Wireless router giving me ping hell...

[HitMan-sC]

With my new system, I purchased a linksys WRT54G wireless router and WUSB54G wireless adapter, based on suggestions from this forum. I recently received my replacement motherboard and RAM, and got everything up and running, including updating the router and the adapter's firmware. The internet runs great, and the signal strength seems to be pretty good too. However, I just installed Steam, because I promised I would play some Counter-Strike with my brother. We both log onto the same server, except it takes me much longer to do so. When we both get in game, his ping is 30, while mine is fluctuating from 150-300! Is this something caused by a bad setting, or wireless networking in general? I would really appreciate any help.

- h|tman

EDIT: I forgot to mention - I'm running Windows XP Home, with Service Pack 1 and all critical updates installed. The same thing goes for the AMD machine, which is hooked up to the router.

 

[Crosshairs]

While I am no expert, I will tell you about my experience with a router. I have an 8 port Linksys router # BEFSR 81 and also a 5 port Linksys switch # EZX55W. My cable modem is hooked to the switch, then uplinked to the router. I used to run my game server through the switch and my other 5 computers thru the router. If I run speed tests on my machines while they are thru the router I get about 3100/280 , When I run them thru the switch I get about 3900/390 . This is HUGE diference. It greatly affects my in game pings, so I just gave up and kept the machine that I play from, and my server hooked into the switch. I left my other Boxes hooked up to the router. I have 5 static IP's so I didnt need the router, I just wanted it for security and ease of use.
I used to have a wireless router and had the same experience. I went to the wired version thinking that it would be better, It wasnt. Its about the same on both. Now originaly I thought that maybe I was using wrong settings, so I had my neighbor who is a networking profesional for a large company come over and check it out. All he found was that my security settings were a joke, he fixed that, but everything else was right.
So I dont know what the loss is caused by, but its real and its there.