Is my wireless network working properly?

[lizardo]

We've recently had broadband installed and have put in a wireless home network with a modem/router/WAP all-in-one box and receivers on the two desktops and laptop. It's all going very nicely except I wanted to know what kind of performance I should expect for file transfers between computers. I am sending some rather large files (just under 800MB) from the desktop upstairs to the desktop downstairs. How long should it take for the file to transfer? The quickest it's been is around 1 hour, but sometimes it says it's going to take 600 mins and ocassionally the connection cuts out. Is this something to be expected of wireless? Is it interference? Or have I got something wrong with my set up? The speed seems unaffected by whether I'm using the network to browse the web or download files at the same time as the transfer. Anybody got any ideas?

Cheers,

Lizardo.

[brumbino]

It depends on what WEP encryption you are using and the "route" the signal takes to get from the broadcaster to the recipient.

If your equipment isn't next to the telly, etc, then 11Mbps is the most you can expext, 9Mbps is probably what you should expect if you are in the next room.

However if you use 128-bit WEP encryption, the encryption key means that the actual transfer rate is only 4Mbps regardless of what any WiFi managem,ent software tells you.

This is no problem if you are just accessing the net, but will obviously make life a little slower if you are shifting files around.

If you can limit access to your LAN by MAC address you should do this and diable WEP encryption as you you should (in theory) be protected still.

WiFi scanners like Network Stumbler give the MAC address of units on the LAN. However, if they try to use the MAC address whilst you are about there will be a network warning. Just turn off WiFi kit when you aren't using it then ppl cannot clone your MAC addy when you're not about to get access to your connection.

If you peer-to-peer network I would consider paswording your shares and would not use obvious workgroup names like MSHome, Network, Workgroup, etc.

Hope ok...!

[lizardo]

Thanks for the reply brumbino,

I think we're currently using 64-bit WEP encryption, so it shouldn't be slowing it down that much. There is a little telly by hte downstairs machine which I'l try moving to see if it helps. When people say you get an 11Mbps connection, does that actually mean file transfers can take place at 11Mbps, or is the rate you get for file transfers only a proportion of that, and if so what rate can I expect. If it's supposed to send files at 11Mbps then my files should be tranferred in about 2 mins which would mean my connection rate is terrible. Any further clarification?

Will look into the security measures you suggest, might be a good idea. A family friend in IT came and helped set most of it up and he seemed to think it was secure, but no harm in having another look.

Thanks again,

Lizardo.

[Pegasus]

Originally posted by lizardo
If it's supposed to send files at 11Mbps then my files should be tranferred in about 2 mins which would mean my connection rate is terrible.

800MB transferred over an 11Mbps network would take (in theory) 581.81 seconds to complete assuming that you maintain that transfer rate from beginning to end (which doesn't happen in the real world). In the real world, I would expect 800MB to go over in about 11 minutes.

Just in case you are interested in the math, here's how it works:
There are 8 bits to 1 byte, so 11Mbps/8= 1.375MB/s
800MB divided by 1.375MB = 581 seconds (9.64 minutes).

EDIT:
Another thing to take in to account is the distance & any obstacles that are in the way between the WAP and the receiver (walls & floors DO degrade the signal). The weaker the signal gets then the less available bandwidth there is.

[cosmicma]

just installed one of these things myself and what a pain they are i got it to work eventually and to say the instructions were a little vague is an understatement
when i fanally got the thing up and running they work a treat as long as you don't breath too near it or anything

[brumbino]

64-bit encryption will also give you a reduced bandwidth that will not be anywhere near 11Mbps.

As broadband is 0.5Mbps (512kbps) this usually isn't a problem, but moving big files will take longer - especially if your used to 100Mbps wire!

[Aido]

Dude, not sure if this is 100% correct but the WAP is rated at 11Mbps total - that means that each device will take a chunk out of that, for example, one client at 11Mbps will get the full 11Mbps, two clients will each get 5.5Mbps, three clients will get 3.66Mbps, four clients will get 2.75Mbps and so on.. These are the unencrypted figures too - as mentioned previously encryption introduces an overhead..

Plus, as unclex will tell you, wireless stuff is inherently very insecure anyway. Someone's got ACL's based on MAC addresses - just sniff the unencrypted data and you've got the MAC addresses which you can spoof. Someone's got an encryption key - just sniff the data until you've established the WEP key.

The newer kit will not broadcast the SSID and the better stuff supports key rotation and auto generation which basically means that it doesn't matter if you brute force the key - by the time you've brute forced it the AP is using a new one....

Have no idea whether anyone has developed any software which which can record the session, establish the WEP key, and then replay the data in the session and applying the WEP key to decode just that, since you cannot decode live data since it's already moved on - unclex??

[lizardo]

Thanks for all the help people. I tried to do a bit of tweaking on Friday but haven't managed to improve the results, then got distracted by it being my girlfriend's brithday over the weekend, but now that's over with it's back to the serious business of fiddling with technology I don't quite understand.

Lizardo.

[unclex]

If your equipment isn't next to the telly, etc, then 11Mbps is the most you can expext, 9Mbps is probably what you should expect if you are in the next room


Are you joking guys?

11Mbps

If you a running a wireless connection to a cable connection the conectivity from the wireless device to the cable modem will be a lot less depending on the signal to the Access Point.

Wot is your modem running at?

512k down and 256k up?

or

1Mbps down and 512k up

Get a life m8 - 11Mbs into 512k - blar

The speed of your internal network will be fast - 800mb would not take that long if both PC's were running 11Mbs wireless to an Access Point. But if one was using a standard network card, at say 10 Base T through a 10/100 Hub it would be slower than a NIC with 100 base T

So you have your cable router connected to your HUB? Traffic from your PC to the Internet will be as fast as your router and the speed of the DSL provided by your ISP


mmmmmmmmmm

Wot has Netstumbler got to do with network traffic?

Aido thanks for the plug

:shy:

I do not talk about WEP any more - it is classed a dirty word in my house - TURN IT ON or just let someone into your network - WEP can be broken

[lizardo]

Hmmm, well I think I understand some of what you're saying Uncle X, although being a newbie to all of this I'm afraid a fair bit of it went over my head.

Anyway, have moved the TV and the cordless phone that were by one of the PCs and moved the WAP/Router/Modem box to the right a bit and now the connection seems a lot quicker and more stable.

Thanks for all the help.

Lizardo

[unclex]

You may have an option to do a site survey with your network cards - this will allow you to move them and play with the signal -

Imagine a wine bottle, cut the big end off.

go to the sink, hold the cork end with your thumb and fill bottle with water.

Let go your thumb - wot happens

Ok

Now do the other way up - wot happens

Got the idea..