Computor broadband speed

[gregster]

Hiya,
I have just done a couple of connection speed tests on my pc as the internet stuff seems to be getting slower and slower...

Results...
0.93mb download speed
0.37mb upload speed...

Why is it so slow...is there anything I can do to speed it up, its supposed to be a 2meg broadband connection???

It used to be much quicker on this same pc, or is it my PC? it wont even stream youtube stuff now without having to keep stopping!!

Go gentle with me, as I am not that good with PC's...

Cheers for your help guys...

Gregster

[Roo]

Hi Greg
Tonight Mine has been crashing all the time, I've had to repair mine several times not sure why, I haven't done the speed test, but its not usually like this whereby I have had to repair the system, maybe its just a flux in the system,I know that some maintenance is being done on the electricity lines , but all I know is mine keeps crashing and like you say slow ..
Sorry I know its absolutely no help at all to you , but your not alone but just thought I'd mention it like you do
Cheers

[Alchamist]

Sadly, broadband speeds are dependent on many factors, and always remember that a "2mb service" actually means "up to 2mb service". To get the full 2mb consistently, you would need to be within half a mile of the exchange, on new copper wires etc etc. ADSL is rate-adaptive, so renegotiates the speed on a regular basis to achieve the lowest error rate.

There is also the issue of "contention" - i.e. how many other people in your area share the data feed at the exchange. Depending on your service provider, this could be as high as 50:1 - i.e. for every data pipe in the exchange, there are 50 users on it. Obviously, when everyone is on in the evenings, downloading their videos etc, your service will crawl due to the shared bandwidth there.

Assuming that you are using an external, independent modem (i.e. BT Home hub, stand alone router/modem) and not one of the fantastically awful USB "modems", then the issues is most likely with your service and not the PC - however, if you have lots of services (i.e. anti-virus, anti-spyware, personal firewall, yada yada yada), there is a good chance these might slow down your system depending on how they interact (are they scanning everything as you click on a page), or if they are updating themselves etc. (And no, I am not suggesting you remove them all, it's just an area to be aware of )

If you are using Internet Explorer 7 or 8, then these browsers are also known to be fantastically slow (to do with the amount of personal data they store about you and your browsing habits ... ), so it might be worth trying Firefox or Chrome to see if your experience is any better.

Also, make sure you are up to date with all your microsoft updates to ensure you don't have anything nefarious on your PC that is working away in the background sending out viral e-mails etc ...

Anyway, hope that helps!

[gregster]

Just did an windows update and now download speed is 1.35mb and upload speed is still 0.37mb...
Why would upload speed be so slow...I have a zoom wireless router than is hard wired to this pc, so not using the wireless, pc is pretty well spec'ed although a few years old now...running firefox, chrome and explorer 8 but all as slow as each other...
Have cleared most of the stuff of the desktop as that can slow it down i believe, and have defragged the harddrive...
Just not as fast as it was...
The internet speed check that i did yesterday was in the early hours of the morning so I would guess less connection useage locally...
Use AVG free virus software, and spybot...
Your thoughts please...and thanks for your help so far...

Laters

Gregster

[cheekychick]

upload is always slower than download, usually about 25% of upload speed is memory serves me right, someone will say if I am wrong, I am sure...

[Alchamist]

Nope, you're right there CC ... though 25% is a bit optimistic!

Basically, ADSL is Asynchronous - so your download speed is faster than your upload. ADSL is designed for the home users - so techincally your normal "upload" would be the page request (when you click on a link in your browser) which is a very small bit of data, and you then download the content - hence the difference.

You can get Synchronous DSL - where your up and down speeds should match ... difference is that it's about £150 a month ... if you can get it!

Sadly, the only way to get consistent broadband speeds at the moment is to go cable, as it's not reliant on copper wire. BT have now had the way cleared to start rolling out FTTC, which will allow much faster, more stable home connections over your normal phone line, however we are at least 5+ years away from that being a reality for most subscribers, as they are currently in the process of rolling out ADSL2, which while it will offer faster speeds, the reliability and end usage speeds will still be dependant on distance from the exchange etc.

[gregster]

Cheers guys n gals....I guess since we live in the middle of nowhere Bt's lines are probably made of WOOD or something equally poo...
Guess I will have to suffer it for the time being!

Laters and thanks

Gregster

[cheekychick]

[Drift]

Would it be wrong to say Im going 50meg next month

[gregster]

[cheekychick]

[Drift]

need it, this thing and two laptops and an xbox always on the go, 20meg just coping 50 for very little more was just to tempting, we get a free netbook to

[cheekychick]

[Drift]

He he he he he

[gregster]

[Ruathar]

[Drift]

Bloody kids kill it, Keiron and his mates forever down loading game trailer and the like for xbox

[BadBoy]

Not too bad for a 8M line running 2 computers, VOIP telephone, and BT Vision video on demand (all being used at the time of test).
BT Vision uses 1.5M on it own.
Mind you I do live next door to the telephone exchange

Have you tried it early morning and after midnight. That would give you a more realistice idea what speed you getting. Also some providers restrict bandwidth at certian times of the day.

[mid77]

[Krusher]

I wish you lot would stop rubbing it in. Before I moved to Ramsgate I was a network egineer for telewest and got free broadband at max speed but now I have to rely on BT 01
I have run out of smilies,again