Data transfer rate question

rwo1 · #1 12-06-2002, 06:13 PM

I have recently installed a WLAN. The primary PC is connected via ethernet cable to the dlink 614+ wireless router and switch, the other PC is connected to the router via a dlink 520+ wireless pci adapter. I have an excelleent connection- the link strength and quality are100%. I have two questions: 1. How come if the network is supposed to be 11Mbps, the data rate only reads 56-80 kbps? Secondly, and much more important to me is, when I copy a file from PC to the other PC, the data transmit rate is reading between (as I have said) 56-80 kbps, however, it takes 15 minutes for a 4 MB file to move from one pc to the next. The data rate is truly as I have stated(I checked it with Qcheck utility). It seems to me if 50 kilobytes of data are moving every second then it should only take 80 seconds to move 4 Mb of data. When I download a file using my dial-up modem I get approx. 5 kbps transfer rate. It takes approx 25 minutes for me to download 4 Mb using my dial up modem. Any help or insight into this problem would greatly be appreciated. Thank you.

Greenstead · #2 12-06-2002, 10:33 PM

Are you mixing up Kbps and Kilobytes on whatever you are monitoring with ?

Kbps = Kilo bits per second

A dial-up 56 Kbps will yield max ~6.5 K bytes per second download rate from the internet.

You are sharing a 56Kbps dial-up ?

In my experience the LAN throughput (PC to PC) with 11Mbps 802.11b generally yields about 3.5-4 Mbps max -without WEP. Quite dissapointing really, but normal. (802.11b is half duplex). A full duplex wired LAN will give max ~80% of rated speed (e.g. 80 Mbps on a 100Mbps NIC).

If you download the Netstat monitor from AnalogX you can dynamically monitor both the on-going throughout and the average. You can set it to show bits per second or bytes per second.

I don't know if this helps you.