[JustRalph]

Good points all...........

I usually find that this problem is upstream and something has changed upstream from you.

If your neighbors are all jumping online via cable....you are going to slow down. It may be that simple.

The one thing I would do is go direct (without the router or anything) to the cable connection and see if there is a change. You can do this for a short period of time and get your answer. Prefer to do this in the middle of a race card and see if it's better when the next race comes up and you are connected direct. Make sure you reboot and reset everything when you go direct. What player are you using, realplayer, media player etc?

Bump the buffer up a little. If it's realplayer, that can be the difference.

You must first find out if it's on your equipment or upstream. Do that by trying a direct connection to your cable modem. Then work your way back. Don't buy anything until you figure this out.

[Buddha]

well, i have changed the admin password, but if i disabled ssid broadcasts, i couldnt connect myself. i dont konw if i need to change anything or what, but i then added teh WEP key, so i think you need a key to get on now, and i have had about 5 minutes of non buffered video. maybe it is less net traffic today, or maybe someone was "stealing" my wireless network. if it stays this way i will be a bit happier :)


and i just got a whole race from beulah without any buffer delays.

[cj]

I don't think you are getting a lot of traffic watching Beulah on a Tuesday. If you get a Saturday at Aqueduct this clean, you are on to something!

One other thing, I don't know how ESPN does it, but I have never gotten anything but a crystal clear picture, and never once seen the dreaded "buffering!" Whatever they are doing, please call them BRIS Bet!

[Buddha]

tampa was clear too :) i forgot about hte espn one. going to ahve to check that out. i figure i wont truely know until thursday or friday when i try to watch during a more active track time.

[headhawg]

Buddha,

You will need to set up the client computer for the SSID that you change. Think of it as a private ID. Suppose you change the SSID to "Buddha" on the access point, then you would enter that SSID on the client. You, and anyone else that has that "Buddha" SSID, will be able to connect to the access point. Also, they would need the WEP key if that is also configured.

HH