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#1 2008-06-26 9:13 am
- russellhess
- Member
- From: Plainview, Minnesota
- Registered: 1999-12-05
- Posts: 60
Why are all the connections to my DSL at different speeds?
I have a 700 mhz imac with an original airport card in it. It is connected to our DSL service which is to give us up to 10MB/s. Varoius speedtest places put my current imac speed between 1.6 and 3.3 MB/s. The windows machines(laptops used in my home office with wireless pc cards) are getting the following speeds from speedtest.net at:Linksys 802.11G 7.6-8.2MB/s down; Belkin 802.11b & G: 3.7-5.0 down.
Why so much variation between the machines? Is there some tweaking I can do? Especially on my mac as that is the computer i use the most for downloading, movie watching, etc.
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#2 2008-06-26 2:54 pm
- D'Eyncourt
- OMGDICTATOR
- Registered: 2001-12-27
- Posts: 7890
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Re: Why are all the connections to my DSL at different speeds?
First, a bit on abbreviations. I assume that for the speeds you meant that they were "up to 10 megabits," etc. and not megabytes. Commonly access speeds are quoted in megabits (which is abbreviated "Mb") and not in megabytes ("MB").
Your iMac's AirPort card is 802.11b only, so theoretically it could download up to 11 Mbps but in practice it will be less (likewise 802.11g systems have a theoretical maximum of 54 Mbps). What you actually get depends on a lot of factors such as the amount of sharing done by your ISP (usually not as much of a problem for DSL as there is for some cable system) and the wireless traffic in your area.
If your Linksys box is set to only accept 11g, then your Linksys does not even see your iMac.
Most systems which are set to accept both 11g and 11b (as it appears to be with your Belkin) will slow down to 11b if it is in communication with any 11b devices.
While you could get a USB dongle which accepts 11g to replace its built-in AirPort, you should note that your iMac has USB 1.1 connections so that would be the limiting factor in speed.
Short of getting a new Mac, the best way to improve the speed of your iMac would be to connect it to one of your routers via Ethernet. Your iMac should be able to communicated with either at up to 100 Mbps (whether or not your Linksys or Belkin routers will work at 100 Mbps you will have to look that up for your specific models--chances are both will).
BOYCOTT SONY
"I think the question now is not whether you went to Vietnam or whether you didn't, whether you fought in the war or fought against the war. I think the only question is whether we can find a president smart enough never to make a mistake like that again"--Molly Ivins, way back in 1992
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#3 2008-06-26 5:37 pm
- russellhess
- Member
- From: Plainview, Minnesota
- Registered: 1999-12-05
- Posts: 60
Re: Why are all the connections to my DSL at different speeds?
Thanks for the response. My router/DSL modem are from a company called 2wire that Sprint/Embarq uses for their hardware. So my mac airport card is limited to 802.11b. The higher speeds I get with the PC's is because their wireless cards are of another standard, namely 802.11G. I dont really want to connect by Ethernet. Guess it is just one more reason to give my wife on why I need one of those new 24 inch imacs!
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#4 2008-06-26 6:01 pm
- D'Eyncourt
- OMGDICTATOR
- Registered: 2001-12-27
- Posts: 7890
- Website
Re: Why are all the connections to my DSL at different speeds?
Well, if you have to ask then why not go for a Mac Pro? With a 30-inch display? 
To be sure: it has been a common complaint that people with both Macs and PC say that their Macs will up-/download slower than their PCs (even without the 11b/11g difference). I have no explanation for this.
BOYCOTT SONY
"I think the question now is not whether you went to Vietnam or whether you didn't, whether you fought in the war or fought against the war. I think the only question is whether we can find a president smart enough never to make a mistake like that again"--Molly Ivins, way back in 1992
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