Are you so sure you have a problem with the router ? You could check the wireless adapter settings on the gfriends laptop I suppose. I had a quick look for netstumbler equivalents but didn't like the look of them, too much wardriving stuff. Perhaps install netstumbler on the gfriends machine ? If it's her machine which is sluggish it's the least she should do.
So where exactly is
www.google.com?
Hang on a minute. From memory the distance to Los Angeles is about 5400 nm, so say 5000 nm to SF. Call a nautical mile 1800m (I am a physicist and used to work for Ferranti so precision isn't in my nature), that makes say 9x10^6m from uptown Bedford to google. If the speed of light (even for Draytek owners) is 3x 10^8 m/s, doesn't that make 30mS even for a TEM wave ?