Speeding up internet connection

[vivid_vibe]

Is there a way to increase or optimize your internet connection speed? I have Cox Broadband which claims the following: 4000 down, 512 up. I have never, ever even once gotten close to those speeds. The highest d/l I ever get is 300kb/s sometimes 320 if lucky. Not sure about u/l speed, as I don't do much uploading. Should I be getting better speeds than 300kb/s? I've tried the tests on dslreports.com and I am consistently lower than I should be. Is there any problem I can correct? If it helps, I am connected to my cable modem by USB. Would the speed increase if I used the network cable to connect instead of USB? Any help will be appreciated (and repped of course). Thanks.

vivid

 

[Perris Calderon]

go to dsl reports and follow their optimizing guides...cablenut does a good job...also check out j79's homepage...he has some excellant settings for your connection

 

[vivid_vibe]

go to dsl reports and follow their optimizing guides...cablenut does a good job...also check out j79's homepage...he has some excellant settings for your connection

Thanks, will give those a shot.

 

[Iceman]

well your never going to get 4000, you will always lose between 10% to 15% of the stated speed due to overhead, but 300 as you sated works out to be around 2400 so your losing a lot more then normal.

Call the ISP and throw a fit

 

[LeeJend]

I assume you mean 300kBps (big B is bytes, small b is bits, that's a factor of 8 difference).

So 300 x 8 x 1/.7 = 3333 kbps. That's within the range of "marketing" jargon calling it 4000. You might get it up a to 350 kBps max with optimizing. But don't count on it. The 70% number is the efficiency of the Ethernet protocol.

 

[celticfan11]

my cable says i should get 4MBps and i get download speeds at 520 reguarally, which is over 4MBps. but cable internet depends on who else is downloading in your area. Maybe call you ISP and ask them

 

[VenomXt]

i get around 900 kb/s down but am stuck at 45 kb/s up annoying.

 

[Jozhik]

but cable internet depends on who else is downloading in your area.

also always depends on "the other side"

 

[dave holbon]

Although probably not directly related to your problem I’ve had similar issues with my broadband connection which is 2meg. I tried everything from a clean install of XP to checking all the phone lines to changing all the hardware at my end to no avail, then I stumbled across a web page for checking the telephone exchange I was connected to as the BT help and support was almost entirely useless and found that some parameters of this exchange were in fact the problem.

VP capacity was in the red: -
BT is reporting that some of the virtual paths at this exchange are not operating within BT Wholesale's planning guidance, although they are still operating within the product specification. At busy times, your ADSL connection may operate at a reduced speed, although not all customers on your exchange may be affected. You should only contact support if there is no current ETA date set. The ETA fix time is: 30 May 05. Record last updated: 25 Apr 05

My download speeds are at the most 50% of what there are supposed to be with upload speeds almost within 56k dial-up modem speeds.

Contention is another problem as broadband providers do not want to let you know how many are sharing the bandwidth as they aggregate it if you are a home user and live in a business area (i.e. your connection could be shared with large business users that habitually download overnight some very large amounts of data but the model used by your supplier is based on 09:00-17:00 usage as the provider will assume minimal usage outside of these times but as they pay for usage in a different way to the home user they are always prioritised, this is usually evident at accounting period end times or similar) or they are having problems with their hardware as they habitually re-route to good nodes which then in turn suffer.

Se if you can access the node itself or ask your provider if they use “balancing techniques”. It sounds like they are over subscribed, but I’m not that familiar with cable connections especially in the states.

 

[muzikool]

This might be the same thing perris was talking about, but I have always done this tweak after reinstalling Windows. It's always worked.

http://www.winguides.com/registry/display.php/646/

 

[tdinc]

I am connected to my cable modem by USB. Would the speed increase if I used the network cable to connect instead of USB?vivid

USB connection is a bad idea....as stated in many reports on dslreports.com
connect direct..it will help out tons

 

[ElementalDragon]

as tdinc said... USB is a bad idea. for one, it's a hassle... having to install your modem every time you reformat.... plus HOPING that you won't have driver issues even after you do get it installed. And about speed increase.......... well....... possibly. I may be wrong (if so, someone correct me) but i think USB (if it's only USB 1.1.. don't remember ever seeing a USB 2.0 cable modem) think USB 1.1 only has a transfer speed of slightly over 1Mbps. doesn't seem right now that i think about it.... But if you're using USB, i highly recommend using ethernet. just not as flaky. i used to use USB until i figured out it wasn't worth it.

 

[American Zombie]

Should I use USB or Ethernet?

While USB may seem the better, cheaper solution, Ethernet is usually faster and more stable in the long run.

Because USB 1.1 is a 12 megabit connection, when users connect other devices, they quickly consume the 12 megabits. This causes the connection to slow. Other devices also sometimes conflict with the USB-connected modem, creating instability.

Ethernet, on the other hand, is the industry small network standard. A NIC (Network Interface Card) is required. If you don't have one, they usually run $10-$20. Because this is 100 megabits full-duplex, the connection can't be fully saturated by the modem.

 

[vivid_vibe]

/switches to ethernet connection

 

[Elektro Slime]

hey guys... just wondering
but can you tell me the monthly subscription rate for DSL where yall live? and how much is the initial installation? and what ur ISPs max speed?

 

[indyjones]

damn all this talk of adsl , i really need to sort thingsout hate my 56k

 

[LeeJend]

swbell, north texas.

Varying speed at different rates.
-Mine is $50/month with 1.5mbsp down and 384kbps up.
-Intro plan is $29/month for 3 months, but slower 384Kbps download, check the site.
-Look for a deal and there should be no installation. They are going to rape you enough when the intro expires.

Service has been excellent for the last 6 years.

 

[Elektro Slime]

man it sux here in Saudi!!!
first its like $100 for the installation
then even the slowest 64k costs $40 a month! this sux!

 

[joyojoy]

I heard recently that a lot of older cable modems are not even capable of sending/receiving the higher speeds available today. If your modem is more than a year old, it probably can't hack it. Check with your server and find out what model they are supplying to their newer customers.

 

[Johnny]

hey guys... just wondering
but can you tell me the monthly subscription rate for DSL where yall live? and how much is the initial installation? and what ur ISPs max speed?

29.95 for 1.5 down / 384 up. I been trying to get the 3.0 down / 768 up, but, they keep telling I am to far out of range. Yeah, 50 feet !!