One computer out of four on network VERY slow

Here is a crazy one for you. I have recently set up a wireless network
adding a D-Link 524. The desktop is hardwired by ethernet, and I have a new
Acer computer with a Broadcom network card. The network is WPA encrypted.
After the usual difficulties of getting these things up and going, I now have
download speeds on my laptop that are virtually identical to those on my
hardwired desktop. So my daughter and son-in-law arrived for a Christmas
visit, each carrying their own wireless laptops. One was a brand new IBM
with an Intel network card, the other a much older and cheaper IBM laptop to
which was added a Linksys card. After I gave them the encryption code, the
older laptop connected immediately and worked pretty darn good for the
several days of their visit. From the word go with the newer laptop,
connection was a hassle. Or I should say, pulling up web pages was a hassle.
It would connect almost every time. It would show a strong signal almost
every time. Sometimes it would indicate 54mbps throughput, but that would
constantly oscillate down to about 1 Mbps. But regardless of signal strength
or throughput indicated, it was almost impossible to use the Web. When I
check download speed at PC pitstop, my speed (with either my wireless Acer
laptop or my desktop) will usually be between 2700 and 3000 Mbps, from a
provider who is advertising 3500. When we would try this on the newer IBM
laptop, even when the signal was indicated as very strong with high
throughput, we would get between 61 and 600 Mbps! Sometimes when he first
connected, web pages would come right up, but within a few minutes it would
bog down to unusable. In the meantime, his older beat up IBM laptop with the
added Linksys card functioned just fine. Then we took his laptop and went
out around town, where it easily and consistently connected to any number of
WiFi hotspots, and some other private unsecured networks, which we hooked up
to for a couple of minutes for test purposes. Come back to the house, show a
very strong signal with up to 54 Mbps yet can not connect to anything! We
experimented with MTU, lowering them from 1492 down to 1468 after having done
the appropriate ping testing. We set all computers in my network plus their
two laptops to this lower MTU figure. Lowering the MTU and increasing the
RWIN definitely improved in the download speeds of my two computers in the
network. But doing the same on his laptop accomplish nothing.

Any ideas, anyone? I did not bother getting rid of encryption, since he had
no problems connecting to my network. It's just that once he connected, he
might be able to go to one or two web sites with a reasonable speed, but
every time within five minutes his download speed would drop to almost
nothing. We are quite mystified. But his laptop works wonderful at his home
as well as on the road and hotels, airports and various WiFi hotspots. It
only refuses to function correctly on my wireless network.

Hi

It is hard to know without inspecting the Laptop and what is on it.

In general, a lot of the new Laptop come loaded with so much "Junk" at the
StartUp that might be that there some Network/Wireless utilities that are
On, and conflict with the normal work of Windows Wireless aspects.

Jack (MVP-Networking).



"BillyBob" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:841F1D49-02B0-4525-A687-(E-Mail Removed)...
> Here is a crazy one for you. I have recently set up a wireless network
> adding a D-Link 524. The desktop is hardwired by ethernet, and I have a
> new
> Acer computer with a Broadcom network card. The network is WPA encrypted.
> After the usual difficulties of getting these things up and going, I now
> have
> download speeds on my laptop that are virtually identical to those on my
> hardwired desktop. So my daughter and son-in-law arrived for a Christmas
> visit, each carrying their own wireless laptops. One was a brand new IBM
> with an Intel network card, the other a much older and cheaper IBM laptop
> to
> which was added a Linksys card. After I gave them the encryption code,
> the
> older laptop connected immediately and worked pretty darn good for the
> several days of their visit. From the word go with the newer laptop,
> connection was a hassle. Or I should say, pulling up web pages was a
> hassle.
> It would connect almost every time. It would show a strong signal almost
> every time. Sometimes it would indicate 54mbps throughput, but that would
> constantly oscillate down to about 1 Mbps. But regardless of signal
> strength
> or throughput indicated, it was almost impossible to use the Web. When I
> check download speed at PC pitstop, my speed (with either my wireless Acer
> laptop or my desktop) will usually be between 2700 and 3000 Mbps, from a
> provider who is advertising 3500. When we would try this on the newer IBM
> laptop, even when the signal was indicated as very strong with high
> throughput, we would get between 61 and 600 Mbps! Sometimes when he first
> connected, web pages would come right up, but within a few minutes it
> would
> bog down to unusable. In the meantime, his older beat up IBM laptop with
> the
> added Linksys card functioned just fine. Then we took his laptop and went
> out around town, where it easily and consistently connected to any number
> of
> WiFi hotspots, and some other private unsecured networks, which we hooked
> up
> to for a couple of minutes for test purposes. Come back to the house,
> show a
> very strong signal with up to 54 Mbps yet can not connect to anything! We
> experimented with MTU, lowering them from 1492 down to 1468 after having
> done
> the appropriate ping testing. We set all computers in my network plus
> their
> two laptops to this lower MTU figure. Lowering the MTU and increasing the
> RWIN definitely improved in the download speeds of my two computers in the
> network. But doing the same on his laptop accomplish nothing.
>
> Any ideas, anyone? I did not bother getting rid of encryption, since he
> had
> no problems connecting to my network. It's just that once he connected,
> he
> might be able to go to one or two web sites with a reasonable speed, but
> every time within five minutes his download speed would drop to almost
> nothing. We are quite mystified. But his laptop works wonderful at his
> home
> as well as on the road and hotels, airports and various WiFi hotspots. It
> only refuses to function correctly on my wireless network.

Thanks Jack. It may be something like you are talking about, but that
computer works just fine on his home network, as well as any other unsecured
networks that we tried, including various WiFi hotspots. What ever it is
loaded on his computer or what ever setting on his computer, it only
interferes with his ability to pull up web pages for more than a few minutes
on my home network. But if it's his home network, Starbucks or the airport
or various hotels, it works fine. And it might work fine on mine, for one or
two web pages. But then it quickly bogs down to unusable, despite continuing
to show high throughput and strong signal. Sometimes we get a message
"little or no connectivity".

I just tried an experiment. I was trying to retrieve some messages and
suddenly there was no access to the internet even though I am well connected
according to network icon. So I shut down my Firefox 1.5 which had several
tabs open and immediately could acquire my email messages.

So I think it is connected with Firefox 1.5 or one of its extensions. Are
you using Firefox?

Jeff
BillyBob wrote:
> Thanks Jack. It may be something like you are talking about, but that
> computer works just fine on his home network, as well as any other
> unsecured networks that we tried, including various WiFi hotspots.
> What ever it is loaded on his computer or what ever setting on his
> computer, it only interferes with his ability to pull up web pages
> for more than a few minutes on my home network. But if it's his home
> network, Starbucks or the airport or various hotels, it works fine.
> And it might work fine on mine, for one or two web pages. But then
> it quickly bogs down to unusable, despite continuing to show high
> throughput and strong signal. Sometimes we get a message "little or
> no connectivity".

Jeff: sorry, no, I am using Internet Explorer. But on a related note, I was
sitting here last night in the living room, rapidly pulling up web pages with
a 54 Mbps throughput at a strong signal, everything working just dandy, and
all of a sudden lost connectivity. Could not even find the network. This
corresponded to my wife sitting down in the chair next to me and making a
phone call off a wireless phone, 2.4 gigahertz. Which is the same frequency
as my D-Link router. I got up and went into my office, and was immediately
able to connect again with high speed. So I think the other 2.4 gigahertz
items in the house might be a problem interference wise. But whether or not
that is a problem that is related to what we have been discussing, I don't
have a clue.

"Jeff" wrote:

> I just tried an experiment. I was trying to retrieve some messages and
> suddenly there was no access to the internet even though I am well connected
> according to network icon. So I shut down my Firefox 1.5 which had several
> tabs open and immediately could acquire my email messages.
>
> So I think it is connected with Firefox 1.5 or one of its extensions. Are
> you using Firefox?
>
> Jeff
> BillyBob wrote:
> > Thanks Jack. It may be something like you are talking about, but that
> > computer works just fine on his home network, as well as any other
> > unsecured networks that we tried, including various WiFi hotspots.
> > What ever it is loaded on his computer or what ever setting on his
> > computer, it only interferes with his ability to pull up web pages
> > for more than a few minutes on my home network. But if it's his home
> > network, Starbucks or the airport or various hotels, it works fine.
> > And it might work fine on mine, for one or two web pages. But then
> > it quickly bogs down to unusable, despite continuing to show high
> > throughput and strong signal. Sometimes we get a message "little or
> > no connectivity".
>
>
>