[SOLVED] How can I get my internet speeds up to what they should be?

deathsqaud3

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Jun 12, 2013
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Hello,

I have the 300MBPS WIRELESS N PCI-E ADAPTER from TP-link and an internet connection which is rated at 250mbps.
However, when I do a speed test on my PC I only get 30-50mbps. Which I thought could've been due to the distance from the pc to the modem. But, when I do a speedtest when connected to the same Wi-Fi on my phone whilst sitting at my PC, I get the full 250Mbps.

So, now I'm questioning what could be bottlenecking the Wi-Fi speed on the PC?

I have installed the correct network drivers and double checked it. I have noticed that in the network properties it says link/recieve speed = 54/144mbps (Picture: View: https://imgur.com/a/1vdQl85
). Perhaps this has something to do with the problem? I'm a bit confused by them values as it stated on the product that it was a 300Mbps card.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding something here, I'm not really sure what I can do to get the speeds up or if I even can. Any help on the subject would be appreciated.
 
Solution
Your first post says that your card is only able to get a 54Mbit signal from your router. THAT is why you are limited to 30Mbit throughput. You don't have enough signal from your router getting to your PC. Assuming you have the antennas mounted to the card, then it is most likely your PC case blocking the WIFI signal. The antennas are covered up by your case since they stick out the back.

The "300Mbit" rating on your WIFI card is pure marketing BS. The only way you could get that link rate is 40Mhz channel width on the router. Almost no routers will do that because it uses the entire 2.4Ghz spectrum and interferes with near by WIFI.

You will never get 250Mbit throughput with a 2.4Ghz WIFI card. If you want to get better...

xenthia

Distinguished
Sep 20, 2012
183
20
18,665
Hello,

I have the 300MBPS WIRELESS N PCI-E ADAPTER from TP-link and an internet connection which is rated at 250mbps.
However, when I do a speed test on my PC I only get 30-50mbps. Which I thought could've been due to the distance from the pc to the modem. But, when I do a speedtest when connected to the same Wi-Fi on my phone whilst sitting at my PC, I get the full 250Mbps.

So, now I'm questioning what could be bottlenecking the Wi-Fi speed on the PC?

I have installed the correct network drivers and double checked it. I have noticed that in the network properties it says link/recieve speed = 54/144mbps (Picture: View: https://imgur.com/a/1vdQl85
). Perhaps this has something to do with the problem? I'm a bit confused by them values as it stated on the product that it was a 300Mbps card.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding something here, I'm not really sure what I can do to get the speeds up or if I even can. Any help on the subject would be appreciated.
Is it possible for you to try switching connection modes on the wifi card? Try checking your phone and see what communication method it is using and see if you can have a similar communication method (like frequency and encryption and what not) on this particular wifi card.

Also, it is possible that this wifi card when connected to USB reduces the speed. Are you sure it is connected to USB3 and your USB3 firmware is accurately installed on the PC?
 

deathsqaud3

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Jun 12, 2013
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18,510
https://www.tp-link.com/us/home-networking/pci-adapter/tl-wn881nd/#specifications

Signal Rate11n: Up to 300Mbps(dynamic)
11g: Up to 54Mbps(dynamic)
11b: Up to 11Mbps(dynamic)

what is the wifi router?
I just have the modem/router [don't know the difference tbh] supplied by my ISP, which is a virgin media hub 3.0 (https://www.expertreviews.co.uk/wireless-routers/1407886/virgin-media-hub-3-review) here's a review of it, I can't seem find an official page with a spec sheet.
 

deathsqaud3

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Jun 12, 2013
23
0
18,510
Is it possible for you to try switching connection modes on the wifi card? Try checking your phone and see what communication method it is using and see if you can have a similar communication method (like frequency and encryption and what not) on this particular wifi card.

Also, it is possible that this wifi card when connected to USB reduces the speed. Are you sure it is connected to USB3 and your USB3 firmware is accurately installed on the PC?
I'm not sure how to switch connection modes tbh and I'm just using Ookla speedtest app on my phone and I can't seem to find what communcation method it is using on there.

forgive me if I'm mistaken but i thought it just connects to the PC using PCI-E and it doesn't have anything to do with USB3. I have never checked my USB3 firmware, so this could be a potential cause for the problem I guess. I'm going to look into it now just in case
 

kanewolf

Titan
Moderator
Your first post says that your card is only able to get a 54Mbit signal from your router. THAT is why you are limited to 30Mbit throughput. You don't have enough signal from your router getting to your PC. Assuming you have the antennas mounted to the card, then it is most likely your PC case blocking the WIFI signal. The antennas are covered up by your case since they stick out the back.

The "300Mbit" rating on your WIFI card is pure marketing BS. The only way you could get that link rate is 40Mhz channel width on the router. Almost no routers will do that because it uses the entire 2.4Ghz spectrum and interferes with near by WIFI.

You will never get 250Mbit throughput with a 2.4Ghz WIFI card. If you want to get better performance you should get rid of that cheap PCI card and get a USB WIFI adapter like this -- https://www.amazon.com/Techkey-1750Mbps-1300Mbps-Antennas-Wireless/dp/B07PKMFPF7 It has dual large antennas and a LONG USB cable. It can be moved out from behind your PC to your desktop for maximum signal. It is dual band so you can try using the 5Ghz band. 5Ghz WIFI is the only way you will get 250Mbit throughput on WIFI.
 
Solution

deathsqaud3

Distinguished
Jun 12, 2013
23
0
18,510
Your first post says that your card is only able to get a 54Mbit signal from your router. THAT is why you are limited to 30Mbit throughput. You don't have enough signal from your router getting to your PC. Assuming you have the antennas mounted to the card, then it is most likely your PC case blocking the WIFI signal. The antennas are covered up by your case since they stick out the back.

The "300Mbit" rating on your WIFI card is pure marketing BS. The only way you could get that link rate is 40Mhz channel width on the router. Almost no routers will do that because it uses the entire 2.4Ghz spectrum and interferes with near by WIFI.

You will never get 250Mbit throughput with a 2.4Ghz WIFI card. If you want to get better performance you should get rid of that cheap PCI card and get a USB WIFI adapter like this -- https://www.amazon.com/Techkey-1750Mbps-1300Mbps-Antennas-Wireless/dp/B07PKMFPF7 It has dual large antennas and a LONG USB cable. It can be moved out from behind your PC to your desktop for maximum signal. It is dual band so you can try using the 5Ghz band. 5Ghz WIFI is the only way you will get 250Mbit throughput on WIFI.
Ah, I see. That's very helpful. When I was building this PC, I had never built a PC that connects to the internet wirelessly so I know very little about it and just bought the cheapest network card I could find. And that marketing BS worked on me unfortunately. The PC is on a different floor to the router and the PC is backed up into a corner. so you're probably right about the case blocking the signal. And yes the antennas are mounted.

I think I am going to take your advice and buy that exact one you've linked and see if that makes a difference. Hopefully it does. Thanks a lot for your help!
 

kanewolf

Titan
Moderator
Ah, I see. That's very helpful. When I was building this PC, I had never built a PC that connects to the internet wirelessly so I know very little about it and just bought the cheapest network card I could find. And that marketing BS worked on me unfortunately. The PC is on a different floor to the router and the PC is backed up into a corner. so you're probably right about the case blocking the signal. And yes the antennas are mounted.

I think I am going to take your advice and buy that exact one you've linked and see if that makes a difference. Hopefully it does. Thanks a lot for your help!
Since you say you are on a different floor from the router, you will want to angle the antennas directly toward the router. That may mean not having them vertical. Angle them at 30 to 45 degrees.
 

DMAN999

Honorable
Ambassador
You might want to look into a range extender like this:
Amazon.com: TP-Link AC750 WiFi Extender (RE220), Covers Up to 1200 Sq.ft and 20 Devices, Up to 750Mbps Dual Band WiFi Range Extender, WiFi Booster to Extend Range of WiFi Internet Connection: Computers & Accessories

My Router is downstairs and I have a PC uptsairs that had trouble getting a good wifi signal.
So I bought a TP-Link AC750 WiFi Extender (RE220) and plugged the PC into it with an ethernet cable and now my PC can use close to my full internet speeds.
It gets around 350-370 mbps on my 400/400 mbps service.
I did test it with a wifi card (Rosewill AC600) as well and it was slightly slower than it is with the ethernet cable.
Amazon.com: Rosewill AC600 WiFi Adapter/PCI-E Wireless Adapter/Network Card, Dual Band Wireless 11AC Wi-Fi Card/Adapter, Up to 433 Mbps (5.0 GHz) + 150 Mbps (2.4 GHz) - RNX-AC600PCEv3: Computers & Accessories