You say this:
She uses a different adapter driver (Atheros AR5B97 Wireless Network Adapter) while I use (Realtek RTL8188CE Wireless LAN 802.11n PCI-E NIC), but I’m pretty sure this is unrelated information and has nothing to do with the problem she is experiencing.
What makes you think that’s the case? Here are the specs on each adapter; emphasis in bold is mine:
Atheros AR5B97 Wireless Network Adapter
- Single-chip, 802.11n-compliant wireless LAN client solution with integrated MAC, baseband and 2.4 GHz radios
- Based on fourth-generation 802.11n compliant technology
- Support for 2x2 MIMO
- Conserves power with 1x1 downshift using Dynamic MIMO Power Save
- Enables PHY rate of up to 300 Mbps on downlink
- Compliant with IEEE 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11d, 802.11e, 802.11i, and 802.11n
- Lead-free RoHS compliant
Realtek RTL8188CE Wireless LAN 802.11n PCI-E NIC
- 48-pin QFN
- CMOS MAC, Baseband PHY, and RF in a single chip for IEEE 802.11b/g/n compatible WLAN
- Complete 802.11n solution for 2.4GHz band
- 72.2Mbps receive PHY rate and 72.2Mbps transmit PHY rate using 20MHz bandwidth
- 150Mbps receive PHY rate and 150Mbps transmit PHY rate using 40MHz bandwidth
- Compatible with 802.11n specification
- Backward compatible with 802.11b/g devices while operating in 802.11n mode
Now, I am not a 100% expert on 802.11n networking, but I believe that 802.11n in MIMO (on the Atheros AR5B97) would be operating on the 5 Ghz radio spectrum. Whereas non-MIMO 802.11n would operate at 2.4 Ghz.
The key being, that I believe your friend using the Atheros AR5B97 is connecting at 802.11n on 5 Ghz while you are connecting with your Realtek RTL8188CE on 2.4 Ghz. The key to me assuming it is this:
While I was trying to diagnose the problem on her computer, it randomly switched and said that it had Internet access. Well, we really didn’t. As the packets received were so low, no web pages would pull up. At times she had over 500,000 packets sent and only 1,000 packets received. However, mine would have more packets received than sent, and my Internet was working great.
In my experience, when 802.11n screws up is when it is in “mixed mode” where 802.11b/g is allowed from the router as well as 802.11n. I have never been happy when my home Wi-Fi—an Airport Express—was in that mode. But when I had it locked in 802.11n purely, all was great.
Now of course, if you are using public Wi-Fi networks there is no way you can just tell someone to change their public Wi-Fi routers to suit your needs, right? Well what I would recommend then is asking your friend who is using the Atheros AR5B97 to see if they can adjust their Wi-Fi driver settings to only connect at a specific 802.11n speed. Chances are the driver is set to connect at whatever “fastest” connection it can get, but perhaps forcing the driver to connect at 802.11n on 2.4Ghz will clear things up.
As for why she has no issues on other public networks? Maybe just better maintained and managed routers with more knowledgeable networking staff? Who knows. But I do know the whole world of 802.11n can be a headache. And I am pretty sure the issue you are describing is connected to the world of non-standard 802.11n mixups.
