WRT320N Fluctuating Speed/Video Issue

Question

I have read a lot of posts on this forum, and perhaps I there is no help for this, but I thought I would try.  Please read all, as I have tried several things found on this forum.
I have a WRT320N that I purchased several months ago.  I seem to have issues mainly when trying to use video conferencing such as Skype, Yahoo or even MSN.
When I am on the 'wired' computer of my network, all is well.  On my laptop, these programs just don't work wll at all.  My laptop has a wireless b/g/n capability.
Although the signal quality is always excellent, I can watch the speed fluctuate anywhere from 72-144 Mbps.  144 is tops.
I have my router setup for Mixed 2.4 GHz, 20MHz bandwidth, with WPA2-Personal security.  I have tried almost every single channel there is.
I tried WPA secruity, and my speed dropped to 54 Mbps...and stayed that way solid...no fluctuation at all.  However, I had the same performance with above programs.
I have also, as seen posted a million times on this site, changed the Beacon interval to 75, and both the Fragmentation and RTS thresholds to 2304.
Nothing seems to change the performance of this router.  Currently, as I write this, I am within 20 feet of the router, and am watching the speed change regularly....just now it dropped from 144 to 65 Mbps within 1 second, then slowly back up , then dropping again....
NOTE:  I flashed the Firmware to V1.0.03 build 010 just like a month ago when working on this issue, and that was the latest firmware then.
Solved!
Go to Solution.

Answer 1

3)   The 4965AGN wireless adapter is known to run at only 54 Mbps with WEP or WPA with TKIP.  So you are correct, it looks like you will need to use WPA2  (= WPA with AES) .   See this URL for more info about the 4965AGN:
 http://www.intel.com/support/wireless/wlan/4965agn/sb/cs-025643.htm
Most "5 GHz" phones will not interfere with your router's "5 GHz" band, because usually they use different bands in the 5 GHz range.   Some 5GHz phones also use the 2.4 GHz band, and that usually does interfere with your router.  So try unplugging the phone and see if that corrects your problem.  Microwave ovens only seem to cause problems when they are turned on, so it is usually obvious if this is the cause for your problem.
To see what channel your neighbors are using, highlight their SSID and then select "Properties".  Sometimes there is a button for this.  Sometimes you have to right click on the SSID, then select 'Properties".  Sometimes you have to doubleclick the SSID and actually connect.    In some cases, wireless adapter software will not display channel info.  After you find out what your neighbors are using, if possible, try to stay +5 or -5 channels from your strongest neighbors.  If you cannot tell what channel your neighbors are using, then simply try channels 1, 6, or 11 and see what works best.
Also try again setting the "channel width" to "wide" , "40 MHz" , or "Auto".  With this, keep your wide band and standard band at least 2 channels apart, for example, try regular band on 11 , and wide band on 9.
Hope this helps.