I have noticed since the switch to 7, a very poor connection to the internet.
With 6.5 I had a very constant download rate. It now seems to work for about 1-30 seconds and will then 'drop' for 1-30 seconds.
My DHCP lease isn't lost during this time though (according to the terminal).

I connect to a public hotspot and my network settings and position of the laptop are exactly the same as previously.

This kind of problem could be due to external influences (like the hotspot itself), but since the change came immediately after the switch to 7, I was wondering if anyone has noticed the same thing and might have a remedy?

Thanks.

I don't know why it is happening, but you could try using the Spartacus livecd and see how the connection is.

I can't use the 6.5 live distro because I need to change the network setup - which requires a restart.
As soon as I've finished downloading the two movies I have going, I'm going to reinstall 6.5 and see if it makes a difference.

Are you sure it needs a full reboot? I don't know,but maybe you could get away with trying a logout/login as this restarts X(Exit).
Just a suggestion.

Sure, i'll give it a try.
Thanks.

Logging out worked! but dhclient reports no DHCP offers. Then I booted 7 and got connected straight away. Booted the live cd and no offers again.
__{{emoticon}}__

Reinstalled 6.5 to test the connection...
Well it appears to be a problem with the hotspot. What worked badly in 7 isn't working at all now in 6.5 when before it was great.
The humidity might be to blame. Its certainly wetter air now here the winter is coming. Or maybe the neighbor moved the router to another location which is making the signal harder to pick up!