Wireless slowdown

[ian.threlfall]

Having a strange problem with a clients wireless network.

Usually they use 2 laptops on it, then when they replace one of those with an Imac running an airport card, the mac runs fine.

But the PC based laptop starts to run very slow on the internet and across the network, once the mac is off all goes back to being fine!

Any ideas?

 

[ElDiabloConCaca]

Most likely the iMac is using an original AirPort card -- the slower 802.11b kind. All devices on the same wireless network will slow down to the slowest connected member, so your laptops will essentially be running at 802.11b speeds (11 Mb/sec) instead of the faster 802.11g speeds (54Mb/sec).

One option could be to use one of these 802.11g Ethernet adaptors for the iMac if it's using an older Airport card, so that all members of the network will be operating in 802.11g mode:

http://www.dlink.com/products/?sec=0&pid=333

Does the iMac use an older, 802.11b card? Or is it that the iMac runs at the full 802.11g speeds, but the laptops go much slower?