Re: Netgear WGR614v6 issue

You sure do read a lot into a simple post.

" That's nice. Any particular reason you don't want to disclose the
makers and model numbers of your hardware? Perhaps you don't want me
to suggest that you purchased garbage, the wrong hardware, don't have
the latest firmware, or that the product might have a known problem?"

Let me simplify.

I have a 10 Mbps cable connection. The cable modem is plugged into the
WRG614v6 router. I turn off all computer equipment to avoid interference
with the test and reset the router to factory defaults. I have a brand new
HP/ Compaq NC6400. If I plug it into a port on the router, I can "speed
test" to any of several online sites at 9.6 Mbps. (I live in Dallas and use
the "dfw.speakeasy.net" speed test"). No problem with internet/ethernet.
Enable wireless connection on the laptop and unplug from the router and
"speed test" drops to 4.4 Mbps, whether I am a few feet from the AP or in
the next room. The signal quality is "Excellent" at all times.
This same test has the same results with my Dell Inspiron 600M w/internal
wireless G, Compaq Evo with Wireless G card and Dell GX270 with Linksys
compact USB Wireless G adapter.

I either have a faulty AP in the WGR614v6 or that model cannot handle more
than 4.5Mbps an the wireless side. This is the information I was seeking.
I will likely only know by replacing the router/AP with one that is known to
function at 10Mbps or more. Though I hold an MCSE:Security, CCNA. CCA, and
COMPTia Security+ and am pretty familiar with general wireless networking, I
have never witnessed this particular issue before. I was hoping to hear,
"Oh yeah. that model of router blows over 4 Mbps" or something like that.

I do appreciate your efforts though, as well as further ideas.

Peace and Love from Texas,

Bytor




"Jeff Liebermann" <jeffl@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:g2bd43lq34q2v0sag1mai8lraepbafnbt7@xxxxxxxxxx
"Bytor" <xxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx> hath wroth:

I hope I have researched this issue long enough to justify a post here.
http://www.netgear.com/Products/RoutersandGateways/GWirelessRouters/WGR614.aspx
This wireless router has 4 ports for non-wireless 100Mbps connections.
All
pcs and laptops have WindowsXP w/SP2 and latest updates. I also have the
latest firmware and drivers on all machines.

Are any of your unspecified model PC's and laptops using an 802.11b
only wireless device?

I have a 10 Mbps cable internet connection 6that plugs into the router
from
the cable modem. I have one PC plugged into the router on one of it's 4
additional ports. I can speed test my connection speed at approx. 9.6
Mbps
on anything plugged directly into the router.

Since you didn't bother to explain how you're testing the speed, I'll
assume that you're using your ISP's online speed test. That's limited
by the speed of the cable modem. Looks like you're on Road Runner. It
doesn't matter how fast your wired or wireless connection is running,
the speed will be limited by the speed of the:
1. Cable ISP.
2. Cable modem.
3. Ethernet router section.
4. Wireless access point built into the router.
Your wired connection test only includes the first three, so any
slowdown in the wireless section will not appear.

The ethernet part of the router might limit the speed. See the chart
at:
<http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/component/option,com_chart/Itemid,189/>
Ooops. The WGR614 isn't listed or reviewed. Oh well.

So, you get to do your own benchmarking. Go unto:
<http://dast.nlanr.net/Projects/Iperf/>
and download IPerf 1.7. On one of your unspecified wired PC's, run
the IPerf as a server as:
iperf -s
On another PC or laptop, run it as a client with:
iperf -c ip_address_of_server
You should get the TCP speed. With a wired 100baseT-FDX connection,
you should get about 80-90Mbits/sec TCP thruput.

Now, replace the wired connection from the client PC or laptop with a
wireless connection and do the same test. If the client is fairly
close and you're getting a good solid 54Mbit/sec connection, you
should get about 25Mbits/sec thruput with one wireless link.

If you get the expected speeds, it's working as expected (duh...).

Now, take a walk with the laptop while running the test. As you get
farther away, record the approximate distance, connection speed, and
TCP thruput from IPerf. Extra credit for being organized and
generating a neat graph. The farther away you go, the slower it will
go.

At one point, you're going to hit 9Mbits/sec. That's the maximum
speed of your cable connection. Any farther away, and your wireless
connection is going to become a bottleneck for internet access.

I have one PC with a USB wireless adapter and three laptops (one Dell, one
compaq, and one HP/Compaq). All are WirelessG, all updated, ect.

That's nice. Any particular reason you don't want to disclose the
makers and model numbers of your hardware? Perhaps you don't want me
to suggest that you purchased garbage, the wrong hardware, don't have
the latest firmware, or that the product might have a known problem?

I have
tested with all the wireless devices and can only get about 4 Mbps,
regardless of the location (it is all in a 2 bedroom apartment). I always
test with all machines turned off except the one I am trying.

That means you're testing over the internet, using some unspecified
internet speed test, and possibly in the same or next bedroom (hard to
tell from your description). Obviously, something is wrong because
with a 54Mbit/sec connection in the same room, you should be getting
the full 9Mbits/sec from Road Runner, or 25Mbits/sec using IPerf.

4Mbits/sec sounds like you're stuck at 802.11b speeds. That's about
what you'll get with an 11Mbit/sec 802.11b connection on a bad day.
Wanna disclose your hardware?

This implies that the bottleneck lies with the router or wireless in
general. Should I expect this much of a fall off in throughput? I use
WPA
TKIP encryption for wireless devices.

Encryption has very little effect on thruput.

If you have seen this issue before with this router, please let me know.
If
it is to be expected, it would be dissapointing. I wonder if there is an
issue with the router. It functions normally other than this issue,

It might be the router. I use quite a few WGR614v6 routers for
non-critical home application. However, most of my customers are no
DSL which doesn't do much faster than 2.5Mbits/sec. No clue how they
work at faster speeds. My guess is that there's something odd with
your unspecified collection of client radios and computahs.

--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558


.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: TV service query ? ? ?
    ... a wireless router. ... a router with extended coverage. ... cable and a wireless connection that you can not see. ... is to have users downloading r/t video, large video files, or other ...
    (alt.home.repair)
  • Re: Xbox 360 and Media Center Connectivity Problems
    ... between the media center pc and the xbox 360.... ... will have to try and research a wireless router/access point that will not ... deter the extender and media center from holding a connection... ... via the router, with the MCE ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.mediacenter)
  • Re: My Network Places
    ... What you want is to set your router's IP, and thus your router's DHCP server, to use a subnet that is different than the one being used by your provider's router. ... I'm not sure why you are using a bridge and separate wireless router rather than merely wirelessly connecting direct to your "provider's" router, but there is a definite plus: because you have your own wireless router, you can effectively isolate yourself from the other users on your provider's router. ... As soon as you click the "Save Settings" button, you will lose your connection, because your computer will now be on a different subnet. ... It does not provide any security and it may cause problems, ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.network_web)
  • Re: wireless download speed
    ... Also, if this was done using a wireless connection, you can get a very ... In the case of a cable modem, ... and router rules can slow the router down. ...
    (alt.internet.wireless)
  • Re: O2 Broadband new user problems.
    ... December 23rd when my wireless speed suddenly dropped to under 5 Meg, ... Netgear router with Ukonline. ... I take it you have read that the connection will alter for a few days from ... Speedtest always showed speeds just over 8 Meg while Think ...
    (uk.telecom.broadband)