"Jumping" download speed - Connection stops regularly

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by squinty97, Jun 19, 2008.

  1. squinty97

    squinty97 Private E-2

    I have a 1.5 mb connection--connected via a wireless router to my cable modem. When downloading files or viewing websites, my connection stays pretty consistent (downloading at about 140kbps--watching on a bandwidth monitor). However, when I view videos (Hulu, CNN, YouTube, etc.) my connection jumps consistently, from something really low like 20kbps to 150kbps to 35 kbps to 140kbps, etc. The jumping is consistent and regular, about every second while watching the video. This will go on for awhile until my download speed stops completely, the video has to buffer, and then the jumping continues.

    This happens in both Firefox and IE. My Windows computer is the only one on my network. I am not sure why this is happening and why it doesn't happen while viewing websites or downloading files. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

    Thanks.
     
  2. akhilles

    akhilles First Sergeant

    Could be their problems - throttling. Try again at off-peak hours. Could also be interference or overloading (your router).

    Is the computer in the same room as the router? If not, how many rooms/floors apart are they?
     
  3. squinty97

    squinty97 Private E-2

    Thanks for your reply. Yes, the computer is in the same room as my router. It actually is only about three feet from it. The thing is, when downloading large files, the connection will stay at about 140kbps for an extended amount of time, without problems. It only has problems while viewing video online.
     
  4. Anger

    Anger Private E-2

    It *could* be throttling, but I will give you some pointers on Wireless routers.

    First off, if you can get rid of Wireless, especially 1.5mb/s it's not very reliable, however, there are ways to make it more reliable.

    The first thing you want to do is go into your Router configuration, to do this open your Browser and enter (Depends on router make and model) "192.168.1.1" (Linksys) or "192.168.0.1" (D-Link). The default passwords are usually "Administrator" or something simple as this, you will find all the info you need on your router's manufacture website.

    Once you're in the configuration, there are several steps you can take to minimize interference. The best and easiest way is to change your channel. When you have other electronics running near the router, mainly cordless phones and other wireless objects, they can cause a large amount of interference. Changing the channel could help remedy this a bit. This is a trial and error thing, you may have to change the channel several times before finding your sweet spot.

    Also, you'll want your router to have WEP key enabled. This is basically a password for your router, and prevents other users from leeching your connection. This could also be a factor in your connection stability.

    The final solution would be to get rid of Wireless altogether. A wired connection has always been, and always will be much more reliable. If you really must stick with a Wireless connection I would recommend getting a better router, something like Wireless-G could give you a 100mb/s connection to your router. This would eliminate any bottlenecking due to slow WAN speed.

    That's all the help I can offer really. Hope it works out.
     

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