JorgeB

Hi folks. I have this doubt none seem to be able to answer to me. I have this wireless access point that connects at 54Mbits/s however I have a broadband internet connection that allows up to 1024Mbits/s (= 128Kb/s), how does this two speed values relate with each other? and why is it that sometimes when Im downloading something the transfer rate starts at what it should be (128Kb/s) but it goes decreasing very slowly until it reaches 56 or 36?

OnErr0r

I'm in a very similar situation. I have an 11 mbit wireless connection to my ISP and a 1 mbit sync internet connection. I can get much higher speeds to boxes local to my ISP, FTP for instance works at ~2 mbit.

Think of the connections in terms of a water hoses. Your wireless is a large firehose, capable of passing a large amount of water. But, your internet connection is a tiny garden hose which feeds the firehose. You'll only get as much water though as the garden hose can pass.

Decreasing speeds with a download is probably related to traffic on the server.

JorgeB

Well but my problem seems to be the contrary... I mean my download speed is high but my router connection speed is 56b (which is a wireless standard I think), What Im wondering is if that connection speed will damage my download speed...

A different example: I made a simple LAN with my laptop and desktop, the desktop with the internet connection shares it with the laptop thanks to the LAN. Now, the connection in this case is 100Mbits/s (a bit more, i mean, 44 bits more, hehe) does it affect the internet download speed of the broadband that goes very much than that...

OF course... I might be wrong so if you notice that I might be asking something stupid (I could be!!) hehe.

Rockoon

It is pretty much not likely to have a home network that is slower than your broadband connection.

Home network standards start at the bottom end with 10 Million Bit while low cost broadband services usualy top out 3.5 Million Bit for the best services.

If you arent paying upwards of $1000/month for your internet, and your home network isnt one of those exotics like PNA or Hotwire, then you have absolutely nothing to worry about.

JorgeB

Mnn. What are those hot connection stuff anyway?. Hey but you are missing the point... I have a modem that says XXXMb/s and have a XXXMb/s broadband connection, now, how are these two speeds related?

GavinO

The speed stated on any piece of networking equipment is simple the fastest that that device can transmit data. If you use a 54Mbit wireless card with your 54Mbit access point, then data can travel from the computer to the access point at 54Mbit. If there is then, say, a 4Mbit DSL connection to your ISP, then data can move between the router and the ISP at 4Mbit. Thus, if you send data from your computer to the ISP via the access point, the fastest data will get there is 4Mbit (the slowest link in the route). If you had two computers connected to the access point, then data could be sent between them at 54Mbit, as all links in a route between them can achieve that speed.

jo0ls

Bucaran, your internet is 1Mbit/s (128kbytes) and not 1024MBit (1Gigabit), your wifi is 54Mbit/s(6912kbytes/s).

So your local connection is better than your intenet connection.

[smug]I have 10Mbit[/smug]

Rockoon

Hotwire is, in this case, a term used to define various methods of piggy-backing data through wires that are already used for other purposes. The basic idea is that your home or business already has wires all over the place.. phone lines, power lines, cable lines.. it is not necessary to add another set of wires for a small low end network as those existing wires can be used.

For example, there are network devices that will send data through your homes power lines. Simply plug more than one of them into any wall outlets on the same circuit and you've got yourself a home network. There are also phone line versions, called PNA.

These hotwire networks do not interfere with the normal operations of the wires. They are generally much slower than standard ethernet or wireless networks, even under ideal conditions, and there is usualy a lot of noise that makes them much slower than that ideal. I recommend against them completely as wireless networks are fairly cheap to set up these days.

loquin

In any event. the end-to-end throughput on an internet download is limited by the slowest of all the "pipes" where data can flow.

Even though you wireless can pass data at 54 MBit, that is it's maximum. Wireless often transfers data at half this speed, or slower.

Your internet connection is 1 megabit, not 1 gigabit. This works out to about 100 KByte data transfer.

However, this maximum data trhoughput depends on the server at the far end being able topumpdata out reliably at more than 100 KByte, which, depending on the number of connections that it's handling, it may not be able to do.

JorgeB

Ahaa... jo0ls/loquin, you are right, Im pretty silly. Now... let's say my connection were 1024Mb/s and my modem max cap. is 54Mb/s, does it mean that I will not be able to enjoy my super download service??

Also, what about <b>Connection</b> speed? what is that usefull anyway?

loquin

You keep saying which would be HIGHLY unlikely to be correct. You probably have 1024Kb/s

In either event, if the connection speed is less than the modem speed, then, your max throughput would be the connection speed.

Vice-Versa of the connection speed is less than the modem speed.

Connection speed is useful when you are copying files from one pc on your internal network to another. The faster the connection, the faster the file transfer between PC's on the internal network.

JorgeB

Oh yeah I keep saying that. HEhe, yes I am wrong. Thanks guys.