Pressing Question about my wireless performanc​e. Yes ... everyone has one! ":-\

Question

Is there any reliable and typical answer that could satisfy me about this layman test I performed?
My neighbor across the street has the same Verizon DSL speed I have. He recently acquired his service with a new modem.
My service and modem are about 7 years old.
I can connect, with his permission, to his Wi-Fi service, which is about 150 or more feet away in another house yet.
I can connect with my wireless with my Wi-Fi service with the router right next to the pc
Using the test which they claim is very accurate at  http://www.auditmypc.com/internet-speed-test.asp
I get no better speeds with my service, just a couple of feet away than with his at 150 plus feet. Connected to his wireless even my pc connected with the network cord, the speeds are very compareable.
I asked Verizon if it could be my modem was 7 years old. They said no, their tests showed I was getting what I should be. How is it that his wi-fi is so strong I can get speeds comparable to mine just 3 feet away?
Is there any reasonable explanation, and should I press them for something .... I don't know what?  I think as long as they say I am getting what I should they won't take action. Even though the speeds are comparable when I connect to neighbors everything is more fluid, quick. On mine when I am trying to follow links or even in such as Facebook, which I guess has to update via the wi-fi when scrolling etc, for more data it is choppy and lags. When connected to his it's more fluid.
Any help here? Thanks for taking the time to read.  jack

Answer 1

First question is how do you know your neighbor has the same speed you do. Have you compared transceiver statistics?
Verizon prices DSL service in tiers, basically anything between 1 and 3 mbps is considered to be 3Mbps, and anything from 3-7mbps is 7mbps. So unless you have compared transceiver statistics, you don't know if your neighbor really has the same DSL speed you do or not. So while you might be a 1.5mbps, he might be at 3 mbps, but you would both be in the 3mbps tier.
Having said that, and assuming you really both have the same underlying speed, you get down the issues with wireless in general. The problem with 802.11b/g service is the band that it operates in is shared by a veritable laundry list of devices including remote controls, cordless telephones, and other wireless devices. There are essentially 3 channels available for 802.11b/g, 1, 6 and 11. Depending upon the exact circumstances, some channel choices are going to be much better than others. You can change the selection from automatic to specific channels by logging into your router, and access the wireless menu.
 Ultimately the performance of your wireless is driven by the signal to noise ratio. The higher it is, the faster the connection. Other users of the band where 802.11b/g operate generally look like noise, and reduce the signal to noise ratio, and the effective speed of the connection. The unpleasant reality is there are more things that can interfere with 802.11b/g service than you can shake a stick at, and that's why Verizon will say nothing and do nothing about a wireless service from their routers. There are simply too many variables that are beyond their control.
Bottom line is that you can try other channels for your wireless and see if it makes a difference. Ultimately if you want better performance, you probably need to go to a dual band  802.11n wireless access point (assuming your  device has a card capable of 802.11n dual band operation). The 5 GHz band where 802.11n can also operate has more 'real estate' than the 2.4GHz band, and at the moment, substantially fewer applications. So the odds on a higher sustainable rate with 802.11n dual band service are better.