Slow download speed high price internet

Hi Gang, I am having major problems with connecting to the Internet that I cant get resolved with my Cable company. I am a road runner customer with Time Warner and I am paying for 30mbps download speed but I am not running nowhere near that speed. Periodically throughout the week my download connection slows to speeds around 1.50Mbps. I have a Motorola Surfboard modem that has routing capabilities and I use a Linksys N Router. I have a desktop and a laptop computer as well as 2 XBOX360 systems and a couple of IPOD touches that use the internet, not all at once either. When I call for assistance they tell me to unplug the modem wait ten seconds then plug back in. If that doesnt work they tell me to wait for ten minutes the next time. I feel like im getting the run around. I have had technicians come out an test the line from my house to the cable box outside and it all checks out fine. Also they have gone as far as to run new cabling and install a new splitter. This new modem was an upgrade from the one I had before (allegedly). Where I was at 8Mbps download peed. I am not noticing any difference, in fact it seems slower. Any suggestions? I have even had my Xbox wired directly into the Motorola modem and I still lose connection to xbox live, so I dont think its the Linksys router.

 

If all your machines are not all running at the same time /downloading then I don't know. Your ISP has done a good job at trying to isolate the problem(I had similar issues). I'm sure you have tried a direct connection to the modem with your desktop and nothing else running as it seems that you've covered all your bases.:confused Have you tried a Linux LiveCD yet to compare speeds just to eliminate Windows?

 

Figure out the specifications for both wireless cards and post them in here (Maker, Model, etc).

Whether a wireless card is "N" (fast) or "B" (slow) or "G" (slow) will be written directly on any materials that came with it, most likely on the front of the box. If you don't have that stuff, it can be researched online once you know the maker, model, etc from above.

You said that the router is an "N" which is good, that means it can go quite fast if a computer with an N card is connected to it but it will go quite a lot slower if it has to operate in B mode because a B card is connecting to it.

Also, there is a potential that "Mixed Mode" slows down the router. Mixed mode is when a router has to do N with computer A and B with computer B. Having to run at 2 different speeds simultaneously could detract from overall performance in a number of ways.

If you do find out you have 1 N and 1 B connecting to it, I would suggest you buy an N card for the second one and set the router to N only mode. This should increase performance considerably across the board.

Also, on a separate note...


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Figure out the specifications for both wireless cards and post them in here (Maker, Model, etc).

Whether a wireless card is "N" (fast) or "B" (slow) or "G" (slow) will be written directly on any materials that came with it, most likely on the front of the box. If you don't have that stuff, it can be researched online once you know the maker, model, etc from above.

You said that the router is an "N" which is good, that means it can go quite fast if a computer with an N card is connected to it but it will go quite a lot slower if it has to operate in B mode because a B card is connecting to it.

Also, there is a potential that "Mixed Mode" slows down the router. Mixed mode is when a router has to do N with computer A and B with computer B. Having to run at 2 different speeds simultaneously could detract from overall performance in a number of ways.


For more information please visit
http://www.techyv.com/questions/fast-internet-connection-slow-download-speed

 

Hi,

None of what you've posted helps to troubleshoot the problem, really. Here's what you need to do to verify that your Roadrunner connection is running at the speed for which you are paying:

1. Turn off the cable modem. Wait for at least 1 minute.
2. Turn off whatever NAT/Router/switch device you have connected to the cable modem, and disconnect it. Leave the Ethernet cable connected to the cable modem.
3. Turn off the laptop.
4. Plug the Ethernet cable from the cable modem into the laptop.
5. Turn on the cable modem. Wait until it boots.
6. Turn on the laptop.
7. Login, go to somewhere that can test your Internet connection, such as:

http://www.speedtest.net/

Run the test. Note the results. Run it again. And again, noting the results.

At this point, if the download speed is 30Mbps, as you're paying for, then the issue is with your network.

If it is not, call Time-Warner Roadrunner support, and tell them how you tested, as detailed above, and the results.

By doing the above, you've removed everything from the scenario except for the ISP itself, the cable modem, the Ethernet cable and the laptop.

If you want to narrow it down further, repeat the above steps, but swap the Ethernet cable.

If the download speeds improve, you have a bad Ethernet cable. If not, then you need to try something else.

If you have the means, test with the desktop computer, exactly as above, using it in place of the laptop computer.

If the speed remains slow after this, you can say, with a fair degree of confidence, that the issue is with Roadrunner, in some way, shape or form, and can then present them with hard numbers, and invite them to send a technician out with their own laptop to test it.

Now, this doesn't do anything to test your WiFi, nor should it: Time-Warner isn't responsible for the speed of your internal network, whether it's WiFi or Ethernet, after all.

But, they ARE responsible for the speed from their network to the Ethernet interface on the cable modem, as the testing procedures I've detailed will prove out.

Please note: Before returning your network to its original configuration, turn off the cable modem and wait for a minute or so.

Regards,

dj