Run this test with a server close to your home and post the result here:

http://www.speedtest.net/

Aurel

1394 is firewire.
I agree with mikester. I'm not sure how you narrowed it down to the wifi. Could you run a network cable and see if that works better?

I'll get a 30 ft cable and see.

Firewire? I don't have that hooked up do I? The antenna is in a USB port.

I've done the speed test many times. Today it's 3600/1800, I'm paying for 15 mps.

just found an interesting site: http://www.newnetworks.com/TeletruthresponseVerizon.htm

Milt,

You mention the antenna is in the USB port. Does this antenna have line of sight to the router or is the computer in the way?

The Wifi signal operates at 2.4GHz. This signal is attenuated by metal and water very easily. If there is a tree in the way, that will cause issue. If the computer case is in the way, same thing.

One more thing, microwave ovens operate at 2.4 GHz, the resonate frequency of water. If you have a microwave oven operating near by, this would really screw things up.

Your connection should be very solid at 30 feet. Assuming that the radios are putting out 100mW and that you have a 2dBi gain antenne at both ends, you should be able to connect at 100 yards with no obstacles.

If you are opperating a G radio instead of a B radio, if the signal weakens, the signal will drop back to B speeds.

My first step would be the following:
1. turn off the computer
2. turn off your wife's computer
3. Unplug the router
4. wait 30 seconds
5. turn on the router
6. Let the router boot up (can be a couple minutes)
7. turn on wife's computer
8. turn on your computer

The order of these steps is important. The router needs to access an address from the host. Then the router will build an address table for your home computers. This takes place when the router is powered on.

thanks to all. I don't have any kitchen stuff nearby. That's in the opposite direction. The USB antenna is mounted on top of my flat screen. Should I move it?

On top of your flat screen should not be a problem. Is there an arc welder near by? Those throw off all kinds of spurious emissions.

For a reliable benchmark of "getting what you pay for" you need to be plugged into the router with ethernet. Short cable, not a 30 footer.

The speed you are paying for is to the router, not your computer.

For instance if you are paying for 15 mbs but your computer is old and only has a 10 mb network card....

A 30ft Fast Ethernet cable will work light years faster than 30ft of wireless (802.11a/b/g). Fast Ethernet of reasonable quality should easily be able to go to 100ft and the standard allows for 328 (100 meters).

Also, note that the radios in home wireless routers are LIMITED to output no greater than 100mW. That does not even come close to implying that that it what they are set to transmit out of the box. Before I hacked my linksys WAP54G it was putting out a max of ~80mW.

Milt - stop by Fry's in Fountain Valley and pick up a really long ethernet cable. Don't get more than Cat 5 (they have cat 5e and cat 6) unless they don't have it. Cat 5 will be good for 328ft as I mentioned earlier - you only need 30.

I have wireless at my house (and I do this for a living for a large multinational corporation that makes toys but will remain nameless) but due to the construction of my house (lots of wire mesh layered over the gypsum button board) wireless works like crap through some of my house. So I just ran the wires and now I no longer have to troubleshoot the wireless. I do use it but far less than I used to.

I smoked a computer once when I welded in the same building (same circuit). I don't have a computer on anymore when I weld in spite of my surge protector. :D

Milt,

Have things gotten better? I have Fios at home, and it rocks.

If you want, I can bring my laptop over and see what we can work out?

Michael

Milt, are you sure your computer hooked up to your own wireless router, and didn't latch onto a neighbor's instead? I had that happen to a friend of mine. He complained about the speed, and when I went over to take a look his computer was using the unsecured wifi of his neighbor. My friend had been paying Verizon for DSL for 1.5 years, and he had probably never actually used it! Once we configured his computer to always use his own wifi the speed was much better.

Wifi
 

Milt,
Have you tried taking your wife's laptop out to your office to see if you get a fast connection between the router and her laptop while in your office? Maybe this will narrow the issue down to the wifi connection to the router or settings within your PC. I too have FIOS and have the same package you've got. 2 PC hardwired to my router and the wife's laptop upstairs and all are quick.

Kevin

Milt, here's a real stupid question,, have you run any Adware software lately ?? You could have a few trojens running in the background slowing things down significantly as well.

Not stupid at all to me. Lavasoft has gone to a fee based version only, so I have no upgraded database. I try to run Spybot once a month. I'll run it right now.

Lavasoft Ad-Aware is still free, they just have a newer version.
Click the download button on the left of this page.
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/single/trialpay.php

Hehe, Spybot logged me off.

Downloading Adware now, but I'm already faster. I didn't think of the tracking cookies, I just did this about 3 weeks ago (I think:))

FYI Milt I got Spybot works great..and is still free.....

Yeah, i hope because Adware failed to install. They've gotten funky; they want you to sign up for a credit card or FTD flowers to get their premium package. I opted for the standard and got nothing.

I'm on my wife's laptop and it's much faster in my office. She doesn't have half the computer I have in terns of performance. I haven't even reset the router to make sure I'm comparing apples with apples.

I guess I'll hire a tech.