Slow laptop wireless connection. What to check?

I have BT Broadband and I recently replaced a desktop pc & BT Voyager
wireless router with a laptop and Netgear DG834G v2 wireless router and
have noticed a considerable drop in the speed of the internet
connection. Even loading google.co.uk can sometimes take about 10-20
seconds versus almost instant with my old setup. Both using IE7.
The desktop setup was fast and stable and the connection never dropped
out. But with the laptop & Netgear combi it's *very* slow and if I
leave the computer inactive for a while (I haven't worked out how long
exactly) it drops the connection to the internet and I get a dialog box
asking me if I want to reconnect or work offline.
I can't find any setting either in the router or the laptop that tells
it to timeout or to drop the connection after a period of inactivity.
So I wondered if it's a feature of Centrino processors?
I don't have my old pc or router anymore so I can't test different
combinations unfortunately.
Is there anything obvious I can look at in the first instance?

Thanks!

<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed) oups.com...
>I have BT Broadband and I recently replaced a desktop pc & BT Voyager
> wireless router with a laptop and Netgear DG834G v2 wireless router and
> have noticed a considerable drop in the speed of the internet
> connection. Even loading google.co.uk can sometimes take about 10-20
> seconds versus almost instant with my old setup. Both using IE7.
> The desktop setup was fast and stable and the connection never dropped
> out. But with the laptop & Netgear combi it's *very* slow and if I
> leave the computer inactive for a while (I haven't worked out how long
> exactly) it drops the connection to the internet and I get a dialog box
> asking me if I want to reconnect or work offline.
> I can't find any setting either in the router or the laptop that tells
> it to timeout or to drop the connection after a period of inactivity.
> So I wondered if it's a feature of Centrino processors?
> I don't have my old pc or router anymore so I can't test different
> combinations unfortunately.
> Is there anything obvious I can look at in the first instance?
>
> Thanks!
>

Is the laptop running of battery or mains? might be disconnecting if
inactive for a period of time...

what strength connection & speed is the wireless showing?

any other interference nearby - electrical, microwave, cordless phone,
digital tv sender etc that may be causing interference...

what about connecting to the modem router with ethernet? that way can check
if the problem lies with the internet \outbound, or connection between pc &
router...

still have ie6? to fall back on..

Stuart