I have two PCs (one desktop, one laptop). Each machine is running Vista x64. When transferring a moderately large file (300mb or so) - Windows Task Manager is showing a 'Link Speed' of 36Mbps and a Network Utilization of 5-10%. And I can't seem to figure out why it's so slow, or get it to go faster. I have a 54 Mbps Linksys Wireless USB-N network adapter. Also, my motherboard supports USB 2.0. I have a Netgear router, it claims to support 108 Mbps. The laptop has an atheros wifi card. It says it's connected at 54 Mbps, it's utilization is much lower than my PC. The wireless router and my wireless usb and the laptop are all within a few feet of each other. What's going on? I've gotten the latest drivers/firmware for the router...and it's still crawling. Also - when I'm not transfering a file, my link speed will jump back up to 54 Mbps. But once I start moving a file, it drops down to 11; and even then, it's only utilizing ~10%. ----- Edit - I've played with a bunch of settings - I'm using WPA instead of WEP now because I heard it was faster. I set the router to only allow Wireless G connections. I changes the share settings in Vista to allow only 1 user at a time - and now I'm up to ~20%. But I'm looking for....~90% - what am I doing wrong/missing?
have you tried changing the frequency (channel), trying different ones? The channel selection is in the wireless setup page of your router.
Most people leave their routers on the default channel, which is typically 6 -- right in the middle of the spectrum. Try one on either extreme and you'll likely encounter a lot less interference.
