Wireless networks are an attractive option for Internet access. Wireless cards are standard equipment in new laptops and free WiFi hotspots are ubiquitous. But their convenience comes at a price: wireless networks are slower than traditional wired networks. With interference from too many wireless networks or other devices, such as microwaves or cordless phones, your network’s performance can drop to frustratingly low speeds.
Clear a path between the wireless router and the computer. The wireless networking standard 802.11g--the most common in 2010--estimates the range of an indoor wireless network as 125 feet. Wireless radio waves must travel through whatever objects are in their way. Walls, furniture, people or electronics can all impede a wireless network's range and limit its speed. Shortening the distance and clearing the path to the router can both increase throughput.
Enable the wireless router's fragmentation threshold. If the wireless router needs to send a large chunk of data--common when downloading files--it runs the risk of having its transmission jammed by another computer. When the router is configured to use a fragmentation threshold, it must break up large chunks of data into small pieces. Because these small pieces are less likely to be jammed, using fragmentation results in faster speed in busy networks.