Possible Reasons ? Internet Issues

[CharlieH]

I am not the most technical of people but I have noticed an issue with my Internet connection which appears to be dependant on the machine I am using and I wondered why and what it could be ?.

I am using CAT CDMA wireless Internet service, if i connect via Laptop or netbook the speed is constant, opening webpages etc is quite quick and connection solid.

If I then switch to Destop PC in exactly the same spot, signal shows as weaker, connection appears weaker, drops off continuously and when it does hold connection its incredibly slow to open ANY internet pages or perform any other internet related tasks. What could be creating this problem on the Destop PC ? all devices are on windows 7. all have the same software/browser etc (firefox), same email client (outlook).

Any thoughts ? thanks in advance for any ideas or suggestions how I can fix this problem with the Desktop unit.

[Spoonman]

How are they connecting, is the CAT thing a usb type dongle or are you connecting via the wifi in the machines, if the wifi I would be thinking the adaptor in the PC is not of the same spec as the laptop.

[CharlieH]

How are they connecting, is the CAT thing a usb type dongle or are you connecting via the wifi in the machines, if the wifi I would be thinking the adaptor in the PC is not of the same spec as the laptop.

Same USB dongle

[Spoonman]

How are they connecting, is the CAT thing a usb type dongle or are you connecting via the wifi in the machines, if the wifi I would be thinking the adaptor in the PC is not of the same spec as the laptop.

Same USB dongle

Have you tried different USB ports, maybe there is a voltage issue with them.

[garyh]

Could be something to do with the where the desktop PC is located and the signal. Do you have a usb extension cable so you can move the modem to a different location or better still add an external antenna to it.

[garyh]

Could be something to do with the where the desktop PC is located and the signal. Do you have a usb extension cable so you can move the modem to a different location or better still add an external antenna to it.

[CharlieH]

Could be something to do with the where the desktop PC is located and the signal. Do you have a usb extension cable so you can move the modem to a different location or better still add an external antenna to it.

As stated in the Original Post, all items are in EXACTLY THE SAME POSITION, and incidentally, an external aerial may boost the signal but has absolutely NO effect on any other aspect, speed, connectivity is all EXACTLY THE SAME.

[CMSteve]

Yes and No. No the external aerial does not increase the speed or connectivity, but having the boosted signal will allow for a better connection. That will allow you closer to full speed and connectivity.

As far as location, try attaching a usb extension and moving around a bit to see if it is some kind of interferrence from the Pc itself. Possibly it too close to a wall or close to the electric lines in/on the walls.

Could be something to do with the where the desktop PC is located and the signal. Do you have a usb extension cable so you can move the modem to a different location or better still add an external antenna to it.

As stated in the Original Post, all items are in EXACTLY THE SAME POSITION, and incidentally, an external aerial may boost the signal but has absolutely NO effect on any other aspect, speed, connectivity is all EXACTLY THE SAME.

Edited March 29, 2011 by CMSteve

[garyh]

Even though it is the same location it may be that the case of the desktop PC is absorbing some of the signal. If you don't have an extension cable you should be able to buy one for around 100 Baht. If I where you and had multiple computers I would look at a router to plug the modem into anyway that way you can use any PC at any time.

[samuijimmy]

Yes and No. No the external aerial does not increase the speed or connectivity, but having the boosted signal will allow for a better connection. That will allow you closer to full speed and connectivity.

As far as location, try attaching a usb extension and moving around a bit to see if it is some kind of interferrence from the Pc itself. Possibly it too close to a wall or close to the electric lines in/on the walls.

Could be something to do with the where the desktop PC is located and the signal. Do you have a usb extension cable so you can move the modem to a different location or better still add an external antenna to it.

As stated in the Original Post, all items are in EXACTLY THE SAME POSITION, and incidentally, an external aerial may boost the signal but has absolutely NO effect on any other aspect, speed, connectivity is all EXACTLY THE SAME.

I have an usb extension to which my dongle is connected (about 4 feet) that hangs in the window... it does make a difference....

CAT has had a few "hick ups" in the last week, with it being slower a few times... but seems back to normal now... Even during the heaviest rain signal is good...

Might be worth a 100 baht to try it out ?

[CharlieH]

It would appear that everyone is missing the point, it doesnt matter where the dongle is, on top , next to it, at the end of an extention cable , hanging out the window or attached to a 40 ft aerial mast, the point is why is the desktop pc handllng it different to the laptop and the netbook when everyhting else is identical.

So, just to be clear, the dongle is attached, the laptop and netbook when connected individually have good signal strength, good connectivity and good performans, in exactly the same situation and set up the desktop drops the signal regularly, and when it is connected is incredibly slow.the only variable in the whole set-up is the machine, my question is ..... why ?

[Spoonman]

Are the USB ports on the PC USB1.0 or USB2.0 ?

What the brand and model of the motherboard in it.

[Pib]

Although both machines are running Win 7, check to see if the USB dongle is using the same "driver" when hooked to each machine.

Also, if Bluetooth is running on one or both machine this can make a difference as on some machines the Bluetooth and Wifi function work closely together. For example, on my Toshiba laptop there was a period where I couldn't get the Bluetooth drivers to completely load and this caused my Wifi function to periodically (several times a day) to drop the signal although when looking at the Wifi driver it said everything was working properly. During this period some Bluetooth "Microsoft USB" drivers were being loaded which didn't work properly/fully on my Tosihba. But as soon as I finally got my Bluetooth "Toshiba" drivers to load (Bluetooth can be picky sometimes) my Wifi function became rock steady along with Bluetooth working again.

Also, if you were not running Win 7, I would tell you to delete and reload TCP, as incorrect TCP settings can really slow down browsing, and reloading TCP fixed some wifi issues for me in my XP/Vista days....but I think TCP comes fully integrated into Win 7 and can't be deleted/reloaded separately. Win 7 is a heck of a lot better in automatically keeping the TCP function working properly, excluding the associated communications hardware drivers.

To me it sounds like a driver problem on your Desktop PC because your Desktop and Laptop definitely have different hardware and X-amount of the used drivers are different. Yes, check to see if different drivers are being loaded to make the USB dongle work. Did the USB dongle come with any specific drivers which maybe are loaded on your laptop but not load on your desktop?

.

[CharlieH]

Although both machines are running Win 7, check to see if the USB dongle is using the same "driver" when hooked to each machine.

Also, if Bluetooth is running on one or both machine this can make a difference as on some machines the Bluetooth and Wifi function work closely together. For example, on my Toshiba laptop there was a period where I couldn't get the Bluetooth drivers to completely load and this caused my Wifi function to periodically (several times a day) to drop the signal although when looking at the Wifi driver it said everything was working properly. During this period some Bluetooth "Microsoft USB" drivers were being loaded which didn't work properly/fully on my Tosihba. But as soon as I finally got my Bluetooth "Toshiba" drivers to load (Bluetooth can be picky sometimes) my Wifi function became rock steady along with Bluetooth working again.

Also, if you were not running Win 7, I would tell you to delete and reload TCP, as incorrect TCP settings can really slow down browsing, and reloading TCP fixed some wifi issues for me in my XP/Vista days....but I think TCP comes fully integrated into Win 7 and can't be deleted/reloaded separately. Win 7 is a heck of a lot better in automatically keeping the TCP function working properly, excluding the associated communications hardware drivers.

To me it sounds like a driver problem on your Desktop PC because your Desktop and Laptop definitely have different hardware and X-amount of the used drivers are different. Yes, check to see if different drivers are being loaded to make the USB dongle work. Did the USB dongle come with any specific drivers which maybe are loaded on your laptop but not load on your desktop?

.

" Did the USB dongle come with any specific drivers which maybe are loaded on your laptop but not load on your desktop?"

Each machine is exactly the same, the software/drivers for the USB dongle is preloaded onto the dongle and therefore installs into the machine on first use, so ALL 3 machines are identical in a software/driver aspect.

Edited March 30, 2011 by CharlieH

[Pib]

If you haven't done so already, I would still check the drivers loaded by looking at the driver information in your Device Manager. Just because the drivers come on the USB dongle does not mean each machine loaded those particular drivers...a machine may have defaulted to/loaded another driver. I wouldn't assume the drivers on the USB dongle loaded. If you've already confirmed the loaded drivers are identiical by looking at the Device Manager driver information, then I don't have any other recommendation off the top of my head. Good luck.

[garyh]

Is the software for the modem set to EVDO only? if not this can make a big difference, if you don't have the option get the latest driver from CAT that has this option.