slow file transfer rates

[Ken]

Hi folks,

I am experiencing very slow file transfer rates across my home wirless LAN
(0.72 MBits/sec). Here is the setup:

2 PCs, both XP Pro with Ralink RT2500 Wireless LAN Cards driver version
2.2.1.0 16/02/2004
These are b/g cards as is my access point - a hardware DSL router (Sinus 154
DSL Basic SE)

The PC I am transferring from is registered on a domain because I use it for
work over my DSL connection via a VPN.

When I attempt to transfer files I am disconnected from the VPN however.

The other PC is not on a domain and has fast user switching enabled.

Can anyone please suggest where to start with trying to get the speed up
please?

Many thanks in advance for your time,

Ken

[Chuck]

On Wed, 27 Oct 2004 17:37:22 +0200, "Ken" >
wrote:

>Hi folks,
>
>I am experiencing very slow file transfer rates across my home wirless LAN
>(0.72 MBits/sec). Here is the setup:
>
>2 PCs, both XP Pro with Ralink RT2500 Wireless LAN Cards driver version
>2.2.1.0 16/02/2004
>These are b/g cards as is my access point - a hardware DSL router (Sinus 154
>DSL Basic SE)
>
>The PC I am transferring from is registered on a domain because I use it for
>work over my DSL connection via a VPN.
>
>When I attempt to transfer files I am disconnected from the VPN however.
>
>The other PC is not on a domain and has fast user switching enabled.
>
>Can anyone please suggest where to start with trying to get the speed up
>please?
>
>Many thanks in advance for your time,
>
>Ken

Ken,

Are you using the latest drivers for the cards? The latest firmware for the
router?

How close are the two computers to the router? WiFi is distance sensitive. And
it's interference (noise) sensitive. Any microwave oven, cordless phone,
fluorescent lighting nearby?

After you get all that sorted, remember that the 802.11 frequency spectrum is
shared media. When you transfer files between two computers, using cables and a
switch, the switch sets up a two way pipe between the two computers, with data
moving constantly both ways.

With WiFi, you send and receive (computer to router to computer) using the same
limited set of channels (1 - 11 for 802.11b; 1 - 6 - 11 for 802.11g). Computer
A can't send to the router at the same time as the router is sending to Computer
B. So Computer A sends, then waits while the router sends. Then Computer B
sends, and the other two devices wait.

Sharing the wireless media isn't a problem for internet service with WiFi. The
internet comes in from the WAN by a cable, and is distributed to the computers
wirelessly, so the media is only shared as the packets come from the router.
And internet surfing is intermittent - you load a web page, and look at it.
While you look, the router sends a web page to your friend's computer.

With WiFi, you're waiting for the packets to come all the way from the internet
server, so the wait while your computer and your friend's computer share the
wireless channel, for web surfing, isn't noticeable. But with file transfers,
you're moving massive amounts of data, and the media sharing is noticeable. As
you may find.

Cheers,
Chuck
Paranoia comes from experience - and is not necessarily a bad thing.