If you’re not getting the best download and upload speeds from your wireless router, you could try blaming your neighbors. First, check that your router is locked down and that no one is piggybacking on your internet connection and using up your bandwidth. Now, carry out some of the tweaks I’ve recommended in the past (see Related links below) or those given in this Lifehacker post on converting your $60 router into a $600 router.

Now, download inSSIDer and check which wireless channels your neighbors are using and change your router channel to one that has the least overlap with the others. I have probed my neighbors daily for a week or so and find that channels 3-5 are the least used among my half a dozen or so neighbors with wireless routers of their own. In the mornings though channel 5 is pretty much clear for at least a couple of hours, so I use that one and ignore the competing routers in the afternoon that overlap by virtue of being on channela 3 and 4. Unless you’re using wireless-n in Japan I don’t think channel 14 is available, so don’t waste time trying that one.

Avoid noisy neighbors to boost your wireless router. By using a channel that overlaps the least with your neighbors’ access points there will be less intereference in your signal, so less noise in the up and downloads, which should give you a not insignificant speed boost.