Windows 7 Internet connection speed very low

[rrw]

Just recently, the d\l and u\l wireless internet speeds decreased dramatically, so slow I very seldom can even connect to internet. My desktop computer connects just fine to the same network and connection speed is high. I can go to a friends house with my laptop and connect to his network and internet just fine. It appears that the problem is with my laptop and the public network I'm using, since my laptop will not connect, and my desktop will, but my laptop will connect just fine to another network. Any ideas?
Thanks

hp laptop
win 7

 

[CommonTater]

Do you have security enabled on your router?
You might have someone else is using it if you don't.

You might be amazed to discover how common this is... Dude next door uses up his monthly quota and then switches to your router and uses up yours too. People in my service area have received $300 internet bills because of it.

I very much doubt the problem is your laptop if it works properly on a friends network.

That leaves your router... check it's settings...
Make sure you're using at least WPA security with AES encription. Make your network name (SSID) something that's not going to beg for hack attacks (i.e. don't use names like "10000 Songs" or "Private Network"). Make your passphrase (PSK) as complex as you can bear... large words, words backwards, random text mixed with numbers, etc. If your router supports "Invisible" or "Hidden Wireless" mode turn that on... nobody except those you allow will even know it's there. Finally to reduce visibility when it is running, set the transmitter power to the lowest setting that gives you reliable connections in your home/office conditions (There's no point advertising it to people 1/4 mile away).

It could also be that your router has "locked up" the wirless... A hard reset (unplug the power, wait a few seconds and plug it back in) might solve the problem.

 

[rrw]

What about the fact that my desktop pc works fine, fast internet speed? There are at least a few people using the network, it's at a rv park.
Thanks for the reply

 

[CommonTater]

If your desktop machine is hard wired it will actually have a priority over wirless connections.

Plus wireless with multiple users has to do a LOT of handshaking to prevent packet transfers. The second user does more than cut wireless speed in half... more like a third... then each user divides that speed again. Your wireless may simply be overloaded.

The same on the WAN side... everyone shares your internet bandwidth. If you're running 10mbps and someone else begins using it, you're down to 5, with 3 people 3.3, with four people 2.5 and so on... 5 people can generally saturate a domestic internet service beyond all useability.

If you are not deliberately providing internet service to these people, you need to establish security.

 

[TorrentG]

An easy thing to try would be to change the router channel. If there is too much interference on the current one, that would cause packets needed to be retransmitted thus causing a speed slowdown.

 

[Trouble]

Just recently, the d\l and u\l wireless internet speeds decreased dramatically, so slow I very seldom can even connect to internet. My desktop computer connects just fine to the same network and connection speed is high. I can go to a friends house with my laptop and connect to his network and internet just fine. It appears that the problem is with my laptop and the public network I'm using, since my laptop will not connect, and my desktop will, but my laptop will connect just fine to another network. Any ideas?
Thanks
hp laptop
win 7

What about the fact that my desktop pc works fine, fast internet speed? There are at least a few people using the network, it's at a rv park.

Can we assume, for the purposes of addressing this issue that you are not the owner of this network and can therefore not make any adjustments to the router and its' related settings?
You say that your desktop connects fine, can we assume that it is also running the same operating system as well as the same wireless network adapter to connect to the network?
If your laptop works fine in other environments as you have said, then I would suspect that the problem has more to do with proximity and the devices antenna.
The laptop may have an inferior antenna the desktop's may just be better. Have you experimented with the laptop's proximity to the router's physical location.
I know I've seen performance issues with Windows 7 and certain routers using WEP encryption. Is the desktop also using Windows 7 as its' OS?
And of course some devices are more susceptible to outside interference from other devices using the same frequencies.
You discuss your connection in terms of speed, but I've not seen any mention of the actual signal strength. Are both computers showing the signal strength as excellent, good, etc.?

EDIT: Also, to address the "recently" issue. Have you intentionally or maybe through a windows update, updated the driver for the device on the laptop. If so, take a look at device manager, right click the problem adapter, choose properties, then under the driver tab, see if the option to roll back the driver, is available to you.