Getting a better Internet connection?

[mckarmen]

I need a way to get a better internet connection on my laptop. This is mostly so that I don't lag in on-line games like Team Fortress 2. I play on a laptop (Dell Inspiron 1720) since my father's PC isn't able to support the game. When I first started playing the game I didn't have any lag but now my ping has increased dramatically (ranging from th 400s to 600s) and this has affected my game play in a negative way. I think that, at least part of the problem, is because my sisters had recently bough lap tops and now we have four laptops and one PC using the same signal.

Is there something I can buy, like another router which only I will use, in order to have my own Internet connection that will stop the lag in-game? If you need more information like the type of router I'd be happy to supply you with that information. Also, my father keeps the PC and Modem w/ Router in the basement so I don't know if that affects the signal. I'm usually on the second floor of my house.

Thanks ahead of time.

[nick b]

buy a new computer. It is better than having to deal with stupid crap like that, and since getting a better connection takes time, u would be spending less money than time.

[Ian C]

well if the router is in the basement thats part of the problem cause everything the signal has to go through is going to weaken it plus the more PCs that are sharing the connection will effect it but only if they are downloading something should you notice. only thing that might help would be another access point that would hook to the router that you could put on the main floor but that would require running a cable other wise you would need to upgrade the router to a wireless G as well as you laptops wireless card to a wireless G

[mrjaw14]

hardwired to the first router will give you best result. If you have that many laptops going over the air it'll give you problems with signal speed. only so much can be going on at one time. You could technically give yourself another router that only you use, but I don't think the performance increase would be worth it, and cascadeing routers is a pain to setup most of the time.

[quixoticalthoughts]

Although the basement is a pretty terrible place for a router or cable modem due to signal strengths and walling it beneath the ground, these other computers on your network are probably the primary cause of your problem. I say this because they are sucking up bandwidth even when not active. I have only one solution for you. That is to turn off the other computers if the person isn't using it... perhaps a second one would be to move the modem and router or you should move closer, the more distance that the information has to travel the more interference it is subject to... also check the settings on your wireless devices to make sure that they don't interfere with the frequency setting on your router. You usually access your router's settings by just typing in your router address in your internet browser. Some portable phones and cell phones can interfere causing lag or even lack of signal. My sister's cell rings and we have no internet and the televisions go all scrambled. Its pretty funny to me, but I guess that would be annoying if I was doing anything on a computer. Good Luck, hope I helped some.

[Mike H]

are you using ADSL use speed test.net to find out what speed your actually getting, if you ISP says upto 8mb you might be getting way less than this, if so contact your ISP they should be able to make a difference, also if your using WIFI depending on factors such as floor thickness, distance from the router, signal interference can all slow this down.
I'm guessing as your so far from the router there is little chance of using a cabled connection, so go to properties on your wifi card and see if its set to full power, also maybe install a wifi repeater halfway between the router and your computer to boost the signal

[440]

This is just a problem you'll have to deal with I'm afraid. The only way to make this go away is to upgrade your internet connection via your ISP. A seperate router wont help as the connection is still being split 4 ways from the source phone line.

Remember, the closer you are to your router the stronger the signal.