I also have a problem. I am using the same Linksys WRT54GS wireless router I had in Houston with the same laptop (Dell Inspiron with 1390 wireless mini card) but I can only get about 1/2 of my download speed after moving to the Chicago area. My upload is still very good, as you can see. I can hard wire to the router and get just over the 6 meg advertised speed but my wireless speed is terrible all of a sudden.

The battery in my laptop needs to be replaced (I get a notification on startup) but I usually have it plugged in to an electrical outlet anyway. Does anyone know if the battery has anything to do with it? The reason I ask that is I also have another laptop and a desktop connected to the router wirelessly and they have no speed issues.