very extremely slow wireless on laptop

[huskiesNhoos]

So I tried checking a bunch of tech websites and didn't get much help so I figured I'd see if there's any tech savvy people on here.

I've been having a tough time downloading files on my laptop. The only reason this is a big deal is I need to be able to dl my lectures for grad school. I never had issues before I moved, but it's not just at my new place it's on any wireless network.

I'm running:
Windows 7 64 bit
Intel centrino n-6235 network card
Motorola sbg6580 modem/router

All drivers on network card are up to date

I'm getting Internet from time Warner and paying for 20 Mbps down, 2 Mbps up. I run speed check on speedtest.net and get like 1-2 Mbps down (wired and wireless), but when I use the one on twc's site I always get ~20 like I should. However, as soon as I start to dl my lecture (500 Mb) it takes 1-2 days, where it used to only take 15 min or so.

I've held off on calling twc since they're notoriously useless on things like this, and I was thinking it might be something I can adjust/fix on my computer.

Worth noting, I tried on my girlfriend's macbook, and my desktop and got the same results.

Anyone have similar issues before, or know any way to improve it?

 

[White Dwarf]

First, try the download on someone else's Internet connection.

 

[huskiesNhoos]

I tried on a friends network and still had issues (streaming video has been a problem too). His laptop worked fine

 

[Kitaman]

I would start by googling the motorola modem forums to see if others have similar TW issues and for any solutions.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Try logging into your wifi router and changing the channel from "auto" to something else (6 or 9). If it is already a fixed channel number, switch to 6 or 9. The interference in the 2.4Ghz band now is amazing. Think about just how much stuff if connected via wifi. It's pretty staggering at my house.

 

[boba]

I tried on a friends network and still had issues (streaming video has been a problem too). His laptop worked fine

Couple of things come to mind:
Since you state the problem occurs on three separate machines, (gf's laptop, your desktop, your laptop) it sort of rules out a machine specific problem. That indicates the possibility is the source (the server where your lectures/files reside) is the problem. However, that speedtest is giving you low numbers makes me think that TWC has capped your line and is throttling back your downloads. That your friends network is slow makes it appear there are two problems, slow server, capped line. You may wish to try a different browser, or have a friend download the files to a thumbdrive for you to see if that changes anything.

 

[Danzz]

Start with your internet provider and they will run a remote test on your modem. I did and they found it was very weak and needed to be replaced but you seem to be having the same problem on other modems.

 

[CL82]

I've noticed a slow down as well, I wondered if Verizon had choked down bandwidth a bit to make their Quantum product more attractive as the slow down matched up with their recent Quantum campaign. The two computer's I've notice the slow down on are both connect Ethernet cables so it isn't a wifi issue.

 

[dante]

Couple of things come to mind:
Since you state the problem occurs on three separate machines, (gf's laptop, your desktop, your laptop) it sort of rules out a machine specific problem. That indicates the possibility is the source (the server where your lectures/files reside) is the problem. However, that speedtest is giving you low numbers makes me think that TWC has capped your line and is throttling back your downloads. That your friends network is slow makes it appear there are two problems, slow server, capped line. You may wish to try a different browser, or have a friend download the files to a thumbdrive for you to see if that changes anything.

Yep TWC more then likely capped the line this usually happens when you upload a lot. Maybe somebody is uploading videos on Youtube or maybe downloading torrents, problem with torrents is that while your downloading your automatically uploading no matter what but anyways the cap limit should reset every month try not to upload more then 10 gigs a month and you should be alright.

 

[Dogbreath2U]

I have seen that some people have gotten significantly improved wifi performance by replacing their laptop wifi card. Obviously, there are other concerns in your case, but all laptop wifi cards are not equally good.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Plug an ethernet cable into a computer and see if there is still lag. If not, it's just wifi, not the internet provider, or anything else.