should I be satisfied at 65Mbps

[xing68]

Hi,
Just found this place, looks like a good place to find home network info.
I just bought a DIR-655 and on my HP laptop, I only got 65Mbps (reading from windows network center). I did not think this is correct since I was expecting 300M on N routers, and plan to return it and get another brand/model, but after some reading here, looks like that in fact is what I should expect...Since my channels are crowded, so only 20M bandwidth, that will give me maximum 150 Mbps, but I don't even get that, only 65M.... here is my setup, please give some advice to get 150, Thanks!

router: D-link DIR-655, HW ver. B, FW ver. 2.00 NA
802.11 mode: n only
auto channel scan
Transmit rate : Best (automatic)
channel width: auto 20/40
security: WPA2 AES
group key update interval: 3600 sec

wireless card in laptop: Atheros AR9285 802.11b/g/n WiFi Adapter

 

[stevech]

The net IP layer yield in data rate will be about 60% of the WiFi raw rate on the air. If you have competition for air time with nearby WiFi that has a lot of traffic, your net yield may be less than 60% at some times of the day/days. It's not the number of nearby networks you detect, it's how busy they are at different times of the day.

The 300Mbps raw air rate is if both ends are capable of 40MHz/300Mbps rates and for the encryption mode. This varies by vendor, I believe.

Getting hundreds of Mbps on your wired, much less wireless, requires fast PCs with good well tuned IP stacks and transfers that are NOT disk speed limited. Windows Shares and so on have lots of overhead.

So lots of variables here.

Compare WiFi speeds after finding a baseline using wired LAN tests. Consider using free Qcheck since it's not disk bound.

 

[ldcarson]

I have the Dir 655, but my firmware is 1.33na, I average on my connections 130-185MBs, I am set to 40mhz channel only....I think it varies depending on the client wifi device as well. As an example my WD live uses a DIR small print, is located less than 10 feet from the AP and gets about 180, my acer laptop which has an intel miniPCI wifi adapter gets 130 and is located about 10 feet from AP as well...I've never gotten 300...ever...not even in the pure clear unencrypted. My Xbox downstairs which uses the XBOX wireless N connector is getting about 60-75, one floor below about 15 feet away. I know this doesn't help you, but wanted you to see that maybe your system is working within its intended parameters, but certainly try other APs, sometimes the right equipment combnations can do wonders for the bump in speed.

 

[xing68]

Yes, I am more suspecting the WIFI chip in my HP notebook now, it's a Atheros AR9285, maybe it can only reach maximum speed of 150M (Anybody can confirm this?). So with unable to use 40M, I should only get 65M. I will bring my laptop to my work place which should have the industrial grade wifi AP to see if it can do any better.

BTW, on my FW 2.00NA DIR-655, there are only choice of 20Mhz and 20/40auto, I don't have the option to set it to 40M only. So you are saying you have the option to set it to 40 fixed?
Thanks

I have the Dir 655, but my firmware is 1.33na, I average on my connections 130-185MBs, I am set to 40mhz channel only....I think it varies depending on the client wifi device as well. As an example my WD live uses a DIR small print, is located less than 10 feet from the AP and gets about 180, my acer laptop which has an intel miniPCI wifi adapter gets 130 and is located about 10 feet from AP as well...I've never gotten 300...ever...not even in the pure clear unencrypted. My Xbox downstairs which uses the XBOX wireless N connector is getting about 60-75, one floor below about 15 feet away. I know this doesn't help you, but wanted you to see that maybe your system is working within its intended parameters, but certainly try other APs, sometimes the right equipment combnations can do wonders for the bump in speed.

 

[xing68]

Thanks for the advice, but I think the speed windows network center showed should be the physical layer speed between the AP and laptop, I was not talking about the real transmission speed of the files.
And about the many networks, my DIR-655 only can set the bandwidth to 20/40 auto, so I guess if it detect lots of G network in the area, it will go with 20Mhz, that's the reason I could not get the top speed. Is this true?
Thanks

The net IP layer yield in data rate will be about 60% of the WiFi raw rate on the air. If you have competition for air time with nearby WiFi that has a lot of traffic, your net yield may be less than 60% at some times of the day/days. It's not the number of nearby networks you detect, it's how busy they are at different times of the day.

The 300Mbps raw air rate is if both ends are capable of 40MHz/300Mbps rates and for the encryption mode. This varies by vendor, I believe.

Getting hundreds of Mbps on your wired, much less wireless, requires fast PCs with good well tuned IP stacks and transfers that are NOT disk speed limited. Windows Shares and so on have lots of overhead.

So lots of variables here.

Compare WiFi speeds after finding a baseline using wired LAN tests. Consider using free Qcheck since it's not disk bound.

 

[thiggins]

Yes, I am more suspecting the WIFI chip in my HP notebook now, it's a Atheros AR9285, maybe it can only reach maximum speed of 150M (Anybody can confirm this?).

Right you are. The AR9285 is a single-stream N chip, so has a maximum link rate of 65 Mbps in 20 MHz mode, 150 Mbps with auto 20/40 mode.

You can set your DIR-655 to 20 MHz mode and you should. You don't really buy much performance improvement with 40 MHz mode and hog too much of the spectrum in 2.4 GHz.

 

[xing68]

Thanks for the info, now I need to borrow somebody else's laptop to test my dir655

Right you are. The AR9285 is a single-stream N chip, so has a maximum link rate of 65 Mbps in 20 MHz mode, 150 Mbps with auto 20/40 mode.

You can set your DIR-655 to 20 MHz mode and you should. You don't really buy much performance improvement with 40 MHz mode and hog too much of the spectrum in 2.4 GHz.