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I have a computer and a laptop (netbook) at my home both of which I use very frequently. Both of these devices are connected to the same network, with a 4 MB per second conncection. One thing I am really tired of is that my PC (1 GB Ram, 64-Bit Windows 8, Core 2 Duo) gets much slower internet speeds than my Asus netbook (1 GB Ram, 32-Bit Windows 7, Atom). Torrents and other downloads get me about 650 kbps speed, which is much more than my PC that gets around only 250 kbps speed. Does anyone know how to fix this? Both the devices are connected using Wi-Fi. Thanks

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    What band are each of the wireless devices set to use? Are you sure your connection is a 4MB/sec connection that is actually pretty fast. Are both devices in the same room when you perform these tests? Pleae add this information to your question instead of replying to my comment.
    – Ramhound
    Jul 29, 2013 at 16:12
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    Do both computers have the same line-of-sight to the router? Is there anything between the desktop and the router that could be interfering with the signal from the router? Jul 29, 2013 at 16:25

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In addition to Don Nickel's answers, and to elaborate on Leatherwing's comment, it could definitely be the environment.

  • When you compare the two, are you using your netbook in the same room as the PC? The construction of your walls can affect a wireless signal, as can a variety of devices in between and around them (phones, microwaves, other wifi devices, neighbor's wifi, etc.)
  • Even if you're in the same room at the same desk, where is the PC's wifi antenna in relation to the laptop? It's likely on the floor, or behind a desk, or just at a slight disadvantage compared to the laptop.
  • When you are comparing, how scientific are you being? Make sure that nothing else is running on either computer when you run speedtest.net or your network monitoring tool.

I wouldn't expect any of these to be solely responsible for the differences you've observed. But they can add up for sure.

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Just two possible answers.

Is it possible some application is secretly eating your bandwidth? Without actively running any app, start the PC and watch the network monitor - see if something is accessing the network.

It's also possible it could be the NIC driver on the PC needs updated. Are they the same manufacturer?

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