Slow internet connection

[zoebartlett]

What should you do if your internet connection is slow? Here''s what I''ve tried but it''s been this way for a long time.

1. made sure not to have many documents, browsers, etc. open at once
2. disconnected from the internet, then reconnected after a minute or so
3. unplugged the modem briefly
4. restarted the computer

It''s so frustrating and I have no idea what else to try. If you have any suggestions, I''d love to hear them. Thanks!

 

[yssie]

Are you plugged in or wireless?

A) spyware/adware check. reset your IE settings - or firefox. check your firewalls, if you have more than the minimum required disable the rest. check your disk space - if you're running low everything else will slow down too
B) try walking round the house if you're on wireless. Some places are better than others, and not always the spots closest to the box
C) if you're plugged in and it's a recurrent problem it could be server maintenance, your neighbour cutting your line, or - as in my parents' case - a family of squirrels chewing on the cable that ran beside their tree

 

[zoebartlett]

Thanks Yssie!

My husband checks spyware fairly regularly. To be honest, I don''t know how to do your first suggestion but my husband can. I''ll ask him to check it out again when he gets home. We have a wireless router in the living room, and our laptop is maybe 6-8 feet away from it. We keep the laptop plugged in, and we don''t use it anywhere else in the house.

 

[y2kitty]

You can test your speed here:
http://www.speakeasy.net/speedtest/

If you have broadband and it is slow then you should contact your ISP as there may be a problem with the line.

 

[HopeDream]

If you have an unsecured wireless router anyone walking by or one of your neighbours could easily be using up your bandwidth and slowing it down. Password protect those bad boys!

Neighbours in my building knock out my wireless occasionaly by using their microwave - our router is on the same frequency.

 

[PinkTower]

Are you in a private residence or a condo?
We are in a high rise condo, and there are some people here who have home businesses. They use all the bandwidth.