query on broadband speed

rajakumar

Hi
I'm AOL user. When I spoke to the AOL customer service they said they have upgraded my account from 512 to 1mps. I checked the speed from adslguide.org.uk it says only 512. I am using wireless LINSYS model WAG354G.
I have a doubt whether the router is not allowing the 1mps speed. Can any one put some light on this issue and let me know where the problem is?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

rsykes2000

The router doesn't care what speed you're on and will not throttle it. I would try a different broadband speed test (maybe http://specials.zdnet.co.uk/misc/band-test/) and if it also says you are on around 512Mb, call AOL and complain.

John_Gray

Don't forget that 1 Mbps is a maximum data rate, and you can quite often get a lower value if it is a peak time and you are contending with several other people for bandwidth. I doubt the router is the problem. Try the speed test at some time when there are likely to be fewer people active (03:00?! Or when you get up in the morning?). Also try it a couple of times to see if there is any variability.

I'm supposed to be on 4 Mbps cable, but I have recorded figures all the way down to 1 Mbps and below, on occasion, which I put down to contention.

John

roswell

reboot your modem to ensure it has recieved the speed upgrade I know i have had to do this in the past when NTL change the speeds. also download a program called TCP Optimizer this will setup your network settings to the opimum settings.

P.s TCP Optimizer is free ware so no legal issues with downloading Moderators.

scoot1on1

Have you downloaded the newest firmware for the router should say 1.01.05 in top right corner of the router setup page (192.168.1.1.)(Name: admin Password: admin).
If it says any different download the newest firmware. It is advisable to use a wired connection for downloading firmware as it may mess your router up if you lose connection while updating.

JohalaReewi

Unfortunately, broadband speed means different things to different people...

1) The speed that your modem/router connects to broadband. This is the speed usually used to advertised the service (eg 512K, 1M, 2M, etc.). You can find out what speed you have actually got by checking the connection speed (downstream) in your modem/router status information. Most have a status page somewhere that you can read with a web browser or query tool.

2) The maximum speed at which your ISP will service your broadband access. ISPs have the ability to restrict the amount of bandwith they give you on their networks and servers. This speed is not usually advertised but is likely to be set the same as the connection speed. There isn't really a bulletproof way of finding this speed

3) The effective speed. This is the actual speed you can realistically get taking into account all the factors. This is what is measured by all the speed test websites, and the effective speed will be less than the connection speed.

Things that slow down your effective speed from the (maximum) connection speed are contention, your ISP servers and networks, the speed of the internet, the speed of the website running the speed test, other PCs using your broadband connection at the same time as you, etc.

When ADSLORG speedtest says 512K, this is the effective speed across the internet and NOT the connection speed (which may well be 1M). The only way to find the actual connection speed is to check your modem/router as mentioned.

redux

How long ago was the upgrade? It may take a few days to enable it.