Inconsistant performance on a D-link wireless network (DI-614+ & DWL-520+)

I am running a wireless network with a 2.4 Ghz router (DI-614+) which is
suppose to support 22Mbits/second and I am using DWL-520+ wireless network
cards. Sometimes this thing works great! It seems as if I am wired. Pages
load instant, downloads are full speed...everything. Other times it
crawls...times out, and doesn't work at all.
As far as I know I am configured good (3.0.5 drivers with version 1.9
firmware). I was thinking maybe I should have gone with the 54Mbit system
(5.4 Ghz), but when this system is actually working, it works great.
What could be causing this inconsistency? I noticed it seems to work
better at night (maybe wireless system is temp. sensitive because our A/C is
broken and it gets really hot during the day). Right now my signal is
"Good" with 96% link quality and 76% Signal Strength. Is that good? Would
an antenna booster help any? Any ideas, support, insight or experiences
would be helpful! Thanks everybody.

Gabe

"Gabriel Afana" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:3HJZa.16236$(E-Mail Removed) et...
> I am running a wireless network with a 2.4 Ghz router (DI-614+) which
is
> suppose to support 22Mbits/second and I am using DWL-520+ wireless network
> cards. Sometimes this thing works great! It seems as if I am wired.
Pages
> load instant, downloads are full speed...everything. Other times it
> crawls...times out, and doesn't work at all.
> As far as I know I am configured good (3.0.5 drivers with version 1.9
> firmware). I was thinking maybe I should have gone with the 54Mbit system
> (5.4 Ghz), but when this system is actually working, it works great.
> What could be causing this inconsistency? I noticed it seems to work
> better at night (maybe wireless system is temp. sensitive because our A/C
is
> broken and it gets really hot during the day). Right now my signal is
> "Good" with 96% link quality and 76% Signal Strength. Is that good?
Would
> an antenna booster help any? Any ideas, support, insight or experiences
> would be helpful! Thanks everybody.
>

Most people aren't going to notice a faster wireless system in home use. The
reason is that most internet connections - even cable and DSL broadband
ones - rarely run faster than 1.5Mbits/sec download. So, even the standard
11 Mbs speed is about seven times faster than your fastest home broadband
connection.

As far as your periodic speed problems, you need to figure out where the
choke point is actually occurring.

1. It =could= be your wireless system. We're talking radio waves and they
can be subject to interference. Double check your settings and see if you
notice a pattern as to when the network slows. It could be that
repositioning the transmitter or laptop will fix the problem.

2. Or, it =could= be your broadband connection. ANY network - cable or DSL -
will suffer periodic slowdowns for a dozen different reasons. Could be an
overloaded server at the web site you're viewing. Could be a router causing
problems somewhere in between. Could be technical problems at your ISP.
Could be local congestion from other users. (Cable users sometimes notice
this during peak-use evening hours.)

If your speed bumps are due to reason #2, then your wireless has nothing to
do with it.

On Mon, 11 Aug 2003 18:01:38 -0500, "M. Smith"
<smithm@networkusadotnet> said the following:

>
>"Gabriel Afana" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>news:3HJZa.16236$(E-Mail Removed). net...
>> I am running a wireless network with a 2.4 Ghz router (DI-614+) which
>is
>> suppose to support 22Mbits/second and I am using DWL-520+ wireless network
>> cards. Sometimes this thing works great! It seems as if I am wired.
>Pages
>> load instant, downloads are full speed...everything. Other times it
>> crawls...times out, and doesn't work at all.
>> As far as I know I am configured good (3.0.5 drivers with version 1.9
>> firmware). I was thinking maybe I should have gone with the 54Mbit system
>> (5.4 Ghz), but when this system is actually working, it works great.
>> What could be causing this inconsistency? I noticed it seems to work
>> better at night (maybe wireless system is temp. sensitive because our A/C
>is
>> broken and it gets really hot during the day). Right now my signal is
>> "Good" with 96% link quality and 76% Signal Strength. Is that good?

I have the same device (the di-614+) working with a linksys pci card
on W2k and was initially disappointed with the signal strength. For
me, moving it away (and actually six feet further from the nic)
increased the signal/quality to 100%/100%. It stays that way *all
day*. The device was near two other computers and a UPS.

A few questions for your setup:

a) How far away are the nic and router?

b) Is either near any electrical devices? This includes any wiring.

c) In what sort of environment do you live? Downtown, suburbs, rural?

d) Are there any transmission towers (or suchlike things) nearby
outside?

>Most people aren't going to notice a faster wireless system in home use.

Well that's only true if the wireless network strength is near 100%.

>2. Or, it =could= be your broadband connection.

He should check the meter thingy during slow times to see if the
signal/quality has been affected. This would "seem" rule out the
broadband possibility.