DSL problems

I've had Verizon DSL 768kbps (best we can afford :/) for a few months now...and it was a bit faster than the dial-up that I had, but it appears to not be as fast as it should be. I don't have any viruses and run very few applications, but the best download speed I can from anywhere (limewire, games, different applications) is about 20kb/sec. What is the normal download speed under normal conditions for a 768kbps connection? I'm not really that into computers...but I can tell you I have Windows xp service pack 2, 2ghz celeron, and 1.5gb of memory. I have a westell versalink wireless router...which I enabled the wireless connection on for my sisters laptop, but it turns out that it didnt work and I don't know how to turn that off. Does anyone have any idea at all as to why I'm running so slowly? Thanks.

 

run a few random tests from different sites here:

http://www.dslreports.com/speedtest

From verizon's site it says

up to 768 Kbps

The distance between you & the telco office can play a factor. The further you are, the slower the connection. As for your local telco offices, ask dslreports.

http://www.dslreports.com/faq/4676

If your connection is wireless, the connection will even be much slower. Wireless is lower than wired. The fastest is: 108Mbps vs 1000Mbps. Your service is 768kbps. I'd make your connection wired: use the cat5 (network) cable to connect the pc to the router.

I don't know what didn't work with your sister's laptop. If it's a signal strength issue, you can build a deflector out of a cardboard & foil from the kitchen that inserts into an antenna to improve the signal. Try connecting without any encryption/security at all. i.e. turn off WPA/WEP/WPA2.

 

Hi. If you read the fine print from your service provider, you will probably find out that your connection is rated "up to 768k", or whatever. The sad truth is that you won't get 768k consistently. If you got 30% of that, you would probably be doing pretty well. One way to tell if it is something with your equipment, or a bandwidth problem, is to try a download or a speed test sometime when traffic is very light, say, early on Sunday am. If you get good download speed then, but crappy the rest of the time, it is network loading that is killing you, not your equipment. Good night and good luck.