Issues with the wifi

[FirehawkV21]

(Sorry if I posted this on the wrong sub-forrum.)

I have an issue with my laptop's wifi (Broadcom BCM4313 series on a Lenovo G580 (model 20157)) where I get upload speeds so slow that I can't upload files on some sites (eg. Gamejolt (I have Game Development as a hobby right now)). Not only that, I also get slower speeds and smaller range than my older laptop's Wifi Card (Atheros). Not even drivers and reinstalling Windows 8.1 Pro x64 fix that issue. I did find a spare Wifi Adapter (Intel Wireless N + Bluetooth 7260), but it doesn't seem to fit (I haven't bought it, this is speculation), as the current card is half the size of that.

 

Help!

[Gikero]

Is your laptop(s) the only wireless device on the network that is experiencing issues? If you have a wired connection to the router, does your upload speed increase significantly? Not sure what you're paying for and it is possible you could have a low upload speed. If that isn't the case, the first thing I'd check is what wireless channels you're using and how congested the wireless spectrum is around you.

[FirehawkV21]

Yep. The wifi card has issues. So how can I check if there's congestion?

[Gikero]

https://www.acrylicwifi.com/en/wlan-software/wlan-scanner-acrylic-wifi-free/download-wifi-scanner-windows/

It has a paid version, but the free should be sufficient for what you need.

Also, it helps if you quote someone, that way they know you're replying to them.

 

[FirehawkV21]

https://www.acrylicwifi.com/en/wlan-software/wlan-scanner-acrylic-wifi-free/download-wifi-scanner-windows/

It has a paid version, but the free should be sufficient for what you need.

Also, it helps if you quote someone, that way they know you're replying to them.

 

OK, so I monitored the wifi connection for a while with the tool and here's what I found:

-The signal's strength was (as shown by the tool) between -60 and -70. Sometimes, it will drop below -70.

-The Router was set to (by the ISP remotely, I can't access the settings and they won't give me the Control Panel access info) to Channel 1. This was the second most used channel (strangely, I live in Greece and the tool says that channel 1 is North American).

 

Both the router and the card supports 802.11 b/g/n.

[Gikero]

Different countries have different frequencies that are legal for use.

But, if channel 1 is the most congested, switching to a less congested channel should  help greatly.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_WLAN_channels

The graph in this link is very helpful. When possible, try to select a non-overlapping channel. I hope this helps and let me know if you have questions.

[joaosambro]

is it only your laptop that is experiencing this issue? if its all the devices, you might have to manually select the channel on your router. Again, this option is not supported for all ISP providers. For me, since my wifi is always slow, rather than changing channel everytime, I just use a vpn to boost the speed.