Linksys befw11s4 limiting to 2MB w/ Excellent signal - Why?

First off, here's my config:
1 Linksys befw11s4 Wireless Access Point w/ 4 port router
2 Orinoco PCMCIA WiFi Adapters
1 Desktop connected to the router via Ethernet
1 Laptop connected via the Orinoco WiFi adapter.



I use my laptop about 10 feet from the WAP. I always have an excellent
signal at 11MB. For some reason, the last few weeks the connection would
slow to a crawl, or drop out completely, even though the laptop still
reported an 11MB connection. I did some checking and found a new update
(1.45z for the series 3), so I installed it. Not only did it not make things
better, it seemed to make things worse. Now the laptop would report the
signal as low, or it wouldn't see a signal at all, and even if it did see a
low signal I couldn't access anything. The funny thing is, my neighbor's
WAP (he has a D-Link), I can see and connect to at 11MB with no problem...
and that's in another apartment!

So.. after scanning the news groups, trying different techniques, spending
hours and hours.. I just couldn't get my laptop to see the wireless access
point at anything more then 2MB. I remembered a few months back that there
was a security hotfix for XP that MS posted, and when I installed it it
totally KILLED my ability to connect to anything WIFI until I rolled back to
a previous restore point, as even uninstalling the update didn't restore my
connectivity. Well, now I'm thinking maybe another update that I accepted
might have done something, so I decided to wipe out the whole OS and start
from scratch. After installing XP Pro and SP1, I still had the same
problem. I also tried using another PCMCIA adapter, but still had the same
results. So I just went to BestBuy, and actually got them to exchange my
WAP for the new version (V4) which they claim they have no problems with. I
just hooked it up, and wouldn't you know, I STILL can only get a 2MB
connection. Only difference is that I can actually access the internet,
whereas before I couldn't access anything when it reported 2MB. The funny
thing is, the signal strength shows a full set of green bars and says
"Excellent".

Does anyone have any ideas as to what might be causing this? I unplugged my
cordless phone and took the batteries out of the handset just to make sure
it wasn't that... It just doesn't make sense that I can access my
neighbor's access point faster then the one 10 feet away from me.

-Keith

Keith Elkin <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> signal at 11MB. For some reason, the last few weeks the connection would
> slow to a crawl, or drop out completely, even though the laptop still

Used to work, suddenly changes... new WAP has arrived on the block.
Try changing channels on your WAP.