LInksys WRT54G and Vonage Motorola 2442 slowing my speeds down incredibly

[rode2006]

I'm new to this forum. I'm also a new subscriber to cable broadband.

Here's my problem/question: My cable ISP tells me I can expect 4MB downloads. They're not even close (I average less than DSL - approx. 1.3M) - sometimes lower.

I am running my Vonage Motorola 2442 and then porting from the Vonage TA to my rounter (LInksys WRT54G). and drive from the router a desktop and a Linksys wireless notebook card. I have my Vonage TA direct-connected to my cable modem, by the way, because Vonage suggested it.

When I run ethernet directly to my laptop (take out of the loop the TA and the router), I do get download speeds approaching 3.5 and even closer to 4MB.

I am not encrypting (WPA). The same pitiful download speeds are on my desktop (with is run off the router).

Any suggestions as to what might be causing this would be truly appreciated. THis is drving me crazy.

Thanks!

Rich

[Shug7272]

Hey welcome to the site.  :wave: So you are saying that if you hook the modem directly to your computer you get good speed but if you put your router in there it slows down? Even if it is hardwired from the router to the computer it still slows? I just want to make sure I understand before I start trying to help.

[mick]

Hi there. I am with a cable company ntl and i was getting slow down load speeds i kept complaining to them they told me it was my router( LInksys WRT54G). that was giving me the problem (ya right i thought) so i went to linksys website and did a firmware upgrade and low and behold it was the router that was slowing me down.

You may have done this already as i am no expert but these guys on this site have helped me

[Swimmer]

First welcome to the forum, rode2006.

Here is the deal.. The Motorola 2442 is a VoIP gateway.. Which is good and bad.. It is good because it establishes QoS on your network so that you call quality is really good.  It is also bad at the same time... You are going to get slower speeds to your computer because of it.  My guess is that the Motorola box holds so much bandwidth in reserve so that you can make/receive calls without interference.  Without dynamic allocation you are just going to get what you get as far as bandwidth goes. 

One of the other positive aspects of your set-up is that you are going to have better call quality than those Linksys boxes that you plug into to your router.  Those dont use QoS and have to "share" network bandwidth.  So your set-up is ideal for VoIP.

Now how to get faster speeds to the computers..  It really depends on that gateway device.  If you can connect it to the router then, I would download dd-wrt and establish QoS based on ethernet ports. 

Here is a guide on DD-WRT: http://www.testmy.net/forum/t-12222

This will give your VoIP calls on the network priority over all other traffic on the network.  It also means that if you are not making any calls you should have 100% bandwidth to the computers.

What version of the WRT54G do you have?

[rode2006]

Thanks, Shug7272, Mick, and Swimmer!

Shug - in response to oyur question: Yes, when I hooked the modem directly to my laptop via ethernet cable I got good speed. When I put the router in between it did slow down substantially.

Mick - I took your advice and upgraded the firmware - hardwired from the router. Amazingly, my hardwired speed then boosted up to 3.48M!

My wireless, however, remains a dismal 1.1M. I"m using a Linksys Wireless-G card (WPC54G). I've rebooted my laptop, rebooted the router and the Vonage TA and still a dismal 1.1M on the wireless.

This is puzzling.

Swimmer - I thank you for the information and link - I'd like to reserve the option as a "last resort" - the "you could void your warranty and maybe brick the router worries me a bit (Murphy's Law seems to hang around me a bit too much sometimes).

As I mentioned, I just recently completed a clean install of XP Pro on my notebook and I've made no tweaks at all to my wireless connection settings - I just performed a pulug-and-play of the card and it was easily recognized and up and running inside of a few minutes of insertion.

So - if my logic is right (and I defer to you all as more expert than I am on matters like this):

1. the problem cannot be with my ISP or cable modem since on a direct connect (wired) of my system to the modem it flies

2. the problem cannot be, at least ALL of the router since after the firmware upgrade my downloads average 3.5 when hardwired (ethernet) - even with the Vonage box hanging off the router (I changed my array to make the router the first piece of gear out of my modem and the Vonage TA is hagning off the router now).

3. It seems like there's a wireless connection configuration problem since my ethernet (wired) connection flies since the firmware upgrade of the rounter.

Any additional tips, advice, etc.?????

By the way, when I installed the Linksys Notebook adapter I did insert the accompanying CD (because I did need to load the driver from it).

I decided to let Windows configure my wireless connection (automatically) versus using the LInksys SW (monitor GUI). COuld THAT have been a mistake? Would I have been better off using the LInksys CD to install the whole wireless????  If so, how does one undo the Windows-generated wireless configuration and replace it with the LInsys SW generated one?

Thanks again for the suggestions and I hope for more.

Rich

[Shug7272]

Hi there. I am with a cable company ntl and i was getting slow down load speeds i kept complaining to them they told me it was my router( LInksys WRT54G). that was giving me the problem (ya right i thought) so i went to linksys website and did a firmware upgrade and low and behold it was the router that was slowing me down.

You may have done this already as i am no expert but these guys on this site have helped me

This is what I was going to say. I had the same router and same issue and same fix. But my wireless speed was not that bad. How is your signal strength.

[rode2006]

Presently, my signal strength (10 feet away from the router) using wireless is 95% (according to the Linsys Wireless monitor).

It just dropped down to 82%, by the way. Now it's at 77% (no movement of the laptop). Something wrong going on....

[Swimmer]

nothing is wrong..  It is going to very.. it is a radio.. therefore you are going to have interference.. have you tried doing a site survey and changing the channel that your network operates on?

[rode2006]

Hi Swimmer:

I changed channels - did the whole range (1 - 11). Slight improvement on channel 11 (reached 1.4Mbps). Enabled and disabled SSID (no change). No encryption being used.

Ran antivirus - came up clean (on both my laptop and desktop). Used Panda, ZoneAlarm, Norton, and Freedom Internet Security. Also ran Webroot SpySweeper, AdAware, and SPybot S&D - all clean.

Right now I"m on my deskotp system - got an upload test of 3.4Mbps wth my cable modem going to the Vonage TA and then to my Linksys router. Laptop "topping out" at 1.3Mbps.

As mentioned, I did a clean install of XP Pro on the laptop,

I even changed the LInksys Notebook card - brought the prior one (3 days old) back to the store and did an even exchange.

I"m baffled.

[FallowEarth]

Some of this may not apply to you directly, rode2006, but I included all of it.

from: http://www2.sewanee.edu/wireless/accesspoints

Factors Affecting Wireless Access

Please be aware that many factors can affect wireless access.  Wireless data networks, like Sewanee's, that use the 802.11b standard, operate in the 2.4GHz frequency band.  Walls and obstacles can limit operating ranges and prevent users from connecting to the wireless network.  Signals generally will not penetrate metal or concrete walls.  Even trees and leaves can partially or entirely block a signal.

Other factors that reduce range and affect coverage area include metal studs in walls, concrete fiberboard walls, aluminum siding, foil-backed insulation inside walls or beneath siding, pipes and electrical wiring, and furniture.

Potential sources of interference include other wireless equipment such as 2.4GHz cordless phones, microwaves, Bluetooth wireless, some wireless cameras, radio transmitters, and other electrical equipment.

Please note that since your wireless card tends to draw a lot of power from your computer, wireless access could be limited with low wattage hardware and conservative Power Saver settings.

One thing left out that I'd like to add is that you may experience interference of the  wireless signal due to Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) from any device using power.  This could be your fridge, microwave, TV, ceiling fan.....anything.  Try to optimize the path of the wireless signal, and keep a good distance from any electrical devices.

[rode2006]

Hello Fallow Earth!

Interesting article (links), however, 90% of the time (yes, even when the download speeds are languishing) I'm about 12 feet from my router with a clean line of sight (nothing at all in the path, no corners, etc.)

1. Is there a way to check whether I've enabled BOTH the Windows woreless configuration AND the Linksys app (the Gui monitor install)?

It would have been a mistake, of course, however, would that be a possibility and, if so, could that slow down the wireless speeds???

2. If so, does anyone have an opinion relative to whether I'd be better off using the Linksys install of the wireless card - and managing the wireless OR would I be better off letting Windows manage the wireless.

3. (finally) Is there a way to check into and disable, if necessary, the O/S (Windows) managing the wireless?

Thanks,

Rich

[rode2006]

P.S.

My cordless telephone base (yes, it's a 2.4Ghz), is located about 15 feet away from my router. Could THAT be a problem? The reaosn it's even in the same room is to have corded connectivity to the Vonage TA.

Before I close this reply to my reply, I"ll right now disconnect the cordless base (to turn off the radio waves) and then see if that improves my download speeds.

Done - no difference - in fact, it dropped (coincidentally) to 1.1MBPS (it was 1.4 before the wcordless phone unplug).

This is still baffling to me. I even loaded a Notebook adapter driver - no difference in wireless download speeds.

[dlewis23]

My cordless telephone base (yes, it's a 2.4Ghz), is located about 15 feet away from my router. Could THAT be a problem? The reaosn it's even in the same room is to have corded connectivity to the Vonage TA.

it can be a problem but most likely its not, most phones will automtically change channels