file transfer speed over wifi homesharing too slow

Solution 1:

Assuming you mean 1 MB/s, this seems about right. A realistic system like this probably has a hardware maximum of about 54Mbps and a usable link bandwidth of about 20Mbps given typical parameters of distance, interference, and so on.. There are 8 bits in a byte, all data has to be sent twice (once to the AP and once from the AP), data has to be acknowledged, and it takes time for devices to switch from receiving to transmitting.

So, start with 20Mbps usable link bandwidth. All data has to be sent twice, so that leaves 10Mbps. Time for handoffs and acknowledgements is about 20%, so that leaves 8Mbps. There are 8 bits in a byte, so 1MB/s is about what we'd expect.

For a transfer between WiFi devices using an AP over 802.11g under realistic conditions, 1MB/s is about right.

Solution 2:

There are a few things that are working against you here:

• The router is old and doesn't support 802.11n (assuming your laptops are capable of "n" that could make a big difference)

• Distance between router and laptop

• Degradation of signal due to physical obstacles (i.e. the floor)

• Degradation of signal due to intereference from other wireless devices (cordless phones, mobile phones, neighbours' wifi, etc.)

• Concurrent connections to your router

Remember that advertised Wifi speeds are based on utopia-like conditions. The average user has at least some conditions not working in their favour that significantly decreases performance.

On my Wireless N setup at home, I get 10 MB/s in the living room and 3 MB/s from the bedroom. That's how sensitive the whole Wifi thing is.