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Wireless Internet speed is one quarter of wired... Please help me fix it.

When connected via wire I run the Verizon Speed Test and get 85Mbps download 38Mbps upload speeds.

When connected via wireless (to the Actiontec MI424WR Rev. I router) I run the Verizon Speed Test and get 20.5Mbps download 19Mbps upload speeds.

I have downloaded and run the VzSpeedOptimizer100.exe program... after rebooting, Speed Test results were the same.

Based on one forum post I read... I've tried setting my wireless channel to 11, then to 6, then to 1... with increasingly worse Speed Test results.

Based on another forum post I read... I tried to change my encryption from WEP to WPA2, and my wireless internet stopped working altogether.

Another posts suggests that the router is garbage (which I'm starting to believe) and just buy another wireless router and use it instead.

Is there anything I can do to get the speed up to the levels I'm paying for without buying another router?

It sucks that I'm paying for a super fast plan and not getting any of the benefits of it.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give.

Comments

tns2

Definitely need WPA2. That is in fact the default on the Version "I". Not sure what kind of problem you hit when you switched.

Other things may also help, but not until you get WPA2 to work.

walt178

There are only two reasons I can think of for wireless to stop working when you switched from WEP to WPA2. Your wireless code was changed. Or if you have an older computer, it may not be WPA2 compatible.

Is your router set for Performance mode or Compatibility mode? Performance mode will provide better speed and distance, but all of your devices must be 802.11n.

Switching from wired to wireless means you are using your computers wireless adapter rather than the network card. That can make a difference.

With wireless, positioning is important. Even if the distance is the same, changing the orientation can make a difference in wireless performance. Router and computer.

Trying a different computer will help rule out some the potential issues.

Contrary to many postings, the MI424WR Rev. I router is not garbage. There are many routers that are better, but that one will do the job for most users.

viafax999

@WebGal wrote:
When connected via wire I run the Verizon Speed Test and get 85Mbps download 38Mbps upload speeds.
When connected via wireless (to the Actiontec MI424WR Rev. I router) I run the Verizon Speed Test and get 20.5Mbps download 19Mbps upload speeds.

I have downloaded and run the VzSpeedOptimizer100.exe program... after rebooting, Speed Test results were the same.
Based on one forum post I read... I've tried setting my wireless channel to 11, then to 6, then to 1... with increasingly worse Speed Test results.
Based on another forum post I read... I tried to change my encryption from WEP to WPA2, and my wireless internet stopped working altogether.
Another posts suggests that the router is garbage (which I'm starting to believe) and just buy another wireless router and use it instead.

Is there anything I can do to get the speed up to the levels I'm paying for without buying another router?

It sucks that I'm paying for a super fast plan and not getting any of the benefits of it.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give.
Hopefully when you change from WEP to WPA2 to noted the predefined key that you chose and then entered that on all the wireless devices that you were trying to connect to the router from. Failure to do that will guarantee that you will have NO connectivity.

As TNS stated, you need to also ensure that router is in performance mode.

gs0b

To find out what WiFi channels are in use near you, run inSSIDer. It's a great, free Windows based tool that will tell you about other WiFi networks in your area. This will allow to an intelligent channel selection.

Good Luck.

beetlejuice2

@WebGal wrote:
When connected via wire I run the Verizon Speed Test and get 85Mbps download 38Mbps upload speeds.
When connected via wireless (to the Actiontec MI424WR Rev. I router) I run the Verizon Speed Test and get 20.5Mbps download 19Mbps upload speeds.

I have downloaded and run the VzSpeedOptimizer100.exe program... after rebooting, Speed Test results were the same.
Based on one forum post I read... I've tried setting my wireless channel to 11, then to 6, then to 1... with increasingly worse Speed Test results.
Based on another forum post I read... I tried to change my encryption from WEP to WPA2, and my wireless internet stopped working altogether.
Another posts suggests that the router is garbage (which I'm starting to believe) and just buy another wireless router and use it instead.

Is there anything I can do to get the speed up to the levels I'm paying for without buying another router?

It sucks that I'm paying for a super fast plan and not getting any of the benefits of it.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give.

If you cant use wpa2 then your speeds will suffer. Take into consideration your wireless network card. Is it even capable of reaching higher speeds? Is it able to use n band? Mine wasnt and could only get as high as 25 mbps. I bought a small Belkin wireless usb dongle over a new network card since my laptop is so old and it works wonders. Even if you buy a new router and your network card cant handle the speeds its not going to fix anything.

Also, as mentioned already you'll get the best speeds from performance mode over campatibility mode, but any g band devices wont work on performance mode, only n.

WebGal1

I selected WPA2 and clicked SAVE.

It hung for several minutes.

My wireless connection was no longer working.

I connected via wire and it back to the initial setting of WEP.... yes, that is what the original setting was when I went in to update it to WPA2.

...

I then tried again while connected via wire...

I selected WPA2 and clicked SAVE.

It hung for several minutes.

I reloaded, and NONE of the security options were selected.

I tried to connect via wireless and it would not connect.

I connected the wire again and selected WEP.

Everything worrked.... slowly, like the original posts says, but it works.

WebGal1

What do you mean by "wireless code"? The password?

It did not ask me for a new passoword when connecting.

I'm running "Compatibility Mode(802.11b/g/n)"

I have a relatively new notebook PC (Dell), < 1 year old.

Re: positioning

The router is about 10 feet away from my chair.

It works (even slower) on the other side of my house, up a set of stairs. Distance is not the issue here.

Re: garbage

Maybe I have a lemon.

Verizon has already sent me TWO set top box lemons, so I wouldn't put it past them.

PS. When I try to enter my router password on the login page, for each keystroke THREE dots show up, and it nevers lets me log in. I have to type in my password in a text editor and copy and paste.

starrin

WebGal wrote in part:

PS. When I try to enter my router password on the login page, for each keystroke THREE dots show up, and it nevers lets me log in. I have to type in my password in a text editor and copy and paste.

The dots are and additional security feature. Just type in the password and the router will accept it - in spite of the extra dots

PJL

It doesn't seem like the OP is successfully enabling WPA/WPA2 on the router.

gs0b

@WebGal wrote:
I selected WPA2 and clicked SAVE.
It hung for several minutes.
My wireless connection was no longer working.

Be sure you're using a wired connection when you change the wireless settings.

After you change the wireless settings, you will need to delete and re-create the connection on your computer. Otherwise, your computer will continue to try to connect using the old settings. You will need to reset the connections for every device that connects to your WiFi network.

I'll repeat my suggestion to get inSSIDer. It will give you a lot of insight into the WiFi environment and help you pick an appropriate channel.

Good Luck.

beetlejuice2

@WebGal wrote:
I'm running "Compatibility Mode(802.11b/g/n)"

-
I have a relatively new notebook PC (Dell), < 1 year old.

Even if its less then a year old Dell is known to put junk in some of their computers.

Its very possible your network adapter doesnt support wpa2 which could be why it wont connect when choosing wp2.

I would need to know the version/model of it to see if thats the issue.

You can also easily find it by doing the following. This is for WIndows 7. If you have 8 and dont know how to look it up you'll have to find it on google since I have never used Windows 8.

Click Start > computer

Click system properties

Click device manager

Look for where it says network adapters. You should see Dell Wireless Adapter with a number.

Post that back here and we'll see if that could be the issue or at least rule that out.

WebGal1

I'll try a wired connection as another poster recommended.

My Device manager says: Intel Centrino Wireless-N 2230

viafax999

@WebGal wrote:
I selected WPA2 and clicked SAVE.
It hung for several minutes.
My wireless connection was no longer working.
I connected via wire and it back to the initial setting of WEP.... yes, that is what the original setting was when I went in to update it to WPA2.
...
I then tried again while connected via wire...
I selected WPA2 and clicked SAVE.
It hung for several minutes.
I reloaded, and NONE of the security options were selected.
I tried to connect via wireless and it would not connect.
I connected the wire again and selected WEP.
Everything worrked.... slowly, like the original posts says, but it works.

As I said earlier. You can't just change from WEP to WPA2 aned expect it to work as they are different keys/password.

You need to select WPA2 and that should show you the Advanced security settings. One of these is a pre-shared key. Either note the contents of that field or enter whatever you want for a key then apply/save.

Then on the wireless device you want to use select the connection to the router and select forget. Then scan for networks and you will be prompted for the key for the router - enter the key that you save in the pre-shared key field on the router. It should then connect at up to your max speed dependant on signal strength.

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