Wireless speed 1/3 of wired speed

[lear]

Using my macbook, my wireless internet speed averages at about 1/3 of what it is when I am connected via ethernet. The router is a netgear WGR614 V6. I have updated to the most recent firmware on the router. I have DSL. I am wondering why the wireless is so slow (and it is as slow right next to the router as it is few rooms away).

 

[varmit]

Using my macbook, my wireless internet speed averages at about 1/3 of what it is when I am connected via ethernet. The router is a netgear WGR614 V6. I have updated to the most recent firmware on the router. I have DSL. I am wondering why the wireless is so slow (and it is as slow right next to the router as it is few rooms away).

Short answer, 54Mbit isn't as fast as it sounds. If you have other people with wireless around you running on the same channel you will have some interference, also how many walls the signal has to go though. Since regular wire is 100Mbit, and 54Mbit is already half the speed of regular wired network. You are probably catching some interference along with the fact that 54Mbit really isn't as fast as everyone says it is.

Long answer here with more info.
http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/wireless/2003/08/08/wireless_throughput.html

 

[Blubbert]

Thats simply the way wireless is. Aside for 802.11 N, no wireless is capable of attaining the same speed as a wired connection to a router or modem. My wired desktop can easily beat 15000 kb/s downstream. My laptop using wireless, however, barely breaches 3000 kb/s downstream.

 

[Nevrsadie]

Thats just no true. I have a 3 meg cable connection and get about 2800 wired. I also get that with my MBP on a $40 belkin G router.

 

[lear]

This is also only true of the wireless internet--I can use just the network at full speed (transferring files between computers)

 

[lear]

I just found something that increased the wireless speed to nearly the full speed of the internet connection. I reconnected my DSL modem to my old netgear wired router, and connected the wireless router to the wired router. Now the connection is nearly full speed.