Reset Laptop Wireless Radio To 802.11n

My 802.11n wireless laptop seemed sluggish when transferring files. I looked at the status of the connection and it was pegged at 54 Mbps which is the maximum throughput for 802.11g and no matter what I did with the laptop radio settings and the wireless router settings, it was stuck on 802.11g.

One note, since my cable internet connection gets up to 30 Mbps, having G does not affect my internet browsing, of course, unless there are several other wireless G connections browsing at the same time. So really, having N is only important when transferring files between computers on a home network, particularly during media streaming.

One other note, to achieve 802.11n maximum throughput of 300 Mbps, authentication settings have to be WPA or better. Specifically, WEP authentication limits throughput to 54 Mbps.

To reset the wireless N laptop connection stuck on 802,11g:

1. Start>Control Panel>Network and Sharing Center (Windows 7)
2. Click on Wireless Network Connection
3. Click on Wireless Properties
4. Click on the Security tab
5. Change Security Type to No Authentication (open). The authentication will reset and you will lose your connection.
6. Reconnect back to your wireless SSID and enter your password.

Checking the Status of your connection should reveal faster throughput to 802.11n.