Why Is My WiFi So Ridiculously Slow?

[Guest]

I'm currently with Sky and pay for Broadband speeds of up to 52mbps. Unfortunately I am only getting speeds of 0.10mbps though for some reason. Even Google is taking up to 10 minutes to load, which is just ridiculous. It seems even slower than dialup.

I'm using a wireless usb connector to my desktop PC and it is 802.11n. I'm not sure if this has anything to do with the slow speeds although the connection is absolutely fine and at full strength.

DL speed - https://preview.ibb.co/dnMZhy/IMG_20180619_213626.jpg

Wireless USB - https://image.ibb.co/haV22y/IMG_20180619_213828.jpg

Signal strength at full - https://image.ibb.co/dJD0pd/IMG_20180619_213703.jpg

 

[Barty1884]

That appears to be a cheap, generic USB adapter - those frequently have issues regarding drivers/support etc.

How do other devices on the network report speeds? Have you tried a wired connection? We'll need to establish a baseline for the wired speed, before considering wireless (or at the very least, another wireless device)

 

[thx1138v2]

First check the number of devices connected to the WiFI router channel. Too many devices connected will slow it down.

Your desktop adapter is 802.11n. Check the version is the router WiFi. If multiple frequencies are available you might need to change frequencies.
How to Boost Your Wi-Fi Speed by Choosing the Right Channel


WiFi is just radio so location plays a big part on how good of a connection you can get. Try different locations for the router and/or PC to see if it improves the throughput. It seems though with a good signal you should be OK.

You could also be experiencing interference from other WiFi systems in your area, i.e. house, apartment.
802.eleventy what? A deep dive into why Wi-Fi kind of sucks

 

[CaptainCretin]

First off, 150Mb in your dreams, a micro dongle like that has not got an antenna big enough to do the job unless it has a clear, unobstructed line of sight on the router and is within 10 metres.

2nd, you cannot trust the link speeds given by the system, they can be wildly inaccurate, often claiming full speed while actually only achieving tiny throughput.

3rd, as mentioned, these no-names have very poor drivers and compatibility issues with numerous makes of router.

If you dont have space for an internal PCIE card, go look at the TPLink range of dongles, and pick out one with an external antenna; also invest in a USB extension lead, and position the dongle to maximise signal strength and quality (often this means as high as possible).