Wi-Fi: USB Adapters vs. the cards

[andicap]

Why are the cards that go into the slot SLOWER than USB adapters in some cases? OR, more to the point: Why can a USB adapter pick up a signal in a farther part of my house (with some potential interference from walls/microwaves, etc.) when my CARD can not??????

My USB adapters kept breaking so I tried a card and the signal is fine from the room right NEXT to my router, but horrible three rooms away. The USB signal is not perfect, but MUCH better in the farther room.

:confused:

[njcurveball]

It sounds like this is the first card you have tried? Is the card from the same manufacturer as the router?

Is there a firmware upgrade for either that you can install? Driver update?

Why do the USB adapters keep breaking?

Questions, questions, questions. :jump:

[rrbauer]

Sounds like a card problem to me. Can you borrow a different card from someone and try it?

[JustRalph]

andi, don't forget to test the same product at different times during the day. There are tons of things that can interfere with signals. Especially wireless phones. 2.4 frequency phones that are in use by a close neighbor can slow your network down, but if they aren't on the phone you won't even notice. This is just one scenario. there are hundreds, so if you decide to shitcan a device, make sure it is really bad by testing it multiple times during the day and late at night.

I participated in a test program a few years back and you would be surprised what can cause a problem. Including Aircraft radar etc..............

[Tom]

:DTake off your aluminum foil hat!

[DJofSD]

As already recommended, try to borrow some different pieces of equipment to see if you can isolate the problem a little better.

FWIW, last year, I had a situation with an initial set up of a D-Link router, access point and AirPlus XtremeG PCMCIA card that was used in two different laptops. It worked fine but the signal strength was never even close to 100% -- fair to good was typical. The wireless telephone is 5.8GHz, no microwave being used, no other networks, nothing else interfering as best as I could tell. On a whim one day, I bought a 50' category 5 cable. Using the new cable, I took the access point and placed it literal one inch away from the card -- still only fair to good signal strength. I double checked to make sure the broadcast setting was 100%, tried different channels, all the knobs that I could find. Found a few firmware upgrades. It made no difference.

A few months later, the old router bit the dust, so, I upgraded to a combo router -- both wired ports along with a built in access point. Voila, now I had a much stronger signal. Never did figure out why to older setup didn't put out the way it should have. Maybe it needed some Wheaties.

[bigmack]

Use a laptop

http://www.myspacegraphicsandanimations.net/images/funny-computer-addiction.gif

[DJofSD]

Let me guess -- his dad is a Mac user.

[andicap]

So basically the answer is it could be a million and one things and I may never find out what it is :D

It isn't this card because I had trouble on other cards in that same room - why I went to the USB adapters in the first place.

Why do they keep breaking? Because I move the damn laptop from room to room and the things taking a real beating. I used the cord they provided but THAT broke after about three weeks so I had to begin plugging the USB device directly into the laptop. The one, a Zytel device appear to almost short-circuit -- worked erratically for a while than stopped working.

The one thing I can think of is that in the room where I get poor card service, the card fitted in the laptop faces AWAY from the router that is situated three rooms over while the USB device faces TOWARDS the router. Kind of a Doppler type of thing.

[robert99]

Sometimes the PC case itself can shield the signal with a card, whereas the USB dongle can be situated more easily to maximise the signal.

[Dave Schwartz]

Andy,

At our house we use a combination of wired and wireless network.

Remember that the wireless goes via line-of-site from the router to your antenna. LOS at our house meant going through a pantry full of can goods, a stove and the pots and pans inside the cabinets. The sheer density of the path prevented the signal from getting through.

Our solution was to use this:

D-Link AirPlus G High Speed 2.4GHz Wireless Range Extender, 802.11g, b
$79.99

http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?pfp=cat3&product_code=316934&Pn=AirPlus_G_High_Speed_2_4GHz_Wireless_Range_Exte nder


In addition, we relocated the antenna above the cabinets which lowered the density where the signal passes even more.

Another advantage of these are that you can aim the antenna towards your receiver.

Note, that there are cheaper solutions that you might try. This one looks interesting as well:

CompUSA 2.4Ghz Omni Directional High Gain Wireless Antenna
$29.99

http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?pfp=cat3&product_code=312338&Pn=2_4Ghz_Omni_Directional_High_Gain_Wireless_Ante nna

Dave

[njcurveball]

Well here is what I am thinking. You have an older laptop or you would not even need a card. There are driver updates for just about everything these days.

There are also firmware updates for routers. Sometimes a single update can make a BIG difference.

I would make sure you have the latest. And if you are buying all of these external pieces, how much is smart, compared to a newer laptop which would probably be faster and more efficient at a very reasonable price these days?

Sounds like the cost may be justified just to save you the constant aggravation you seem to be going through for simple connectivity.

[DJofSD]

nj, by and large, I agree with you about a newer laptop v. augmenting an older system. However, the new PC my employer has supplied me, while nice with the built in a/b/g capable wireless, the throughput still does not match what I get when I use my AirPlus XtremeG D-Link card -- ~54mbs v. ~104 mbs.

[njcurveball]

What do you use the extra speed for? How fast is your Internet connection?

Also does the card match the router? I agree you connect faster, but most people use the router for the Internet so you never even get close to 10mbps.

DO you transfer lots of files on your home computer?

Also I did a few speed tests and right now (if I believe them) I am connected at an amazing 11 Mbps.

My wireless router connects at 54mbps and my cat 5 connection is 100 mbps. The Internet speed is the same for both.

But if I transfer files from computer on my network to the other, than I would use the cat 5 wired connection to gain the extra speed.

Jim

[DJofSD]

TW: 4790/399 kbps -- I'm impatient. There was another thread on this board last year about what the elite are getting from their broadband provider. Typically 25 mbs.

Yes, the card and everything except the USB wireless for the TiVo are all D-Link.

5 computers of various ages and capabilites -- ya, things fly around.

[njcurveball]

Smart move getting the extra speed transferring files! Although with the space you are losing with the duplication, perhaps an external hard drive connected to the router? They are really cheap these days!

I also have a D-Link router and would get a card if doubling the speed would help.

I also thought that the new Wireless N standard was going to push the industry a little.

I just checked my Internet on another site and it came back a much more reasonable 1.6mbps. I didn't think I was over 10mbps! But you can hope, right? LOL!

My upload speed is something like 300Kbps! OUCH!

But even at 25Mbps, the Wireless G standard of 54Mbps has lots of room!

I am hoping fiber-optics pushes me to go to Wireless N! Hey I can dream, so don't wake me up. :sleeping: :lol:

Jim

[rrbauer]

Andicap:

Does reception problem go away when you put the laptop in close proximity to the router or access point?