Slow DSL Upload Speed

Mel Culbreath · Post by **Mel Culbreath** » 12 Feb 2007 8:03 pm

My computer has a 1.8GHz Pentium 4, 512 MB RAM and 40 GB HD which is about half full. The OS is Windows XP Home Edition with SP2 and all the available updates.

About 3 weeks ago I noticed that my computer was slower surfing the Internet.

About a week ago I decided to see if I could figure out what the problem is.

I emptied the Recycle Bin.
I dumped the Temporary files.
I did an error check (scandisk?).
I did a defrag.

My usual download speed is 1200 - 1500 kbps.
My usual upload speed is 220 - 250 kbps.

I checked bandwidth by going to speakeasy.net/speedtest and it said 1,591 kbps download and 45 kbps upload. I did the modem reset procedure given me previously by Bellsouth. No increase in upload speed was evident.

Next I checked bandwidth by going to speed.fastacess.com and it said 1,500 kbps download and 46.2 kbps upload. Then I called Bellsouth and they ran several checks that showed there was no problem on their end which could be causing the slow upload speeds.

I disabled Trend Micro Internet Security 2007. No improvement in upload speed.

I can't think of anything else to try.

Can anyone give me some other options to try?

Thanks!

Mel

Jon Moen · Post by **Jon Moen** » 12 Feb 2007 9:14 pm

the modem reset procedure given me previously by Bellsouth

Turning the modem off and unplugging it for 10 seconds then turning it back on and rebooting the computer fixes my slow connection problems.

Wiz Feinberg · Post by **Wiz Feinberg** » 12 Feb 2007 9:25 pm

Mel;
Low upload rates can be caused by any or a combination of the following situations:

Incorrect MaxMTU setting. It should be 1492 for DSL modems
A firewall issue. What brand and version is your firewall? Check the firewall logs to see if they reveal any problems.
Simultaneous uploads will reduce the available bandwidth for each thread being uploaded. Are you unknowingly running any apps that are uploading "behind your back?" Scan for backdoors, email relays, key-loggers, proxy servers, phone-home apps, etc, which may be sending data out of your computer.
Do you have a wireless router? If so, have you secured it against intrusion by outsiders? If a neighbor is piggybacking on your connection, and is uploading anything, it will reduce your bandwidth.
A bad cable can throttle uploads and/or downloads. Check the phone cable leading to the modem to see if it has become crimped, or is loose in the wall jack or modem.
A bad connection where you phone cable connects at the pole can cause bandwidth problems.
A failing modem could slow down uploads
Your anti-virus, or other internet security program may be scanning uploads and slowing them down.
If you are using some special software to "connect" to your DSL modem it may have become corrupted. Reinstall the software.
It may be the convergence of forces beyond our comprehension.
Sometimes rebooting the computer, the modem and the router will fix mysterious problems. Turn off the modem, then the router, then the computer. Wait five or more minutes, then turn them on in reverse order.

Mel Culbreath · Post by **Mel Culbreath** » 13 Feb 2007 2:09 pm

Thanks Jon and Wiz,
- I have the Windows XP Home Edition Firewall disabled, but I use the one that comes with Trend Micro Internet Security 2007. I could find nothing that I recognized as a problem, but then I probably would not recognize a problem if I saw one.
- I am not to my knowledge running any apps that are uploading "behind my back". I did a CTRL + ALT + DELETE and saw nothing running that I didn't approve of. I checked the PROCESSES Tab. There were 42 various .exe files and 1 item named System and 1 item named System Idle Process. System Idle Process reads 99% except when I loaded programs and went to different websites. Then it would drop momentarily from 99% to anywhere between 60% and 0%.
- I don't have a wireless router or any other kind of router.
- I checked the phone cable and all other wires and they were not crimped and were securely plugged in.
- I disabled my Trend Micro Internet Security 2007 and it didn't make any difference in the upload speed.
- I am not using any special software to connect to the DSL modem.
- How do I go about checking the MaxMTU setting? I would like to do that before I take it to an repair shop.
Thanks for helping me troubleshoot this.
Mel

Wiz Feinberg · Post by **Wiz Feinberg** » 13 Feb 2007 3:09 pm

How do I go about checking the MaxMTU setting?

Mel;
You would have to login to the modem itself to check the MaxMtu setting. A typical SpeedStream DSL Modem has an ip address of 192.168.0.1 while others are at 192.168.1.1 . To access the modem you would open your browser and type this:

Code: Select all

http://192.168.0.1

or type:

Code: Select all

http://192.168.1.1

Press Enter or hit the GO button and you should either go straight into the configuration utility, or get a login credential prompt popup. The standard unaltered login is probably the username "Admin" with a blank password.

Once you are logged into the modem look over all available details and settings until you find the section that deals with the user name, password, keep alive and hopefully, MTU. Ensure that the MTU is set to exactly 1492. If you change that setting click on Apply and restart the modem when prompted to do so. It will take a minute or two to stabilize and obtain an IP address.

John Daugherty · Post by **John Daugherty** » 14 Feb 2007 7:45 am

Local phone companies don't like to admit that the problem is on their end. I had a slow DSL connection. After the phone company did some work on their lines, the problem went away.
If the phone company is at fault and does nothing about it, you can file a report with the public service commission. They hate to hear from the PSC.

Randy Phelps · Post by **Randy Phelps** » 14 Feb 2007 8:37 am

when you talked to bell south did they tell you what your service was? There are pretty vast ranges of service for DSL: residential, small business etc. With each one comes a "CIR" which is an acroynym for what they guarantee you for download and upload speeds. Typically, the cheapest service (residential) has T1 speeds (approx 1.5 mbps) download but upload is frequently metered to .25, .5, 1.0, 1.5 mbps. There a whole lot of reasons for this.

You may want to check the terms of service. Sometimes folks subscribe to DSL or Cable Modem and for whatever reason initially their uploads are fast and over time they slow down considerably. This is usually that the network folks get around to properly assigning bandwidth.

Last, is your slow upload time to all hosts that you upload to? or just one or a couple? it can frequently be on the other hosts side that is the problem.

Mel Culbreath · Post by **Mel Culbreath** » 20 Feb 2007 7:22 pm

Sorry for the delay in updating:

Wiz: About three days after my last post, I decided to again unplug all my computer and modem wires and replug them in. One that I had overlooked before when checking wires was the wire that went from the DSL filter to where it entered the UPS battery backup. I unplugged it and replugged it and rerouted some of the other wires so they were not so cluttered. I did another Upload Speed Test and my speed was back up into the 200-225 kbps range. I have checked it several times since then and it is always in that range.

Looks like the hardest things to find are often the simplest.

John: You are right about the phone company not wanting to hear that it might be their fault. I have been up against that in the past, but this time I will have to admit it was my fault.

Randy: When I subscribed to DSL service in 2002 Bellsouth said the Maximum Download Speed was 1,500 kbps and the Maximum Upload Speed was 256 kbps. That was for what is now called DSL Ultra. They now have 4 different speeds with 4 different prices. My service (Ultra) is the second tier from the bottom of what Bellsouth offers these days. Through the years I have kept a log of speed tests from a variety of services and have gotten from 1,058 to 1,591 Download with an average of 1,235. My Upload speeds have ranged from 200 to 225.

My slow upload time seemed to apply to all hosts.

Thanks to all.
Mel

Wiz Feinberg · Post by **Wiz Feinberg** » 20 Feb 2007 8:24 pm

This matter appears to have been solved, so I am closing this thread. The lesson learned is that electronic problems are sometimes the result of physical impairments. If your normal high transfer speeds suddenly take a turn for the worse, check all connections, including those little DSL filters and UPS phone line connections.