Getting a slow WIFI connection speed ?

Many people after migrating from a wired to a WIFI network are disappointed by the difference in performance, generally a WIFI network will be slower than wired, but there are number of things we can do.

Firstly make sure your computer is as fast as it can be, don’t just presume its just a slow wireless connection slowing down your computer.

Is your router 802.11g/n compatible? If not stop right here, you really need 802.11g or n if you want any kind of decent performance.

Are all connecting devices 802.11g/n?

Set the router to 802.11g or n only, devices connecting at slower speeds will slow everything down.

Make sure your router has the latest firmware updates, this is one of the best ways to speed up a slow WIFI connection , this can have many other beneficial effects such as more stable connections, faster connecting and better through put.

Make sure you backup your routers configuration before doing this, just in case of problems, its settings can be restored in seconds.

Download the latest WIFI network card drivers for any computers, if you have to purchase any network cards make sure they are 802.11g, it also helps if they are the same make as your router.

Your guide to wireless internet www.wirelessinternet.net

If you have a desktop computer a WIFI card with a PCI interface is the best choice.

For a laptop an internal mini PCI card is best, but not all laptops are compatible with these, the next best choice is a PCMCIA type, finally a USB type, I’ve left this as the last choice as it puts a small load on the processor, ties up a USB port and is pretty unsightly and can get knocked very easily.
If you have wireless phones or baby monitors which operate at 2.4ghz they will cause a certain amount of interference which can interfere with your wireless network.

Its worth downloading an application such as net stumbler as this will tell you the frequency of neighbouring WIFI networks, so you can select a different frequency, reducing interference.

Obviously the further away the WIFI devices are from the router the weaker the signal will be, meaning a slower wireless connection, simply by hovering the cursor over the WIFI network icon on the bottom right you will see the speed of the connection.

There are a number of ways to speed up a slow WIFI connection such as increasing the signal strength by using larger aerials, and making sure the network card settings are set to full power.

Items such as WIFI network repeaters will extend a network connection, but as they have to send and receive from the WIFI devices and the router, this can in effect halve the network performance.

If possible always use a wired connection over WIFI as this will be faster and more secure.

If you really need extra WIFI distance purchase WIFI kit with this in mind as, it may initially be more expensive, but the differences can differ enormously.

computer adviser slow WIFI connection article