Hi Brian,
As your router is in the kitchen are there any domestic appliances that could be interfering with the signal? I know that microwaves can have a seriously detrimental effect on wireless connections - other electromagnetic devices may also cause interference. Assuming that the signal strength is OK, have you contacted Netgear's support about this? The reason I ask is that I have almost the exact same set-up apart from the fact that my laptop only has a 802.11b inbuilt wireless card. The wireless speed that I get is typically about 3.9Mb download on my 4Mb Smart line.
As you say your Smart line is OK I suspect that if your signal strength is Very Good or better then you may have a 'bad' router.
Jim |