Wireless network Interference ??

[johnohuk]

Hello All , I'm looking for some clues as to why :

When I copy a movie/large file from one pc (which is hardwired to a DG834g) to my laptop which wireless connected, I see a bursting effect on the network traffic. It copies at max rate for say 5-6 seconds, then drops speed and then restarts again, about 2-3 seconds later. I've being using DU meter to watch the performance..

This has been happening for the last 2-3 months, before it was much better, with a continuous copy at max speed i.e. no bursting.

Things I've tried are ..

Switching 11g channels from 11 to 9 after I noticed another bugger close by ;)

Putting a test file on another disk on the same PC ?

Closing down any other background programmes running in the background on the server...

Watching server CPU util for something kicking in...

Can't see any patterns with external interference from dishwashers etc but could be wrong!

Any ideas for investigation ? Could be a buffer problem but I wouldn’t have a clue where to look !

[Variable]

Windows does not show accurate download speed at the begining because it actually starts to download the file immediately and the status bar plays catch up. The actual speed is after the first 5 -6 seconds. This is what it was getting the whole time but their is just a lag from the time it starts counting bits moved and the time it started actually moving the bits.

Encryption will slow down throughput, interference could come from cordless phones and microwaves. Parity checking of the files received with errors will cause a re-transmission of the packet. Put the laptop next to the wireless transmitter and see if speed improves. If it does not it is probably not interference causing problems unless another transmitter is close by.

Wireless channels have overlap and really you should only use 1,6 or 11. If a wireless transmitter is close to you on channel 11 you should move to channel one.

If the cpu and ram are fine it is probably not worth closing programs to try and increase speed. If CPU and RAM are pegged then it would make sense.

[imaclatchie]

What about the old issue of the 2.4 Ghz phones? My router works well with my 2.4 Ghz phones plugged in - but does it ever fly when they are turned off! I have ordered 5.8Ghz phones to get past this issue.

Mac