To test the network speed I created a directory with 100MB of small files and a single, 100MB file on a machine that was hardwired to the router. The reason for the two variants is that I’ve noticed a single, large file can sometimes transfer faster than many small files because the network has to constantly make calls for new files rather than just mobbing data over the pipe. The following pic is a floorplan of my apartment, although not quite to scale. The router is the red dot, the blue dot is the desktop machine, and the green dots are the places where I tested the laptop speed. To test, I timed the transfer speed of the 100MB files.
The desktop, as you can see, had to contend with three full walls worth of resistance. Because of this it averaged a Tx rate of 24Mbps. The actual transfers took about 85 seconds, which would put the actual throughput at about 10Mbps. The connection was very stable and the transfer speeds were consistent over six tests. I tested the transfers against interference such as microwaves, cordless phones, etc… and they had no measurable effect.
The laptop tests varied widely. The test from the farthest point in the apartment took over fifteen minutes to transfer the 100MB file at an average Tx Rate of 1Mbps. Given the time and filesize, the actual throughput was 932Kbps. The test near the desktop yielded identical results of about 10Mbps actual throughput. Right next to the router I achieved the full 54Mbps that wireless-G spec promises, and through one wall to the living room the throughput varied from 24Mbps to 48Mbps.
Testing Internet Connection Reliability
With the exception of the far corner of the apartment, the internet connection was consistent and achieved full speed (1.5Mbps) anywhere in the apartment. The connection never dropped out and I was able to wander around with the laptop all I wanted. The far corner of the apartment did experience performance degradation and an occasional drop out, but if you were only surfing the web it wouldn’t be that bad. It was still faster than dial up! I used the router for several days during testing, and the wireless connectivity worked all the time, every time. In other words, once you get it set up you can basically forget about it!
