an intriguing wifi http server mystery...please help

[jojoba at gmail.com]

Hi,
I hope this post is ok for this group.

Here's my deal:

I have two computers on my LAN at home.
One desktop. One laptop.
Both computers are wireless enabled (and wired enabled too).

I have running a fairly simple HTTP server (written in python) that i
can run on either computer.
When the computers are wired, everything is cool, no matter which
computer is the server.
But when the computers are wireless, it does matter which computer is
the server.
If the laptop is the server, the server is super slow at serving pages.
If the desktop is the server, then everything's fine (i.e. fast).

Here are the conditions i tested the server under.

1)
Laptop wired, client
Desktop wired, server
GREAT!
webpage served in 2 seconds

2)
Laptop wired, server
Deskop wired, client
GREAT!
webpage served in 2 seconds

3)
Laptop wireless, client
Desktop wireless, server
GREAT!
webpage served in 2 seconds

4)
Laptop wireless, server
Desktop wireless, client
CRAP!
webpage served in 90 seconds


What the heck is happening?
What could be causing the slowdown in only one direction?
Specifically, why is the server so slow when the laptop is wireless,
but not when the desktop is wireless?
And computer speed cannot matter here, right, since, in the wired
conditions, both computers performed equally.


The server is almost entirely based on the server found at:
http://aspn.activestate.com/ASPN/Cookbook/Python/Recipe/259148



If anyone has a clue, please tell.
Thanks,
jojoba