New laptop getting horrible internet speeds

[gregrocker]

Hi. I just received this laptop Asus KSeries 15.6" Laptop 4GB Memory 500GB Hard Drive K55A-SI50301P - Best Buy which for two days has been getting terrible internet speeds around 50-50kbps with Wireless N on a network which gets 2-3 mbps download speed on an old b/g laptop.

I have reset the Modem and Router since I initially got a warning on the older laptop that there was another device on the network using the same IP address, but it hasn't returned. I've run the Network Troubleshooter which finds nothing, and reset the adapter. It is fully Updated and has the latest driver, running the Factory install.

Needless to say this will be a deal-killer if I can't resolve it.

 

[chev65]

Hi. I just received this laptop Asus KSeries 15.6" Laptop 4GB Memory 500GB Hard Drive K55A-SI50301P - Best Buy which for two days has been getting terrible internet speeds around 50-50kbps with Wireless N on a network which gets 2-3 mbps download speed on an old b/g laptop.

I have reset the Modem and Router since I initially got a warning on the older laptop that there was another device on the network using the same IP address, but it hasn't returned. I've run the Network Troubleshooter which finds nothing, and reset the adapter. It is fully Updated and has the latest driver, running the Factory install.

Needless to say this will be a deal-killer if I can't resolve it.

Hi Greg, I went through all the reviews at both BestBuy and Newegg, not a single complaint about wireless problems or slow internet speeds which was surprising.

Of course if it were me I'd remove all the preinstalled bloatware first thing then go from there.

 

[gregrocker]

Righto, I'm on it now. Installing clean Win7 to a partition shrunk from C, but in UEFI so I can preserve the HD preinstalls in case I decide to take it back.

After Win7 I'll install Clean 8 as a triple boot to check it too.

I've made the Backup Drive which supposedly works with Reset if the drive is wiped (though there's nothing in their literature about the sole Recovery media option given), and am now backing up with Paragon 12 so I might also wipe the HD tho I'm wary of losing the ability to take it back within 15 days.

 

[doubled822]

Does anything change if you remove the B/G laptop from the network?

 

[gregrocker]

Not really, edges up a little to 85 kbps is all.

 

[chev65]

While were on the subject of slow wireless, I thought I would toss up a teaser on Greg's behalf.

 

[gregrocker]

What could account for this disparity? Does the Upload speed vindicate the N adapter?


Still slow wireless from the clean installed Win7 partition - 25 kbps = using the Atheros Win7 64 bit driver from Asus. 55 mbps speeds via Realtek ethernet cable.

Side by side test comparison: 10 year old HP laptop gets 15mbps download speed, while new Asus i5 gets 55 kbps. If I don't get this resolved soon I'm taking it back.

Will Flush DNS now.

 

[chev65]

Are you using the 802.11N only setting on the router?

If you don't use that setting you will be working in legacy mixed mode.

Do you have a USB NIC you can try on this new laptop?

 

[gregrocker]

Yes, I just tried a USB N adapter and got only slightly better speeds around 1mbps.

So ethernet cable connection gives full speed, but both the built in and USB wireless adpater give bad speeds - while all other wireless devices in the house including 10 year old laptop get full speed.

It's straining my brain what that could mean. Not the built-in adapter hardware, not the driver, something in the 3 year old router even though it works fine with everything else wireless?

 

[chev65]

Yes, I just tried a USB N adapter and got only slightly better speeds around 1mbps.

So ethernet cable connection gives full speed, but both the built in and USB wireless adpater give bad speeds - while all other wireless devices in the house including 10 year old laptop get full speed.

It's straining my brain what that could mean. Not the built-in adapter hardware, not the driver, something in the 3 year old router even though it works fine with everything else wireless?

Firmware updates may help on the router end. Something is hold this machine back that's for sure.

 

[gregrocker]

The only download on Linksys site for this 6 year old WRT300N router is dated before we got it new, so I don't think it's applicable, nor do I think we're intended to upgrade to higher versions of the router itself via firmware - at least that's not what their video shows ("Choose your model number, then the version number...").

 

[chev65]

Man that is some old firmware, I'm surprised there are no more current updates.

Are you using WPA2 security and AES encryption?

Have you tried resetting this router?

 

[gregrocker]

Yes, reset router to defaults. Using WPA2 w/AES, all default settings.

 

[chev65]

I've been reading around a bit on the WRT300n, others have similar complaints when trying to use WPA2 with AES encryption, from what they are saying AES is making things very slow and only TKIP or WEP works to make things faster. Since WEP is not secure you might try using WPA2 security with TKIP encryption to see if is speeds up the connection.

TKIP is an outdated encryption that really doesn't allow 802.11n to work at full rated speeds but apparently some older routers and older firmware's aren't made to work with AES which is a newer encryption method made just for the final draft 802.11n.

Source: WRT300N: WEP is 10 times Faster than WPA and WPA2 - Linksys Community

 

[gregrocker]

Took the laptop back to Best Buy. Too many problems to justify messing with it any longer.

Let's see if they post my Review coming here: Asus KSeries 15.6" Laptop 4GB Memory 500GB Hard Drive K55A-SI50301P - Best Buy

 

[2xg]

Did you get a replacement Greg? I'd suggest try a different brand.

Took the laptop back to Best Buy. Too many problems to justify messing with it any longer.

Let's see if they post my Review coming here: Asus KSeries 15.6" Laptop 4GB Memory 500GB Hard Drive K55A-SI50301P - Best Buy

 

[chev65]

A different laptop will problem work better but I'd suggest trying a different router, there were countless complaints about that router and slow internet, not one similar problem reported about that particular laptop.