Download too slow

Davidson

New Member
Messages
6
Hello everyone,

My name is Davidson and I'm typeing from my new Toshiba Satellite U920T hybrid laptop with Windows 8.

I'm relatively happy with this slide laptop. However the screen resolution could be better.

After 4/5 hours to get adapted to Windows 8 I'm also happy with this new release. The start menu is awesome!

Now that I already made my introduction lets talk about the real issue. I'm having the following problems with my wireless conection:

I can't as many wireless networks as other laptops;

When I'm far from my router I only get 1Mbit (when I'm lucky) of download speed while my 7 years old acer gets about 7Mbit and my wife new Asus with Windows 7 get 6 Mbit...

I've already updated all the drivers and uninstalled the Mcafee internet security

Thanks in advance,

Davidson
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
Welcome Davidson...

What is your Router Security set to? It should be WPA2-PSK [AES].

After experiencing slow speeds on two separate Dell laptops recently, I changed my Router security from "WEP" to WPA2-PSK [AES], and that fixed my problem.

As you research more you will find various other solutions. Post back if it's not your router security setting and I'm sure some one else (with more expertise), will chime in with additional advice.

Here's a link to my thread from yesterday outlining my Slow WiFi Fix. You can see that I went from 54 Mbps up to 270 Mbps (back to normal for me), after making the Router Security change.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Studio XPS 8100 in Corsair 200R Case
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-860 processor, (8MB Cache, 2.80GHz)
    Motherboard
    Dell (Chicony - DH57M01)
    Memory
    Corsair 16GB DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz-4x4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    nVidia GeForce GTX 760, 2GB DDR5
    Sound Card
    OEM Integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell ST2410, 24" Flat Panel Monitor
    Hard Drives
    256GB Samsung SSD 840 Pro-MZ-7PD256BW,
    Western Digital 1TB Caviar Blue-WD10EALX,
    2 Western Digital 2TB Black WD2003FZEX,
    1 Western Digital 6TB Green
    PSU
    Corsair CX600M (600 Watt)
    Case
    Corsair 200R mid-tower
    Cooling
    OEM
    Internet Speed
    Broadcom Netlink (TM) Gigabit Ethernet Card.
    Other Info
    This Dell XPS 8100 was transplanted in to a Corsair 200R mid-tower case in June 2015; The only Dell remnants are the motherboard and cpu, which will be upgraded some time in the future...
Hi PCG,

Thanks, but I already took a look to some threads including yours. My router is set to WPA+WPA2 AES. It's a router/modem from my IPS operator and only have 802.11g.

Meanwhile I did a new instalation of Windows 8 to see what happened. The problem kept the same.


And then I found that when I put the keyboard on the vertical the speed increases to normal (8 MBits).

During the speed test the speed decreases (1 Mbit) or increases (8Mbits) depending on the position of the laptop which doens't make any sense at all, because the normal position of a laptop is at the top of a table in horizontal.

I'll try to contact Toshiba tomorrow but if they don't get a solution I'll get my refund with the reseller during the weekend.

So I think that this is a hardware problem :confused:

This is very anoying...:mad:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
Today I spoke with Toshiba Technical Assistance Centre and they told me that the wireless antennas are in the base of the laptop near the heat dissipators and that's why the signal gets better when I put the laptop in the vertical.

They say that this is normal because people will use this as a tablet instead of a laptop. But if I want a tablet I would have bought a ipad retina...:shock:

I'll leave this thread open for a few more days to see if you have any ideas.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
I'm in a different floor of the router. But the thing is that my internet speed is must more slower that other laptops (Windows xp and Windows 7) that are in the some division of my house.

Another thing that I got aware today is that the upload is equal to the other laptops (i.e. 1Mbit/s) and don't vary most, but the download speed is less and vary a lot during the test with speeds going from 1Mbit/s to 7Mbit/s.


So maybe it's not the antenna position... today the speed it's very good. Perhaps it's a bad contact of the wireless adapter?!?!
 

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My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
One more update. I'm now at a coffee shop, I'm a 2 meters from the wireless router and my download speed varies from 7Mbit/s to 33Mbit/s. I don't think that the problem is the antenna.

Sorry to be so persist, but I must decide if I stay with the laptop or if I return it to the reseller.

Thanks in advance.
 

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My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
Take your laptop to the exact same locations where the "others" are physically located and do a comparison test from each location. If you are near anything that operates in the 2.4GHz band (cordless phones, microwave ovens, etc.), they could also be affecting you signal at times (if your router is 2.4GHz as well). Now, I have no idea of your router's capabilities but I'm sure there are software options to use different channels which might help clear up any interference problems.

If you are sitting in a coffee shop a few meters away from the source signal and there are no walls or other obstructions, to impede your signal I would expect your laptop to respond well.

IMHO, the best thing to do is conduct a side by side test right next to each of the other computers, in their normal locations, in your house and try changing those router channels to see if that improves your speed as well.

Good luck.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
Hi norepli,

All the laptops were in the kitchen table, when I performed the internet speed test. My modem/router and my wireless card are 2,4Ghz, so that might be a problem, however I can change channels.

Next step is to install windows 7 to see if the problem is the wireless adapter or the OS.

Thanks,
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
It's a shame you have to go that route. What type of encryption are you using on your new laptop. Is it different from the others? Did changing the channels make any difference?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
i know this is an old thread and probably the TS had already sold off the u920t after all the pains it had caused.


i also bought this laptop 6 months ago and did not use it until recently when my office server is windows 8 ready.


i was plagued by the same wifi issue; slow speed and frequent drop outs. when u are 3 meters from the AP its ok, 3-5m you get 20-54mbps, when in my room, 6-7 meters away from the AP, i get usually 1-5.5mbps.


the AP we using is from CISCO and most of the people is connected at 144mbps or 300mbps in the office. on my 3 years old acer, i got 144mbps. and on my spanking new and shinny toshiba u920t, i got about 5.5mbps and if i position it carefully on the furthest end of my desk, i might get 9-12mbps on my luckiest day (its like seeing the northern lights ...)


i tired configuring the wireless card in many ways, high power, no sleep, 20mhz space, etc, etc, etc. none worked.


i tried changing drivers, 15.x, 14.x and many more, even all the minor revisions, it did improved a little on certian revision of the drivers, but not to my expectation of 144mbps... i mean if a 3 year old crappy acer can do that, why is my spanking new and shinny toshiba u920t not doing that!?


i tired flushing DNS, netsh everything ... basically nothing worked.


called toshiba singapore service center, spent total of 3 hours describing to them the problem and trying their 'solutions', .. nothing worked. they think its the AP problem .. and i have over 10 poeple in my office using this AP at 144-300mbps ... but they still think its a AP problem .. they are really knowledgeable people ...


send the machine to toshiba singapore service center, they connect to the AP which is less than 4 meters away, everything worked good, told them to move further, and the signal strength droped to unuseable, but they think this is perfectly normal and gave explanations that there are many frequencies affecting the range and strenght, etc etc etc ... they just want to tell me 'go home man, this is a good laptop, your AP is having problem, change your AP, the laptop is fine!"


i was left with no choice, i swap the wireless-N 2230 card from the u920t with my old acer atheros AR5BWB222 card, load in new windows 8.1 and now i got 144mbps.


so to conclude, go to ebay, buy a AR5BWB222 (why AR5BWB222? because i had tested!! probabaly other might worked too), take out the n2230 and replace it with the AR5BWB222.


no need additional drivers for windwos 8.1. perfect ...
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8.1
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