Wireless Performance

I am using a Xircom CWE1120 PC card adapter under Windows XP,
connected to a Linksys WAP11. Using Qcheck, I am seeing only ~4.8 mbps
throughput when the laptop is next to the AP (even though XP is
reporting 'excellent' signal strength) and then it just goes downhill
from there when I move the laptop elsewhere.

Is this normal? If so, so much for the 11 mbps standard. If not, what
can I do to improve performance?

Thanks...

--Bruce

"Bruce Vander Werf" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>
> I am using a Xircom CWE1120 PC card adapter under Windows XP,
> connected to a Linksys WAP11. Using Qcheck, I am seeing only ~4.8 mbps
> throughput when the laptop is next to the AP (even though XP is
> reporting 'excellent' signal strength) and then it just goes downhill
> from there when I move the laptop elsewhere.
>
> Is this normal? If so, so much for the 11 mbps standard. If not, what
> can I do to improve performance?

Yes, that is normal performance. The 11Mbps rating includes quite a bit of
overhead. Also, the equipment is half-duplex. It cannot transmit & receive
at the same time. The radio spends half of it's time transmitting and the
other half receiving.

There isn't any way to improve 802.11b performace above what you quoted
above. The only "improvement" will come from upgrading to 802.11a or g.
The improvement will be incremental... not dramatic. Also "a" suffers more
from range issues than "b" and "g", because it uses a higher frequency.


Bob

>I am using a Xircom CWE1120 PC card adapter under Windows XP,
>connected to a Linksys WAP11. Using Qcheck, I am seeing only ~4.8 mbps
>throughput when the laptop is next to the AP (even though XP is
>reporting 'excellent' signal strength) and then it just goes downhill
>from there when I move the laptop elsewhere.
>
>Is this normal? If so, so much for the 11 mbps standard. If not, what
>can I do to improve performance?
>
>Thanks...
>
>--Bruce

That is dead on average. Some commercial gear can get 6Mbps but not
all.
Look at the bright side. If you're like me your cable modem puts out
1.5Mbps. So you're at over three times that speed which is nothing to
sneeze at.
------------
When your PC gives a little they give a lot.
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