Slow downloading even though connection appears strong? (desktop, laptop, server)

[PatanjaliTwist]

My apt complex offers free Wi-Fi in the 1st floor resident’s room, although we’re lucky enough to be able to pull it into our 2nd floor flat from the other side of the bldg. It’s always been a touch slow… not complaining since it’s free, just explaining… & the wireless strength indicator (if that’s what it’s called… white bars on the right side of the taskbar… Win 7 OS) are normally 3-4 bars out of 5. Over the past few weeks, it’s been significantly slower & I can sometimes see the bars move from 2 to 3 to 4 & back again within a matter of seconds when I'm in one stationary place… that’s rather unusual.


Watching online video is painfully, endlessly slow with only 10-seconds of audio/video then 2-min buffering before playing another 10-seconds & continuing that cycle ad nauseam. Also, in the past when I've paused a video, the downloading would continue & I could return after 10-min to play 1-hr+ in 1 listening sans interruption. It suddenly will no longer continue downloading on pause.


I realize I can’t really report this, as the complex doesn’t guarantee Wi-Fi delivery into tenants’ homes… only to the resident’s room… & we’re also moving in 3-wks, so it’s not a huge issue. It’s just gotten me very curious, so I had a few questions:


1. Don’t the white bars indicate strength of the connection? So if the downloading is slow, I'm assuming the connection strength is slower, yes? Up until 2-wks ago, 4 bars meant continuously streaming audio/video (Netflix or YouTube) without interruption, or fast page downloads… now, I can go for 4-minutes or more before a page fully loads, or 50% of the time I get an error message that it cannot be found. How can that be?


Also, I searched to see how many connections are allowed on a Wi-Fi network & found that it’s 255 connections:

How Many Computers Can One Wireless Router Handle?

2. It is entirely possible there are 255 computers/devices zapping the 1 server as this complex has several hundred units, although I doubt that's the case all day, everyday. This may partially explain the always evident slowness on weekends when more people are home and/or have weekend guests with wireless devices, but… wouldn’t my ‘strength bars’ show a diminished level if there were far more computers utilizing that server? Or are the bars strictly showing me distance from the server?

3. Could a plug in antennae for my laptop help this particular issue?

4. Lastly, whilst driving the 4-days it will take us to relocate, I wouldn’t mind using my laptop from time to time from the highway. I know we will find free Wi-Fi hotspots along the way, but I thought I might possibly be able to be online (not for streaming audio/video, but perhaps to check weather/traffic or find local restaurant reviews) whilst we’re driving. Is this possible with some sort of Wi-Fi cigarette lighter adapter, if such a thing exists… or maybe I saw that in a Bond movie.

Thanks very much.

[macroy]

Without getting too technical -

The bars are really indicating the signal strength, not bandwidth. They don't necessarily have a direct correlation. In other words, you can still have all bars showing, but if someone is hogging the bandwidth or if that bandwidth is slow to begin with, you're still going to be waiting.

And there are a lot of things than can impact signal strength. Barriers (i.e. cement walls, elevator shafts etc.), interference, etc.

Will an antenna help? Sure, if the issue is in fact signal strength. If its contention issues (too much data on the wire), having an antenna won't really help a whole lot.

Finally - WiFi is essentially a LAN medium. Meaning its for "Local" use. Hotspot coverage is typically a few hundred feet.... unless you're stuck in traffic right in front of a coffee shop, WiFi in a car won't work. You're better off using a "cellular" medium - of course, at this point, those aren't free.

[Tek_Freek]

Are you certain the wireless connection hasn't changed? Every once in a while my computer will connect to "Linksys", which is a neighbors wi-fi. I don't think they have wireless N because my connection speed drops drastically and I get fewer bars (distance from the router).

So check that you are connecting to the one at your apartment.

Someone placing certain types of equipment between you and the router will also affect the connection. Has anyone moved in recently between you and it? If someone erected a wall of electronic equipment on a direct line that would cause a problem.

[Brian.Pearson]

Can I use an antenna receiver to my computer instead of a dish or what not, boosting the the signal from the router?

[kazyn]

Is this a laptop or desktop? If laptop, can you bring it to the first floor, near the source and test it there?

You could be dropping a lot of packets, making it seem slower than it is.

Go here and run the test:

Pingtest.net - The Global Broadband Quality Test

What do the results tell you?

[Brian.Pearson]

Packet loss, zero.
Ping loss 83ms

But oftentimes, I only have four bars, instead of five -- sometimes less than four bars.

[kazyn]

Brian, to answer your question, the answer could be yes or no. If it's a laptop, they rarely have external antennas anymore. If this is a desktop computer, most wireless cards come with an antenna that you can replace with 3rd party antennas to gain reception.

What model computer do you have?

[PatanjaliTwist]

Originally Posted by macroy

The bars are really indicating the signal strength, not bandwidth.

Thank you, Mac. Got it. My apologies for not responding sooner... the mad irony is I couldn't get online for days.

...you can still have all bars showing, but if someone is hogging the bandwidth or if that bandwidth is slow to begin with, you're still going to be waiting.

Does this also mean I'm a bandwidth hog if I have multiple browsers opened? I'm normally listening to some 'net chat show whilst working on 3-4 other projects in separate windows.

... unless you're stuck in traffic right in front of a coffee shop, WiFi in a car won't work.

I so hope if we're stuck in traffic, it is indeed in front of an espresso bar. Might as well enjoy a little bit of heaven whilst enduring a bit of the <ahem> other...

Thank you for your info & easily understood answers!

[PatanjaliTwist]

Originally Posted by Tek_Freek

Are you certain the wireless connection hasn't changed? Every once in a while my computer will connect to "Linksys", which is a neighbors wi-fi. I don't think they have wireless N because my connection speed drops drastically and I get fewer bars (distance from the router). So check that you are connecting to the one at your apartment.

Hiya Tek. Nice to see you. Nope, I'm only set up to automatically connect to my bldg's Wi-Fi. Occasionally, I've manually connected to another unsecured connection, but it's not as strong & is the only other available connection which comes into my flat. There are a few from nearby hotels, I believe (judging from their connection names), but I don't have the passwords to log on. It's not flip-flopping... it just sometimes gives me the boot.

Someone placing certain types of equipment between you and the router will also affect the connection. Has anyone moved in recently between you and it? If someone erected a wall of electronic equipment on a direct line that would cause a problem.

Understood. It's a huge complex of multiple bldgs. People move in & out weekly. I have no idea what anyone else has in their home. For some reason, the connection has come back after 2-1/2 wks of slowness or impossibility of getting online. Not as fast, but improving daily. <Insert big shrug emoticon> Who knows why it's suddenly better...

I'll deal with it for my last couple of weeks in Denver. Just curious...

Thank you.