My family recently upgraded their router, and now it has 2.4GHz and 5GHz connection speeds.
We're still with the same network provider, and originally, I was getting around 13 megabit/second download speeds on average, and 1 to 1.5 megabit/second upload speeds, prior to this change of router.
Now, granted, apparently my family never bothered to ask what the new service's performance would be like, so I'm not sure if net bandwidth is now worse, or the overall speed (perhaps the speed's not worse, at all); normally, we have... 6 devices connected to the router; 3 computers, and 3 mobile phones.
When testing the internet speed, after having connected to the new router, I'm seeing anywhere from literally 3 to 10 megabits/second of download speed (testing when there's no other major stress on the network), and roughly the same upload speed as before (or, sometimes worse). Sometimes, latency seems to shoot up to the 100's to 300's range (not when testing speeds, but during casual network use), but otherwise latency numbers seem pretty stable.
One family member is connected via ethernet cable, and is clocking in, right now, at 15 to 20 megabits of download speed per second, and typical upload speed. Their partner, on a computer directly next to the router and connecting to the network via a USB WiFi adapter, is connected to the 5GHz band, and getting 15 megabits/second download speeds, and from what I've heard, has no similar complaints with stability or speed.
For what it's worth, my computer is a bit less than 10 and a half feet away from the router, with about 3 inches of thin walls (each side of the walls' faces are far less than an inch thick). So, I'm not sure so much if it's that this router is broadcasting the wireless signals more weakly, or speed's being bottlenecked on the 2.4GHz band (I find the latter more likely).
I know I'm connecting to the 2.4 GHz band (with a "Link Speed [Received/Transmitted] of 600/72 Mbps"), according to my computer's settings information; and, yes, when I try and tinker with my network card's settings in my computer's Device Manager, I can't set it to prioritize 5GHz band connection.
My computer's a bit of a dinosaur, so it only supports these radio types : 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n (my network card's a 802.11n Wireless LAN Card). That is, I don't think it can connect to the 5GHz network band, on its own.
I'm not sure how expensive it would be, or feasible, to buy an upgrade network card, and/or how expensive (or difficult, if done by myself) it'd be to have a new one installed.
I'm not sure if my motherboard (or power supply, or even CPU or RAM for some-odd reason, if not just space within my case, or none of these factors) would determine my PC's compatibility with a newer network card, but for what it's worth, the motherboard's an old FOXCONN 2AB1, AMD chipset (785G)/southbridge (SB700); LPCIO reads out as ITE/IT8721, whatever all that means. BIOS version 6.11 - AMD AGESA V3.7.1.2, dating back to December 28, 2011. Graphic interface's PCI-Express, x16 link width.
Failing a new network card, and more preferably, if it's an easier/cheaper and more long-term solution, should I find a USB WiFi adapter instead? If so, would you guys have any recommendations for one (as I'd really have no idea how marketed specs of this kind of product size up, when browsing them on Amazon)? I'm aiming to keep a budget for an adapter below $100, or thereabouts, ideally.
(And, I suppose I'd be interested to know ballpark prices of a newer network card, if that's as feasible of an option.)
For reference, my network provider is Frontier, and if needed, I can provide more information about the router/the connection/et cetera, if that'd help determine what new product I should be looking for.
Any help would be deeply appreciated, and I hope I'm posting this in the right sub-forum! Apologies if I ought to have posted this under "Components" or elsewhere, I wasn't sure.
We're still with the same network provider, and originally, I was getting around 13 megabit/second download speeds on average, and 1 to 1.5 megabit/second upload speeds, prior to this change of router.
Now, granted, apparently my family never bothered to ask what the new service's performance would be like, so I'm not sure if net bandwidth is now worse, or the overall speed (perhaps the speed's not worse, at all); normally, we have... 6 devices connected to the router; 3 computers, and 3 mobile phones.
When testing the internet speed, after having connected to the new router, I'm seeing anywhere from literally 3 to 10 megabits/second of download speed (testing when there's no other major stress on the network), and roughly the same upload speed as before (or, sometimes worse). Sometimes, latency seems to shoot up to the 100's to 300's range (not when testing speeds, but during casual network use), but otherwise latency numbers seem pretty stable.
One family member is connected via ethernet cable, and is clocking in, right now, at 15 to 20 megabits of download speed per second, and typical upload speed. Their partner, on a computer directly next to the router and connecting to the network via a USB WiFi adapter, is connected to the 5GHz band, and getting 15 megabits/second download speeds, and from what I've heard, has no similar complaints with stability or speed.
For what it's worth, my computer is a bit less than 10 and a half feet away from the router, with about 3 inches of thin walls (each side of the walls' faces are far less than an inch thick). So, I'm not sure so much if it's that this router is broadcasting the wireless signals more weakly, or speed's being bottlenecked on the 2.4GHz band (I find the latter more likely).
I know I'm connecting to the 2.4 GHz band (with a "Link Speed [Received/Transmitted] of 600/72 Mbps"), according to my computer's settings information; and, yes, when I try and tinker with my network card's settings in my computer's Device Manager, I can't set it to prioritize 5GHz band connection.
My computer's a bit of a dinosaur, so it only supports these radio types : 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n (my network card's a 802.11n Wireless LAN Card). That is, I don't think it can connect to the 5GHz network band, on its own.
I'm not sure how expensive it would be, or feasible, to buy an upgrade network card, and/or how expensive (or difficult, if done by myself) it'd be to have a new one installed.
I'm not sure if my motherboard (or power supply, or even CPU or RAM for some-odd reason, if not just space within my case, or none of these factors) would determine my PC's compatibility with a newer network card, but for what it's worth, the motherboard's an old FOXCONN 2AB1, AMD chipset (785G)/southbridge (SB700); LPCIO reads out as ITE/IT8721, whatever all that means. BIOS version 6.11 - AMD AGESA V3.7.1.2, dating back to December 28, 2011. Graphic interface's PCI-Express, x16 link width.
Failing a new network card, and more preferably, if it's an easier/cheaper and more long-term solution, should I find a USB WiFi adapter instead? If so, would you guys have any recommendations for one (as I'd really have no idea how marketed specs of this kind of product size up, when browsing them on Amazon)? I'm aiming to keep a budget for an adapter below $100, or thereabouts, ideally.
(And, I suppose I'd be interested to know ballpark prices of a newer network card, if that's as feasible of an option.)
For reference, my network provider is Frontier, and if needed, I can provide more information about the router/the connection/et cetera, if that'd help determine what new product I should be looking for.
Any help would be deeply appreciated, and I hope I'm posting this in the right sub-forum! Apologies if I ought to have posted this under "Components" or elsewhere, I wasn't sure.
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