Q: Netgear WGT624v1 and fragmentation

Hi all,

Has anyone managed to successfully adjust either the fragment size or
the RTS/CTS threshold on a WGT624v1? If I change either setting from
its default of 2346 bytes, my network experiences complete signal
dropouts for 90-120 seconds which correspond to any attempt at a
significant data transfer [ streaming several kilobytes or more in a
burst - loading Yahoo's main page will do it ].

I have heard that the settings should (must?) be even numbers. They
should also be independently settable according to Netgear as one
controls the actual packet size and the other mediates exclusive
network access for a certain range of possible packet sizes.

The equipment is
a WGT624v1 b/g/108 router,
a WGE101 b/g bridge,
a couple of WG511T b/g/108 cards

All devices have the latest firmware/drivers etc.

The WGE101 has no manual settings for either fragmentation or RTS/CTS.
Netgear tech support told me that the bridge autodetects and uses the
settings from the access point.

The WG511Ts have manual settings for fragment size and RTS/CTS through
the Netgear software, but no settings are available through the WinXP
configurator. I don't know whether the cards will autodetect, but I
have tried using both Netgear and WinXP config to no avail.

The problem seems to be in the router as it will manifest with only a
single client device connected - it doesn't seem to matter which one.
I have confirmed this by turning all client devices off except the one
being tested.

I am also in an area where many neighbors have wireless networks - I
have counted 6 others so far, both 11b and 54g, with signal strengths
varying from negligible to 80%. To use SuperG I have to be on channel
6 so I know I am sharing frequency with at least 2 fairly strong 11b
networks. I don't know which side channel(s) Netgear uses for SuperG
so I don't know which others might interfere.

So far, tech support hasn't given me any useful clues. They are not
concerned because everything works with default values. I would like
to have control of at least the fragment size because one of my
desktop computers can't easily be cabled and so is permanently
wireless via the bridge. The bridge's signal easily overpowers the
cards so streaming anything to or from that computer cripples network
performance for the portables.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
George
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