Slow Wireless speeds

[insomniac321123]

Recently, my wireless has been running slow. I ran some speed tests on speedtest.net and found out that my MBP is running at 1/5 the speed of the wired pc on our network. (700 kbps vs 3.5 mbps). Is this normal? I am using this netgear router. What can I do to speed up my wireless network?

 

[iBookG4user]

Have you tried resetting the router? Do other computers have the same problem via wireless?

 

[insomniac321123]

Im still getting the same results. I dont have any other wireless computers to test on the network.

 

[pianoman]

clear your caches in Safari. not sure if this actually does anything but someone at AppleCare told me to do it once. i didn't notice a difference, but he said it matters. eh...

also, are you running your MacBook Pro in closed-lid mode? if so, the Airport antenna, which is that gray rubbery thing below the LCD panel, is probably being hindered by the actual computer. i've found that you can open the monitor to it's "almost closed" position (i.e., if fully closed, push the release button - the centimeter or so it pops up is what i call "almost closed") and still have the screen turned off. if you're not running in closed lid mode, then you shouldn't have read this paragraph.

is the wireless signal persistently and consistenly poor? by that i mean is it lousy in other parts of the office/house and is it all the time?

 

[insomniac321123]

Its pretty consistent throughout the house and most of the time.

 

[iBookG4user]

Are there a lot of other wireless networks in your area? If so, they could affect your wireless.

 

[localoid]

Wireless networks can suffer from interference from many things, including cordless phones, amateur radio transmissions, microwave ovens, etc. You could try changing the channel on your router and seeing if this helps to avoid interference…

In theory, a given wireless network protocol might have the potential to be as fast or faster than a given wired network but it rarely works that way in the real world, largely due to factors such as interference and problems resulting from the wireless signal being reduced when it tries to move through solid objects such as walls, floors, furniture, etc.